Family Rocks

Hey ya'll,

Thanks dad for the schedual. But I think that we should adjust a bit of it.

If your flight comes in Thursday morning then I can pick you up from the airport (thats a bit backwards?) and we can leave straight from there to the temple. Or you can come pick me up from the mission office and yes we could get a car from there. I think you could even have the rental company deliver the car to the office where i can keep it until you arrive.

 

Sunday 20th Basildon (stay the night or travel late at night)

Monday 21st Dover and Leeds Castle drive to London in the evening and give back the car.

Tuesady 22nd See the sites (visit with my friends :)

Wednesday 23rd Cry then leave 
FYI I have picked up a SATNAV so we don't really have to worry about getting lost. 

Will we be staying at the Temple accomindation Thursday and Friday night? 

Ok so I left realy quick to hit the shops while they were still open. A couple of weeks ago I walked through my shoes, and my white shirts are no longer white. Kinda an off white gray. Anyhow I went to the local TK MAXX (its like Ross) and it turns out that my debit card expired last month so now I'm broke on both accounts..... SO yea I lied mum when I told you that I didn't need anything.

 

 

 

ok back to my story....

 

On Sunday I told mum about Bella, Chinese student with a baptism date for the 19/04. She is super solid and actually helps us fellowship other investigators. She has pushed back her baptism date because she wanted to be baptised in the new building (this is me rolling my eyes). So Tuesday Elder Giboin and Gieunpaolo (our Elders quromm pres. also called JP) taught her at the office couples flat. One that way back JP asked Bella when she was going to be baptised. He didn't like the answer. For the next 2.5 hours they sat in the office resolving concerns. at the end they asked her to pray to know if she should be baptised 2 days later. She did and she got an answer that it was right. Absolutly crazy!!! The baptism service was incredible. Daisy ( baptised 3 weeks ago) gave a talk which filled the whole chapel with the spirit. Most of us just sat there with our jaw wide open and tongues hanging out. She bore an powerful testimony of the Saviour and of God's love for us. The ordinance was surrounded by a feeling of reverence. A very solemen experience. Afterwards i spoke with Bella and she said that all her past sins (which made her feel unworthy to be baptised) past through her mind and left. She was so happy that she could pass them onto the Saviour and leave them in the past. Serveral people bore their testimonies and one stood up and said that after 11 years in the church she never felt like she had a proper testimony, even after a mission, but that night while watching the baptism she felt it all reafirmed to her and she knew that it was true. So many people were touched. I was standing by when my dear friend Richard Sheppard asked Bella 'so now do you feel right that you were baptised today?' With tears in her eyes she smiled and said yes. It was a touching experience.

We spent the weekend traveling up to Norwich. Now it is only a three hours drive but I was going crazy! Prior to that I hadn't been in a car for more then 1.5 hours. I wanted to jump out and just walk. So we traveled back this morning after another chinese student baptism up in Norwich ward. I took the oppurtunity to catch up with my letter writing. It was probably a waste of time my handwriting was so bad that it is probably illegible. At one point Elder Giboin looked over and asked 'are you writing in short hand?' Oh well.

Hey funny story! last Sunday Elder Hales (former AP now taining Elder Gboins friend) was out street contacting. This really angry guy came up to Elder Irving and started yelling at him. Elder Hales came over.  Then out of no where this guy punched Elder Irving right in the face! Then he turned on Elder Hales. Lucky for him Elder Hales has some matrix moves and dodged the punches, by this time Elder Irving remembered which way was up and came back and punch the angry guy right back in the jaw. Just so happened that this happened right infront of a police station and an off duty cop. Well the cop saw the whole thing and promptly removed the angry guy into the jail cell. So that is the story that we have been telling to each other over and over and over again, as we do.

Studies have been going well. I have begun reading the Bible for the first time (sad huh?). Everytime previous I have not been able to understand what it was saying. But now i think it is because i understand the principles of the gospel better.  I understand what Paul is saying behind all of his crazy words. I've learned also just to completely ignore the puncuation. It just throws everything off.

Well I love you all as ever!

Elder Brighton Solomon