A week full of miracles.

This was a week of many miracles for Elder Pereira.

"While I was on an exchange here in Barrow with one of the Zone Leaders, I was the Senior companion for the day, which meant I had to plan the whole day. During tea time, I was looking over our list of Potential Investigators, and I saw a girl who we met 3 weeks ago, that we never got to see. I really felt like we should go and try by her house! So we street contact our way there, and as we came onto the Street she lives in, there was a man on a bike coming out of a house. Elder Delaibatiki (he raplaced Elder Francis) called out to him and we ran over to him so we could talk to him. We ended up teaching him on the spot parts of the Restoration, and teaching him how to pray. He accepted to read the BoM and pray about it, and if he gets an answer to his prayer, he accepted to be baptized! :D But the biggest Miracle came later! When we asked him where he lived - we had set up an appointment with him - he gave us his address, which was the house he came out of, and guess what I realised... It was the same address as the girl's! :O I guess she is his wife or something!

Another Miracle that we saw was Saturday evening. Elder Leimgrub and I were on our way to an appointment and we saw that one of our investigator's door was opened and we both felt we should try by and invite her to church. So we did! She accepted to come to church! And yesterday she was there!! When we asked her what she thought of church, she told us she loved it! Woo! And then at night, when we taught her, she told us that she loved Church so much that she invited her son to come with her next week! :D"

 "We also had Multi-Zone Meeting!! I love that Training meeting so much! It's my favourite! We get training from President Preston, the Assistants and the Zone Leaders. President Preston taught us about Preach My Gospel, and using it to strengthen our areas and member relationships. He gave us a commitment to never enter a member's home without our copy of the Preach My Gospel, so that they start studying from it. So here's my commitment for you. Study from Preach My Gospel as a family on FHE! There's lots of exercises throughout the whole book. I promise you that your testimonies will be strengthened and you will receive a lot of personal revelation! I'm not trying to make you use PMG so you become member missionaries, that will come as a result of you truly understanding PMG, but it's just so that your studies of the scriptures become better! PMG is not Scripture, but it's pretty close! :)"

"I nearly died yesterday. TWICE. In the space of 5 seconds."

"So, after church, we went to the Bishop's home for dinner. It was us two, our Ward Mission Leader, and another member. Now, Elder Leimgrub and I walked to our home and then made our way to Bishop's.

During lunch, at Bishop's home, we were all having a chat and then suddenly I notice that Bishop and Elder Leimgrub keep looking at the WML, so I look at him and he's fallen asleep while eating! So I started laughing (I still can't control myself very well...) and woke him up because I didn't want his face to fall on the ketchup or anything. But yeah, he fell asleep while eating about 15 times. At one point he got some ice-cream from his bowl with a spoon and as he was bringing it up to his mouth, he fell asleep - I know, hilarious!

But yeah, we then went to the living room and he fell asleep on the member's shoulder and slipped down to his lap! xD

Elder Leimgrub and I were feeling super awkward because everyone fell asleep while watching a church video, so we told Bishop we had to go :P But then the other two woke up too and the WML was like: I'll give you a lift!

As a joke I asked Elder Leimgrub "Do you think it will be safe?" and he said "That's what I am wondering too..."

Well....

As we got on the car, he started driving, and then we got onto the main road when he noticed "Ah! My Disabled Parking Badge is still up!" so he decided to take it down.... How did he do that? By holding the steering wheel with his disabled hand and reaching for the badge with his left hand. Now, as he did this, he was looking at the badge! :O So we started drifting left onto Traffic Pillars! :O :O :O So Elder Leimgrub, the other member and myself were all like "WATCH OUT!!!!" Thankfully, he managed to swerve right before we all died, but only after the side mirror hit the pillars 3-4 times!

I started thinking "Pheww! I'm alive!" when I look up and realise we are drifting right... ONTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O

Elder Leimgrub couldn't hold it in and just shouted "WATCH OUT!!!!!!" again! xD (Elder Leimgrub just saw what I wrote and said "What do you mean I "couldn't hold it"? We almost died!")

But yeah.... All that was in the space of about 5 seconds... So I relieved my life twice just yesterday! How sweet is that?! ;) hehehehe"

Elder Pereira is finally getting used to the weather up North, and says that he is so used to the rain that being wet is no longer a bother. 

End of first transfer.

Today was the end of Elder Pereira's first transfer and he's staying in Barrow with Elder Leimgrub! On Wednesday all the greenies had a training meeting with the Assistants and they were told about study journals and taught on some good ways to keep one, which Elder Pereira was happy to know more about as he is excited to learn more through this method.

Elder Pereira was also feeling very happy about a spiritual experience they had with an investigator and with the spiritual growth that was apparent in their investigators. Things became even better when some of the investigators attended church on Sunday.

But this week he had some "exciting news" to tell us:

"Now, for the exciting news!

Yesterday we got a call from the Assistants but couldnt pick it up, so they left a voice mail.

It was the new Assistant speaking and said something along the lines of:

Hello Elders! This is Elder *IDon'tKnowHisName* and this is a message for Elder Pereira! President has asked you that you start making preparations to take a Driving License for Automatic Cars! If you have any questions, just ring me back!

So yeah... I'm going to get a driving license! How weird is that?! haha

According to Elder Leimgrub's it means that I am super awkward and so President is going to send me to the Office... Hahahaha! But he also said that the Office is every missionary's dream... so whatever happens because of this license, I am happy! :D"

Familiar faces.

On Saturday, Elder Pereira was able to attend the concert to celebrate the175th anniversary of the first LDS baptism in the United Kingdom. He was very happy to go as he was able to see Elder Esteves (from Ipswich Ward, who's now serving in the Leeds mission), some "missionaries" that served in Ipswich but have now finished their missions, and many other friends from home.

He was also on an exchange in Lancaster with Elder Barth for the week, and was very pleased with what the two of them were able to achieve. And the letters he got that week made him just as happy!

"3! 3! 3! 3! 3! 3!"

The week started with a District Meeting followed by another exchange, this time with the District Leaders. Elder Pereira got to serve with Elder Rapata in Lancaster, and as they got to know each other, they found out that the theory of 'six degrees of separation' is correct when they discovered they had mutual friends': Elder Rapata's sister studied in Portugal for 9 months, during which she stayed at the Esteves' house (who are very close family friends'). The two Elders' had a very good spiritual experience while teaching; Elder Pereira said: "The Lord definitely works in mysterious ways!"

Sunday made Elder Pereira very happy and excited, when three of his and Elder Leimgrub's investigators went to church and set baptism dates with them!

He was also happy to hear Ipswich Ward now has two missionary companionships and that one companionship is of Elders.

Keep writing to him, he loves getting letters!