Teaching with the Mission President

Saying goodbye to Elder Cunningham

Our sweet ride, the Opel Meriva

Tena Kotou!

E pehea ana koe?! 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! This week we are showing these Europeans what it is all about. A family in the ward has already booked all four of us down for Thursday to celebrate. Time to break out the pigskin and to find anyone who will sell pumpkin pie…

The past four days have been quite eventful. Elder Rapata is starting to get a hang of the Opel Meriva (our car that is pictured above) and the “manual” capabilities. With him coming from New Zealand he only had to send in his NZ license and they sent him a British one.    

Speaking of eventful... On Thursday night we got a call from the Assistants (Elder Cunningham) saying that we had to be at the Mission home the next day at 10 in the morning. We were to pick up President Preston and take him back to Chester with us to take him teaching and street contacting. Yes, like our Mission President...President Preston. Haha.

When President Kopiscke came to the mission he had each of us set a goal for baptisms by the end of the year per companionship. It was a very inspiring and revelatory experience we had with him while he was here. And afterwards he promised us that he would do everything in his power to help us with our goals. And so he lived up to his promise. He was in Manchester to reorganize a stake and asked President Preston to set up some people for him to teach. With that President Preston and Elder Kerr (an Area Seventy from Scotland) joined in with him and headed out with missionaries for the day to help in any way that they could.

So at 9 am Friday morning we headed up to Manchester to meet up with the President. When we got there it was just us, the Assistants and the Manchester Zone Leaders. When President Kopiscke and Elder Kerr arrived it was straight to work. They said their greetings, we said a prayer and headed out. Each of them going with a different companionship. 

So in our car we took President Preston back with us to teach some of our investigators. I cannot tell you how great of an experience that was! For 5 hours we got to pick his brain on many things about the gospel and see him in action working with investigators. 

We first went up to Flint to see Nicky but we got there a little early, so we got to do a little street contacting and tracting. Whilst street contacting we even met a woman that knew him! She and her mom had investigated the church some time ago, and still remembered him! President Preston asked her if we could come over and she happily accepted. How about that, an on-the-spot lesson with your mission president? Haha. I’ll just say it was a unique experience..

Afterwards we taught a really good lesson to Nicky, and helped her to be more at ease with Tithing. She also wasn’t feeling well, and President asked if she would like a blessing. She agreed.

We then headed over to Kirsty and taught her about prayer. It also was a very effective lesson, that helped her to understand how we cannot know spiritual truths without prayer. 

I learned a lot from teaching with President. He taught me the importance of ministering to the individual. By example, he was able to show absolute interest in every person we came upon.

Afterwards, he talked to me and Elder Rapata about that very principle, and related it to being Zone Leaders. He said that leaders need to focus less on administering, and more on ministering to the individual. As leaders we are not to just over-see and “manage.” We are leaders to lift and inspire individuals to become their potential. 

We then took him home, he invited us in to make some lunch and chat some more, then we were out and headed back to Chester! What a day!

We saw Lorna this week for the first time in a week or so. It’s hard to book ourselves in with all the visits she and Sister Hill are getting. Bishop and his family went up for FHE on Monday, our WML (Ward Mission Leader) went up on Tuesday, and a Sister from the ward was up Wednesday to teach her about family history. Then on Saturday she headed to the Preston Temple to do baptisms! And let me tell you she just loved it! Come Sunday Morning she was just so excited to tell me all about her week, and temple trip. 

Later on in the day went up and taught her, and again talked about her experience. I’ll say that I’m pretty lucky to be in the situation that I am. Usually after you baptize someone, you are out of the area before temple trips, and post-baptism lessons start. Well, that is what it has been like for my mission. 

But now, I get to see Lorna continue to learn and grow in the gospel. It is the most rewarding thing I know of! She is just doing so well!  She honestly is such a strong addition to the Chester Ward.

As for this week we have Zone Leader Council tomorrow, which is always a highlight. And then on Sunday us four missionaries have the musical item. Thank you Elder Hopper...

Around this Thanksgiving time, I just want to say how thankful I am for all you! For the support and the prayers and all things that you do for me. It is such a blessing to have such wonderful people apart of my life. Know that I love you all!

Ta-rah,

Elder Eliason