Peace in Church

As some of you know from Martha's blog posts I have been in the middle of a move and house hunting and have been slacking on the blog posts for my sisters who are out serving The Lord. I am doing my best to play catch up so keep checking back this week for more updates on Jamie. Here is her most recent email.

Hi Family!

So I know that you already know because you were sent pictures but... Kara got baptized on Sunday! It was so great. She has just been wanting to get baptized for so long and so I am so happy for her that it was finally able to happen. It was so fun because the past couple of weeks we have just been really trying to get her involved with the ward and everyone has been so great. We took her with us for a couple of dinner appointments so that she could meet people. It was so much fun! For most of my mission I have not really gotten to experience the whole having dinner appointments.. so it has been really fun meeting with members and bring investigators along!

The work is still going just great. Honestly, we are so blessed and I am constantly amazed at how much the Lord really is in this work. He does everything. Haha we are just here because he can't be at the moment. He is preparing and sending so many people are way and it is just wonderful. He really is wanting His children to hear the gospel and He is getting it to them. So, there is this girl who use to be taught last January but she went home to China right before she was going to get baptized.. I guess there just wasn't enough time. Anyway, she is back! We met her yesterday and she is so wonderful. She is so excited to start having "classes" again. She is so cute. Our investigator Lee is still awesome! We love when we get to see him. It is so much fun! And actually, he is coming to Utah on the 28th of this month and he said if there is anything you want to give him to bring back to me that he would get it.... just saying. haha He is great. He is getting baptized on the 27th of this month and he is so excited about it. He is having a hard time because his family does not exactly support him with it but we have faith that it will still be able to happen. Also, do you remember the investigator we have, Maggie? Well she is just the cutest. She really wants to get baptized but there are some things that we are trying to figure out first. But it was the best moment ever. On Sunday we were sitting in sacrament meeting and during the sacrament she turned to me and this is what happened. Maggie: "I feel so peaceful when I sit in here. I just love it. How do you feel when you sit here?" Me:" I feel so happy and peaceful too." Maggie: "I don't like how it changes so much when I go outside and walk on the streets. I just want it all the time." Then I explained to her how that is what we can have as we are baptized and have the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we have that gift and remain faithful by keeping the commandments and studying, we can feel like that when we are just walking outside. She really started to think about it. Some of the commandments are hard for her, which I don't blame her it is a whole new change, but I could tell that she just really started to think about it a lot. It made me so happy just sitting there thinking that I am so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to help others come in to the gospel.

Okay so family, I have to tell you this story that happened... hahaha too good. So, there is a group of BYU-I students over here and I was standing at the front of the VC Sunday morning and they came and stood in the front. First of all, I got to see Kim who I coached volleyball with my first time coaching. It was the BEST thing ever. I just love her! But it was so fun because I saw so many people that I know on Sunday. Both of those people, then another girl and then I got to see the Andrus'. Ahh it was so fun!

Well family, I love you all so much! Thank you for being the best family EVER. And yes, you that don't write me, I guess I still love you too.... just kidding. I love you guys and I hope that you have a wonderful week! LOVE YOU!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth

Just started a new transfer a week or so ago and is still with Sister Sua! 

Her friend Kim, from BYUI was in London!

London is so beautiful! 

With their recent convert Kara

With the Andrus family from Draper, Ut, her home ward 

Having fun! 

Ella and Sui at it again!

Another transfer has passed for Jamie and she is still with Sister Sua and loving life. She's glad she stayed in the same area with the same companion.

Family!!

Another transfer is here! ahh so crazy. I tell ya, they just go by way too fast! But I will be staying in Britannia for another transfer!! Yay I am so excited! and I get to be with Sister Sua again! We just have so much fun together and I am so excited! Also, I think I was saying it last week.. I just love the people we are teaching right now and I did not want to leave them at all!!

So right now we have some awesome people that we are teaching! Last week we got a referral from a member in the stake. She rents out a flat and a cute girl from Poland just moved in! She asked if she could come to church with her and now she will be coming to the Singles ward! She is perfect. First of all, she is the cutest thing in the world. She is so pretty and fun and talks.. a lot. I love it. We taught her for the first time last week and she is so prepared. We asked her to tell us about her and she started off by saying she is like an 80 year old women. haha She hates partying, alcohol, smoking, even coffee. She is great! We are seeing her today and I am so excited!

Then there is Difei. So last week I told you how funny he is. Well I swear it just gets better every time we see him! This past time he wanted to know if we would be moving this transfer or not and we explained to him that we didn't know. haha then he told us to pray about it, get the answer, and then let him know. oh and then we tried to set a date with him.. and we did.. for.. haha he explained how he thinks his faith is too small and that we met him at the end of june so a year would be good for him. ahhh haha this guy. Well, don't worry we are trying to move that up!

Ploy! She is just great! I love seeing her. It is the best when you have a great friendship to start with and then go from there! We taught her last night and it was very basic but it was so good! I am so excited for this next transfer! I know that if we just press forward with faith and turn it into action, doing everything that we can, being our best self and pushing ourselves, the Lord really will bless us and we will continue to see miracles!

Oh and guess what? Remember my roommate Leanda from England? Well she is back!! She has been here a couple of times to visit and then this past Sunday her and her mom made us a ton of food! It was the best thing ever! Man I just love her so much and I love having her here!! I will send some pictures of us!

I love doing this. It is amazing when you see the Lord send his prepared children your way and to see them change and live the gospel! I have come to see how powerful the spirit really is if you just let it change you. I mean we all still have our agency but if we are truly willing to let it touch us it will bring so much happiness. I hope that you are all doing great and that you have a great week!! LOVE YOU!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth 

Working on taking more pictures

Loving the rain

Leanda made them lunch. It was Ghanan food and she loved it!

"So let me explain the story behind this one. There is this old Muslim guy that ALWAYS comes in to the VC. And every time I say hi to him he says the same thing... and he only says it to me.. haha he says, 'You should wear the veil'. So naturally this is what happened"

Her recent find in the closet of her flat

They found these hats while sopping on pday

Love life in London

Hi Family!

Well this week has been great. Honestly, I know that I say it every week, so sorry if it gets old, but I really love this work! The people we are currently teaching are so awesome! They are all so different from each other and have such different needs. It is so cool to get to know these people and to help them build their relationship with God. Each person is unique and I love seeing how other people work! 

haha funny story. So that guy Nick that we found last sunday.. he is just awesome! I can't really explain what he is like but he always makes me laugh. So, we had an appointment set up with him the other day and I sent him a text to confirm and he replied with "Hey, I;m not in the mood today. Thanks anyway" haha I just started laughing. Then we taught him and this whole time he kept saying, "I just don't fit in here." Turns out that the whole time this poor guy thought we were trying to change who he is. (He was part of the Jehovah Witnesses' and that is what they do apparently) Well, we got over that and now he is doing really great! ha

Avtar ended up not being able to get baptized this past week.... he is having a hard time with the word of Wisdom. So we are working hard on him and really trying to help him to stop! Jillian is doing well. We actually got her to commit to a baptismal date! But it is kind of a conditional date! But she is really wanting to push forward and I have faith that she will get baptized on the day :)

So saddest day ever... We taught Chris this last week and we ended up having to drop him. It honestly made me so sad but Sua and I knew that that was what we had to do. He was not willing to come to church and to keep commitments. We still keep in contact but we are no longer teaching him. That is probably the hardest part about a mission. Seeing people not accept this message even when you know they are ready! 

So this past week I had a work over with one of the Sister Training Leaders (they are new) and it was great. I realized that I need to be more bold in my missionary work. That is how people will know our purpose, that we love them, and they will be able to accept the message better. So I have really been focusing on talking about baptism in the first lesson and being bold but loving. I can testify from experience now that it really does work. People then know exactly what they are there for and our purpose. haha you think I would have learned this earlier.... 

So Sister Sua got sick again, poor thing. This time it was yesterday (sunday). It was so hard because we had investigators come to church but we were not able to be there! But thankfully the elders helped us out there. But pretty much I just got to stay home and study, study, study. It was so good for me tho. I really learned a lot. Then we went out and took a walk to get out of the apartment and we found a girl who we are teaching tomorrow! It is so fun to just always talk with people. That is the thing about being a missionary. You never just take time off because pretty much everyone you meet needs the message that we share! 

I love you all so much! You are the best family a girl could ask for! Keep being the best people ever and I hope that you all have a wonderful week! LOVE YOU!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth 

With her companion, Sister Sua

She loves London

So someone dropped a bag of clothes off to Jamie and told her they thought they would fit her. So her and Sister Bergstrom tried them on...

These two...always up to no good...ha

Gary the Crazy Bird

Hi Family!

Okay so haha it has been another crazy week. I swear, Sister Sua and I won't ever have just a normal week.... but it was so great still. We get to see so many miracles all of the time and I just love it!

So, let's start at the very beginning...  I don't know if I told you last week, but last Monday we lost our phone. Let me just tell you, don't ever loose your phone. Especially when you have new investigators and a lot of appointments for the week.. haha I don't understand how they did missionary work back in the day. seriously. So then because we didn't have a phone, the next day was rough. Okay so just promise me that when you read this you won't think I am a bad missionary.. promise? haha we felt so bad the whole day. Anyway, we always set our phone alarm to 6:29 but on Tuesday morning we had to use just my alarm clock. So we woke up got ready and headed to the chapel so that we could be there around 9 to be in the VC and to call to try and find our phone. Okay so we get there and we look at the clock.. ya it was 10. hahaha my clock at home had somehow been set back and hour so we woke up an hour late!!!! ahh ha we felt so bad but it was so funny! That is the thing. Sui and I just laugh at everything because so many stupid things happen to us! 

Then poor sister sua got soo sick. But like I said, it might have been a crazy week but we did still get to see miracles! So we started teaching a guy last Monday named Avitar (yes, that is his real name) and we set a baptismal date with him last Wednesday! so awesome! We are working with him on the Word of Wisdom at the moment but he is just so awesome and so willing! He always talks about getting baptized and he is really looking forward to it! 

Then, do you guys remember a couple weeks back I told you about a guy who came into the VC and came to church the next day and how he told me he had already read half of the BoM? Well I have been in contact with him through email and this is what he wrote to me last time, It is so amazing!

"Ever since I first read the Book of Mormon. I have had a deeper love for the scriptures and a stronger desire to love, serve and keep the commandments. After I read over half of the book, I felt a complete change of heart. I felt a deeper resolve to live the gospel than I had ever had before"

Is that not just the coolest thing ever? Honestly, ask Sister Sua, when I read that I just about died it made me so happy! He is just the best! and like I said last week. The BoM can really change lives if you give it a chance. Also, this past week we got to see Chris and you know how I just think about him and how we can help him all the time! Honestly, I swear I am always thinking about him. Anyway, we had a really great lesson with him and we made a calender. So on this calender it has a place where he can mark everyday if he has read the BoM and if he has prayed and he is going to bring it to every lesson. We promised him that if he really reads the BoM and wants to know if it is true, that he will come to know that it is true.

Then we went to do a service project with the Elders. We went to this lady's house and did gardening, as they call it here. I had the honor of mowing the lawn. haha sadly, I miss it. It brought back the good old memories of the days when I had to mow the lawn.. But they use the weirdest lawn mowers here. They are electric and just weird. Ha I don't know how to explain them. But don't get any funny ideas. On day when I will come home I will suddenly be sick of mowing the lawn again.

There are so many wonderful opportunities I get to do being a missionary. I love this work so much and I love being out here in England. This is the number one mission in the world! Honestly tho, it is.

Oh and one last story. So the chapel/VC is on one of the busiest roads in London. haha There is this bird (named Gary/Moroni) who stands on top of the spiral of the chapel or the flag post of the science museum. He is here everyday, and never leaves. So, he just stands there and watches the street for runners. haha yes. every time a person comes running down exhibition road Gary literally attacks them. He swoops them and grabs their head. We always just stand out on the steps and watch it happen. haha it is so funny to see the runners get so scared and confused. Actually it is kinda scary. One morning sister Sua and I were running to the chapel and we didn't think he would be there that early.. but he was and he came and attacked us! haha too good.

Well I love you all very very much and I hope that you have a wonderful week!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth 

Fish and chips with Sister Sua

She had to right?

With her district!

Another Crazy Week

Hi Family!!

So let me just tell you... this week has been so crazy. hahaha I feel like we have been running all over the city...but hey it is great!

So to start. The lock on our flat has been broken for like a month now and someone was suppose to come and fix it but they hadn't... Then on friday morning when we left our flat, it was still broken. After a long day we were excited to get home, plan and then get to bed but guess who's lock had fallen off? haha yup. ours. So we couldn't get in to our flat and we had to go walk over to the other sister's flat and sleep there. Sleepover with Bergy tho! haha that was so fun! Then in the morning we went to meet up with the senior missionaries at our flat to try and fix it but that didn't work. Then they just left us there. We were homeless. So we went to the grocery store, bought breakfast and started heading to the chapel... but then we had a great idea. We called up the Wilson's (one of the senior couples in the visitor's centre) and they let us come over to their flat to show and eat! It was so nice of them. We were so happy!

As for the missionary work, it is going so great! Wow I cannot even tell you how blessed we have been. We have honestly seen so many miracles! This past week we found so many people to teach! This upcoming week is just full of appointments with new people, it is awesome! I love going out and finding new people. I have really been able to see that as long as you just get out there and do it with a good attitude and try your best, that the Lord really will put in the rest to help you!

There have been so many times where we have just gotten blessed with meeting people. Last thursday a member brought his friend to institue and we were able to sit and talk with him for a really long time. He doesn't believe that there is a God but he prays to know if there is one. You can just tell by looking at him that his soul is searching for something more. That is what I love about the gospel. It fills that missing peice that sometimes we don't even realize is missing until we find it.

Also, yesterday there were so many people that just decided to come to church. They weren't meeting with missionaries or anything, they just wanted to come in and see what it was like. So naturally, we went and spoke with them. We met with one of them today and he is awesome! He has already been reading the Book of Mormon and he feels like what he is reading is a miracle from God. Ahh how awesome is that! He is so great and really wants to learn more!

As for Chris and Jillian? Well Jillian is doing well. I just really love her. She is so sweet and loveable. I love the friendship that we have and I can tell that she is just really starting to open up. Then for Chris.. Well for a while he was not responding to us and I was so worried. However I did not want to give up on him, he had come such a long way! Finally the other day he responded and we met with him the next day (friday). He told us that he was considering just not even meeting with us anymore but he decided to give it another chance. haha well I am so glad that he did. He was the most happy when he was wanting to be baptized and that is also when he was reading from the Book of Mormon. If I have learned one thing already from my mission, it is the importance of the Book of Mormon. That is what holds everything together. By reading that and pondering and praying if it is true, that is when you will get your answer. The Book of Mormon is so important and you can never know if this is true unless you put in your effort to read the book and pray sincerely to know if it is true. I have come to really just love the Book of Mormon so much. I am always so excited for personal study every morning when I get to read it.

I love being a missionary more than anything! My testimony has grown so much it is crazy and I love it. I hope that you all have a wonderful week! I miss you all and love you very much!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth 

Celebrating the 4th of July...in England

Family!!

We are starting a new transfer tomorrow! It is so crazy how fast time goes out here on in the mission! I feel like last transfer just started  But I am excited for this next transfer. I will be staying in Britannia (The ward I have been in since the beginning) and I get to stay with sister Sua! I am really excited! We get along so well and we just laugh. all the time. Also, she is just amazing! She is such a great teacher and has such a strong testimony! I learn so much from her!

So as you all know, it was the 4th of July this past week. Don't worry, I still celebrated. It was so much fun! Kinda weird celebrating our independence from Britain in England.... but hey, it works. So even though Sis Sua is not from America, she celebrated with me! We made a special breakfast of french toast. haha then we sang American songs for companionship study and we also said the pledge! It was so fun. Then everyone in the Visitors Center dressed in Red, White, and Blue. Don't worry I will send some pics. Then we got fed a nice American BBQ dinner. I loved it. 

The work is going good as well. The ward that I am in has been having so many baptism's and it is so amazing! We are finding a lot right now trying to get some new investigators! We have been getting a lot of appointments which is really great!

Also, Jillian is doing great! Man I just love her. She is so sweet. Today we actually went out and spent our P-day with her. We went to this really cool street in London that is pretty popular. It is a really long street that is just filled with a whole bunch of different stands, charity shops, and antique shops. It was so much fun! Also, she is really loving the lessons and the church! Right now we are working on setting a baptismal date with her! yay!!

Oh and guess what guys?! Guess who came to the chapel this past sunday? Elder Quentin L. Cook! How cool is that!! So he came and I got to meet him and talk with him. Then President Jordan came up to Sis. Sua and me and asked us to give him a tour of the Visitors Centre! Like I said, this mission is the best. There are so many amazing things that happen!!

I love being a missionary and doing this work! I hope that you all have a wonderful week! I love you guys so much!

Love, Sister Ellsworth

Tired after another late night of performing in the missionary band

Celebrating the 4th!

All the Visitor Center sisters dressed up for the 4th

Out to lunch with her district. It's a small district. 

The Elmy's

Jamie is in full swing training mode now and is loving her new companion and her district. It sounds like she has such a fun mission!

Holla Mi Familia!!

So let me just start off by saying how much I have loved this past week! I love Sister Sua! (She is my new companion) We get along so well and we have so much fun together! Honestly, we just laugh all day long! I love it!

This week has been so great tho honestly. So pretty much we are both so new at this whole mission thing that we realized we just need to rely more on the Lord and try our best and have fun while we do it! We both wanted to improve our finding. Haha at first it was really hard to go out finding because I didn't have a senior companion to rely on but it has really helped me to be able to have the faith to do it. This past week we went out finding and we got so many potential appointments and we are getting new investigators as well!

As far as our other investigators, they are still doing good. Chris has been out of town for the last week and a half, so we really haven't gotten to see him.. which has been kinda sad. Then, Jillian is doing great! She is just the sweetest little thing ever, I love her! and the member that we always have come teach with us just moved here so they became really great friends! They went and took a day trip down to the white cliffs of Dover (they invited us but of course we couldn't go.. I was so jealous! ha) Also, we are teaching a new girl named Vin and she is just the best. She came to church yesterday and she was just so fun and sweet. She is always smiling and laughing and I just love it. She is from Thailand and is here studying!

I just love being a missionary so much! Talking with people about the gospel and testifying is the best thing ever. I love going outside and just being able to talk with people and get to know them. Also, I love all of the missionaries that I serve with. I hate it when they leave and decide to go home... worst part haha but they are all so fun! This past week we had the funniest district meeting ever. My district leader was playing music when we all walked in the room and then he got up and performed for all of us. Then he always picks a hymn that is funny and has some weird like trumpet thing haha hard to explain but so funny! Also, each transfer we get a zone calender where each person has a day and it has events on it that will happen. Today we had what was called "The Elmy's". haha they just came up with it this transfer but the zone leaders made a powerpoint and made an award for each person in the district and then Elder Helske (My district leader) did the funniest performance again. Honestly I just love it here. My journal is full of such fun stories and memories that I would never want to replace.

Sorry this is kind of a short email but I can't really think about anything else that has happened. All I know is that I love it here so much! I am so happy I decided to come out and serve the Lord in London! I love and miss you all very much! I hope you have a wonderful week!!

Love, Sister Ellsworth 

With Sister Bergstrom at "The Elmy's"

A New Companion Already?

So Jamie is on fire. Honestly. She's doing awesome and we aren't the only ones who are noticing it. I am so proud of both of my sisters. They are both working so hard and serving faithfully. I miss them so much. Anyways, I believe Jamie should get her new companion today. Read on to find out more about it:

FAMILY!!!!

I saw all of the pictures and links you sent me about Martha being on the front row. That is honestly the coolest thing ever! I am so happy that she was able to have that experience!! AHH sooo cool! And she was able to see Emily! Wow I bet she just loved that so much!

This week has been another fun one and guess what, I have some news for all of you! So The transfer still has 2 weeks left... but today president pulled me in to the office and made some changes. He rearranged some of the sisters. I will no longer be with sister Gibson for the last 2 weeks of the transfer and I will actually be training the new VC sister that came in just 4 weeks ago! CRAZY!! I was not at all expecting for this to happen but I am so excited! The new girl (Sister Sua) is just the cutest thing ever and she is from Sydney, Australia! I will still be in the singles ward which I am also excited for! Ah I just think that it will be so great!

As for the work this week, wow there are just so many miracles that happen all of the time. So you all know that at first I didn't want to be in the VC and I will be honest.. sometimes I would not be the best VC missionary I could be. (I would not be at the front all the time waiting for visitors to come in and I would just get lazy) Then this last week we had a training and it really motivated me. We talked about how in the VC we are blessed because what is the best part about missionary work? Teaching people. We get to teach people ALL OF THE TIME. That is what we do and if we are not at the front waiting and prepared to meet those people, the Lord will not send them in because He needs to be able to trust us and know that we are ready to take care of them. I decided that I needed to do this and WOW it works. Since the day I decided to do that people have been flooding the VC (I feel like) and we have gotten to teach so many people. Also, on saturday night this young man from Africa came in. We gave him the lesson about the restoration and about the promise in the Book of Mormon and then we invited him to church the next day. Well, he showed up for church in a suit and tie and we got to talking. The night before he had stayed up most of the night and read the Book of Mormon! He got all the way to 3 Nephi chapter 18.. How amazing is that?!! I can't even explain how happy I was for him and how the spirit had touched him so strongly!!

I love how strong the spirit really is. honeslty it is amazing. The other day we had another lesson with Chris and when he came in I could tell something was different. He sat down and pulled out the Book of Mormon and his old Bible. I immediately thought.. "Oh boy". He said that that happiness he felt last week was gone and that he wanted that back but he didn't know what happened. So for the lesson we just talked and came to the conclusion that he was not reading the Book of Mormon and that is where it all lies. The Book of Mormon is something that can either make or break the gospel for us in our lives. Seeing him and his experience really made me realize that! It is our choice to do with it as we will but what we choose really affects us whether that is for good or for worse.

Also, we have not been able to watch that cool missionary broadcast yet because it was on at 11pm last night... and the missionaries over in this area of the world, were sleeping. haha but we do get to watch it this coming week sometime! However, we had a mission conference call this morning and President told us the announcement made by Elder Perry. The internet will now be used by all missionaries! That is so amazing to me. It is kinda scary, the Lord has put a lot of trust in the missionaries but I know that it is inspired and it will be so good! As you all know I have a facebook account (being a VC sister) and at first I thought it was dumb but I have really seen the benefits of it. There are a couple of dropped investigators and less actives that I can't get a hold of from the phone but they will always answer me on facebook chat so it is really awesome! I was thinking about it and they say that in the last days the all of the gospel will be spread through all the world. Sometimes I think we forget that there are others ways than just a physical missionary being in the country. All of the technology that we have in this world is allowing the gospel to spread all over and it is amazing!

Okay so funny story... actually kinda sad.. so you all know how I am in the missionary band? Well I never have the chance to practice the violin so pretty much I just run through the piece once before we perform and that is it. So we got music for the prayer and it was going to be the violin and the piano. I looked over it a couple of times and then they wanted me to perform it. Problem was, we only had one copy of the music so I would have to look of the piano to see the music. Well that is what they wanted so we did it and it was so rough. hahaha I totally messed up and just started laughing because of course that would happen! But I am just grateful that I am getting the chance to be more comfortable and brave playing in front of people because then after that I had to perform another song and I was not even nervous! haha but hey it;s a good story to write down, right?

Well I am so happy to hear that everyone is doing so well! I love you all so much and I hope that you have the best week!

Love,
your favorite Sister Missionary (We won't tell Martha) Sister Ellsworth

Oh and Ps. guess who I met the other day.. he came to our ward? Donny Osmond! haha random I know but ya I got to meet him!

Here's a picture of our dearest Jamie. I finally was able to edit the shadows off of the picture she originally liked but didn't want because of all the shadows. Check it out. I have such pretty sisters!