Random photos from Florida and England

 

New Calling as Social Media Specialist

 Elder Ford and I got pulled over last Monday. We were driving at a snails pace on our way home from our dinner appointment. On one front tire we had a donut and the other was slowly leaking air. As we were waving people past us one of the cars just wouldn't pass. We were really confused as to why until they flipped their lights on. Elder Ford pulled over and got out to talk to them immediately while I sat in the car. All the sudden one of the cops comes over and asks me my name. I say, "Elder Killian."

He says, "What?"

I say, "Elder Killian."

He then goes, "Desmond?"

Let me tell you, I was so confused! Turns out he was Mark! A guy I had been teaching over social media for about three weeks! They gave us an escort home and he promised he would call soon. We have a lesson scheduled for this Thursday now!

In other news we have had a real solid week. We finally did some really solid work in the Washford branch only because we had to get the car in to get fixed and were limited to social media work and anything within a 45 minute walk. We literally just got off the phone with President Gallacher and we found out the transfer news!!

Elder Ford got called as a Zone Leader and apparently I am leaving as well! I am staying in the same zone but serving as a mission social media leader. I am only forty minutes from the mission office at a flat in Southmead. Southmead is a really tiny flat with four guys in it. I am really familiar with it because it is the same district I am currently in! This will be my first time being in an area only one transfer so I will miss it, but I think I'm in a walking only area which I have been hoping for!

Our friend Richard came to church again and it sounds like he plans on coming weekly! We have lessons scheduled but the new elders will take over and hopefully put him on date for baptism soon! We also had a cool miracle while we were teaching a lesson over the phone. We were parked in the car. The lesson was going super well when a little kid started trying to open the car door. He was really going wild on the locked door handle! Elder Ford got out and started talking to his family while I kept teaching. We were within sight and sound of one another and one of us was teaching the Restoration lesson while the other got the contact info to come back and teach a family! It was the kind of missionary opportunity we frequently pray for!

Stay well!

Elder Killian

Pic #1 - Elder Ford and I with Cadbury Crunchie mcflurries

Pic #2 - homemade yorkshire pudding I made for our weekly roast

Pic #3 - Elder Ford taking pictures while we were at the minehead beach

Stranded by the Seaside

 Good morning! This week has been full as we participated in back-to-back exchanges and traversed the length of our two areas several times teaching lessons and offering service.

I first exchanged with Elder Griffin where we did service for two older couples. In the first we pulled weeds and cleared thorny vines out of their garden. The second project was an hour away and consisted of mowing a lawn with an electric mower. It more closely compares with a vacuum, in place of wheels it just had a curved plastic lip that glided over the grass. Following the service we taught Carol-Ann. She was baptized a bit ago and wants to start coming back. Her husband, Billy,  isn't a member but enjoys sitting in on the lessons. We asked Carol-Ann to lead us in prayer and ask if the Book of Mormon was true. We invited Billy to kneel with us as well. The Spirit was really strong and they both said they would come to church, we have yet to find out if they did because we attended the Taunton service and they live in the Washford area.

Our church attendance between Taunton and Washford has been very unfairly split this last month in Taunton favor. We went there again this week because our friend Richard wanted to go. We ended up walking a mile and a half with him to the church. He really enjoyed the service and after he left nearly every member in a leadership position came up to us and asked what they could change so that visitors feel more welcome! The members here are really outstanding and we even arranged for Richard to get lifts to and from church every Sunday! Additionally, we Elders are going to start teaching the Gospel Principles class until ward teachers can be called!

My other exchange was with Elder Hill in an area without a car. We ended up footing it nine miles or so for just two lessons that both had to happen that day, but were on opposite ends of town. We slept really well that night!

I appreciate the car we have in our area, but we drive so much that I wouldn't mind serving in a walking area eventually. Speaking of which, we found out that our car has some tire alignment issues and so the front tires are rubbed down to the wire on the inside. I am officially at eleven flat tires now total, two of which I have changed on the mission. Needless to say, we are marooned in Minehead today so we are cleaning, writing letters, and catching up on all our other miscellaneous tasks. For lunch we strolled down to the seaside and got a chippy which we brought back to the flat to munch on. So yeah, the full English experience, haha!

Have a great week!

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - the "chippy" I had for lunch today

Pic #2 - Elder Hill and myself five minutes from the southmead flat after walking all day

Pic #3 - Elder Griffin manning the "lawn vacuum" 

Mission Field Trip to London!!

 Hey everyone! The past three days I had the opportunity to hear from the apostles each day as they spoke to us missionaries, the youth, and then the entire country! All the talks were amazing! The biggest takeaway I got from it was the importance of having an eternal perspective. They frequently mentioned how missionary service, for members and missionaries alike, is the single most important thing we can do on earth. Elder Cook also went so far as to say that every person I will ever care about will be blessed by my service as a missionary! We had some incredibly powerful meetings and the Spirit was undeniable as the apostles spoke.

In other news, Halloween was cool. Americans really go much harder for it but it still wasn't bad here by any means. Elder Ford and myself ate loads of the chocolate that we have stockpiled and cooked a real nice roast dinner.

We had some pretty poor luck with lessons falling through this week, but we were able to do alot of planned and unplanned service and schedule many upcoming appointments. The people here are really amazing because they will be very honest about whether they are interested or not, so it was odd that so many things fell through! We also went to the Book of Mormon musical for the last showing. It was really great, I got pictures with a few people but only after they took a pamphlet and showed they had some interest. No matter how cold it is, we learned that you have to just be in a white shirt and tie with no jacket or jumper. So many more people talk to you if you do because they think you are an actor!

Have a good one!

Elder Killian

Pic #1 - on top of Brean Down, we hiked it today for P-day and got POURED on, it was way less enjoyable than Florida rain

Pic #2 - on the coach for a three hour ride to London to see the apostles

Pic #3 - us after doing some service on an English estate