New Faces and Unfamiliar Idioms

 Hello, there were a couple big changes that took place.

President Gallacher moved Elder Hanson to Trowbridge. My new companion is Elder Ethan Caldwell. He is from Arizona. The ward has gotten a kick out of guessing that we are both from Utah and then having to be corrected by us.

The other big change has to do with our area, we do a good amount of work with members who no longer come out to church. We dropped by one such individual who we hadn't met yet. He is 26 years old and named Liam. He said in the past he wanted to try religion because he wanted happiness but never really felt it, even after being baptized. We then talked for nearly hour and by the end he said he wanted to give it all another try. We had one other lesson since and will now start going back weekly. The Spirit truly softened his heart.

As Elder Caldwell and I were out tracting in between the frequent spurts of rain common to Merthyr Tydfil, we knocked one door and the lady who answered opened with "I am a died in the tree atheist." I don't know what "died in the tree means" but I am no stranger to what an atheist is. She was really kind and after a couple minutes said she was the great-granddaughter (with more greats) of "David Mcky or something like that." She wanted us to come back, I am praying the ancestors she has on the other side of the veil will help our message reach her heart.

(Also, highly recommend watching this video if you haven't. It's the fully episode of the Book of Mormon video sneak peak that President Nelson showed at General Conference. We watch it with members so I have seen it about 7 times, loved it every one of them. May be the highest quality production from the church ever.) 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/3-nephi-8-11/2022-07-0100-jesus-christ-appears-in-the-ancient-americas-3-nephi-8-11-eng?lang=eng

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - dessert from the dinner appointment I had with the Miles, they are making as many British classics for me as they can, I am determined to photograph them all

Pic #2 - selfie from this last MLC, elder Caldwell is in the blue suit and he is wearing glasses

Pic #3 - picture from right before elder Hanson left, got a nice action shot of the dog chasing the red ball brother miles threw to sabotage the goodbye moment. Worked like a charm

DM's & Door-Knocking

 With the weather taking a turn for the worse, our best method of finding people (walking around the lake at Cyfarthfa park) is no longer so viable.

To compensate, Elder Hanson and I have been alternating between tracting doors and messaging people over social media. We have seen some really remarkable success. In one case, we knocked on a door and a man opened. He told us he had the football (soccer) game on so he couldn't chat but then mentioned he knew the bishop of the second ward here in Merthyr. We kept chatting with him, just asking about his family and his work, and we found out he was a pretty remarkable guy. Before long our conversation shifted to the gospel and he accepted an invitation to read the Introduction of the Book of Mormon and let us come back to follow up next Wednesday.

When I was companions with Elder Murphy over a year ago in Deltona, Florida, he shared with me an insight regarding how Nephi and his brothers convinced Ishmael and his family to follow them into the wilderness. They first gained favour in Ishmael's sight, THEN they shared the words of the Lord with him, and THEN the Lord softened Ishmael's heart. In a like manner, we saw Alan's heart softened as he realized we were genuine and as he felt the Spirit.

Also had an exchange with the elders serving in Aberystwyth (pronounced Abb-er-ist-with). They live two hours away over in West Wales. They have a massive area but only a small branch. I had an opportunity to tract an entire estate, albeit a small one, with the elder serving there. The Welsh people are incredibly kind. Unfortunately that doesn't always equate to interested. We did share a couple of copies of the Book of Mormon though. After tracting we then went to the Aberystwyth coast. The weather was incredibly windy and the sea was raging. We only had one copy of the Book of Mormon left on us and it was in Welsh. Lo and behold, guess who ran into a man who speaks and reads fluently in Welsh. His name was David but they shorten that to Dai here.

Have a good one!

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - Cefn viaduct (Cefn is pronounced Kevin) this structure is out in the middle of nowhere, we saw it while driving last P-Day and decided to investigate

Pic #2 - elder Hanson and I in the stocks at Cardiff castle, I can't remember if I already shared this one

Pic #3 - all the Merthyr elders with Graham after the adult session of general conference, Graham is the best

Teach a Man to Fish

 Elder Hanson and I started the week off ill. He woke up with the flu and I with food poisoning. A good chunk of the ward also got sick at the same time because we all attended the same social event. It took us a few days to get well again. During the worst bit if it, we all went to Cardiff for a zone conference. We would have stayed home if it wasn't for the fact we were leading a training for all the missionaries here in Wales. During the whole conference we both looked like zombies but during the training we definitely had some divine help and it went smoothly.

Two people in the Merthyr Zone were baptized yesterday. Our exchanges fell in such a way we were able to attend both of them. The first was Andrew. He was the first person I have ever interviewed to be baptized. His testimony is solid and he is excited to continue his spiritual journey.

The second was Rickie. His baptism was very well planned. He has a really sweet old grandma named Joyce who has insane amounts of energy. The day after Rickie's baptism she asked to be baptised as well.

I was asked to give a sacrament talk on Saturday because one of the speakers on the following day fell ill. A member once told us every missionary should have a five minute, ten minute, and twenty minute talk ready at all times. I would second that what he said is true.

One topic frequently discussed this week was using the scriptures. Oftentimes, missionaries and members have the urge to answer every question with the torrent of information we have learned from our lifelong experience in the church. That is like giving a man a fish. What we want to do is teach the man to fish, therefore, we have to point them to the doctrine and then they will learn their answer and also learn how to learn. It isn't as easy, but worthwhile pursuits rarely are.

Have a good week!

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - Andrew heading home after his baptism.

Pic #2 - a box sitting in the clerk's office

Pic #3 - whiteboard finding is when you take a whiteboard out into a really busy public space and have people answer the question writtenon the board. When they inevitably ask why you are doing this, you testify if your purpose and ask about them. We gave out many copies of the book of Mormon and also received alot of phone numbers. I talked to one chap named Stephan but I forgot to get his number. Turned out to he alright because he messaged us. That never happens!

Chestnuts in a Lake

One of the highlights of the week happened just yesterday. Elder Hanson and I parked at Cyfarthfa Castle and walked down to the lake to speak with other walkers we would pass. We stopped near the first young couple we met and they were incredibly kind. After a couple minutes, we realized that they are currently already meeting with the Merthyr 2nd elders.

They live within the geographical area that we cover, but the other elders met them and started teaching them. We have been working closely with them so that when the time comes for us to teach them instead, we will know what they have been taught. This encounter in the park was completely unplanned though. It was a great blessing as the husband, Lee, had read not only 3 Nephi 11, but also 12 & 13. He had some pretty significant questions about it. Elder Hanson did a great job answering them, I spent the whole twenty minutes helping their 4- year old find chestnuts from the nearby tree that he could then chuck into the pond. We found a lot of them together.

Another highlight was the interview I had with President Gallacher. The whole Merthyr Zone has interviews on Tuesday.

We spoke a lot together about the importance of teaching from the scriptures. Many times missionaries can get carried about answering questions and lecturing on hitting every point we know on a subject. Teaching that way doesn't show people how they can find their own answers. We are second witnesses, the first one is the scriptures. We don't want to mix those two up. I look forward to applying that in my teaching better as I move forward.

Have a good week!

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - almost the entirety of the Merthyr zone, we are a tiny zone in terms of missionaries but a massive zone in terms of area we cover

Pic #2 - district photo from a hike we did last week. It is called the Elidir Trail

Pic #3 - another district photo, I entrusted a stranger with my camera to get that photo and then I took a similar one for him

Everyday a Miracle

 There are a few families here that have been in the church for 3+ generation. Generally though, if I ask a member how long they have been a member, they will have a conversion story to share.

These stories range from incredible to downright miraculous. Some said "from the moment I met the missionaries I knew I would join the church." These week I started wondering where those miracles were at nowadays. An experience from this past week strengthened my testimony that we do still live in a day of miracles.

Elder Hanson and I went to a part of town called Cae'r Wern. There were several people in this neighbourhood who met with elders on the past but didn't continue taking lessons. We were coming by to see if they wanted to resume. The first two didn't open the door, one of them actually locked it right after we knocked. Then we got to Pauline's door.

Pauline had one doorstep conversation with elders in the past but has had no contact since then. When we knocked, she instantly invited us in, even before asking our names. We made sure there was another guy in the house and then followed her into her living room. Pauline has faith like no other. We shared our missionary purpose, told her we had a unique message, and then asked if she would let us share it.

After we finished the First Vision she was crying and said she had goosebumps. She took a copy of the Book of Mormon. When we called back the next day she said she was content her whole life but now she felt like there was something more. We are praying for her now as she starts learning more.

Also, thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes!

Have a good week,

Elder Desmond Killian

Pic #1 - my birthday dinner with Graham, brother Valentine, Brother Loveridge, and Elder Hanson. It was a classic roast dinner

Pic #2 - a note we got the other day, could be a miracle in the making, they haven't been home each time we have knocked yet

Pic #3 - pic from last week, that is a place called Morlais

"They Just Need to be Invited".

 I am currently serving in the Merthyr Tydfil 1st Ward. If there is a "1st ward" then you have probably already guessed there to be a "2nd" one. The two wards are really close and as a result, when the Merthyr 2nd Ward held a Summer Féte, we were all invited.

Elder Hanson and myself took the liberty of inviting a few neighborhoods worth of people near the church, all of our friends on Facebook who live in Merthyr, and every other person we passed on the street. In total, we had about 11 friends show up with their families and there were numerous less-active members there as well.

In-between running the game booths, we four elders were taking every opportunity to dart out and talk to the people visiting. While running the games, we also started receiving gifts of ice cream and hot dogs from the kids who kept coming back to play them. One young man, couldn't be older than 12, even came and gave us all hugs and said "thanks for letting us come and play." Him and his family hadn't been to church in a long time.

The most peculiar experience came from a woman I invited off of Facebook. She lived in a valley out of town called Cwm. It is pretty far so I wasn't super hopeful she would be able to make it. She did. Not only her but also her husband and kids and her best friends family too. She then also brought along a baby stroller that had three bearded dragons, a large chameleon, and a few other reptiles I couldn't name if I tried, within it. My first reaction was to start rehearsing how I was going to apologize to the 2nd Ward bishop. Ten minutes later everyone at the party has formed lines around her and are taking turns holding the lizards as their parents take pictures, including the bishops from both wards. 

This event did a lot of good for the church and members here in Merthyr. It wasn't easy to organize and there was a cost, but the positive impact it had was priceless. As a church, we are really good at loving other people, pretty good at sharing things with them, but inviting our friends to come along to activities is where really have room to blossom. This event was easy to invite people to, and now they may be more likely to come to a sacrament meeting. There may be less cotton candy and fun there, but there is a whole lot more eternal happiness and forgiveness.

"People like being included, they just need to be invited."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/23?lang=eng

Have a good week!

Elder Killian

Pic #1 - the lizard crew at the Summer Féte

Pic #2 - if you squint your eyes and look real close you can see some white dots on a bench on the other side of the lake, those are the Merthyr 2nd elders having an in depth conversation about faith vs works with the local baptist preacher's daughter

Pic #3 - Glenys Bloodworth converted to our faith from Presbyterianism at the age of 80. Because of her upbringing, she was unwilling to mark the scriptures when the bishop invited the ward to read the Book of Mormon and mark every reference to Christ. To accomplish the challenge and prove that she did it, she chose instead to write out the entire book word for word. When the year ended and the challenge was over, she wasn't. She went on to write out the entire New Testament, Old Testament, Doctrine & Covenants, and even Preach My Gospel. At her funeral, Elder Druyon and I had the opportunity to display her books. I don't think her feat has been duplicated in centuries and I doubt it will be soon. For five years she spent 3 or more hours a day transcribing.

"Fellow citizens with the Saints"

 Merthyr is truly a remarkable place.

There is a member hear named Graham who is preparing to enter the temple. To help him prepare we meet twice a week, once for dinner and once for a scripture study. At the dinner he invites Josh and helps us teach him. Josh is getting baptized in October as soon as he turns 18.

During our last scripture study with Graham we all felt the Spirit as we read Alma 31. In particular the prayer Alma prays on behalf of the Zoramites. As we spoke about how valuable we are in God's eyes, we invited Graham to remember his worth when facing temptation.

Come Sunday Graham was glowing. He said he had a tough morning but he knew church was the place to be. On top of that, Josh also came and sat by us and Graham. Finally, we had Leanne, another friend of ours who is getting baptized in November, come up and talk to Graham. Throw into the mix all the ward leaders and stake leaders talking to our friends and you will understand how tight this ward is knit together.

We had a Elder Baxter of the First Quorum of the Seventy speak to us all last night. Aside from ending with some very specific dating advice, he also told us we aren't just teaching the Restoration nowadays. Back on his mission, that is what he did, but back then everyone also had a Bible in their house. These days we are called to testify of the reality of God and Jesus Christ in a post- Christian society. The most effective way to do that is with the Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost.

Have a great week!

Elder Killian

Pic #1 - volunteering at "Parkrun" everyone came to tell us we were the most excited people and they wanted us back next week. We were also the youngest by at least ten years

Pic #2 - a bunch of coins an elder saved for his whole mission. It equated to about 88 £

Pic #3 - the place we did Parkrun at along the the Taff River