Elder Linford is the best! - Manchester, England

Big things in Manchester!

 Miracles on Miracles.

So happy to be a missionary.

Our teaching pool is BOOMING right now and it's so fun getting to teach so much. We've been on loads of exchanges this week and I love watching other missionaries teach. I was with Elder Mbuli from Swaziland on Wednesday and he's an absolute inspiration. Love him to death. He's so bold with people! No beating around the bush. He is fully dedicated to Jesus and let's people know it too haha! He bore his testimony often and with power and the impact he had on others was incredible. There was this one man who was telling us we were brainwashed since we've grown up in the church, and Elder Mbuli went straight to his testimony and just shut the house down.

Reminded me of a scripture in 1 Peter:

14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear

When people come at us with questions of why we believe, we've gotta have our testimonies ready to go. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts! Know Jesus, love jesus, and fight for Jesus!

Much love!
Elder McNeverGoingHome

Pics
Some adventures from the past few weeks!

Kendal Chapel

Newcastle exchanges

Stuck in Liverpool

Alma 7:7 - Manchester, England

This week was a bit of a blur, but it was such a good time!

Elder Stephens and I have been hitting the streets hard and been having some good laughs. It's always a blessing to have a companion you get along with, just makes things so much easier. 

My favorite scripture at the moment is Alma 7:7

It says...

"For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all- for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people."

In the busyness of life, and even mission life, it can be very easy to get caught up with everything going on around us. It can be overwhelming to think about the "many things to come", and we can lose sight of why we're actually here. But I've seen lately how focusing, and connecting all that we do to Christ and His Atonement is what brings meaning and purpose to our lives. If we can take any situation and be able to bridge it to the Savior than we're going to be just fine. I'm grateful that I've been able to learn that He is the only true and lasting way to joy and peace. Before my mission if I needed some peace of mind I'd just crank some nice tunes or go pound a volleyball but now I know that true peace comes when we sincerely look to Jesus. He lives! And to be able to know that "is of more importance than they all"...

This mission thing is so great it just blows my mind sometimes.

Love y'all!

Hurrah Hurrah

Elder McConkie

jmcconkie@missionary.org

Went hiking with the boys

Sleep Faster - Manchester, England

Hello hello!

Well, history repeats itself and I've been transferred out of Liverpool after one transfer again. So sad to leave! Love that city with all my heart.

But I'm excited for the future! I'm now serving in central Manchester with my good mate Elder Stephens! I'll be serving as Assistant to the President and it's been a wild week getting adjusted to new responsibilities and a new area. So hyped tho! I've been so blessed to learn from President and Sister McReynolds on my mission and I'm really grateful I get to work more closely with them.

The new missionaries came in on Tuesday and we spent all day with them. We went into town and practiced talking to people and WOW they're incredible! I got to street contact with Elder Rollins, he was super nervous at first, but we talked it through and we decided that whenever he didn't know what to say he'd bear his testimony. He really didn't know what to say haha so he must have bore his testimony 30 times. It was phenomenal! You could literally see his confidence grow with each person we met, and by the end he was taking conversations solo!

Reminded me of 2 Nephi 26:13...

If we are willing to act in faith and fight for God, then we allow him to start "working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders" in our lives. Choose to be empowered!

Be brave for Jesus!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder McConkie

Elder Stephens and I in Liverpool!

First day in the field for the new missionaries!

President and us!

I'm Home! - Liverpool, England

Miracles have not ceased... here's a group email!!

Hey!
It's been ages since I last wrote. Last transfer was a rollercoaster, our Zone got combined with another zone so we had a whopping 36 missionaries. I was with my trainee Elder Pohorelicky again and we went on like 15 exchanges and were crazy busy, it was good fun! I'll attach some pics of our many adventures

After 7.5 months in Newcastle I've moved back to my first area in Liverpool!! It's so good to be home. My companions name is Elder Crawford from Alabama. He likes his kool-aid and his grits and is a killer missionary.

2 Nephi 11:5
Jacob 4:11

The Atonement! How Incredible is the Atonement. The Atonement is all encompassing and the central aspect of God's great eternal plan, but it's purposes are meant to be individual and personal. To help each of us, one by one, to be cleansed from Sin, free from pain, and return to our father in Heaven. All of us, regardless of who we are or what we've done, can be "at one" with God, because of the Saviours great sacrifice for us all. The Atonement brings us in unity with God, but also unifies us as people together. A home and a family focused on the Atonement is one that will be blessed, strengthened, and unified.

I'm so grateful to get to share this with people! And also increasingly surprised that God trusts a bunch of 18-21 year olds to bring it to the whole world... There's lots to do!

Be brave for Jesus!
Hurrah for Israel!

Elder McConkie

Pics:

Teaching my boy how to drive

Waaay back to Exchanges in Rhyl!

The boys at MLC!

Back in Beatles Country

BofM musical pt. 3

Driver's License! - Liverpool, England

Transferred back to Liverpool, England

Back with my mates! One year and a week apart.

July - August 2019 Photos - Newcastle, England

From July and August:

Saying goodbye to elder Nathan and hello to elder Pohorelicky in Newcastle

Pday hike

Helping out members

Elder Pohorelicky

Elder Nathan

Elder Platts

Elder Nathan, Elder McConkie, Elder Pohorelicky

Elder Platts

Elder Pohorelicky

Elder Pohorelicky

Elder Pohorelicky

Elder Pohorelicky

Alma 26:8 - Newcastle

Heyo!

This week was one of the best

Here's a quick rundown..

Tuesday:

Went to Shrewsbury

Wednesday:

Finding ALL day! It was a party. We found lots of great people that I'm hyped to meet with this week.

Thursday:

About a month ago, I got to go up to Manchester to Street contact people coming out of the Book of Mormon Musical, and one of the people I found got baptised! Her name is Lydia and she is absolutely amazing. She had a marvellous light about her and it was incredible to see how the gospel can change someone in such a short amount of time. All the Lord requires to refine is a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and he'll shape you into the person he needs... Which is coincidentally also the best version of you! Mosiah 2:41

Friday:

We had a marvellous MLC in Manchester. It's always so inspiring to get insights from the other missionaries there! 

Sunday:

Every month we have a fireside where recent converts tell their conversion story and missionaries bring friends being taught. It's always so incredible and at this one I was able to watch these 5 phenomenal individuals I've been blessed to know and teach get up and bear their testimonies to hundreds of people. I was filled with an indescribable amount of gratitude for the blessings and miracles I've seen on my mission. After our Recent Convert, Nida, bore her testimony, a member next to me tapped my shoulder and said "that was worth the two years wasn't it?". And it most definitely was. I love my mission!

Acts 5:38-39

Be brave for Jesus

Elder McConkie

Cynthia - Ether 12:6 - Newcastle

Heyo! 

Story time

Go waaay back to about January when Elder Pohořelický and I found this woman named Cynthia when I was still in Manchester. I remember the night we found her was one of the hardest days of my mission! Our entire teaching pool had just been totally destroyed in a matter of days, and we were ready to call it quits for the day, but we felt prompted to go finding. It was freezing English winter and like 8pm but we found Cynthia and she was baptised on Saturday!!!!!!!!!  It's strengthened my testimony that miracles haven't ceased, that the field is white, and the Lord blesses us as we act righteously in response to opposition. She is the biggest miracle.

It got me thinking... How many Cynthias are out there? Like when missionaries get discouraged because they face opposition and then more opposition and decide to slack off instead of keep going, how many "Cynthias" have been missed? I'm just so grateful that we decided to go out finding that night. I've learned so so so much from that one decision. It's changed my life and my perspective on the work and I can't imagine what it'd be like if we didn't push through. I read in Ether 12:6-12 and I just thought about how missionaries need to get so hyped when trials come because that's when the miracle is just around the corner. 

Cynthia went all out for her baptism haha she invited anyone and everyone, got a fancy white dress, brought a ton of food, and was just the happiest person you've ever seen. Just so much joy from that day. I gave one of the talks for the service and Elder Nathan baptised her! She bore her testimony after and told her story of coming to the church and it was so powerful.

So much gratitude. God is so great.

Sorry for the long story, but push through people! The Lord has some incredible miracle just waiting for you.

My favourite quote right now:

"The greatest decision I've ever made was giving up something i loved, for the God I love even more." -Thomas S. Monson

Be Brave for Jesus!

Elder McConkie

Choose to be Empowered - Newcastle

This week felt so short

So I thought it was only fitting I write a short email

Ready

Set

Go

Teaching

Finding

Tracting

Caraaaaaazzzzy people

New Czech family!(🔜🌊🌊🌊)

Ran out of foooood

Breakfast burritos

Canned food!

2 minute noodles 

"Mohammad, last prophet" ×629478493times

Zone Conference w/ general authority

Revelation wow

MLC 

More Revelation sweet goodness

Headache from doctrinal knowledge

Book of Mormon Musical headlines!

Didgeriee Doo band coming soon

"How great is our God! Sing with me, how great!"

The Atonement will empower and uplift you each and every day, but it is conditional on our willingness to repent and come unto Christ each and every day. "let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart" and choose to be empowered!!

Mosiah 14:3-5

Alma 42:22-30

Heleman 14:15-18

Much love,

Be Brave for Jesus!

Elder McConkie

Aussie Power!!! - Newcastle

Gooooood morning
This week was exciting!
This week I said goodbye to my man Elder Dawe and it's super weird not having him around. We were together for a crazy long time and saw a lot of miracles together. He will be missed.
But! I got a new companion and his name is Elder Nathan and crikey he has the nicest Australian accent you've ever heard. He's a beast and we are puttin in work! It's gonna be a great transfer.

We got the chance to take 5 of our Recent Converts to the temple on Saturday and it was absolutely wonderful. I'm grateful to watch some of my best friends progress in the gospel!

Fun fact: I'm driving all the time now which is terrifying. Elder Nathan and I have made a little jingle we sing every time we almost get T-boned haha these British roads are as confusing as they get. Its like every time theyre not sure what to do they just throw a massive roundabout in the street. And let me tell ya, I don't understand roundabouts.

There's a scripture in 1 Peter 5:5:
"...be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
Go to God with sincerity and Humility! Be willing to try, be willing to learn, and be willing to act! The Lord will bless you with love inspired correction and bless you a whole bunch as you seek to place your agency in his hands.

Much love from Newcastle.. "the land down under" Lyme ;)
Hurrah for Israel!!
Elder McConkie

Nida and Mary❤

Rest in peace brother dawe

Me and Elder Nathan