Rejoice! - Manchester, England

Hello!

It's been a while since I wrote a group email and wow it's been eventful.

Two weeks ago I was on exchanges in Stockport and I got a call from Sister McReynolds informing me that ALL of our Senior Couples were going home and I was shook as a book. In my head I started to run through all the different things the Senior Couples do and I couldn't quite comprehend how the mission was going to work without them.

The day when we drove them to the airport was a sad one, but you should have seen them! They were the most hopeful, and happy people I've ever seen. Not happy to be going, but their faith in Jesus Christ was just profoundly evident. All of them were telling me over and over about all the miracles about to happen.

One of my favorite Senior Couples was Elder and Sister Ralphs. When we were in the car park of the chapel, Sister Ralphs turned around to say goodbye to some of the others. She put her hand up like she was leading a revolution or something and yelled, "Godspeed! God lives and we have a prophet!!!".

When we got to the airport they were all singing hymns.

It seems like for the past two weeks there have been loads of changes to life that could easily allow us to have a negative outlook. But we can rejoice amidst our trials because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We can always have joy! In Hebrews 11 we learn that faith isn't just a hope in things we can't see, but an assurance also. An assurance that the Master Healer of all physical and temporal pain will help each and every individual who will follow Him. Corona virus has caused loads of temporal and spiritual damage around the world, but we can be blessed with a divinely peaceful assurance as we exercise faith. "Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them."(Mosiah 7:19).

Rejoice! God lives and we have a prophet!

Much love from England,

Elder McConkie

Pics:
1-4- pre lockdown

5 - testimony meeting w Liverpool zone!

The Heavens are Open! - Manchester, England

Blessed week!
Very very very busy and spirit packed.
We had two of four Zone Conferences. One up near Preston and the other in Manchester. We focused the whole conference around the Restoration in prep for General Conference and wow I learned heaps. There was a quote by President Nelson we looked at that said: 

Brothers and sisters, how can we become the men and women—the Christlike servants—the Lord needs us to be? How can we find answers to questions that perplex us? If Joseph Smith’s transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children. 

The heavens are open! God speaks! He is aware and mindful of all His children. That gets me hyped.

This week we taught our friend Anastasia. She is incredible. As we taught her the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ we emphasized and discussed the process and power of receiving personal revelation, and the importance of revelation for the Church through a prophet. We drew a big arch on the whiteboard with the Book of Mormon as the Keystone. We assigned different questions she had into the other stones supporting the arch and then promised her that if she came to know the Book was true that she would find answers to each question. Before we could even invite her to pray, she told us that she knows the Book of Mormon is true and thus found the answer to one of her questions... she wants to be baptized! We are excited for her!

Our friend Shin was baptized this week! Elder Stephens met him on the streets a little over a month ago and he has amazed us by his faith and trust in God. He's the man!

As I've studied Joseph Smith's life, teachings, and experiences I have been inspired by his attitude. He suffered so much affliction and torment during his life but he was commonly known among the saints for being "cheery". The way he viewed adversity and the way he responded to trials was astounding. He faced seemingly unbearable opposition but was always able to be of good cheer. It reminded me of a scripture in D&C 78:18 when the Lord says:

"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along." 

I think sometimes we have moments where we don't know if we can handle the opposition we face. It's important that during those times we remember this promise. We may feel like we're drowning in difficulties, but we can rejoice in the midst of our trials because of our faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Be of good cheer! Learn what it means to trust in the Lord, and I promise that He will lead you along.

Love you all,

Elder McConkie

2Nephi22