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

Book of Mormon Musical Takeover - Newcastle

Heyo Loves!

This week was so great.

Here are the SCTOP10 for the week

1.Our friend Lily Ann got baptised!! Such a fantastic day. She is in a part member family we've been working with for a while now and she has been wonderful to teach. She has so much joy in her!

2. The Book of Mormon Musical came to Manchester and so the Zone Leaders went up to Manchester for 2 days to do Street Displays at 10:30PM as people were coming out of the show! A majority of the people just laughed at us or said something along the lines of "Run! Run! It's the real Mormons!" Haha it was a good time. But! There were a few people we found who were SO good I was blown away. The musical sparked their interest just enough to meet with us again!

3. We have had ice cream every single day this week

4. Went on a super fun last exchange w Elder Bellassai! Going to miss the Italian Stallion...

5. TRANSFERS: staying in Newcastle for another and getting Elder Nathan! We are going to put in so much work this transfer, I am hyped.

And that's all I have time for!

I love the Lord! I love my mission! And I'm trying my very hardest to love the crazy amounts of rain we get but seriously it's been forever since we had a nice sunny day and my clothes can't dry fast enough to keep up with it haha

Be Brave for Jesus!

Much love

Elder McConkie

Pics:

LILY ANN!

Prepping for battle✊
Elder Bellassai
Massive rain storm at 11pm in central Manchester haha

Change of Heart - Newcastle, England

Loves!

This week was ace!

We had so many lessons, Zone Conference, MLC in Manchester, and the baptism of our incredible friends Nicola, Elle, and Hannah. So many blessings! 

Always remember that the Atonement has to be embedded into our hearts and etched into our souls. We can't just teach and understand the Atonement; it has to have a daily, and constant influence on everything we do. It has to be a part of our very nature! I promise that as we strive to look to the Lord in every thought, and make the Atonement a focus in our lives, our doubts and fears will be washed away and we will be renewed with joy and hope.

Enos1:4-8

Alma 5:26

Omni 1:26

I love this work and I love the Lord!

Be brave for Jesus.

Elder McConkie

Pics below

Baptism!

Our man Josh!
Newcastle Squad at MLC

Nida and Mary! - Newcastle, England

Hellooo Loves!

What a blessed week. We have seen an insane amount of miracles, it's been incredible.

The highlight was definitely the baptism of Nida and Mary! Nida and Mary are practically family for me and Elder Dawe now, and it's always so much fun to go teach them. They are so amazing and some of our best friends. I had the opportunity to baptise Nida! I remember saying “Having been commissioned…” and just having the biggest feeling of complete joy come over me. I couldn't stop smiling! 

We have been so blessed with a self referral FAMILY. Which is unheard of in our mission, but this week we were able to put them on date for baptism! They won't stop asking us when we're going to the temple haha they're as golden as they come

Seriously people the Lord is hastening the work!!

Another highlight of the week for me was on Sunday, at the new member missionary fireside. I was amazed to see that the Man South Elders had their friend Cynthia there. 3 months ago, Elder Pohorelicky and I had just been suddenly dropped by two of our friends dated for baptism, and felt like there was just no end to the opposition. Rather than just finishing the night with our comp study, we felt strongly we needed to go finding. We dropped everything, said a meaningful prayer, followed the spirit, and we went out and found Cynthia!! And now my grandson Elder Nathan is teaching her and she is progressing towards baptism. I am so happy for her. She is amazing! 

Remember that whenever you feel that you just can't go another day, because your trials are so overwhelming, that the Lord is with you. He knows you and he loves you! He is with you today, and tomorrow, and the next day and the next. When you get out on the edges of your faith, hold strong! Don't quit! The Lord has something incredible in store for you, just keep going. His promises are sure!

This has been the greatest week of my whole life. I love this place, and these people, and the Lord with all my heart. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder McConkie

With our friend, Cynthia

Baptism of Nida and Mary

Baptism of Nida and Mary

Pictures from Newcastle

Get on the Boat! - Newcastle, England

Hello Loves!

Despite my utterly dismal efforts to write group emails over the past like 10 weeks I am still on and loving my mission haha I just have such little time. I will be better!

A whole lot has happened since I last wrote, but the Lord has blessed us here in Newcastle. The miracles we've seen have been tremendous. 

Here are a few things that happened this week, and some things I learned!

Our friends Nida and Mary had their baptismal interview! We have been working with them a lot since I've come into Newcastle and their conversion has been outstanding. Mary is 14 and had an incredible experience with the Priesthood and has been so receptive to the spirit since then. She is amazing and even bore her testimony in sacrament meeting a few weeks ago! Her mother Nida had a lot of questions at first but has told us how "The Book of Mormon has all the answers" and she's gained countless confirmations of its truthfulness. We are so excited for them and have grown to love them so much! 

Well look at this.. I procrastinated it yet again and now have no more time haha

But just to finish, I love President Russell M. Nelson. His Sunday morning session talk got me so hyped to go out and work. There's not enough time in a day to even write a group email because there's too much to do haha. I felt like I was watching a modern day Noah, letting the world know that "time is running out" and it's time to get on the boat! When the flood comes, make absolutely sure that you will be on the boat. Follow the prophet!

Anyways gotta dash
Love you all!
Hurrah for Israel!
Elder McConkie

NEWCASTLE - Manchester, England

Hello Loves!

What a week!

Transfer calls were yesterday and I'm leaving the blessed land of Man South. Elder Poho is training a new missionary(!!!!!) and I'll be going down to Newcastle-under-lyme to be a Zone Leader with Elder Dawe! Hyped for this transfer.  

Resilience is the name of the game over here in the British missions. Yesterday I went finding for 9 hours, and found nobody, but then the very last person we spoke to on our way home became a new friend. Our motto is "when the going gets tough, the tough get finding". 

Sort of goes with what I was studying this week in Mark chapter 2. In the chapter, there are 4 men who take a man with Palsy to Christ by going through the roof of a home. After going through this wild amount of effort, In verse 5 it says:

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee"

The time I've been here has taught me how to put my trust in God no matter how hard it gets. And the miracles I've seen almost always come after I've had to show faith towards a trial or some sort of opposition. I love this work and I love the Lord who knows me and is mindful of me. He has blessed me with love inspired opposition and corrections to help me grow and become the individual he wants me to be. 

In other news, i got punched by a surprisingly swift 87 year old man this week

I love my job!

Hurrah for Israel!

Be brave for Jesus

Romans 1:16

Elder McConkie