Photos

 

David with Elder Dalton and Elder O (a boxer from London who just came out on his mission).

 

Mini ponies they found one day.

"Senior Week"

Hello Family and Friends

This week was pretty good. got done with p-day and went to a part member family to do family home evening. On Tuesday we had zone meeting. So about 12 teams of missionaries there. Not going to lie it was a big waste of time. All we did was talk about investigators and what we can do to help them over come their issues. Tueday I also went on exchange with elder Durant. We didn't get alot done because we had his ward council here in Worcester.

 

Next day elder dalton and I went out to a village called Bretforton. and we found this sweet lady that was like " give me that Book of Mormon and I will read it". I was stunned like that never happens. It was very cool.

Thursday we had to go to the middle of no where to find this person who is less active in the church. We had to take a hour long bus ride then take a hour long walk to see him. Luckily he was in. That pretty much took up the whole day so didn't get alot done the,n but it had to be done. We have been doing lots of finding and looking for people but just haven't been having alot of luck finding then.

This week was very stressful, it was my "senior week" so pretty much that means I take the lead in all planning and teaching we do. So stressful but I did learn alot about how stressful this whole thing is. So it was very much a learning week for me.

Oh funny story this week... We were out knocking on doors and this guy yells at us because his daughter is sick and we might have woken her. He then tells us to beat it or he is going to "kick our butts down the road".  We start laughing then walk away and knock some other houses. He then comes running up to us and says, "Why don't you guys do some good and tell people about this." He then gives us a cancer fund thing and starts yelling at us about how God isn't there and stuff. We just walked away. People like that guy really bug me. Like if you don't wanna know about the church then say you don't wanna know.  

Church on Sunday went very well.  Angie came to church and she has made friends in the branch which is what we needed.  This week we plan to have her on a date. I know we say that every week but this week we were not able to see her due to being busy. We got a new investigator who is a 17 year old girl.  We thought she was just a less active girl because she was always with this family. But turns out she was like, "I wanna be a member, can you guys teach me." So that was just awesome." It was a pretty good week overall. Tonight we find out if we are getting transferred. It's happening early this time because President Rassumen has some big meeting to go to. So we find out all the dodge tonight.

 Well thank you all for the emails and prayers they help out so much!!

Wales!

This week was alot better, although our numbers of the week don't show that but it was better.

Monday after pday we went to a part members house and did family home evening with them. The dad is not a member and the kids have not been to church in months. We had a good lesson. They are from Chile so it's hard to understand them sometimes but we had a good lesson.

 

Tuesday night we had dinner with the less active we have been working with. He made such a good dinner garlic potatoes and chicken legs and some other stuff SO good!! That night we had to spend the night at the zone leaders flat. They got rid of the extra bed so elder dalton and I had to sleep on the floor. That was not a good nights sleep. I don't think I really slept.

 

The next morning we had zone conference which is all the missionarys in the south part of the zone We meet in whales and have a big meeting. so yes I went to Wales!! Very cool...looks alot like England cept they speak Welsh sometimes amd I can't understand that. Zone conference was good. President Rassumen talked a lot about being accountable. Stuff like the lord has given us part of his vineyard and we are here to care for it. He used this line "this isn't a game elders and sisters... this is people's salvation at stake" Kinda hit me when he said that. We then got back late at night so we didn't get a lot done that day besides seeing alot of other missionaries and having meetings.

 

This week we have been doing a lot of tracking and no luck. No potentials at all this week. But the zone leaders got a referral for us last night they say they is very good. So we'll see how that turns out.

 

Thursday night was just crazy. We were going to have a member pick us up and going teach this old man named Richard. but the memebr canceled on us 1 hour before we had to be there. The ride there is so dangerous so we said a prayer and walked to 3 or 4 miles to Offenham to see Richard. We were about 20 mins late but we made it and had a good lesson with him. He is reading a ton of the Book of Mormon and I think we will have a date for him in the next few weeks.

 

Friday we had to help this family move out. It was really just elder dalton and me and 2 other people to move a whole house. Saturday we went to Tewkesbury which is a town south west of Evesham. It's a bit bigger than Evesham and we did some tracking.. No luck and stopped by a few lost sheep we made contact with them so that's good. We almost missed our bus so we had to run on the high street to make it to the bus. People were yelling at us but who cares we made it to our bus. That night we went by Angie and had a good leason with her resolved some issues. Pretty much her ex husband feeds he anti Mormon doctrine and doesn't want her to come to church. Her mom is like a spirit talker lady so she has also been feeding Angie some anti Mormon doctrine. So we had to resolve some concerns. She is still reading and praying. She really needs a friend in the church that she can turn to so we are working to try and find one. But other than that she is doing very well and we plan to see her twice this week. We might have her back on a date.

Investigator update:

SHAYNE ASKED DAVID SOME QUESTIONS AND HERE ARE HIS ANSWERS:

No weird food or anything. We don't do anything really on pday just take a nap - the best part of pday. 

HE ASKED IF DAVID HAD ANY INTERESTING FRONT DOOR EXPERIENCES: the door thing we just get yelled at. Some lady yelled at us for knocking on her door too late. it was 5pm... some guy spit in my face and yelled at me but he wants me to come back... so idk about that haha

Everyone is from the church of england...but they never go so whatever.

Well I miss you all very much and good to hear from you all love all of you!!

Love Elder Doty

A Very Hard Week

Let me start off by saying that this week just sucked. It was one of the hardest weeks of my mission so far. My guess is I will have alot more to come.

Tuesday I went on exchange with Elder Okounghae. He is a new missionary from London.  We really just went out finding. We were going to go teaching but the person canceled on us. It was an alright exchange, but we didn't really find anyone. We went by Angie's and found she was having problems quitting smoking. We asked if we could come by Thursday morning she said yes.

Wednesday we then went on another exchange. Elder Dalton and I met in Wocerster for like an hour to then go on exchange with the zone leaders. I went to Cheltenham with Elder Kerr. We had a very good exchange found some very good people that I have good feelings about. Thursday I finally got back into Eevesham with elder Dalton.

So when I get back Elder Dalton and Elder Brewer ( the other Zone Leader) went and saw Angie. She has dropped her baptism date and wanted to not see us anymore. We talked to her and planned to see her on Sunday. She didn't come to church. Also her ex husband Andrew has dropped us. He then has been talking to Angie and saying some stuff. We believe that is why she has dropped the date to be baptised. We are going to see Angie on Tuesday and just talk to her. To say the least I'm not happy about her ex husband saying things to Angie which is causeing her to fall back. Anyways once we got back we went to this very very small town called Honeybourne. We had to go find some lost sheep (less actives). and we knocked on a few doors. We had no luck and it's like 7 miles away to get there. Once we start to leave it just dumps down rain and then gets really dark. and we dont have lights on our bikes... that wasn't a whole lot of fun.

|Friday we went and saw Gavin. He is still having issues and fell backward on his drinking. He is drinking more now so we are a few steps behind were we want to be with Gavin. We then go see a lady who joined the church about 4 mouths ago. She says she is not coming back to church again... She says there is some stuff she doesn't believe. That was just icing on the cake. Elder dalton and I had just enough. Everything just went south for us. We both wanted to just quit

Saturday we went to the Wildings and did some help in their yard. It was good to just not think about investigators or church for a few hours. We helped them build a green house. It was alot of digging and hammering nails in.

Sunday at church only one investigator came to church and he only comes to church. At that point both elder Dalton and I had just lost it. But church was good. After we went out to go see a few people and it starts dumping rain and snowing like crazy. We did give a book of Mormon to a man named andre. but really not a whole lot. Also I forgot to say we had dinner with members planned that whole week and everyone of them canceled on us. The Barnes had heard we had been having a very hard week so they had us come over for dinner sunday night. I did get to shoot a basketball for the 1st time in months which was so nice. But yeah, avery hard week and not alot of fun. We did have a lot of less actives come to church so that was really the only good thing that happened this week. I really hope this week will be better. Sorry if I sound mad its just been a hard week.

Hopefully we can get Angie back on a date and find some new people to teach, Grandma thank you for the box of goods. You are crazy for spending all that  money but elder Dalton and I both love you for it.

Love you all thank you for the prayers emails.

Miss you all love elder Doty

Misc. Photos of Evesham

February 4th Letter

This week was just crazy!!

Tuesday I went on exchange with an elder that I really really don't like. He is 18 years old and thinks he knows how to work hard, but he doesn't. He has been in that area (Worcester) for his whole mission. He doesn't talk to people on the streets. In a small city like Evesham you can get away with that. But a place like Worcester you can't. It's about 5 times the size of Evesham. But I made it though the transfer without yelling at him so I guess that's good.

 

Next day got back into Evesham with elder Dalton and got some work done here. Saw Gavin with the branch mission leader. He said "You guys opened a very big door and you can't close that door now." so in other words we have alot of work to do with Gavin. We will talk about him later. Thursday we had to go to Hereford for this 9 year old girls baptism interview. So we spent from 3:30 traveling. Got there at 5, did the interview and then played train hopper to get back to Evesham by like 10. So a very long day.

 

Friday Elder Dalton was not feeling well at all. I think I passed onto him what I had got "the man Flu" but he took some drugs are we were able to get some work done around here; see some people see some investigators it was a pretty good day.

 

Saturday was a very good day. We rode our bike for about 18 miles that day and got lots of pictures from that day. Can I just say riding your bike into the wind is so hard!! We also saw Angie that day. We gave her the 12 steps to stop smoking program, which is really just focusing around prayer. So far she is doing well with that. We also got her on a baptism date! February 16! We just know she is ready and she says she has prayed and feels like that is a good day for it. Heck she is reading the Book of Mormon and is in Jacob already. She's just ready for this.

 

Sunday was fast Sunday. I made it 22 hours of fasting. That was hard but I made it. Angie came to church and also her ex husband Andrew came. No one else made it but right now we are just really focusing on Angie. We have a few other investigators in Preshore. That's a town west of Evesham. The problem is it takes like 7 miles to bike there so we only go like once every other week. I haven't been there. Elder Dalton goes there when we are on exchange so I don't know anything really about them. besides that a very good week. This week will be busy as well. Two exchanges this week, right in a row. and it sounds like I will be here in Evesham for both of them, so guess we will see how that goes. But all in all a very good week, very busy. Hope you all are doing well. Miss you all and love you all lots!!

Love Elder Doty