May 27th

It has been an awesome week. Many blessing this week. I don't have a lot of time to email, but I will try the best I can.

Monday we did service for some people in the ward and then went out finding and we ran into a drunk man, so I got to bash with him and another Jehovah's Witness for a bit. That's always fun. It was a nice p-day.

Tuesday we did some more service for some people and had a baptism interview because my companion is district leader.  We also did some finding and then had a ward missionary meeting because we have 10 missionaries so we needed to get some things right.

Wednesday we had Zone Conference in Gloucester. that took all day and it was alright but it cost 40 Pounds which sucked but besides that it was alright.  But it took up our whole day sitting in meetings.

Thursday I had an exchange with a missionary here in Coventry.  We are both buddies so it was nice. We put someone on a date for baptism for June 20th.  It was a crazy lesson and took two hours but she is way nice. They fed us all this food and we just ate and taught them.

Friday this is were it gets really good. We got a media referral. this guy is freaking sweet!! His name is Kwame he is the man. He wants to come to church but works on Sunday so he is praying to find a new job. He is the man. Then we went on another exchange and I went with a zone leader named Elder Gunnderson.  The man is freaking nuts he is such a good finder. We found so many people to teach and I was pooped after all that talking to people and finding.

Saturday we did some more finding and found some sweet people. The sweet people are always black. It's just a fact. We did some more service and then we had a lesson with a young couple and put them on a date!! June 20th! They both seem really cool and we are seeing them again tonight. The names and Marcus and Susan. I was so shocked they said yes when I asked them.

Sunday we went to church and that's nice because it's a very big ward full of young people who just got back from missions so they all want to teach with us. After we did some help for the homeless. setting up bags of goods and giving it to them. Then we did some finding and we found the most golden black man I have ever met in my life. He ran us down and took down our names and everything.  He wants to come to church and he said, "I have been lost and looking for you guys and now I have found you, please my brother help me get to church." I was so pumped about that.  It's just a blessing from on high, no question about it.

Well it was a busy week but such a good week. We hope to have another great week.

Love Elder Doty

Transfer!

Hello family and friends big news, I have moved areas. Goodbye Evesham hello Coventry C. We have 5 teams of missionarys in Coventry. 1 set of sisters, 1 set of zone leaders and 3 set of elders. The Ward here is great - lots of people and they feed us almost every night. I'm with an american Elder named Elder Durrant.  He is pretty chill. Also I live in the hood. Place is stoney staton which is the hood. I love it!! So many different colored people: black, white, brown, yellow, pink, you name it and we got it here. I love it.  I just love talking to them because it's always new people which in Evesham it was always the same people over and over. So no more knocking doors it's all about the talking to people on the street.

Monday we went up to Stratford upon Avon which is the birth place of William Shakespeare. That was alot of fun.  I got some pictures but don't know if I have time to send them this week. I finally got an appointment set up with a cute looking girl and I was very happy about that but later that night I got the call to move.

Tuesday we had zone meeting. Just a waste of time that was. I said my goodbyes to a few people in the Evesham branch and then packed. I have way too much stuff.

Wednesday it was all travel. After about 6 or 7 hours of travel I made it to Coventry. I fell in love right away. Back in the big city. My area in Coventry is the hood but I love it. I can't wait to get more work here with the people.

Thursday we did service for this CRAZY lady in the ward. She wanted us to move a bunch of dirt. It took most of the day and she was just like yelling at us. She did feed us a load of food which was nice. Then went to another dinner. The cool part is in Coventry with 10 missionaries we get to do things with them so Dinner is always with another team and service and all kinds of stuff.  It's very nice to see other elders.

Friday we did alot of planning, then had a lesson, more planning and then dinner.  It was alot of riding around. My legs are still sore from that.

Saturday we did alot of finding which gets old after like 3 hours.

Sunday was church with lots of people.  It was cool to meet some of them. And had two dinners with another crazy lady.  She's awesome, She is going to tell me my future!! I'm pumped about that.

 Well all in all it was been a long week. Feeling sad to leave Evesham but pumped about Coventry. Thanks for all the emails and letters.

Love Elder Doty

SKYPE

 

On Mother's Day we skyped with David.

It was awesome!!

I told David we need to hear more about how he's feeling in his e-mails home.

It seems like his e-mails are pretty much a travel log. 

So you'll see in the previous post that he tries to bring in some feeling.  :)

He is really enjoying his mission.

He said his emotions go up and down several times during the day depending on what happens.

He and his companion get dinners from ward members 3-4 times a week.

He says he's gained some weight.

It still rains over there a lot...

In the small town of Evesham where he lives, people are either members

or previous investigators.

Like most missions they are getting a lot of new missionaries, especially sisters.

He loves his mission president.

At Christmas time he seemed homesick.

He did not seem homesick yesterday.

He looked good and happy.  He's awesome!!!!!

His only request...

He would like more letters sent to him at the mission home.

The address is:

England Birmingham Mission

187 Penns Lane

West Midlands, Sutton Coldfield

England  B76 IJU    UK

May 13th

Hello family and friends again another week has gone by. I got to call home on Sunday and talk with the family for a bit. That was the best! This week has been great I could not have asked for a better week. (Mom I feel very happy about this week...is that better?) 

 

Wednesday we had the Zone leaders come over and do a work over with us. Got in another bible bash with a man. He then kissed the Elder I was with on the cheek. That was a bit odd but they say you have not served a mission until you have been kissed by another man. I have already been kissed by a drunk man. Like no one was home the whole day so it kinda sucked.

Thursday we went out to Tewkebury and had a good lesson with a 19 year old named Zak. Then our bus just didn't show up so we had to sit around and wait forever and we then went to young mens and had a nerf gun fight in the church. That was alot of fun!! I hope they do that more.

Friday we did service for an old lady again. Then we had a flat check. Oh my goodness longest flat check ever. She was looking at every single place on the floor, the sink, the shower... oh my gosh. But we did pass so that's good.  But oh man that took forever, I wish I timed it. Let's just say it was long. They we had weekly planning and went to a member's house for dinner.  It was very good hamburgers so a nice American meal.

Saturday we had a lesson with an Indian man named Dayarum. He hardly spoke any English to us so it was kinda funny. The lesson was alright he wants us to come back so we shall see how that goes. We then went by some former investigators and then went to a members so elder Webber could skype home. He was very happy to skype his family.

 Sunday we had church it was good very nice just sat back and listened had an investigator come for a bit that's always nice. We then went to the Greaves for lunch and a meeting eith the branch president. He wants us to start working with the young single adults. We have 21 YSA. So I'm looking forward to working with young single adults. We then went to the Barnes and I got to skye home. It was awesome to hear from thenm.  Sounds like things haven't really changed at all.

Overall it was a very good week. Tonight I get the call if I stay in Evesham or not. I hope and pray that I do.

Love you all and miss you all very much!  

Elder Doty

Where's Waldo & Castle Photos

 The youth in the Evesham branch did a Where's Wally activity.

This is their branch president dressed up as Wally. 

(see the next post for more explanation...)

 This is the old tower David mentions in the next post.

(It's the first sign of a castle we've seen so far from him.)

 Inside of the old tower.

David didn't mention what this is a picture of... but it looks nice.  :)



May 8th

Hello family and friends another week gone by. It all seems to be going very fast.

On monday we had p-day and then went to the Barnes for FHE with a less active named stephen who we have been working with for a bit so it was good to see him getting out and doing stuff. He used to be big on the drugs so he is a bit slow because of it.

Tuesday we went out to help a lady who is old and has health problems.  We mowed her lawn and did some garden work. They have electirc mowers over here.  I think they are rubbish but people over here like them. Then we went out to Tewkesbury and did FHE with the Goddard Family. They are so cool the kids love us. They are a bit crazy, but I love them.

Wesnesday we had District meeting.  It was alright this one I enjoyed it. On the way back we had some bike issues. My tire ripped and Webber got a flat, so we had to walk around for the rest of the day. Crazy thing happened, because of the bike problems we changed our plans and we had a lesson with a polish man we met a few weeks ago. He tells us to come in and brings his girlfriend and her sister over to hear us. He had lessons in Poland and so we have 3 new people to teach now. After that we went to another lesson and I messed up so bad. The lesson was just crap. The lady didn't really care.  She just let us in because she felt bad for us. But I messed up on the lesson so badly. I guess you can never know the lessons too well.

 Thursday was just a mess kind of a funny day. So we get this call from a member lady in Bidford which is about 8 miles away. She calls us saying her kid is locked out and we need to get the key from her and let her kid in. So we did that and we took the bus up and it just kinda messed everything up because we couldn't fix the bikes up. When we got back we both crashed and took a nap. We then went out and Elder Webber got sick. He had a really bad head ache so we went back to the flat.  He slept I did some work in the area book and then we went to seminary and young mens and young womans. They did a "where is wally thing". So we had to find the branch president somewhere is Evesham. It was alot of fun. So that picture of the man in glasses and a red hat is the branch president. And elder webber and I found him first, That was pretty sweet because I was talking trash to everyone in the ward how I was going to find him. 

Friday we got the bikes fixed and did weekly planning. We did some work in the Evesham area then had to go out to find this less active who lived in the middle of nowhere. On the way over we found this old tower. So that's where the pictures came from. We never found the lady but maybe some other day we will. Later we had dinner at a less active, part member family that we had been working with.

Saturday we went to Tewkesbury and did some work, came back and Elder Webber was sick again so we didn't go back out. It was a pretty short day.

Sunday we had church and a less active showed up and brought her cousin who is investigating the church! I was shocked to see her. I thought she would take alot more work to come. After we had a lesson with a less active who is making alot of progress.  We plan to see him at church on sunday and we made contact with Angie.  She is doing alot better and says she will be at church on sunday.

Monday was a bank holiday so we couldn't email. We had a zone p-day in Cheltenham and we played volley ball and all kinds of sports.  It was alot of fun. Then had a another good lesson with the less active, part member family we are working with and the dad sat in on the lesson. That was a huge blessing!

Tuesday we went to Hereford and did a work over with them.  We helped them out alot and then we got flogged by the polish man, but it was still a good day.

Well thats my week hope you all had a good one as well thanks for all the emails love you all,

Elder Doty