Let me just start off by saying-- I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE! We watched the broadcast at our chapel here in Liverpool which is different since I have only watched Conference at home or at the actual conference center. I can't wait to read the talks in the Ensign next month. We have yet to hear the Sunday afternoon session since they don't show that until 9pm here which is our curfew so we had to be in.
Quick update on Kirk:
His lessons have been going great. We invited him to watch General Conference with us and he had agreed to come to all of the sessions, even the Priesthood session! After the first session we watched on Saturday that was from 5-7pm England time, we went out to eat in town with Kirk, and our member friend Rebbecca and her Fiance. Over dinner, we discussed our favorite parts about conference. Before conference, we gave Kirk the commitment to bring his questions to conference and we told him that they would be answered. So over dinner he told us that he felt that a lot of his questioned were answered which is great. He enjoyed his first day of conference. So Sunday comes around and Kirk went to the Priesthood session at the church by himself but we asked some members to look after him since we would not be there. We had a little scare with him because when we got to the church later that afternoon, Kirk was not there. We asked around and discovered that he had come but had walked out after the priesthood session was over. We texted him if he was coming to join us and he didn't reply until around 6:30 pm. When we looked at our phone after the last session his text read that he felt like he had finally got his answers and that he didn't feel at home at church and that he didn't want to do it anymore :( My heart sank. I was very confused why he felt he didn't feel like this church was right for him because the night before he had just told us how much he loved conference and one of his favorite talks was Elder Uchtdorf's which was the one talking about how everyone was welcome. Clearly, there was something he wasn't telling us. Sister Loh and I knew he needed an emergency visit so we asked a member if we could get a lift to his house and we took two of our fellowshippers that have become good friends with Kirk. We got to his door and I had no idea what to expect. He answered the door and he welcomed us in. We asked him what the matter was and he started off by saying that he was walking to church Sunday morning to go to the priesthood session and ''members'' passed by him waving but didn't stop. He was later picked up by another member who saw him and ended up turning around to give him a lift. Although a member ended up giving him a lift he was still bothered that the first car didn't. Curious of who these members that ignored him I asked ''so who was it that passed by the first time?'' Turns out it was the Elders. We explained that missionaries cannot give nonmembers rides. One concern- resolved. He then told us how he felt out of place after the session was over and that everyone else was talking amongst themselves but not really to him. Ooops. Probably shouldn't have sent him on his own. We apologized that there was no one really there to stay by his side and we assured him that the members he does know already love him. We also told him that it always takes awhile to feel comfortable and adjust to a new environment. We related our stories of how the first day of school can be and how it was for Sister Loh and I to come to a new ward full of faces we didn't know here in Liverpool . We all need time to get to know people. Long story short, Kirk is ok. It was quite the scare though. We know that from here on out he will be facing a lot of opposition since he has agreed to be baptized. Keep him in your prayers!
Funny story of the week:
My goal this week is to ring one Chinese investigator a day so that I could conquer my fear of talking to them over the phone. (Yes, I am terrified to talk to them on the phone! I still fear that I won't be able to understand them and it is even worse when I can't see their face). One day while Sister Loh was preparing lunch, I decided to give a few people a ring. I went through our area book and got to this investigator, Alan, that had been taught by the Elders but we have only talked to him over the phone and never seen him in person. I called him up and asked if we could meet with him but he said he was too busy. I asked him that if he ever had time to give us a ring. The next day, Sister Loh and I were down at the Uni and we were heading towards our bus. There was this young man that was Chinese that was walking in the same direction as us and he started looking at our tags. He was concentrating so hard on reading our tags that he almost ran into a pole! We started talking to him and he told us that his name was Alan, the same Alan I had talked to on the phone the day before. He said to my companion that he had just talked to her on the phone the other day and Sister Loh didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't hear him mentioning the phone call so later in our conversation I told him that I had just called him the other day. Shocked, he told me that he thought I was Sister Loh. I guess I sound like a native Chinese speaker over the phone? haha. Such great news! I guess my speaking ability is better than I give myself credit for.
I loved the letter/ drawings from the Naper 2nd primary. So cute! I will have to hang them up in our flat. They definitely made my day. Thank you!
Love,
Sister Jordan
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