A few tid bits

A Thoroughly British Day
 
I pruned an old woman's hedge in the back garden while a cricket game pursued on the other side. I say.
 
 
Also:
The Senior couple, the Karrens, came to do flat inspecition last night and they gave the first ever 10/10! Tell that to grandma Sal! :) The blind in the bathroom was this horrid grime/must/mold thing going on, but I totally laid waste to it, and it has been preserved to it's original whiteness! bam!
 
xoxox mad

All the previous posts on this blog are excerpts from Madie's emails to me, her mother, but here's an "official blog post" she sent me to publish..

OFFICIAL BLOG POST!!!
This is my first official blog post that I am officially and particularly writing for me Englandia Blog. or should I say
£nglandia? (£££ the pound signs make fabulous "E's" )
 
I am in the heart of Birmingham! aka Little India. So far, so good. My companion, Sister Morgan of Whales, and I walk about every day spreading the good word to any who will listen, and we even talk to those who don't listen. :) If people want to listen more...we teach them! and there have been some sweet experiences. As a missionary, we are easily recognized as religious folk, and that generates some pretty good conversation.
 
The adventure of the week for me was driving! It's WEIRD, but you get used to being on the wrong side of the road. The roads are ridiculously narrow and people park all over the place so it's all a bustle of weaving in and out, waiting for people to come through the narrow bits before you go in, and it's all about the round abouts! Forget everything you thought you knew about four way stops! Our GPS is an Irish man named Sean - "at the end of the row-d, tarn left."
 
We are part of a pretty big ward, and the members are great! It's been fun getting to know them and joining the great missionary work that they already do. We are also in the same ward as our Zone Leaders and a senior couple and they have been really awesome to work with!
 
In our mission about half of the missionaries are American and half European. We have Sister Missionaries from Germany, Whales, Australia, Netherlands, Croatia, Shri Lanka, etc. Pretty rad. Utah continues to dominate the American half! boooo ya utahhhhh!
 
Anywho, there's a few bits and pieces for you to munch on for now. It's been a great experience so far. A lot of learning and growing and all that special stuff that comes with new experiences! so tender. Keep on reading the Book of Mormon :)
 
xoxoxo
 

Kindness and "Wasters"

I'm not as afraid to talk to random strangers as I once was. It's sort of fun, you never know how people will react to you, and it's pretty hilarious. It's amazing how refreshing it is when people thank you for stopping them or for sharing something with them, or just smiling and telling you to keep going. It makes such a world of difference to just be a little bit nice. Kindness goes a long way, and if every one were just a little bit nice, the world would be a lot happier.

"Waster" is a term I've learned in the mission. Like if you don't do something right, or if someone is slacking, you hear things like, "You are such a waster", "I am such a waster", "Don't be a waster!" It's pretty funny. The way that I understand how the church works has completely changed, and the way I see member missionary work has changed. Members truly are the greatest missionaries. If you can bring someone into the church, then you've already created a support system for him or her. Missionaries come, baptize, and go. If a new convert has only been leaning on the missionaries, they don't have all the support they need. And every effort counts for something. It tis amazing. If my mission ended tomorrow, or even if it ended two weeks ago, I would forever see the church in a different way, and I would forever see life in a different way.

English lessons and the World Cup

English lessons - A "gamble" is a summer sault or a cartwheel. They put vinegar on their french fries. "Cheers" means "thanks".

The world cup is starting here on Sat, and all of the missionaries have to be in by 6:00! America vs. England. That would be hilarious if America won! But I think I might get stoned. :) The flag of England is blanketing the city; people are super into this! ¬¬¬ <----Korean for laughing sound.

mission call

We were teaching some new investigators and I was explaining about how I was from America and how the mission call thing works, and the guy goes, "well bless your cotton socks-they sent you to Birmingham!"

"Away with you"

Now for my favorite rejection of the week! A very tall British man comes out from the back garden with dirt all over his hands to find the two of us talking to his elderly father. With a grand sweeping hand motion (almost sweeping into Sister Morgan's face) he says, "Away with you!" (British accent) "we don't want him brainwashed!" I still can't get over the "Away with you!" bit. Oh man. sweet.

Birmingham is kind of short...

England is just like America, except it is smaller and tidier. Birmingham is a pretty massive city, but it is very short, so it's not so intimidating. I say short b/c the buildings and the living areas are...well, they are short (when you compare them to Boston, NY, and especially Seoul). There are only a few high rises that I've seen, and even those aren't particularly tall. I doubted that I was really in the heart of the city for a while b/c everything was so short, but so it is. The city center has a lot bigger buildings though. This area is really a Cambridge/Bostonian feel more than anything, but I guess to be correct we would say Cambridge/Boston have a more Birminghamish feel, since Birmingham was here first. :) Everyone is very proud of their front and back "gardens" or yards. There are little patches of earth with meticulously cut grass (even if it's four feet by four feet) surrounded by flowers and bushes, etc.