Thanksgiving in the UK

Hey Guys!   

Hope you marvellous people are having an amazing week so far!!  You'll never guess what I just had here!  Pumpkin pie!  Pumpkin pies are NOT a British thing at all, BUT Sister Powers (who is in a senior couple from America) made a really good pumpkin pie!  (Not as good as yours Mom... don't worry) But still really, really good. Thanksgiving isn't even a thing in this oppressed country.  Anyways, his week has been crazy!  I went on splits with the Zone Leaders and that was SUPER fun.  I went with Elder Lindsey (He is from San Antonio Texas) and we taught 2 lessons, one with Jonny and one with Alvin.  They were both really good lessons!  One was in an old Church of England church, and the other was in the Library over We Chat (which is an app that Chinese people use to communicate with each other)  The Zone Leaders are super fun missionaries to be around!  It was fun to sleep in their flat and do all those fun things that you do on an exchange!  The next day was really fun too!  We started it off with a service project for Sister Andrews.  We pulled weeds in her huge garden and it felt really good to serve the members!  We went to dinner in a Pub!  The food was SO good.  How come there is such amazing food in pubs?  I don't know, but it was my first time in a proper pub, and it was pretty funny!  Then the next day I spent most of the day with Elder Bourne, yes like Jason Bourne.  He's from Canada.  And not a spy.  But that's okay.  My companion had to go to MLC, so we got put together for the day.  It was pretty cool, we went to a hospital and put our names on the list of clergy men to speak to in crisis.  Pretty good idea right?  (It just came from the missionary planner)  

We really have been seeing miracles this week.  We have been able to find and visit some amazing people.  We're teaching one lady named Laura who became inactive when she was 7, but is interested again in the church.  Her and her husband are really funny!  She collects Micheal Jackson stuff, and her husband collects Star Wars stuff.  Needless to say, we get along. We have a Baptism coming up this Saturday for Keerthy.  He is amazing! He is facing so much opposition right before he gets baptised, but his faith is amazing.  His family in India and all his friends are telling him this is the biggest mistake of his life, but he knows it's true.  He is an example to me in faith, and really it sort of feels like he should be teaching me.

I've seen that praying frequently and sincerely has really helped me follow the promptings of the spirit better.  It is SO cool to feel an urge or a prompting and act on it (even if it results in getting cussed out by an angry British person)  I know that the spirit is the key in this amazing work!  Well I think that's about it for this week!  I love you guys so much!   

Have a great week!

All the best!

Elder Draper

Progress!

Oh man!  So many things have happened this week!  I heard some news about an election, and now people in England think Americans are crazy...  I'm sure it will all work out!  We're teaching a really amazing guy!  His name is Timothy!  I found him on the top deck of a double decker bus, so you know he's a cool guy!  He is seriously a
great guy!  He really wants to develop better faith and is willing to work for that faith!  Amazing!  It is SO cool to see the Lord hastening his work here in Northampton!  I am so blessed and humbled to be an instrument in his hand.  I really do love it!  I found a street in Town Centre that is called Drapery!  Take that Y off and it would be cooler, but I still thought it was pretty cool!  Oh, almost forgot, we got to go to London this week for a way cool 3 Weeks training!  President Stevens gave an amazing training on Obedience. Obedience is so important.  The tube in London is insane!!  (That's what they call the subway)  we almost missed a dinner appointment because we were sprinting through the crowded London  underground to catch our train... crazy.  Yah, I'm doing amazing, and I hope you all have a fantastic week!

All the best!

Elder Draper

Tender Mercies

Hey!

This week has been pretty crazy!  Full of all kinds of adventures.
Halloween is pretty oppressed in this country.  It's like a watered
down version of the greatness that takes place in the States.  Just
thought you might want to know that.  Also, best of luck to all of you
back there in the promised land, I know the election isn't the
best-case-scenario, but America will still be the best. Kind of easy
for me to say... being not there and all.

Anyways, this week we got to talk to a ton of people.  We are really
seeing some of our investigators progress and that is amazing.  Seeing
people change their lives, or see things in a new light is really
powerful.  It's definitely not me, it really is the Lords work.  It's
amazing to see how the Lord has prepared his children.  Some people
really have been humbled, so when we share our message of hope and joy
it really means the world to them.  It's amazing.  Kai is one of our
friends and he is slowly coming to know that this is the Lords church
on the Earth today.  It's really been amazing to watch him progress.
We also brought three Chinese University students church with us
yesterday.  They don't believe in God but they said they felt
something during sacrament... You know what that means!  The spirit is
so key in this work. That is what changes and touches people's hearts.

There have been so many tender mercies that I've been able to see.
They happen all around us every day, and we just have to open our eyes
and recognize them.  We have so much to be grateful for.  Not only
counting our blessing (which is great) but also having an attitude of
gratitude, because we really do have so much to to thank our Father in
Heaven for.

It got pretty cold here this last week!  It happened all of the sudden
too, like one day it was lovely then BOOM!  So cold.  I'm not sure how
cold... because 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees F) doesn't mean much to me yet... I
need Fahrenheit.  Anyways, Love you all!  You are amazing! Remember to
be grateful all the blessings you get!  Have an amazing week!

All the best!

Elder Draper

P.S. I only have one picture... my bad.  It's one of my Zone Leaders
switching name tags with me.  He's great!