Week Two in London

This week has been amazing!  I feel a little more used to the busy bustling of London.  (Except this week I did fall down the "up" escalator.  I've adapted bus finding to tube finding and it's just been a grand ol' time.  People are so shocked when you speak to them on the tube!  I love it! Something amazing that happened yesterday was a Northern Europe Broadcast, where we got to hear from Elder M. Russel Ballard.  It was so good.  He kept referencing to his talk as an epistle!  It was epic. It's really cool how the messages were tailored to the people in Europe.  The same talks wouldn't have applied to the same degree if they were given in Utah.  It really does show that the Brethren really are aware of our specific needs.

Elder Massey and I are continuing to work with members and it really has been amazing.  We have been able to meet with so many wonderful people in the ward.  I've never really had all of this one-on-one experience with so many members.  It makes Church much more fun when you know who they are and they know who you are!  There are students from all over the world in our area, so it really has been fun just getting to make know with so many amazing people.  I've really come to love them.  Plus, YSA students are legendary Member Missionaries. Most of them are return missionaries, so they really are great at inviting people to church and fellowshipping our friends!

There really is so much diversity in London.  Last week we met an amazing girl from Egypt, and a really cool guy from Venezuela! Something that I love is meeting so many people from so many different backgrounds and countries.  Sharing the gospel with all of them has been such a joy.

Something that I've really focused on this last week is prayer.  How amazing is prayer?  We get to talk with our loving Father in Heaven. Sister Stevens gave a great training in prayer.  She really emphasized that prayer is a way that we alight our will with the will of the Father.  There is so much joy that comes when we are having an "single to the glory of God."  I hope you all can take a moment to really be open and honest with Him in your prayers.  I have seen the blessings that have come from doing just that.

I love you all!  Hope you have a fantastic week!

Elder Draper

London is Amazing!

Wow!

This week has been amazing! First of all... I love London.  It is the coolest city ever!  There are SO many people here!  There are people from all across the world as well!  To get around in London, you take the Tube.  Which is the English version of the Subway.  It is so cool!  You get a little Oyster card and you can get ANYWHERE!  It's the best! Our flat is a four man flat.  So there is me and my companion (Elder Massey who is a legend) then there is Elder Robertson (who was in my MTC group) and Elder Reynolds.  They are all great guys and we have lots of fun together.  Our flat is about a 7 minute walk from the Hyde Park Chapel.  It is so great!  We live in the beating heart of London! When you leave our flat you can see the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park.  It's pretty posh.

The funny thing is we teach loads of Chinese people.  I got here and was a little surprised that 90% of our investigators were Chinese. Let me just tell you... Chinese people are the best.  Often times they haven't had ANY experience with Jesus Christ.  They are incredibly smart and surprisingly they are SOOO in tune with the Spirit.  It blows my mind.  They haven't felt the spirit often in their lives, so when they do they recognize it.  Sometimes reading a scripture or saying a prayer gives them a testimony of the Gospel.  It is the best! I love teaching them. It actually really has strengthened my testimony to see them and their strength in the Gospel. In the Britannia YSA Ward there are about 30% Oriental people.  They are the most active and spiritual people I've encountered on my mission.  It has been a humbling and amazing experience.

Well!  We got to go to the Natural History Museum today and the museums here are NEXT level. So big, so beautiful, and so many cool things inside.  It seems like there are so many things to do and not enough time... kind of opposite of Northampton.  Haha! I really love this Gospel.  It brings so much peace and joy into life. I love my Savior and I have loved the opportunity to know him a little better.

Well, sure love you all!  Have an amazing week!

Elder Draper

This is what he wrote to Mom because Mom is always telling him to work hard, play hard and really enjoy those PDays and get out there and see the city. Zhaun-Paul wrote: I hate to do this, but I have run out of time to do PDay stuff.  I just want to let you know that I am having the time of my life.  My testimony is growing each day.  My new companion is Elder Massey!  He's from Utah (Sandy). He's a beast.  He's been out for 6 1/2 months and he's a boss. Our apartment is AMAZING!  It is a £5,000,000 flat in the heart of London.  I've seen Big Ben, the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes Baker Street)  It is the best! 

Britannia Knights

Big news!

After spending the first 4 1/2 months in the blessed land of Northampton and seeing so many amazing things and meeting so many great and wonderful people!  I've been transferred to serve in London! I'm so excited!  Apparently, our flat is right in central London. Just a short walk from the Hyde Park Chapel!  I'm excited for this opportunity to learn, grow, and serve in the Britannia YSA Ward!  Plus I hear that Abbey Road and Paul McCartney's house are in my area...

This week was an amazing last week in Northampton!  We met with Daniel 5 times this week and he came to Institute, FHE, and Church.  He is reading and praying daily and he is just a legend!  It is a joy every time we get to teach him.  He has amazing questions and a sincere desire to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm a little heartbroken that I won't be able to teach him anymore, but he promised he'd come visit me in London, haha!

We got to get back in touch with David and Laura!  They are loving their new jobs they got.  David is still such a goofy guy.  It was great to see them again!  We're seeing them so hopefully all will go well, and they will take the lessons again.

I had an amazing experience this week while I was studying the Book of Mormon.  I was reading Mosiah, and I came across the chapter when Abinadi quotes Isaiah.  I wanted to really understand it and not just "get through" it.  I prayed that I'd be able to really understand it and when I read it I was touched.  I don't think any words have ever struck my heart like that chapter did that morning.  I am grateful that our Father in Heaven hears and answers our prayers.  I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon, and the understanding that comes from the spirit!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week!

All the best!

Elder Draper

It's Pretty Simple

Heya!

Hope that everyone had an amazing week!  I know that my week was full of amazing experiences, quirky ways to find new investigators, and good ol' English weather.  It had some interesting teaching experiences... and then some incredible teaching experiences.  We had Zone Conference this week, which is always amazing.  Every time I get to hear from President and Sister Stevens I learn something new and feel their love for us and for this great work!  They are legends! 

This week was rather chilly.  Which is Englishman speak for "incredibly cold."  They don't like to express very much emotion. They're actually most like M&M's a really hard shell, and chocolate in the middle which means that they don't like to open up, but when they do they are just the most lovely people.  Wow.  I got pretty side tracked there. 

Something fun we did this week, was we baked cookies at the chapel and delivered them to some Jehovah's Witnesses that are always set up in the Town Centre.  It was awesome!  There are some lovely people who love God and Jesus Christ trying to spread the word.  But that was besides the point.  The objective was something fun to do while we talked with as many people as possible along the way and it was AWESOME!  We found some really cool people! 

The highlight of this week was teaching Daniel.  He is the one I'm fairly certain I mentioned before from Columbia.  He has the most real intent of anyone I've taught.  While we were teaching the Restoration he asked amazing questions like: "I don't understand why my church baptizes babies, because they don't have a choice.  If it's such a big deal...why do they not get a say in it?"  Luckily, when you represent the True and living church in the Earth in these latter-days, you have answers to questions like that.  It was amazing.  The most important thing is that the spirit was there in abundance.  It's the simple things that invite the spirit.  Asking questions, using scriptures, and testifying. 

Another thing that invites the spirit is obedience to the Commandments.  It really is so simple.  If you keep the commandments you get blessings.  Simple.  Not always easy to follow. I really have seen that being obedient brings so many tender mercies. I know what we get from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest joy.  Joy that lasts.  Joy that grows.  I'm grateful for the opportunity we all have to experience that joy that comes from keeping the commandments.  I'm grateful that I have his opportunity to share that joy with the fantastic people of England!  Love you all!

Have a great week!

Elder Draper

Road Trip!

This week was pretty crazy and exciting!!

First of all, it seems that I got to do a lot of traveling around England this week.  I guess the perks of being fairly good lads with the Zone Leaders leads to getting to run errands with them. Last Monday, we went to Milton Keynes, which is a really cool fairly new city.  It is set up similar to Utah, where it's on a grid system. They have this gigantic shopping centre that is half outdoors and half indoors, and it's just mind blowingly awesome.  Plus there was a
Krispy Kreme inside. 

The next place we traveled to was Cambridge. There was some big fiasco about moving a car to Cambridge, so the Cambridge Elders can have a new car and send their old one back to Germany (where the church HQ is in Europe)  Anyways, since my companion has a drivers license and they needed to get two cars down there, I got to go along for the ride.  Cambridge is a really cool place.  There are tons of universities everywhere, and the whole city is designed for bike travel... thats when you know its an old city.

The last place we were able to travel was a place called the Salcey Forest.  We actually just got back.  It was this wicked cool tree-top walk where you DEFINITELY feel like you are an Ewok on Endor.  Then it was just a trail through a super dense forest, but we came to the conclusion that Robbin Hood lived in that forest... we're not that far from Nottingham after all. 

Another great thing that happened this week was Zone Meeting.  There was an amazing training about focus and urgency.  We as members of the true church of Jesus Christ should "lengthen our stride" as Spencer W. Kimball said.  We need to focus on what matters most and then pursue it with all our might, mind, and strength.  We should be urgent in this great work!

We met with Daniel, who is from Columbia, and he is such a good guy! He has such real intent!  In England you sort of have people from all over the place.  I can even say Hello, How are you, good, and goodbye in Polish, Romanian, Ghanian, and Arabic!

Well, thats about it for this week.

Love you all, and I hope you have an incredible week!!  Pick something that means a lot to you and focus on it this week.  Pursue it with urgency and you will see great results!

Elder Draper

Amazing Week & BAPTISM!

Note from MOM: the following are excerpts from Zhaun-Paul's letters to his family, so all the questions he's answering are answers to questions we asked him.

This week was just amazing!  Mom!  This work is the greatest!  I love just recognizing all of the tender mercies that we see in this great work!  You are so right!  The Book of Mormon has such an amazing power.  It invites the spirit into our lives and increases our knowledge, spirituality, and personal conversion.  I love the Book of Mormon!  I just wish everyone would read it every day.

This week we were able to see Temi enter the waters of baptism!! I have loved getting to know him, and seeing him progress in his spirituality and come to know his Savior better.  It was just incredible!  He is such a cool guy!  Oh, man.  He is just a legend!  Being able to teach him was one of the greatest experiences of my life! I was just an instrument in His hands, but I'm grateful that I was able to be a tool in his masterful hands.  This work is the best!  I'm grateful for the spirit and that we're able to invite it into our lives so we can help others recognize it. Pictures below!

Oh man, missionary work definitely isn't easy.  I know however, that it was NEVER easy for Christ either.  Salvation isn't a cheap experience.  It's supposed to take something if ourselves.  As we are rejected, spat upon, cast aside, and made a hiss in a byword, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with the GREATEST life this world has ever known.  Perhaps we will even be able to shed one of the tears that he shed.  It is a hard experience, but the most rewarding experience.

(Zhaun-Paul's Dad's letter started with saying that Zhaun-Paul has been out 4 months already, and that 1/6 of his mission is over)

Hey WOAH!  Careful throwing crazy fractions around like that!  I'm just getting started!

To answer some of your questions... 

YES!  Many areas are huge, and require cars.  There's around... 5 cars in our Zone? Something like that.

Our new schedule is the basic one that was released.  It does give us more flexibility, and allows us to use agency more throughout the day.  It's been something to adjust to for sure.  I like it! 

 

My companion is a great guy.  I'm getting along really well with my new companion! He is polar opposites to Elder Botta, and is very thoughtful in the way he approaches missionary work. Both good missionaries though.  I'm grateful that I get to get both examples.  A thoughtful missionary, and a hard working missionary.  I'm just trying to pick out the best from both of them, and try to apply them to my own work.  He is a really thoughtful guy. 

I certainly do appreciate my trainer.  He taught me how to work hard and be more diligent.  He humbled me quite a lot, which I am so grateful for.  I was really prideful coming into the mission, and it's something I can always work on.  My habits have changed a LOT!  I think definitely for the better!

(Mom asked him how the members are over there to support the missionary work going on)
The members here are amazing as individuals!  Some of the most stalwart ward members of this great church.   The church is very different in some ways over here in England.  They are hit and miss with missionary work. Some of them are incredible, but we don't have a ward mission leader... and all of our recent converts don't have callings, home teachers, home teaching assignments, or new member lessons.  It is TERRIBLE!  But I love them anyways.

The weather is kind of sporadic.  Really cold one day, not so bad the next.

It's so great seeing pictures of you guys in awesome ugly sweaters!  I love you guys so much! I know that my Savior lives. I know this church is true. I am so grateful for everything that you and Dad have done for me!
You guys are the best!!

Love you so much!

Elder Draper

FAITH

I didn't really know what to title this email, and yesterday President

and Sister Stevens gave an amazing training on faith.  So that
explains that.

This week was pretty awesome!  We have had a lot of time to be out and
about finding new people to teach.  I got a few gentle reminders I've
been in Northampton a while, because some people I talked to recognise
me and remember me stopping them before!  It's pretty cool!  Sometimes
it leads to a better conversation, and sometimes people wonder why I
keep bothering them.  It's great.

Temi is doing well.  He is pretty much a master chef, and loves having
us over for a dinner and a lesson.  In church, he was talking about
how every time he comes to church, or meets with us he feels really
good vibes.  We asked him what he thought those good vibes meant, and
eventually he came to the conclusion that it was the spirit.  We
shared John 15: 26 and he was really excited.  He is just a legend.
His glaucoma is getting worse, which is really hard for him.  He is
finding lots of peace and joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he
tells us all the time how greatful he is for it in his life.

We had interviews, which is where the whole zone (a whole lotta
missionaries) get together to have a one on one with President
Stevens.  During the time we are all there they give us a training.
The whole thing is an amazing experience where you are able to feel
the spirit of unity and being united in this great work.  So that was
great!

Well I think that's everything!  I know that faith is such an
important part of our lives.  David A Bednar says

"True faith is focused in and on the Lord and always leads to
righteous action. “Faith [in Christ is] the first principle in
revealed religion, … the foundation of all righteousness, … and the
principle of action in all intelligent beings.” Because acting in
accordance with the correct principles the Redeemer proclaimed is
central to receiving and exercising true faith, “faith without works
is dead.” We are to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

The whole talk is amazing and I recommend it to anyone.  10/10 for a
close friend.  The talk is titled "If Ye had known Me" by David A
Bednar.  It's from the latest conference.  Faith is all something we
can work on.  Whether it's planting a seed and just starting to want
to have faith, or rekindling faith that has dimmed over the years, or
even just strengthening our faith from whatever it is currently.  I
know that as we place our faith in Christ, we will develop a desire to
follow him and it will bless our lives in the best way possible.

Love you all!

Elder Draper

Here are some pictures from a group of missionaries that need pictures
to send home on P Day.  Enjoy.

My new companion and I making cookies.

Our zone leaders fell asleep while we were making them dinner.

Hyde Park Chapel, with the iconic black taxi and double decker bus.

You don't get more English than this!