Apostasy

This week has been fantastic!

Man, I love serving in London.  There was some crazy stuff going on!  On Earth Day, there was a HUGE science rally right outside the Hyde Park Chapel because it's right across the street from the science museum.  It was insane!  There were thousands of people that were yelling and holding up signs about science and other crazy things.  It was pretty entertaining to watch.  Then, to get to our flat we had to walk through this mob of passionate science lovers.  It was awesome.  

Our friend Jun has been progressing a lot this week.  It's amazing the change that happens in people when they do the small and simple things.  I really believe that his recent change of heart came from his reading and praying each day.  It's no surprise that President Monson addressed the importance of reading from the Book of Mormon each day.  It helps gain, build, and strengthen our testimonies of Jesus Christ.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I know it is the word of God.  I know that there is real power and protection we gain when we put time in to studying it.  

I guess all those following along at home are wondering why this email is called apostasy.  Well.  This Sunday we were able to do something pretty fun that I have never done before.  Our friend Alvin (from Singapore) told us that if he came to our church service, we had to come to his.  So of course we took him up on that tantalizing offer.  Alvin really enjoyed our church.  He was asking so many great questions and it was such a relief that he was genuinely interested in learning and seeking truth.  So, as promised, we met him at his student housing and went to his church with him.  It was a learning experience for sure.  There was a band with guitar and drums and lots of saying recited prayers.  I am so grateful for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is such a stark difference between the two services.  I am grateful for the spirit, and how it testifies of truth.  I'm so grateful that the priesthood was restored, and for the knowledge we have about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It's incredible how important those plain and simple truths are. 

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!  Read the Book of Mormon!

Love ya!

Elder Draper

Hyde Park Hooligans

Hiya!

This week has been amazing!  I love this wonderful Easter time to reflect about the wondrous moment when Christ overcame death for every person who has lived, now lives, and will ever live.  What an amazing gift from a loving Father in Heaven!  One of my favourite talks from conference was "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into our Lives" by Russel M. Nelson.  It is amazing.  I love how he makes clear that the Atonement isn't an isolated entity, but an act that our Savior performed for us.  We can draw from that power. It is amazing.  My testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ has grown so much on my mission.  I know that He Lives!  I have felt the strength that comes when we take up His yolk and pray for His help to change and become better.  I love Him.  I'm grateful for what he did for us.  I pray that we will all devote time to learning about Him and coming closer to Him. This is the Lords work!  I'm so grateful to be a part of it!

Have a wonderful week!

Elder Draper

Staying in London! Woohoo!

Hiya!

This week has been incredible!  I have learned so much.  I found out I'm staying in London!  I got a new companion who is quite young (in the mission, in real life he is older than me) which is exciting!  The great thing is he is a boss!  It feels more like he is training me than the other way around. Something quite sad to repot to all those following along at home is that Xizi dropped us.  It was really sudden and unexpected which makes it quite sad. She just felt like she didn't want to make any big life decisions while studying abroad.  Although it is sad, we just have to learn from the experience and work hard to find someone who is prepared to receive the restored gospel. Another thing that was sad, is one of my flat-mates Elder Reynolds was waiting for his visa to go to South Africa and his visa came, so he left today.  It was so much fun serving around him for a transfer!

Now for some good news!  One of our friends Jun came to church today. He was able to see a baptism after church and he was asking so many questions about what it meant.  After we taught him the basics of faith, repentance, and baptism, we invited him to be baptized and he said yes.  It was a tender mercy for sure.  I love the opportunity to teach people about the Gospel.  To testify of what I've felt in my life and know to be true. The. To invite others to act and come closer to our Savior.  Just amazing. I really know that this is the Lords work.  I am so grateful to be learning how to be an effective instrument in His hands.  I am grateful for the chance we had to hear from prophets and apostles last week and I encourage all of you to study what the Lords servants have said for US!  I know that if you do, you will find something that applies to you and will benefit your relationship with our Father in Heaven. Well!  That's all I can think of right now!

Have a brilliant week!

Elder Draper

Letter from the Mission President

Dear Brother and Sister Draper,

I thought you would like to know your son has been asked to serve as a District Leader and a New Missionary Trainer. He has been chosen because of his obedience and faithfulness in living the mission rules and in serving the Lord “with all his heart, might, mind, and strength.”

Your son has become a truly effective missionary. His efforts with other missionaries, members and investigators has been a blessing to them and a strength to the entire mission.  We are grateful for him and know how proud you must be of the way he is serving the Lord.

I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones well.  The gospel is true and a blessing to all of us. It is such a joy to share it with others and to be working with Missionaries like Elder Draper in that effort. 

Sincerely,

Mark W. Stevens

President

I Saw The Queen!

Hiya!

Thank you all for your love and concern!  There was an attack at Westminster, but all of the missionaries are safe.  Contacting at Big Ben is not the best because everyone there is a tourist. So we were far away and safe.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers!  

Also, I saw he queen!  Haha!  Driving with her police escorts!  It was pretty cool!

This week has FLOWN by!  I guess every week flies by.  I honestly can't believe that tomorrow I have been out for 6 months.  I have learned so much, seen so many amazing places, met so many amazing people, and yet I know that I have so much left to learn.  Only 18 months to learn it!  I want to savour every moment of being a missionary.  This really has been the best 6 months of my life!  

Man!  We are meeting an amazing girl named Xizi!  She is Chinese, but grew up in Canada.  Her faith is amazing, and her willingness to follow Christ is amazing!  She is looking forward to being baptised, and she is really, really excited to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!  At church she had an amazing experience!  There was a wonderful talk about mothers that brought her to tears.  Then the hymn "love at home" really hit her hard.  She said that it was powerful.  Sacrament meeting really is powerful.  Something that I've learned on my mission is just how important it is.  That promise we make every week is incredible!  Then during women's conference she took notes like a mad-woman the whole time!  Amazing!  People truly are being prepared to hear the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Being in the heart of London is fantastic!  You meet all sorts of people!  We bumped into a girl named Alma and we just had to let her know she's named after a Book of Mormon prophet!  Then we bumped into a crazy Mormon fan girl that went nuts when we stopped her!  She wanted to take a selfie with us and everything!  Now she's being taught by missionaries in Whales!  

Great week here!  I really know that this is he Lords work!  I love you all so much!  

Have an amazing week!

Elder Draper

look at those matching ties!

London

Again Zhaun-Paul did not send out a broadcast to everyone, so this letter is pieces of his letters to his family

I love family history work!  I'm so happy the whole family is getting involved!  I miss being in the temple and feeling of the sweet spirit there!  Remember when we went on that road trip to the temple?  That's one of my favourite memories of all time!  Keep that up and the family will be SO protected from the adversary!  

That's amazing to hear that Maddie made varsity!  Wooohooo!  Tell her she's like tiger woods... but WAY better and less abusive!  

I am having a great day today!  I'm on the tube now on the way to the Sherlock Holmes museum! We're on our way to Baker Street!  221 B Baker Street is a real thing!  So cool!

He power of prayer is amazing!  Something that really helped me understand prayer better was the face-to-face event with Jeffery R Holland and Henry B Eyring. It is amazing!  I recommend you watch it!  Also, the Bible Dictionary has some great insights to prayer.  Also Jesus the Christ chapter 17.  From those things I've really been able to improve my prayers.  I love that Heavenly Father really wants to hear from us.  He cares so much about us.  It's just incredible.  

My area is amazing!  Serving in Britannia 3 with Elder Massey has been brilliant!  Our area is MASIVE! It covers everything inside the M25 which is a motorway that circles London.  We are only teaching 18-30 year olds who are mostly students at some of the most prestigious colleges in the world!  It is pretty humbling to have to teach people who are WAY smarter than me!  I'd like to think I am always working hard.  There's always room to go that extra mile though!  Thanks for the reminder!  We are working with around 7 people right now.  This area is much busier than my last one and we have the opportunity to teach quite often!  He's been traveling quite a lot, but when he is here we see him almost every day!  He is amazing!  Such a spiritual giant.  In one of our interviews it felt like Christ was speaking through him!  It was so cool!  Our District is the best!!  Seriously
amazing.  There is us, the Elders in our Flat, the assistants to the president Elder Burgess and Elder Falke from England and Germany and two VC sisters one from Canada and Hong Kong.  Super District that's what it is.  The Zone is e Hyde park Zone and quite honestly it is under performing.  We need to step it up to be performing at the potential this area has.  We do meet at the Hyde Park Chapel.  I go there every day!  It is such a beautiful building!  YSA is the best! These are the best of the best Dad.  Returned missionaries studying/working in London.  They are so bright and so fun to be around! Getting to know them has been one of my favourite parts of this area! Unfortunately there are quite a few less active RM we are working with.  It's so sad to see people lose their faith.  My friends seem to be doing great out there.  Seems like all of them are in Texas!  Haha! They are all legends.  I love reading their emails.  It is finally starting to warm up!  London is so nice when it's bright and sunny out!  The frisbee is awesome, but I haven't played with any members yet...that needs to change.  I don't hear from too many people through Email.  Just mostly you beloved people and Kendall haha!

Now, Alma 5.  I loved your thoughts and insights to the chapter! Especially how the path to eternal life is so simple, but not easy to follow.  I also loved that name changing! Verse 14 stuck out to me the most. I thought about myself and if I'd seen a mighty change of heart.  I was thinking what it means to have his image in our countenance.  Do the things we do let others know that we are followers of Christ striving to be like Him?  As a missionary it's so wing we are always striving to do. The topic of being stripped of pride is an interesting one for sure. When I think of that term stripped.  It doesn't sound easy and I don't think it's supposed to be easy.  I don't feel ready to stand before God either.  There are a few talks that have really helped me realize that the only way to be stripped of pride is through the Atonement. When we understand it and use it properly that is when we have a mighty change of heart.  It's so cool. I have really liked studying this chapter together.  A little father,
son scripture study really is the best! Next chapter is Matthew 26!

Talk to you then!
Love ya!

Well.  I hope you have an amazing week! 

Love,

Elder Draper

Another Week in London

Zhaun-Paul didn't send a broadcast letter, so this letter is pieces of the letters he sent to family.

Hi!  

I love that scripture!  Alma 29 is amazing!  I sympathize with Alma's desires.  I have so many scriptures that I love!  I can't even pick one.  Something beautiful that has happened recently is I have been reading Jesus the Christ.  That has made reading the Bible completely different.  I have fallen in love with reading about the life of Christ.  Trying my best to become more like Him. I had only read the Book of Mormon on my mission until about two weeks ago, but now I have a new found love for the New Testament!  (The BoM is still the best though!)  

My testimony of reading the scriptures has grown so much on my mission!  I get answers to prays through them, and several times I find myself just crying over a passage or a chapter.  I love the spirit I feel when I read the Word of God!  I just got a text from an investigator this morning about the power she felt as she read Alma 32!  How cool is that?  Amazing!  I love helping people discover the joy that comes from reading!

I am loving London!  I love seeing the sights on PDays!  I can only imagine the great stuff you got to see in Italy!  I love London.  It's my favorite city in the world.  Every time I step foot outside, I just admire the beauty that's all around me!  

I sure love you!  I know that Jesus Christ lives!  I know that because he atoned for us we can change and become better every single day!  

Love you!