Called to Serve : I have spent the last year of my life as a missionary in England...... I can't think of anything better I could have been doing.

The Ilford Chapel right in the town centre!!

Welp I guess this girl is spending another 6 weeks in the blessed land of Ilford-Stan!!! AND I am spending it with my cute little Italian!!! So stoked about this. Love this girl and love this area!!!! There is probably no other place in the world where you could be sitting in a room with someone from Fiji, India, Hungary, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Holland, Algeria, America, and England..... Well except if it is a Monday night in Ilford and you have family home evening with all of the single people in the ward at the chapel!!! Yup that definitely happened last night.

MORE TRANSFER NEWS!!! Soo get this. So Sister Haynie and Sister Mathews have been companions this last transfer right..... Aka my two baby girls...... And Sister Mathews is going up to Norwich Zone this transfer to be with my other daughter Sister Obley!!! Ahh what the heck!!! Ha I freaking love it. AND my Australian mate Elder Haysman is going to be a zone leader!! Woo!! So stoked about that as well.

What some missionaries do on New Year's Eve.

AHHHH I HAVE SOME REALLY EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!!!!! Do you remember Clayton?? Welp even if you do I am going to tell you again! Clayton is the guy that I taught in Gillingham for two months that works in Sittingbourne but lives in Kings Lynn! So how we met this guy...... We literally were just calling people in the phone one day and we called him and he said we could come by and teach him....... At his pet food warehouse....... ......... ......... Hmm we were a little skeptical about that because, well, that is a little weird....... But we got a member to come and we went to his pet food warehouse to take our chances......... Well I will forever be grateful that we went to see him that day and that we continued to see him even when we didn't even know what the heck to do about him for the first few weeks..!

FHE with the Young Adults

So this guy has been to Temple Square and he has been to Nauvoo and Carthage Jail and everything. He was really mad they wouldn't let him inside the temple....... Ha he was like, "I just wanted a few pictures!" Anywho..... He said the church has always been coming up in his life and he figures there must be a reason... That is why he wanted to meet with us.

So the first few times we met with him the lessons were just crazy and he had so many bizarre ideas and we would teach him in this little office that smelled horrid and was so dirty. Ha I will always remember that. I still remember the first lesson we had where the Spirit was just super powerful. We taught him about the restoration and when we got to Joseph Smith.... Wow I have never felt the Spirit that powerfully in a lesson before. It was absolutely incredible. He felt it as well! And then the next week we taught about baptism and again.... The Spirit was unlike anything I have ever felt before. WOW IT IS ALL SO TRUE I CANT STAND IT!!! He really felt the power of the Spirit that day.

Our friend Daniel. He's crazy!

Well....... Then I got transferred. But no fear because Sister Mathews and Sister Haynie carried on beautifully and I got a call this week from them telling me that...... HE WAS GETTING BAPTISED!!! ON THE 31 OF DECEMBER!!!! Ahh soo stoked!! I wrote him on Facebook to congratulate him and this is what he wrote back.........

"Thank you so much for your letter it was massively appreciated! You have been so important to me in getting where I am now and the strength with which I felt the spirit while I was with you has without a doubt been one of my overwhelming strengths that have kept me going when I have been struggling with my faith. Words cannot describe how much clearer and stronger my faith is now even though my knowledge is nowhere near what I would like it to be! I will message you agin on Thursday to let you know how I get on!"

Ahh my heart is so happy!!! I pretty much cried when they told me. The changes he has made in his life are amazing. 3 months ago he refused to pray. He would not do it to save his life... Then he started to try and we would text him every night to remind him to say his prayers! He has changed so much since then and I am so proud of him!! Wow what an amazing feeling! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. Seeing the changes in people is worth every hard moment.

Christmas Party with the entire Zone.

Life is good and I am really happy. I am very grateful I am staying in Ilford. Especially for Laisvis..... Ahh please pray for him!! He didn't go to church this week and we haven't seen him or really heard from him since last Monday...... We were supposed to see him today and literally we were on the bus when he texted and said.... "Don't bother coming, I can't see you anymore." Gosh dang it I really don't like Satan. At all. Our hearts are broken. Pray for him!

Well I have spent the last year of my life as a missionary in England...... I can't think of anything better I could have been doing. The experience, knowledge, testimony, memories, friends, will last a lifetime. I love this work so much! God is real. Jesus Christ is our Saviour. Follow him! It is really that simple.

Thank you for all of the love and prayers. I feel them!

ONWARD AND UPWARD.

Sister Sara Ranck