Good morning!
I actually don't know when you will read this, but it is morning as I write it. I had a good week this week, and Zone conference was awesome. Not awesome, however, was the amount of time I had to spend in the airports. I did, however, receive a few new stamps for my passport, which is cool. I have a pretty good collection so far, and I hope to get a lot more. In interviews President told me that next transfer I will probably return to the French side, and go back to Guadeloupe in a last ditch effort to get legal. Apparently they got a contact at the Prefecture, so hopefully things will go smoother. Zone Conference was a spiritual feast as usual, and I learned a lot. It was the first time this transfer I saw other missionaries, and it was a lot of fun. Tara is still being a real putz, and she didn't come to church. We are going to try and get her to church this week, and if not, probably let her go... Other than that, not alot of exciting things. How are you guys? doing OK? I hope so!
Mom: Good luck! Sounds Like you got a full plate!
Dad: YOU TOO!!
Sister Ison: I got another letter from you. I am a terrible brother.
Grandma: Thanks for the Email! I love you!
Everybody else: Love you too!
Peace out,
Elder Ison
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
You are my sunshine....my only sunshine... :)
Dear Friends and Family,
You rock! This week rocks! Sunshine rocks! Ilford rocks! This week has been a really good one.
Monday evening Suresh took us out to eat. He bought us Pani Puri (which I loved sooooooo much!!!!) and also Sev puri (which was also good), and this drink called Falooda (It's like rose flavoured milk with noodles and icecream in it.... it was interesting, but very good). It was pretty funny though because with the Puri's you're supposed to just stick the whole thing in your mouth, but it was a little awkward to do so and Sister Andersen was having a little trouble doing it, and Suresh was just like, " No no no, even small children can put in mouth. " And he really didn't like the fact that she couldn't fit the whole thing in her mouth at once. We were all laughing about that. Then at Family Home Evening we played Ibble Dibble. I love that game! Sister Andersen won :-P Tuesday we had District Meeting, then we went to see Justin with Sister Stevenson. We read the talk by Elder Holland from conference and talked about how we can overcome anything and set some goals to help Justin live the Word of Wisdom. He actually set the goals for himself. He's doing sooooo well, and he really wants to do it. In fact a couple of days later I was talking to him on the phone and he was talking about how it's hard to overcome the addiction, but then he said, "but it's worth it..." He said that all by himself.... I felt soooooo happy :) Then in the evening we went to see our gypsy family. We read parts of 3 Nephi 11 with them and it was a good lesson.
Wednesday we saw a woman for the first time named Glenda. She was good, however a very strong Catholic, so we'll see what happens. But it was a good lesson, and she agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Then in the evening we went to see Sonia and Nara DeFrietas. We had a reallllllly good dinner, and it was good to get to know them a bit better. Nara is 12, and she is sooooooo cute. I really enjoyed the evening.
Thursday was an interesting day. We went to the chapel because we had an appointment, but he didn't show up, so we started to do our weekly planning at the chapel. Then while we were planning this man walked up to the door and gestured for us to unlock it. So I walked up and cracked open the door and asked what I could help him with. He said he was looking for his mom. That sounded a little bit odd, but then he said, "She's in this ward..." So I thought he was probably supposed to meet someone at the chapel. I actually thought he was probably from Stratford Ward, because I don't know most of the members from that ward (they use our building). So I told him that no one else was in the chapel so he'd have to try later. Then he began to insist that his mom was there... and I could tell that he was not right in the head. As he continued to talk I realized that he thought he was at the hospital, so I asked him where he thought he was, and he said, "King George Hospital." So he was talking about hospital wards.... So I tried to direct him how to get to King George Hospital, and told him what buses to take and everything, and he just wasn't getting it. He was still standing just outside the door and I was talking to him through the door, and then he fell on me! I had to push him back upright, and he leaned back on the door and said, "Sorry sorry, I'm Irish." That comment made me realize that he must be referring to the fact that he was totally and completely drunk..... Because otherwise he looked like a pretty clean cut guy. So at that moment I determined that he wasn't going to understand what I was trying to explain to him, and we just needed to get him out of the doorway so we could lock the door again. (Plus, I was honestly terrified that he might throw up on me or something... ugh). So I acted professional (because he seemed to think we were nurses) and I said, "Follow me.." And I walked out of the building with Sister Andersen and led him to the front. I pointed to the sign on the front of the church and said, "See, this is a church." And I proceeded to explain again how he could get to the hospital. He said that he didn't want to get on the bus, he wanted us to take him to his Mother-in-law. So I grabbed Sister Andersen and we ran back into the chapel and locked the door. It took him a couple of minutes to figure out that we were even gone, and then he came and began to knock on the door, but Sister Andersen and I just went on with our planning. Oh man, we laughed a lot about that. The good thing about drunk people is they don't tend to be able to move very fast. haha. Then later that day we saw Justin, and he brought Nicholas with him. We read 2 Nephi 4 (I love that chapter!) and talked about trusting God. It was a really good lesson. Then that evening we went to enrichment and got to hear stories from returned Sister Missionaries in the ward. It was really cool. There are actually a lot of them in Ilford ward.
Friday we saw Justin again and talked about Following the Prophet. He really gets it. Ah, I love Justin so much! haha, he's doing so well. He reads every day. He does everything we ask him. He's going to get there :) .
Saturday morning we saw a woman named Ronke. She was really sweet, and really wanted to know what the Book of Mormon was all about, because she wants to know about everything of Jesus Christ. it was a good lesson. Then we went to see the Gypsy family and invite them to church. They're going to need to come to church if we're going to be able to help them much. Then we went home to make phone calls to prepare for Sunday, and *dun dun dun* I saw the mouse!!! It ran out from under my little dresser by the study table. Sister Andersen was on the phone with Doreen, and I screamed sooooo loud. haha... oh man... and we thought Toni was gone..... Alas, 'tis not so.
Sunday was a great day. The whole Fowles family spoke in sacrament meeting including 5-year-old Christine, and 7-year-old Marianne. It was on the topic of Eternal Families, and when we stood for the intermediate hymn "Families can Be Together Forever." And everyone stood up with their little families, I really felt the spirit. I loved it! Plus, Joice (now being taught by the Stratford Elders) came with Yolanda! I was so happy to see her! Oh how I loved this Sunday! Plus, this whole week and especially Sunday, It was warm and sunny. That always helps to lift spirits :P. Then Sunday afternoon we went to Romford for an Emergency Zone Meeting on Member Missionary work for all Full time Missionaries and Ward Mission Leaders. President was there, and it was really good to get ideas about how we can work more with members. Then that evening we went to the Akunne's for dinner. I love Sister Akunne! We talked about missions, and she told stories from her mission. It was so great. Missions are the greatest thing. You learn so much, and grow, and really find your own testimony. It's amazing.
Then yesterday morning we had District meeting. It rained alll day, but we earned some good Husband points :-P We also saw a woman named Caroline and had a really good lesson about the Book of Mormon with her. Then we taught Justin tithing and he totally accepted it. Oh my goodness, I know I keep saying this, but I just can't believe how well Justin is doing. He is overcoming a lot, but he's doing it! He knows what he knows, and follows what he feels, and he doesn't worry about what his friends may say about the church. Then we had family home evening, and we did a lesson about not judging others. We had everyone write a problem they were experiencing on a bit of paper, and then wrapped them around little pebbles, and put them in Elder Jenzsch's shoes and made him walk all around the room while we read scriptures about not judging people. It was a good object lesson. And a fun evening. Then last night we got moves calls, but both Sister Andersen and I are staying... *phew* haha, I would have been sooooo sad if I moved. I love Ilford!
Mom- thank-you so much for taking care of everything for me. It's such a huge help. I'm so excited to hear about everything the boys are doing. The special olympics is so awesome! haha!
Dad- I'm so glad you got the package. I was a little worried when you hadn't received it yet. :) I did have fun making the movies... haha
Elder Ison- I've been running too, except for some reason my shoes have been giving me blisters, so I couldn't run today.... rubbish.... but instead Sister Andersen and I decided to try jump rope. Now that's a good work-out.... man.... It was hard... :-P I definitely need to excersize more.
Emma- Thanks so much for the letter! I love you so much, and hope that you are doing well!
Grandma- I love you sooooooooo much. I hope that you are doing well. I pray for you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do!
Everyone Else- I love you!
Love,
Sister Ison
You rock! This week rocks! Sunshine rocks! Ilford rocks! This week has been a really good one.
Monday evening Suresh took us out to eat. He bought us Pani Puri (which I loved sooooooo much!!!!) and also Sev puri (which was also good), and this drink called Falooda (It's like rose flavoured milk with noodles and icecream in it.... it was interesting, but very good). It was pretty funny though because with the Puri's you're supposed to just stick the whole thing in your mouth, but it was a little awkward to do so and Sister Andersen was having a little trouble doing it, and Suresh was just like, " No no no, even small children can put in mouth. " And he really didn't like the fact that she couldn't fit the whole thing in her mouth at once. We were all laughing about that. Then at Family Home Evening we played Ibble Dibble. I love that game! Sister Andersen won :-P Tuesday we had District Meeting, then we went to see Justin with Sister Stevenson. We read the talk by Elder Holland from conference and talked about how we can overcome anything and set some goals to help Justin live the Word of Wisdom. He actually set the goals for himself. He's doing sooooo well, and he really wants to do it. In fact a couple of days later I was talking to him on the phone and he was talking about how it's hard to overcome the addiction, but then he said, "but it's worth it..." He said that all by himself.... I felt soooooo happy :) Then in the evening we went to see our gypsy family. We read parts of 3 Nephi 11 with them and it was a good lesson.
Wednesday we saw a woman for the first time named Glenda. She was good, however a very strong Catholic, so we'll see what happens. But it was a good lesson, and she agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Then in the evening we went to see Sonia and Nara DeFrietas. We had a reallllllly good dinner, and it was good to get to know them a bit better. Nara is 12, and she is sooooooo cute. I really enjoyed the evening.
Thursday was an interesting day. We went to the chapel because we had an appointment, but he didn't show up, so we started to do our weekly planning at the chapel. Then while we were planning this man walked up to the door and gestured for us to unlock it. So I walked up and cracked open the door and asked what I could help him with. He said he was looking for his mom. That sounded a little bit odd, but then he said, "She's in this ward..." So I thought he was probably supposed to meet someone at the chapel. I actually thought he was probably from Stratford Ward, because I don't know most of the members from that ward (they use our building). So I told him that no one else was in the chapel so he'd have to try later. Then he began to insist that his mom was there... and I could tell that he was not right in the head. As he continued to talk I realized that he thought he was at the hospital, so I asked him where he thought he was, and he said, "King George Hospital." So he was talking about hospital wards.... So I tried to direct him how to get to King George Hospital, and told him what buses to take and everything, and he just wasn't getting it. He was still standing just outside the door and I was talking to him through the door, and then he fell on me! I had to push him back upright, and he leaned back on the door and said, "Sorry sorry, I'm Irish." That comment made me realize that he must be referring to the fact that he was totally and completely drunk..... Because otherwise he looked like a pretty clean cut guy. So at that moment I determined that he wasn't going to understand what I was trying to explain to him, and we just needed to get him out of the doorway so we could lock the door again. (Plus, I was honestly terrified that he might throw up on me or something... ugh). So I acted professional (because he seemed to think we were nurses) and I said, "Follow me.." And I walked out of the building with Sister Andersen and led him to the front. I pointed to the sign on the front of the church and said, "See, this is a church." And I proceeded to explain again how he could get to the hospital. He said that he didn't want to get on the bus, he wanted us to take him to his Mother-in-law. So I grabbed Sister Andersen and we ran back into the chapel and locked the door. It took him a couple of minutes to figure out that we were even gone, and then he came and began to knock on the door, but Sister Andersen and I just went on with our planning. Oh man, we laughed a lot about that. The good thing about drunk people is they don't tend to be able to move very fast. haha. Then later that day we saw Justin, and he brought Nicholas with him. We read 2 Nephi 4 (I love that chapter!) and talked about trusting God. It was a really good lesson. Then that evening we went to enrichment and got to hear stories from returned Sister Missionaries in the ward. It was really cool. There are actually a lot of them in Ilford ward.
Friday we saw Justin again and talked about Following the Prophet. He really gets it. Ah, I love Justin so much! haha, he's doing so well. He reads every day. He does everything we ask him. He's going to get there :) .
Saturday morning we saw a woman named Ronke. She was really sweet, and really wanted to know what the Book of Mormon was all about, because she wants to know about everything of Jesus Christ. it was a good lesson. Then we went to see the Gypsy family and invite them to church. They're going to need to come to church if we're going to be able to help them much. Then we went home to make phone calls to prepare for Sunday, and *dun dun dun* I saw the mouse!!! It ran out from under my little dresser by the study table. Sister Andersen was on the phone with Doreen, and I screamed sooooo loud. haha... oh man... and we thought Toni was gone..... Alas, 'tis not so.
Sunday was a great day. The whole Fowles family spoke in sacrament meeting including 5-year-old Christine, and 7-year-old Marianne. It was on the topic of Eternal Families, and when we stood for the intermediate hymn "Families can Be Together Forever." And everyone stood up with their little families, I really felt the spirit. I loved it! Plus, Joice (now being taught by the Stratford Elders) came with Yolanda! I was so happy to see her! Oh how I loved this Sunday! Plus, this whole week and especially Sunday, It was warm and sunny. That always helps to lift spirits :P. Then Sunday afternoon we went to Romford for an Emergency Zone Meeting on Member Missionary work for all Full time Missionaries and Ward Mission Leaders. President was there, and it was really good to get ideas about how we can work more with members. Then that evening we went to the Akunne's for dinner. I love Sister Akunne! We talked about missions, and she told stories from her mission. It was so great. Missions are the greatest thing. You learn so much, and grow, and really find your own testimony. It's amazing.
Then yesterday morning we had District meeting. It rained alll day, but we earned some good Husband points :-P We also saw a woman named Caroline and had a really good lesson about the Book of Mormon with her. Then we taught Justin tithing and he totally accepted it. Oh my goodness, I know I keep saying this, but I just can't believe how well Justin is doing. He is overcoming a lot, but he's doing it! He knows what he knows, and follows what he feels, and he doesn't worry about what his friends may say about the church. Then we had family home evening, and we did a lesson about not judging others. We had everyone write a problem they were experiencing on a bit of paper, and then wrapped them around little pebbles, and put them in Elder Jenzsch's shoes and made him walk all around the room while we read scriptures about not judging people. It was a good object lesson. And a fun evening. Then last night we got moves calls, but both Sister Andersen and I are staying... *phew* haha, I would have been sooooo sad if I moved. I love Ilford!
Mom- thank-you so much for taking care of everything for me. It's such a huge help. I'm so excited to hear about everything the boys are doing. The special olympics is so awesome! haha!
Dad- I'm so glad you got the package. I was a little worried when you hadn't received it yet. :) I did have fun making the movies... haha
Elder Ison- I've been running too, except for some reason my shoes have been giving me blisters, so I couldn't run today.... rubbish.... but instead Sister Andersen and I decided to try jump rope. Now that's a good work-out.... man.... It was hard... :-P I definitely need to excersize more.
Emma- Thanks so much for the letter! I love you so much, and hope that you are doing well!
Grandma- I love you sooooooooo much. I hope that you are doing well. I pray for you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do!
Everyone Else- I love you!
Love,
Sister Ison
Monday, April 20, 2009
I eat my peas with honey...
Dear Family,
I am sure that I will be able to find it in my heart to forgive you. Haha. Of course I forgive you. I am doing alright. This week was another finding one. We worked alot with the recent converts, the Johnsons. They are such a funny family. Yesterday we told jokes for a while. It was funny. Tara didn't come to church this weekend, and has been shirking away from being baptized. She is being a real stinker! We hope that she will have a "mighty change of heart" soon, and stop following the ways of the world. We also have a new set of Couple missionaries here. They are caled the Rasmussens and they are realy fun. He is an ex-FBI agent. I can't wait to here some of his stories! I am really glad you guys are doing well and that you had a nice trip. I can't believe Danny is a Zone Leader. Actually I can. I am proud of that boy. haha. I am really jealous of the time you got to spend with the Family though! Jeez! It's alright though. This week we got permission to go running on the beach by our apartment. President called it the "most breathtaking running beach in the world". Not bad.
I love you guys soo much and look forward to next week, where I will have cooler stuff to talk about!
Love, Elder Ison
General Conference....again :)
Dear Friends and Family,
I love you! Haha. I also love Ilford soooo much. It's pretty much the best place. :)
Monday was a good day. In the evening we went to see Bela and Brother Blackman and Brother Omoruyi came with us to give her a blessing. She's still struggling a bit and her blind eye is painful, but she's hanging in there.
Tuesday was also a great day. We saw Justin in the afternoon with his friends Nicholas and Micheal. We talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy, and it went well. Other than that we did a lot of finding. I love tracting. Haha, I really do, I'll miss it. :)
Wednesday we had district meeting. After District Meeting Sister Andersen and I made Breakfast burritos for everyone. It was really funny, because Elder Anderson (one of the Zone Leaders) was like, "Wow! What's the recipe for this?" Sister Andersen and I laughed and said, "Well, it's not really a recipe... you just scramble some eggs and fry up some sausage..." Then he interrupted and said, "Wow, there's two recipes?"... Haha.. and then Elder Hamilton said, "I think Elder Anderson is confusing the word recipe with ingredients." And Elder Anderson said, "Well, it's a recipe to me..." Oh, Elders.... they make me laugh. Then we did some finding and went to the Fowles for dinner. I love that family so much! Especially their little daughter Katie. It was really funny, we taught them a lesson and challenged them to give away some pass along cards that have the website on them, and after the lesson was over Katie hops off her mom's lap and says, "Jesus is my friend.... Jesus can hop!" and she started to hop all around the room. Then she wanted to say the prayer and she said the cutest prayer. She said, "Please bless Christine not to talk during the prayer..." Christine is her older sister and she wasn't talking, but it was cute anyways. :)
Thursday was the day of the neverending bus ride. Haha. A trip that should have taken 45 minutes ended up taking over 2 hours..... There was a major traffic jam, but we made it and were able to have lunch with Sister Saltzman and her daughter Corrie. It was really good, and we also challenged them to give away pass along cards. Then we went back to the chapel and saw Justin with *drumroll* Sister Stevenson! They're back, hoooray! :) We talked about the ten commandments and it was a really good lesson. Then we did some planning and in the evening we went to the Stevenson's for dinner, and had correlation. It was a good day.
Friday morning we went to see Rebecca, we talked to her about the Law of Chastity, and getting married to Chanelle's dad. They are engaged and planning of being married, so we hope to help them pick a day soon. Then we went to Brother Beasley's for llunch. Suresh prepared the food, and it was soooooooo good, and Justin came as well. We also talked to him about the Law of Chastity. It was a really good lesson. It was so good to see Brother Beasley as well, because it's been a while since we saw him :) Then in the evening we met up with Brother Schwartz from Chelmsford, because he came all the way down to meet our Polish family with us, because he served his mission in Poland. He's from America and actually works with Brother Fowles. He's really nice. We went and saw the Polish family, and found out a few things. 1. They did not understand anything we taught them before 2. They didn't tell us their real names... haha John= Roman, Sandra= Maria... however Theresa is Theresa, so that's good... :) 3. They actually aren't Polish, they are gypsies, and Polish is their second language. It was a reallllly cool lesson. We found out a lot about the family, and Brother Schwartz is really good at speaking Polish. I loved it.
Saturday in the morning we went to see Asha, Vinod, and Shency again. Suresh came, and it was another good lesson. We talked a bit about the plan God has for us. Hopefully they'll be able to come to church soon, but Asha works on Sunday.... so we'll see. In the afternoon we met a referral named Carlos, and his wife (Viola...... I think....oops...haha, can't remember), and their little daughter Gabriella (who has red hair, and is adorable). Also his mother was there. She's a member. She and her son are from Venezuala. Carlos has been in England for about 10 years, and his wife who is from Lithuania has been here about 6 years. His mother just barely moved in last week, and has come to help with the baby. She doesn't speak any English, but Carlos and his wife do, because that's how they communicate in the home :) It was a good lesson. Carlos is open, and Viola seems willing to learn, although a bit more skeptical. Then we went to Barry and Evelyn's to make an appearance at Barry's birthday party. It was really fun, and the food was good :) I love African parties. haha.
Yesterday was great. Sister Fowles came up to us and had a great success story about giving away one of her pass along cards! She said she had a handyman in her house, and she really felt like she should give him a Book of Mormon, because she had found an extra one while cleaning around the house. She said she was really nervous because it was so out of the blue, but she followed the prompting. She gave it to him with one of the website cards, and was kind of nervous and apologetic, and she said that he said, " Why are you so nervous? Do you want me to buy this book from you?" She said, "No, no it's free." He said, "Okay, if I go to this website will I see a picture of you standing there getting an award for giving away this book?" She said, "No no, it's just a book that means a lot to my family and I and I want to give it to you." He said, "Then why are you nervous?" Haha, she said that he was really nice, and they ended up having a long conversation about eternal families, and she found out that he lived in Chelmsford and had a wife and three children of his own. She showed him Moroni's promise and promised that if he would read and pray that he would get an answer, and told him there was a church in Chelmsford, and told him to come back to her when he'd read the book. Then as he was leaving she said her three daughters came running down the stairs yelling, "Read it! Read it!" And he said to them, "Do you read it?" And the little girls said "Yes!" It was great! We'll see what comes of it, but no matter what it was a great experience for them because Sister Fowles followed her prompting. Church was great. Justin was there, and we got to watch the last session of General Conference! I loved it soooo much! The whole thing! Elder Oaks is definitely a favourite of mine, and his talk really made me think of my motivations for service. Elder Bednar's talk was great, and definitely helped me realize that the focus is the temple! Of course, I absolutely loved Elder Perry's talk on member missionary work :) Spot on! And President Monson's concluding remarks, and the reference to "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me" made me think of CJ. Keep on sharing those talents :) I loved it! Then after church another really cool thing happened. We had an appointments witha man named Andrew, and we brought Sister Robertson with us to go see him. So we went to see him and we knocked on his door. He lives in a shared house (like many in London) so one of his housemates answered the door. We asked for Andrew, and he went to get him, then came back and said ,"Sorry, he's sleeping... you'll have to come later..." It was disappointing because we'd come all that way with a member and everything so I just explained who we were and asked if he would be interested. He said yes! His name is Christian, and he's from Nigeria, and he's actually been to a program at our church in Nigeria once before. He liked it, and when we taught him about the Restoration he was soo chill. He's pretty much the most chill person I've ever met. We invited him to be baptized and he said yes, so we have a date with him for the 23 May. it was super exciting. We spent the rest of the day finding, and found some more new investigators. It was a good good day. I love being a missionary!
Mom-Your trip sounds like great fun. I'm glad you got the letter. Thank-you soooo much for taking care of everything for school, haha, because...... well....yeah, time is tight, but I'm kind of glad in a way, because I'll keep busy...haha.... no need to lose momentum.....
Dad- That pretty much is a miracle that you made it home! Sister Fowles was talking about all the snow on Sunday because her parents live in Utah. I sent a package a couple of weeks ago, so it should arrive really soon....... I hope there aren't any problems with it :( It has pictures and books and other random things in it from Christmastime.
Nathan- I love you!!!!! I'm glad you are home :)
Elder Ison- I love Jesus the Christ that is a great book!
Grandma- I love you so much. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you!
Love,
Sister Ison
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