"Now behold, it came to pass that Irvine began to tremble and quake exceedingly because of the great strength and faith of Sisters Allen and Wood; Insomuch that the chavs did weep, and the crabby old men did lose their dentures."
-Doctrine of Elder Long, Aryshire District Leader
I'm so glad to live in a world where there are Octobers! My first week in Irvine, Scotland has been a bounteous week of firsts! I ironed sweatpants. I discovered a recipe on how to make a peanut butter sandwich. I ate duck. Margaret, the 90 year old best friend of a dear ward member named Sister Campbell, had never tasted peanut butter before in her life until we baked her some cookies (we do quite a bit of baking despite having so many dinner appointments) and her face lit up and she kept saying, "yummy yummy yummy!" It really is the moments like those that make rainy days and walking past pubs worth it!
I also ate Lucky Charms for the first time in Scotland, gifted to us by a loving ward member from New York! He also gave us Fruit Loops, but they were very disappointing to say the least and the nutritional facts were written in Arabic, so we turned them into rice crispy treats of sorts with some marshmallows a ward member gave us at church yesterday and the problem was solved!
We brought some of the not burnt cookies to a man named Davy that we met while doing a companion study! I said a little prayer that we would find somewhere to study, and just then we rounded the corner and discovered a bench covered in moss just begging us to come over and sit on it! As we studied, he walked past with his dog and said, "How's the Book of Mormon, sisters?" As it turned out, he was baptized many years ago and had a very special bond with the missionaries who taught him, but he hadn't seen any for a very long time. We returned a couple days later and had a grand old time sitting in his warm greenhouse under the chilly October sun eating cookies and singing hymns. He's quite the kindred spirit and I'm looking forward to the many visits to come!
I have great news!! When cleaning out an extra missionary flat in the area we found (drumroll please) A PANINI MAKER! So the weekly paninis will not end! Stay tuned for next week! We also found measuring cups and saucepans (big win) and a tiger rug signed by dozens of missionaries named Jed, so it was quite the profitable day of treasure hunting! We also ate TacoBell today! Irvine is one of two areas in our mission with them, and it was a glorious bit of heaven.
We also saw heaven in many other ways this week, and were blessed to find some new families and friends to begin teaching!
For whatever reason my metabolism has been so fast lately. We'll leave a 3 course dinner appointment and start chapping and I'm famished 45 minutes later! And thus, the quote of the week:
Sister Allen: "ugh I'm so sorry I'm such a twelve year old in so many ways."
Sister Wood: "That's ok because you're also not a 12 year old in all the most important ways."
A chav is an obnoxious tweenager that roams the streets of the UK looking for things to graffiti and little children to beat up. If you're having a hard time picturing it, just think of Dudley's gang from Harry Potter. They're REAL! And they're everywhere! At 6:45 the other night I went to chap on a door and this 12 year old called out to me from the other side of the street, "What are you doing chapping doors so late?" So I called back that we are missionaries and he asked where we're from and to get right to the point I've never felt so interrogated by a wee one in my entire life. BUT. I didn't teach at summer camps for 6 years for nothing! I'm not afraid of 12 year olds, I repeatedly whisper to myself in the mirror every morning before I leave the flat.
Irvine is a sleepy seaside village. It's quite the change of pace from Aberdeen. We trek along muddy pasture paths on our way to dinner appointments, casually pass castles chilling on top of rocky craigs, and pass the same people with the same dogs every day which I quite appreciate. The world rotates slower here and it's easier to hear the whispers of the spirit in the work and blowing through the trees around us. One thing the spirit has impressed upon me recently is how this time could be best used to develop consistency in my habits. Even though we're working just as hard as ever, I'm working on finding trust within myself and consistency in thought patterns, study habits, dialogue choices, and lifestyle. There's never going to be a better time to be picky and love ourselves and toss out the things that are cluttery or outdated about ourselves then the present moment! The most growth comes in the quiet moments of chugging along slowly towards a predetermined and spirit guided destination. The main goal I'm not actively working on is eating less sugar, because Scotlands best gelato place is across the street from our flat and we hold a lot of lessons there.
I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your love. And thank you most especially for being you. God designed you exactly the way you for a reason! And I'm SO GRATEFUL for that :)
Love,
Sister Allen
