Heya!
What a time to be alive! We have a panini maker and at least a dozen shot glasses in our flat so needless to say life is a party with Sister Powell here in Bridge of Don! We try a new panini a week. This week was taco paninis! One of my favorite past times is making friends with all the old ladies on the busses. One of them told me the names of all the trees we were passing and we spent the bus ride pointing out the almost red ones because fall is tiptoeing closer! Sister Powell doesn't believe me because she was up in Stornaway during last year's autumn where they don't have trees, but I have FAITH! My faith in this work grows every day as we experience more and more miracles! This has been a week of miracles. Many of them have taken place inside myself. I was asked by a friend what I have learned about myself this week, and my answer is that I've learned that I'm the same person at the core that I was before the mission! As I've learned to embrace that rather than hide it under my 7 layer of sweaters and tights, I have been able to connect better with my purpose and with others! I was feeling a bit distant from the work and talked to my STL about it during exchanges, and she suggested reading the New Testament and focusing on Jesus Christ's love and charity. It has truly changed the way I see people and the questions I ask. Christ can not only change water into wine, but our biggest weaknesses into strengths! I have witnessed this for myself this week, and the secret is just to ASK! ASK for him to change us. The results that come when asked with a willing heart will defy your paradigms. Speaking of miracles! 45 minutes after I sent last weeks email! i invited our friend Jonathan to baptism and he accepted! We met him a couple weeks ago on the street. I was too scared to stop him because he was wearing headphones, but Sister Powell dove across me and stopped him instead and he was so excited! When we met with him a week ago his faith radiated from his eyes. He was almost speechless when we talked about the promises in Moroni 10:3-5. When we started to talk about baptism, he was almost asking US if he could be baptized! Sister Powell stepped on my foot and so I asked him and he excitedly said yes. The spirit was SO STRONG and so tangible especially during the restoration. This work is real. This gospel is real. Faith is evidence, the spirit is evidence, everything around us is evidence if we open our eyes. We spend a lot of our time at the Uni talking with students from all over the world! I feel right at home among all the students! I'm coming up with analogies and ways to relate all their different majors to the gospel. If you can think of any, especially for politics, history, medicine, and petroleum engineering, send them to me please!! We felt like we needed to go talk to people near the uni on Saturday even though class wasn't in session. We didn't see a lot of people, but among the ones we did we saw a lot of success! Fact: As missionaries, sometimes the spirit tells you to do really random things. When you do them, crazy things happen. Fact 2: As humans, sometimes the spirit tells you to do really random things. When you do them, crazy things happen. My goal this past week has been to beat hesitation. When I feel like I should do something, I want to do it immediately! Praying for help and simply DOING it helps! I promise that if you cut out hesitation you will see miracles in your life. You will see change you didn't think was possible. You will see God's hand. When we stop delaying promptings, we stop delaying happiness! And the satisfaction that comes from knowing you've done your best! With missionary work! With school work! With work work! Whatever it may be! Don't JUSTify, JUST DOIT! Whatever it is. Be bold. Move to Scotland. Come to Aberdeen and say hi. Do what's best for you and do it now! Stop postponing progress like I postponed writing this email!!! I went to Costco today!!!!!! God's love really has spread to all corners of the Earth. 3 Nephi 27:16 When we are baptized, we are FILLED! We are filled with the light of Christ and so much more! Although the sacrament is a quarter-sized piece of bread and a sip of water, it fills us to the brim in a way nothing else can. In Matthew 3 or 4 I was reading about how Christ fasted and was tempted by the devil. When we are empty, it is so much easier to fall prey to temptation. I like to think of this as grocery shopping on an empty stomach. In the same way, when we are not filled from baptism and the sacrament and the spirit, it is easier to be tempted! It is easier to think bad thoughts about ourselves! Be filled! Look to God and live! I love you all and wish you a blessed week! Sister Allen ps. everyone said it was supposed to be so cloudy but we've had nothing but sunshine! I accidentally brought it with me somehow I guess!
