It's been a long, long time

Elder Penman, Gary, Johnny, Elder Mulville

Buff Norn Iron Men (2 with beards)

 So Gary got baptized!!! 
I got the best picture ever. It is Gary and a member named Johnny Shearer. They are both in white, but they are both buff Norn Iron men, with beards. Its so good. Baptismal services are so good. 

I honestly think it is one of the most spiritual meetings ever. You can feel the ripple of affect that it has into the eternities. It is amazing. I saw him right after the baptism an he said "I feel clean." I will never forget how sweet that was to my ears.   I was so honored to get to confirm him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is now a sheep in the fold. 

   Sebastian was unable to be baptized. We are going to have to sort things out with his government. So we will work on here. 

   So we had zone interview training and a world wide broadcast for missionaries.  Our Zone meeting went wonderfully. It was a super spiritual climate. We focused on personal conversion. Elder Mulville and I were giving training. Literally the words coming out of our mouths were pure Spirit. It is quite amazing when you feel moved by the Spirit and you speak... not even knowing what it may be. Trusting and speaking. You will speak with power and authority that the counsels in heaven are conducted by, the very words you speak in that moment are the word of God. I had an amazing experience the next night. While speaking to the zone. I felt prompted to promise them something very sacred and speaking I could feel the spirit rest upon me teaching me that it was true. 

   This Saturday we texted everyone (contacts--missionaries' phones stay in their area, even when the missionary moves on) in our phones and we had 2 people walk in to the church because of these texts. We also had a YSA man walk in that was less active as well. It was great. The congregation had over 100 people, which is way more than there was when we first came here. I love watching wards grow!! 

Sorry, today was pretty gumbled. 

I truly know that the Holy Spirit has a personality, and is a personage. God the Father Lives and we are all His children. Jesus the Christ is our Savior and redeemer, and went lower than all of us. I know they all live as 3 individuals in perfect unity, with out one there would be no God. I know that Joseph Smith saw the Father and Son with perfect bodies of flesh and bone. The evidence is the Book of Mormon and the truth can only be learned through the Holy Spirit. 

Elder Penman

Chris Shearer & Elder Penman

The Power and Authority of the Priesthood

Belfast Zone doing another Blitz, and getting a little soggy

From this week one thing I know is the Priesthood is real!

    We had one of our friends come to church. He wasn't able to walk and he really struggled to get up and come to church and come with his daughter. He asked us for a blessing, so we had one of the members he was close with give the blessing. It was so powerful. He was still walking stiff and really hunched. Two hours later he called us and all pain was gone. He could run, jump, he had full motion. It was incredible. The Spirit rested upon me confirming that it was through faith, the Priesthood and the Holy Ghost that it happened. It's great. Because he is going to be baptized this Saturday. But he told us "I know the priesthood is real." I know miracles do not produce faith... but it does confirm what is hoped for and can, if done through faith, ground your belief.
    Our other friend S________ will be baptized Saturday as well. We are hoping that his government confirms that it is ok for him to be baptized. Please pray that all will happen according to the Lord's will.
    This week we had two men meet us at the church and before we were teaching I felt horrible inside and I discerned that these men were there to trick us, contend with us, accuse us,  and make us stumble over our words. I let Elder Mulville know before we saw them, which prepared us for the awful contention which came from them. Comment after comment trying to tear us down and destroy our faith. In the middle of the meeting, I looked at Elder Mulville, he had a smile smile on his face and then we did not contend with them, we bore sweet and some of the strongest testimony we ever heard deep within our souls. It confounded these men. We ended the meeting.
 
We are so blessed here! The Lord's increase has consecrated everything for gain. I love being here to witness the hastening of the work. I know that angels are around us every day. I know that the Holy Spirit was with us in that very hour we needed it. As we act on our faith, we will have power over those who try to contend with us because we are children of the most high God, our loving Heavenly Father.
Before you pray tonight think about your relationship with Him and I promise when you understand that you are his child, you will pray with all energy of your soul.
Elder Penman
 

Walking on a Dream

Elder Mulville & Elder Penman

I hope all of you had a great week. I honestly have never felt so blessed.

2 Sundays ago, the ward from the pulpit in sacrament meeting talked about how much they loved the missionaries in Holywood Rd Ward.

So many members we so grateful and gave & showed so much appreciation. I love it here in Belfast! I hope I get another Transfer here.







   We are seeing tons of success. It is all from the grace of God. 1 Corithians 3:6-8.  We really have been doing all we can. But it doesn't matter unless God gives the increase.

That's why its so important that not my will but thine be done. The more we have sought the LORD in prayer the more success we have seen. But far to often we don't see success and we blame our selves.

We need to esteem our selves as children of God. We need that confidence to always be happy!








 

We have 3 baptisms coming up this month on the 23rd. We have G___ a members friend!! he is so ready! S________, from Africa, and our Chinese friend H_. It was a great week!!!

Elders Penman and Mulville with Sebastian

Sebastian and Eddie

Elders Mulville, Parkinson, Penman, Wilson emailing home

More pictures of the Holidays in Norn Iron

Out to eat with Sister Allison Tracy of the
Holywood Rd Ward

Elder Wilson-Festive! 

Elders (LtR) Mulville, Wilson, Parkinson, Penman & S. Tracy

Allison Tracy.  What an angel on earth! 

Elders Wilson & Parkinson

Elders Mulville, Kropushek, Thomson

More mustache fun at the Shearers

Elder Mulville

Victoria (Vicki) Shearer on Christmas.  She must have
found Elder Penman's camera and taken a few selfies

Vicki Shearer

New Year's! #2

Out for Southern Barbeque on New Year's Day with the other Elders,
at the treat of lovely ladies from the Holywood Road Ward
Joy Peden and Margaret Watson.  Angels on Earth!  

A special visitor to Belfast, buddy Noah
(from Omagh), for a quick lunch at Burger King 

 Well the break time is over and it is time to work full speed again. It was a much needed time. I have never looked so forward to relaxing. It is so good to be back and working.

   On New Year's Eve, we had a couple of missionaries getting emergency moved. One missionary coming from Glasgow got lost. We spent our whole day looking for this Elder. Somehow he came through Belfast and ended up 3 hours away, down in Dublin. I was so relieved when they found him.

   We had our Chinese friend H_ at church this week. H_ is so good at playing the piano. After church we lost him and we saw people in the chapel looking at the stage and we heard a piano playing. We walked in and he was playing the piano like a champ. It was a mini concert.  Sadly S________ slept in yesterday so he didn't make it out to church. When we taught S________, he prayed and asked for forgiveness for missing church. It was so funny... But awesome how sincere he was.

   While tracting, when people would go to shut the door. We play this "game" its not really a game. but when ever someone goes to shut the door we take turn bearing our testimony to have the Spirit confound them. It's way fun and works quite often.

  I'm so sad. We have had so many things to do for the mission that I haven't gotten too much time to study. But one thing I'm studying is about how Christ is called the Eternal Father. It has helped me understand what it truly means to be born again. It makes sense why repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost go hand in hand.  Moses 6:59-60.

Elders Wilson, Mulville, and Parkinson out for dinner
 (Elder Penman's "Peace" sign doing the photobomb)

Elder Penman