My friends at church

This week was slow. We had to clean out a flat and close it down. So that took a lot of our time.

   We taught our Chinese friend named X__. We invited him to church after he expressed he wants to know truth. He said no and we were moved by the spirit to be bold.... Bolder than I have ever been with someone. We threw down how if he wants to get something he needs to give something. We were bold with sacrifice. The Spirit was so strong. You could taste it in the air
. We than invited him again and he said yes. The next day it was pouring rain and X__ rode his bike 45 min in the down pouring rain to come to church. It was amazing. 

   At church we had X__, K____ and his family. It was amazing to see so many of our friends and Elder Parkinson and Elder Wilson's friends as well. 

   For all of you who want to serve missions and will serve missions. Master Preach my Gospel. That will prepare you more than anything else as you study and live it!! I promise you this as a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That goes for you members as well who are trying to be better at sharing the Gospel. 

   This week I have felt how near our Father in Heaven really is. The more I indulge in the scriptures and preach my gospel the thinner the veil is. The presence of the Father is different from the Spirit. I am gaining such an amazing relationship with Our Father. Who is very real and very knowable. He has a body of flesh and bones. If he were to stand before you He would look as a perfected man, you would look at Him and it would be just like seeing your family after a long time. I know God lives and loves me. This is my testimony.  

Love 

Elder Andrew Penman

My Favorite Scripture

 Ether 12:37

And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore,thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

Too many surprises!

Elder Penman, Ned, Jaqueline, Elder Mulville after Jaque's confirmation

So many blessings happened this week. We saw Jacqueline got baptized!!! We got to speak with Elder M. Russell Ballard and shake his hands!

A page from Elder Penman's missionary planner
with recent contacts (information blurred out)

   We started the week off by GQing in the 3 C degree rain. It was so fun!! Elder Mulville and I had a blast and talked to so many people. We are working with faith and a full-hearted belief that Gods will, will be done,  and when you work with faith and that full-hearted belief, days go by fast and
they are so much fun!!!!
 
   We were able to see the fruits from exercising our our faith in the last few days of our week. We had a 2 1/2 hour meeting with Elder Ballard. Wow! That was incredible. He taught a doctrine I had never thought about. He said it is harder for a spirit to repent than a soul on earth. He also said the addictions we carry in ourselves here will be with us when we are resurrected, that is why it is so important to repent in this life. When he shook our hands he told us that we have the best generation of teachers the church has ever seen. That man ordained of God is incredible!!!

Elder Penman and Jacque at her confirmation

Elder Mulville selfie with Elder Penman
and Jacque

   Jaque was baptized while we were in Dublin! It was amazing. It was so amazing when she personally invited Elder Mulville and I to be part of her confirmation! Talk about PURE JOY!! Ned, her boyfriend was telling us that they will be getting sealed in the temple in Brigham City Utah, in April 2017. So I will get to go to the temple when the do their temple work and get sealed!!!!!!! That will be a great day!

   We are still teaching the Czech couple. They are not understanding everything but they are progressing slowly. The Romanian family is doing well. We are teaching so many people its unreal!!!

  I know very clearly that Apostles with the same authority Peter, John, Mark, Luke and the rest of the original Apostles had. I have seen and met two of them in person and their actions tell it all! The church is true.

Elder Penman

Doctrine and Covenants Section 123: 17 "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

Some type of pastry.  Looks like an apple made to
look like a rose on the top

Teaching, Teaching, and Blessings

 

Saying goodbye to Elders Beckstrand and Stanley on Moves Day
Elders Parkinson, Beckstrand, Stanley, Penman

Elder Beckstrand is going to Kirkcaldy Scotland to train a new missionary

 This week I had to move all the missionaries in my zone around and Elder Beckstrand left before it got crazy. So it was only me answering all their calls and making sure they knew exactly what was up. It was exciting.

Elder Penman & Elder Mulville--new companions!  

    Elder Mulville is so chill. He is literally a Surfer Dude. We work so hard together and waste no time I love it. He does missionary work just like me. We get a long great. He is only a convert for 2 years. It is pretty amazing to be with a convert. His testimony is very unique.

    We taught a deaf household of people. It's a member's son and all of his friends. They are the humblest people on the face of the earth! One of them knew ASL so I could sign and understand just a little of what he was saying. We also had a member who translated what we taught to them. We got to watch him sign the prayer and one of the other people interpreted it. I have never felt the Spirit so strong from an investigators prayer. It was so meek, so humble, and so moving. He spoke of Elder Mulville and I to God so appreciative and so highly. We Taught The Romanian family English and Skyped with the Romanian missionaries. K___ is looking forward to being baptized! We taught an Asian man named Y__. He was on his bike with headphones on the street and stopped because he felt like he needed to and looked to see me waving at him. We taught the Restoration and he felt the Spirit and wants to be baptized on December 12th. I don't think I have ever taught so much on my mission.  Its so fun though.

   On Sunday a man from Iran walked into the church building. He used to live in Iran and he ran away because he found out that the Book of Mormon was true. He had police and government people after him, to kill him so he ran away in the back of a lorry to get away from the people trying to kill him. So on Sunday he walked 2 hours across Belfast to make it to the church building. He told us he was living in a hostel but was sick of it because all the drinks they had were Coffee and Tea... And he felt bad breaking the word of wisdom.

   I testify that the Lords work is hastening. I know that He has prepared his Children to be gathered into the barns of the last harvest. His work will move forward whether we are a part of it or not. So let us join our wonderful Father in Heaven's work. In Jacob 5, the Lord teaches us about how it is his work and not ours, we need to align our will with his.

Jacob 5 teaches the Allegory of the Olive Tree
Artwork by Miriam Escofet

  I invite all of you to study Jacob 5 with the question "What is my role in the work of the Lord?"  I promise you that you will have the spirit rest upon you and teach you exactly what you need to know..... If you have a sincerity to act.
  I invite all of you to study

Elder Penman

Elders Parkinson and Stanley

Elder Parkinson

"GQ all day, every day here"

Elder Mulville

Moves Call #11 I think

Elders Ward, Forbush, and Penman at Ulster Hall for Stake Conference

Well We got moves call. Elder Beckstrand is going to be leaving Belfast and going to train in Kirkaldy! He is so lucky he gets to train. I will be getting a new companion named Elder Mulville, he is from California! I'm so excited to serve with him. He trained in the same group as when I picked up Elder Forbush. You'll never guess. Elder Perkes is coming into Belfast!!! I'm so excited. But my other son Elder Forbush is off to the Shetland Isles! 

E Beckstrand teaching at MLC

Trying to get the group together at MLC

Elder Beckstrand has been using Elder Penman's camera for selfies

This week we taught a lot! We taught the Romanian family. K____ and A____ came to our stake conference at the Ulster Hall! It was awesome. We are teaching a Czech Couple named A____ and A____. We Skyped with Elder Novotney and he helped explain things in Czech. We are teaching a new friend named J_______. We also had the born again minister at Bishop Moffet's house, he is kicking pretty hard... we may have to stop teaching him. We are teaching someone who was in the UDA during the Troubles and it took him for ever to get out, he got out this past week. That's basically like teaching someone in the Italian Mafia! It was crazy... He has so many crazy stories!!  We are teaching so much it's unbelievable!!! I Love it here in Belfast.

   Today we sent a bunch of missionaries going home accross on the ferry. It so weird. Elder Wells is in this group and when I came out he was only at 7 months on his mission... Now he is going home in 1 1/2 days. The time has gone by quicker then I can even comprehend. Elder Lorimer always would say, Kolob standard time! It is the best even the hardest times breeze by! I love being a missionary soooooooo much! Sorry for the short email. we are planning how people are going to move through the mission.

The Holywood Road Four--Beckstrand, Parkinson, Stanley, Penman

The Flat must have gotten egged.  

More evidence of the egging.  

Elder Penman

Up Down Touch the Ground

Hello. We got to see J____ confirmed this week! It was awesome!! We also had MLC!

We were teaching a man from Brunei about the Godhead and about the role of the Holy Ghost. He felt the Spirit, so we proceed onto the Restoration. He felt the Spirit through the whole thing. At one point there were a bunch of distractions so we told him its going to be hard to feel the Spirit. We told him about the First Vision and he said "I am so focused, I can feel it, I can feel the Spirit!" We invited him to be baptized and he agreed. We felt prompted to tell him that he will have people and other sources say he didn't feel it.  The next morning we get a text saying "I'm a Bible believing Christian."  It was a bummer! 

We Skyped the Romanian missionaries in with the new Romanian family. They told us that they are so prepared. they are looking for new jobs so they can come to the church. The other Romanians watched "Why the Church?" in Romanian. They loved it. They just don't get the need for the Restoration. 

I almost got punched today on the motorway. We stopped at the toll road and it was only Euros and we had pounds.  The man behind us started yelling at us so I asked him if we could trade for Euro and he said more F-words than any other human I have ever heard. He started getting out of the car saying, "We can do this right now," in a thick Dublin accent. I ran over to the desk and traded for Euro and sped away.

Sorry for the short email. We had a long meeting. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sooooo true! I know it!

Mosiah 3:19

Elder Penman 

Surprise! ... Surprise!

The October Belfast Blitz and the Pizza Boxes to prove the "225"

It was a good week!!!!(:

From Rachel Goodfield-Tucker
(from Omagh):
"After a tough few weeks,
Noah had a surprise visitor
knock our door....
I think these photos speak for
themselves.....
These 2 have a special friendship."
Elder Penman was able to give
Noah a special priesthood blessing
to help him with his difficulties. 

  We blitzed Omagh again. This time I got to see Maggy Cathcart, Iris Macfarland, and Brother and Sister Foster. It was good fun, as they say it here, "good crack, so it is." We tried by some of the people that I taught when I was there. Some of them remembered me, but some didn't. IT WAS so good to be there again though. I didn't realise how much work we did there until I was walking the streets and seeing all the streets we tracted! 

From Sister Maggie Cathcart: Karen, Wanted to let you know Elder Penman is in Omagh today. He is doing fab....He and Elder Giles met up with my sister Iris and I at 5 pm this afternoon (3 hours ago ) and we cleaned the church. He was asking about Elliot and his mission and he told me he has never once been homesick. He is working very hard as zone leader and loving Scotland/Ireland and especially Northern Ireland. Don't be worrying.....Maggie

  

  We went on another blitz in Derry/Londonderry. That was fun. I have never been flipped off and yelled at so much in one day. You would be surprised with the colourful vocabulary they used. I always just laugh it off. One of these times, I was with Elder Grant. He is related to a Brother Mcdonald in Dunfermline. He actually looks pretty much like a ginger version of him!

October Belfast Blitz

The White Board and the "line"

More of the "line" in Belfast

We had the Belfast blitz! We had all the missionaries in Northern Ireland, again, up in Belfast to do missionary work. We set a goal to hit 220 people found. We got 225!! The bad part is now Elder Beckstrand and I have to sort out where all these people go and who will call them...It's a good problem to have. It was a full day of finding. At one point we had a huge line at a whiteboard for people waiting to get to right down what makes them happy! It was sweet.   We finished it by having tons of pizza! 

Elder Beckstrand, J___,
Elder Penman

 Well we got a baptism this week. J____ got baptised!! It was sweet. He had been 2 weeks clean from smoking and so we moved his date up, off of our Bishop's and Mission President's counsel. It was so amazing to witness. The water heater was not working so it was freezing cold water.  He had to get baptized 3 times. The first time his elbow was up, the second time the prayer was wrong, the third time his elbow was still up but the member baptizing him pushed him way under! It was great  We were so looking forward to the confirmation, but we got a call. J___'s brother had came over that night and started pulling out cigarettes and alcohol and J____ slipped. I have never seen so much disappointment on someone's face. He asked "what have I done?" like his life was over. We told him it was a mistake and we will have to move the confirmation. He will get there!   

J___with the Elders and the member
who baptised him

I invite all of you who are feeling inadequate to study D&C section 1.
Elder Penman

With Elder Tolk

World War I memorial commemorating the "Ulster Volunteer Force"
Kilcooley, a neighborhood of Bangor, County DownThe Battle of the Somme, fought in the summer and autumn of 1916,
was one of the largest battles of the First World War. 

Elders Penman and Tolk found
a street break dancer

A Bug!! An ORANGE Bug!

The Elders helped to push this family's stalled car out of traffic

"Chapping"

Elder Grant?

Let them Eat Cake....or something. 

Inside the apartment

Praying in Faith

 Oh...! What a week. We had so many good things happen this week. I have had prayers answered in a very Literal way, and very directly.

Elder Penman and Brother and Sister Lorimer

   Well we had to say good by to the senior couple, Elder and Sister Lorimer. They are some of the most amazing people this world has to offer. Elder Scott Lorimer was best friends with Gordon B Hinckley and James E Faust. He told us the most fantastical stories about just chilling with those two men. He brought a whole new life to the people that they really were. If you thought President Hinckley was funny from the pulpit, you haven't even begun to touch the surface. The Lorimers were the people who were leading the second rescue of the Willey and Martin hand cart companies. So when you go on trek, he is the man that helped put all of that together and buy all of that land and follow the Spirit and journals of where they traveled.  They had the chance to chill in the prairies of Wyoming with so many general authorities and alone with the First Presidency! They are Power Houses!! We sadly had to say good bye to them today!








    Last week we got to climb Cave hill. It was a blast. It made me miss trail running so much!! It was like hiking through a forest at some points, to a view of all of Belfast!! We could see Scotland from up there--it was sweet!  We jumped around on this tree that had fallen over. We were bouncing each other off the end. It was like riding a mechanical bull!

Beckstrand, Penman, Parkinson, Stanley

   Our friend J____ is still looking good for the 31st of October. 8 days off smoking and he said no to someone who offered him Tobacco. That's the first time ever. The minister has a baptismal date. He still is struggling with a testimony of Joseph Smith. We Skyped the Romanian missionaries and they taught the Romanian family in Romanian. It was so weird because the whole time they only spoke Romanian. Elder Beckstrand and I sat there and prayed the whole time for those top missionaries!


   So this week I had two stories I want to share with you, out of all the good stuff that happened this week. So the Lorimers told us that we should find a man that was a YSA. He lives in the Cave Hill Ward. So I told Cave Hill about him and prayed that we would be able to find him. Literally, the next afternoon Elder Beckstrand and I are park contacting and we were going to walk by these two younger people flirting, but I had a feeling that I needed to talk them. I spoke to him and he said I'm a member of your church. He told us his name. It was him! The one that had disappeared.  We got him to come to the Lorimers' farewell fireside and he had a spiritual witness that the church can help him!! Next one, I was looking for a Romanian family that the last Elders told me about and because we can Skype Romanian missionaries we can teach them now. But the only info we had on them was a street, Landseer Street. I was telling God that we could go and chap on that street but that would be a waste of time because they are all Romanian and we don't speak it and we don't have enough pamphlets to give them. So I told God we need another way. I prayed that we would get led to them. We were GQing last night and we walked past these men in a car wash. I felt so strongly to talk to them. The man we talked to spoke little English so we were giving them a card and 2 others came over and one of them got excited and pointed at the "Mormon" word on the card. He said in broken English "2 came by." We asked where he lived. You'll never guess.... Landseer street. We got their address and now we will see them again and set up Skype.

I know God hears all of our prayers. He may not answer as directly but, like in Enos 1:12 I know that this is true and if you pray in faith it will be given unto you! In the name of Jesus Christ, I testify of this!
Elder Penman

"I Did Raise My Voice That It Did Reach the Heavens" by Walter Rane 

Enos: 1:10-12

And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold,the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads.

And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.