Sunshine in my sole

We had another great week.  We are teaching a lovely young girl who is 21. Her name is Lauren Rolston. We found her our first few days while in Belfast but weren't able to meet with her until this last week. We taught her everyday last week and as of now as is preparing to be baptized on Sunday! We are hyped! 

 So... I was riding my bike this week... Elder Haller and I were going pretty fast and I went to switch gears and my chain broke. This caused me to fly off my bike and apparently I tried to catch myself with my wrist and now I have a broken thumb. Elder Haller saw the entire thing live and said it was a brutal crash. 

This week we will be down in Dublin unto Thursday. We are working our socks off, taking no p-day, working through lunch and dinner breaks. So we don't have much time today cause we have to get to work. Elder Haller and I are a great companionship and are being blessed due to our hard work. I love serving with Elder Haller. He is an absolute legend and we are running to the very end! I love this work!

Love, Elder Penman

Lunch out with Belfast missionaries (photo credit Alan
Marshall) and Brother Marshall and Sister Tracey from
Holywood Road Ward

Photo credit Emma Fisher
Holywood Road Ward

Sunny Sunny Belfast

Northern Ireland has seen many days of sunshine.  One headline reported
"Northern Ireland bakes as strange yellow object appears in the sky"

At Belfast City Hall, everyone is outside enjoying the sunshine

This week has probably been the sunniest week on my mission. I was starting to get sunburned... but I had no sun screen on me  because I have never actually needed sunscreen. So I went to the store to find some... Literally every store  went to had no sun screen and if they did have sunscreen it was sold out. It was crazy. 

   The funnest thing Elder Haller and I do is we have bikes and  we ride around Belfast on them. It is actually incredible. We ride down the street and stop people on our bikes. At first we were surprised with the response we were getting. People are so open to us on our bikes with our goofy helmets. We are absolutely running in our missionary wok. I just pray that my physical health will keep up with our work and The grace of our Savior will strengthen me. .  

   We have taught a lot this week. We have built a pretty nice teaching pool. Even though we won't be able to teach them as much as we would like. I truly believe a few of them will be baptized With in the next 3 weeks. It is quite weird to back and serving part time in Holywood Rd Ward. I don't know if their could be a better place to finish my mission. 

 

 So this week will visit 2 different areas. We will be going out to the top of the Republic of Ireland to a small town named Letterkenny and then to a little bit bigger town called Portadown. It Will be exciting.

  This week I was studying over the account in the Book Of Mormon where the Prophet Abinadi teaches the people in the Land of Nephi Lehi. It is quite interesting what he teaches them. He teaches King Noah and his priests, that they say the are teaching the Mosaic Law... But the aren't really because the do not even abide by what they teach. It caused me to think. about the difference between the teaching of Abinadi and those men. The reason Abinadi could teach with boldness that the spirit confounded these men was because he lived and practiced what he preached. You cannot testify truly of something you do not believe or know to be true. the only way to have strong faith is by living the Gospel. We must all live according to what we know to be true if we really want people to feel the spirit as we testify. Or to be confounded as we share this sacred gospel.  

  The Gospel is real and it has been restored to the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Letter-Day Saints is his kingdom on the earth. 

Elder Penman

The weather in Norn Iron over the last week

Til the Work is Through

Elder Penman takes a selfie in Oban.
It's almost as if the sun is scalding
his eyes.  Sunny days are not
all that common.
Lovely wee daisy though! 

Elders Penman and Perkins with
Oban branch member Sister
Carol Francis.  Thanks to Sister
Francis, E Penman's mom
received pictures this week. 

Alrrrright so the past 2 weeks Elder Perkins and myself have been serving in a small small town called Oban. We would literally stand outside on this corner all day long, right in front of a local Tesco. We did that because, all of the tourists would be out on the main street. As we stayed to the back roads we would tend to see more success. 

Sister Young, Sister Francis,
President Young

We have seen so many amazing miracles as we have served here in this tiny tiny town. We have taught a lot and we have been blessed to meet so many wonderful members here, Elder and Sister Young are the senior couple here in Oban.... Elder Young is also the Branch President. They are amazing. Absolutely faith filled people. I have learned so much from the both of them about relying on the Lord for all things.

As I have seen their example, I also was blessed with knowledge on the same principle from studying in Mosiah. Right in the middle of Mosiah there is a Man named Zeniff. He talks a lot about the wars that they had won because they fought in the strength of the Lord. We may understand this as the enabling power of the Atonement, or even grace. It shows the Difference between the acts of their persecutors and how they relied on their own strength which limited them. They had much trouble because of their un-reliance on The Lord their God. To truly have a greater outcome that will not only last in this temporal state we need to use The Strength Of The Lord In all we do. I know that the enabling power of Jesus Christ is real. I use it every day. When I use it I am happier, when I use it I am able to do all things which lie in His will. As Nephi said, If he command me to walk across the ocean on dry ground it would be done and I testify of that in the name of Jesus our Savior and Lord.

Elder Penman

Elder Perkins.  Going home to
Las Vegas on 5/31/16

Today I hiked up Pratt's Hill with all the missionaries going home tomorrow. It's crazy to see them all go. So many good friends moving on. Also tomorrow, I will be heading over to Belfast to stay there for the next week. 

Elder Penman

Beautiful Oban

Oban Branch building pulpit

Oban Branch congregation seats from the pulpit

View from the front of the Oban Branch building

Elder Perkins, Elder and Sister Young, Elder Penman

Elder Moller and Elder Haller (old comp and new comp)

Elders Moller and Penman
Elder Moller is going home tomorrow

Pratt's Hill (Arthur's Seat) outside Edinburgh

Saying goodbye to Elder Harman (going home tomorrow)

Group heading over to Ireland on the Ferry

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf visits Belfast

Belfast, Northern Ireland

President Uchtdorf said he was touched by a beautiful Primary choir from the Belfast Northern Ireland Stake. The country has a great history but also a challenging history that is marked by feuding religious groups in the nation.

“They are not perfect yet, but reconciliation is something we need to find in all places,” he said. “We need to reach out and talk with each other to find a solution. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer. It is the answer for peacefully, lovingly working together and living together.”

President Uchtdorf said he loves the motto of the city of Belfast: Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus, or “What shall we give in return for so much?”

“We as Church members have been given so much,” he said. “We have been given more than eyes can see or that hearts can feel and minds can comprehend. We need to return some of this to our fellowman.”

Many members in Europe said President and Sister Uchtdorf spread hope during their visit.

“That’s the message of the gospel,” said President Uchtdorf. “We should never fear. As Paul said, ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7). We should always have hope, because God is with us. It is a wonderful thing. We can trust Him.”

Children in Belfast, Northern Ireland, greet President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and Sister Harriet Uchtdorf on May 22.

Children in Belfast, Northern Ireland, greet President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and Sister Harriet Uchtdorf on May 22.

Children in Belfast, Northern Ireland, present President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and Sister Harriet Uchtdorf, with a book of letters and pictures on May 22.

Church News: Uchtdorf visits Europe

Beautiful Oban and the Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond

Elders Perkins and Penman on the hill above Oban

Two SIM Squad members, Elders Penman and Perkins
spent last week and this next week in Oban Scotland
on the Western coast of Scotland. On their way, they
stopped by famous Loch Lomond and The Trossacks Nat'l Park

Well Oban is pretty. I don't have too much time to write. All I can say is that the Branch here (on Sunday) had 5 members, 3 visitors, my comp and I, and the senior couple, who are legends. It was one of the most spiritual sacrament meetings ever. 

Saying goodbye to Elders Gates and Harman from the SIM Squad
(in the center of Elders Perkins and Penman on the edges)

  Elder Perkins and I have been working hard to get a teaching pool going, so that way, in 1 week when we leave, either new missionaries or the senior couple will have people to teach. I will fill in more info next week. But quickly I have an update. I have gotten my new assignment for the last 5 weeks of my mission. I will be going with another missionary named Elder Haller and we will be traveling around the mission going to each area. Very similar to what I was last doing but we will get to choose... essentially where we go and what missionaries we work with. 

I love you all! 

Elder Penman 

Loch Lomond

Standing "on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond"

Loch Lomond?

more pictures from the drive to Oban

picture from the drive to Oban

---------------------------------------

Mom received a lovely email from Elder and Sister Young, who are the senior couple missionaries assigned to Oban Branch.

"Dear Sister Penman,

We are the Senior Missionary Couple assigned to Oban in the Scotland/Ireland Mission. This past Tuesday your son, Elder Penman, was assigned to spend the next two weeks with us here in Oban. I know you've had some concerns about his health. In a conversation with him a few minutes ago he confirmed that he was mending well and was feeling very, very good. 
With the arrival of this fine, young missionary and his companion (Elder Perkins), the influence of the missionary spirit returned to Oban. Though they won't be with us long, we know important things will happen while they are here. We are so grateful for their untiring efforts. What remarkable Missionaries they both are.  

With warm regards,

Elder and Sister Young" 

Loch Lomond song

Picturesque Oban (from Internet).  It looks kind of like a picture
that would be used in a jigsaw puzzle.  :D 

A picture from the internet of beautiful Oban