Mission to Manchester: In the Bleak Midwinter

When I walk through the streets of England on those cold days I think of these words:
In the bleak mid-winter, frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak mid-winter, long ago.

Our God, heav'n cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

heav'n and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak mid-winter a stable-place sufficed

the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

but only His mother, in her maiden bliss,

worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

I think these words so beautifully paint the picture of the birth of Jesus Christ. This week wasn't the easiest for me. I will admit we had some challenges. But, I learned more abundantly about the pure love of Christ this week than any other week of my mission.

We have lost about all of our investigators to opposition and sadly a little bit of my fire died with it.. I was really struggling to understand how to handle everything that I was going through! As I was studying Preach My Gospel with Elder Suriyachan I came across these words from Chapter 5. "As we read the Book of Mormon with the guidance of the Spirit, it helps us answer personal questions. It teaches that prayer and revelation are the key to solving particular problems. It helps us have faith that God will answer our prayers." I decided to really put that challenge to the test and I really did find my answers! My testimony was strengthened and so was my desire to share the gospel! It was a huge spiritual boost. I am really grateful for the Book of Mormon. Then we had the Christmas devotional yesterday.. and WOW! When Russell M. Nelson spoke and they played that recording of Jesus's voice I thought it was real! Haha. But I felt SO much peace and I really wanted to share the peace of Christ with everyone! I know that these small experiences I am having are truly preparing me for my future.

I went on an exchange with Elder Burns and it went pretty good. I discovered that he is good at stopping people and I am good at keeping them there! Then we can teach them! We had a beautiful lesson on the spot with a man named Marco. He was from Portugal. We stopped him using the Mormon.org card. We taught him briefly about the Book of Mormon and he seemed pretty interested but it was obvious that he was in a rush. So we asked him if we could pray with him before he went and said yes. We then followed more of Elder Texiera's advice and asked him if there was anyone we could pray for. He told us to pray for his wife. She passed away 3 months ago.. My heart broke for him and I just wanted to soothe his aching soul. The spirit was helping me feel some of his pain. I can't imagine having my wife pass away.. I was privileged to offer the prayer and as he left he gave us some contact information and had tears in his eyes. It was truly a tender moment for all of us.

These were some of the highlights of these week but I want you to know that the things I share with you don't even scratch the surface of the spirit and experiences I am having every minute of my mission. Every second I am spending trying to do my best and grow closer to Christ. I love my mission so dearly.. I love our Saviour Jesus Christ.. I hope we can be giving to Him this Christmas season, by giving ourselves to others.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

yet what can I give him: give my heart.

I love you all

Elder Humpherys