3/16/2020
Date
March 17, 2020
Area
Pontypridd, Wales
Companion
Elder Farar
3/16/2020
So I haven't been super descriptive as to what's been going on over here, I hope I can change that in my letters from here on out. One of the ladies that we've been working with who works for the UN and the missionary department has urged us to try our best to record as much if what's been going on so I'm going to utilize this as one of my few avenues for that. To be frank I haven't really pessed a whole lot of it yet until recently.
3/9/20
It was an awesome day today. The town council payed for us and around 20 other missionaries to go out bowling and for dinner with them. It was so much fun! Didn't do too bad at bowling not gonna lie, which always makes it more fun lol. It was so cool to see member of the council having fun with missionaries and just bonding through that experience. One of the town councilors bowled a gutter ball and swore out of disappointment and felt so bad about it and wouldn't stop apologizing to us lol. Gavin said something that really stuck out to me, it was along the lines of "I cannot not want to be around these young men, I wouldn't have helped out for this long if it wasn't for them". I don't think we often consider the effect we have on people as missionaries. It is truly a remarkable thing to try and wrap your head around. After bowling we went to a place called Frankie and Bennies and they said we could order whatever we want, and it was a three course meal! So I ordered calamari, something called the ultimate mixed grill, and a milkshake👌 Towards the end of the night just before they brought dessert out most of the missionaries had to leave because of time so Elder Farar and I got all of the extra desserts. We drank like 4 milkshakes at once, and ate as much as we could lol. Elder Farar had too much and had to go purge in the toilet😂 Overall a pretty awesome night!
3/10/20
Today has been crazy. We had a meeting with a woman who works for an organization called Save the Children and also with the United Nations. We asked her about her job and she's visited 117 countries, been in multiple terriost attacks, and served a welfare mission in Guatemala when she was in her 20's. Probably the coolest person I've ever met. She's starting to work more with the church now though, specifically the missionary department, on how us as missionaries can better utilize service opportunites. Apparently she's been updating Salt Lake and the First Presidency on the work we've been doing here in Ponty. She's going to be giving both Elder Farar and I a training on how to prep families and individual on how to construct emergency preparation plans. We already have two seminars that we are going to be giving at a few of the communty centre's in our area. After that we went to a clean up job in Taffs Well. We helped an elderly woman clean out her sewage filled ground floor that had gotten wrecked by the flood. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life. She had lost so many family heirlooms in the flood and her husband has dementia and doesn't really know what's happening so she was having a really hard time coping. She had one or two breakdowns while we were there. We all couldn't help but give her a hug and try our best to console her. It was expecially hard for her when we were breaking down her furnature so we could get it out of the house. I'm willing to admit that I cried with her a little bit. As I carried these sewaged soaked and contaminated prized family possessions of hers I couldn't help but tear up. In general I held myself together pretty well while we were there but as soon as I got into the bathroom at the community centre I just sobbed. After that we went to a meeting for flood victums who are having a hard time mentally handling their current situation. We handed out flyers we had made and told them that if they needed any help at all to give us a call.
3/12/20
Crazy day today. Obviously things have been crazy world wide but definitely in the mission as well. All of our senior couples from the states, as well as a handful of other missionaries, have been sent home. That was extremely hard to witness. One of the missionaries who I'm rather close to in my zone was sent home as well. We went to McDonalds with him and about 6 other missionaries after our district council to all say our goodbyes. I can't justly put into words the feeling that was felt then and there, it was one of united brotherhood mixed with fear of the future.
3/13/20
Today we helped a recently widowed woman in her mid-30's move house. Wasn't the funnest thing in the world to do but I'm glad that I was able to help her and talk to her a little bit about how's she's been coping with her recent loss.
3/13/20
We helped an old man remove his flood damaged wall from his back garden. It was super tiring, both mentally and physically but totally worth it in the end. We had multiple people in the neighborhood bring us bacon sandwiches as we worked and when we went up to the man's door to tell him that we'd finished he was super grateful.
3/16/20
Welp the pooh has hit the fan. We've had somewhere near 40 missionaries from our mission go home now due to medical concerns. The corona virus is here and people are really concerned and sadly really sick and even dying. We haven't been isolated yet and we have been left very much in the dark about what we're supposed to do so we've decided to limit our exposure outside. Don't really know what to do. No one is going outside and no one wants us in their homes. If there's one thing I know it is that the church is true. We sure are lucky to have a prophet to direct us.
3/9/20
It was an awesome day today. The town council payed for us and around 20 other missionaries to go out bowling and for dinner with them. It was so much fun! Didn't do too bad at bowling not gonna lie, which always makes it more fun lol. It was so cool to see member of the council having fun with missionaries and just bonding through that experience. One of the town councilors bowled a gutter ball and swore out of disappointment and felt so bad about it and wouldn't stop apologizing to us lol. Gavin said something that really stuck out to me, it was along the lines of "I cannot not want to be around these young men, I wouldn't have helped out for this long if it wasn't for them". I don't think we often consider the effect we have on people as missionaries. It is truly a remarkable thing to try and wrap your head around. After bowling we went to a place called Frankie and Bennies and they said we could order whatever we want, and it was a three course meal! So I ordered calamari, something called the ultimate mixed grill, and a milkshake👌 Towards the end of the night just before they brought dessert out most of the missionaries had to leave because of time so Elder Farar and I got all of the extra desserts. We drank like 4 milkshakes at once, and ate as much as we could lol. Elder Farar had too much and had to go purge in the toilet😂 Overall a pretty awesome night!
3/10/20
Today has been crazy. We had a meeting with a woman who works for an organization called Save the Children and also with the United Nations. We asked her about her job and she's visited 117 countries, been in multiple terriost attacks, and served a welfare mission in Guatemala when she was in her 20's. Probably the coolest person I've ever met. She's starting to work more with the church now though, specifically the missionary department, on how us as missionaries can better utilize service opportunites. Apparently she's been updating Salt Lake and the First Presidency on the work we've been doing here in Ponty. She's going to be giving both Elder Farar and I a training on how to prep families and individual on how to construct emergency preparation plans. We already have two seminars that we are going to be giving at a few of the communty centre's in our area. After that we went to a clean up job in Taffs Well. We helped an elderly woman clean out her sewage filled ground floor that had gotten wrecked by the flood. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life. She had lost so many family heirlooms in the flood and her husband has dementia and doesn't really know what's happening so she was having a really hard time coping. She had one or two breakdowns while we were there. We all couldn't help but give her a hug and try our best to console her. It was expecially hard for her when we were breaking down her furnature so we could get it out of the house. I'm willing to admit that I cried with her a little bit. As I carried these sewaged soaked and contaminated prized family possessions of hers I couldn't help but tear up. In general I held myself together pretty well while we were there but as soon as I got into the bathroom at the community centre I just sobbed. After that we went to a meeting for flood victums who are having a hard time mentally handling their current situation. We handed out flyers we had made and told them that if they needed any help at all to give us a call.
3/12/20
Crazy day today. Obviously things have been crazy world wide but definitely in the mission as well. All of our senior couples from the states, as well as a handful of other missionaries, have been sent home. That was extremely hard to witness. One of the missionaries who I'm rather close to in my zone was sent home as well. We went to McDonalds with him and about 6 other missionaries after our district council to all say our goodbyes. I can't justly put into words the feeling that was felt then and there, it was one of united brotherhood mixed with fear of the future.
3/13/20
Today we helped a recently widowed woman in her mid-30's move house. Wasn't the funnest thing in the world to do but I'm glad that I was able to help her and talk to her a little bit about how's she's been coping with her recent loss.
3/13/20
We helped an old man remove his flood damaged wall from his back garden. It was super tiring, both mentally and physically but totally worth it in the end. We had multiple people in the neighborhood bring us bacon sandwiches as we worked and when we went up to the man's door to tell him that we'd finished he was super grateful.
3/16/20
Welp the pooh has hit the fan. We've had somewhere near 40 missionaries from our mission go home now due to medical concerns. The corona virus is here and people are really concerned and sadly really sick and even dying. We haven't been isolated yet and we have been left very much in the dark about what we're supposed to do so we've decided to limit our exposure outside. Don't really know what to do. No one is going outside and no one wants us in their homes. If there's one thing I know it is that the church is true. We sure are lucky to have a prophet to direct us.
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