7/21/2021
Date
July 21, 2021
Area
Cardiff, Wales
Companion
Elder Stock
7/21/2021
Things have been going great in Cardiff! This is definitely one of the happiest times of my mission. We're teaching a lot, helping out other missionaries in our area, and just having a ton of fun in general. Elder Olsen and I get along great and enjoy working hard while still having a good time. The ward over here is fantastic! We have been trying to organize activities for us and other missionaries to invite friends to but the ward has beat us to it! Before we even started planning they set up a Friday night football night and a Saturday night YSA sports night at the chapel. Not to mention we have YSA Family Home Evening Actives every Monday. The ward has done brilliantly on their end and now all we have to do is find people to invite. One way of inviting people we're going to give a go is posting on local Facebook social groups invitations to these activities and encouraging people to reach out us if they are interested in coming.
We have been teaching quite a bit recently, the church has apparently been investing a lot more into online advertising because every other day we seem to get a media referral. It's brilliant! We're finding less and less and teaching more and more! Those days of knocking on doors and getting doors slammed in your face are long behind us.
I had an interesting experience the other week that really touched me. We have been asked to help pass the sacrament every week and on this one occasion a blind man who is a member of the congregation came to church. I had the responsibility of passing that day and when I came up to him to give him the sacrament he reached out his hand and I had to guide him to help him partake of the sacrament. I didn't fully understand why at first but to be able to help him in that simple way was such a powerful spiritual experience for me. Thinking about it, guiding people to Christ, which is what the sacrament represents, has really what I have been doing the past two years of my life. In a way guiding has been almost more spiritually fulfilling and joyful than partaking myself. Actually if anything I believe guiding is a critical part of partaking. I reflect upon the vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 8. Once Lehi partakes of the fruit his immediate response is to invite others, to GUIDE others to come and partake for themselves as well. I believe he truly wasn't able to fully partake of the joy that partaking of the fruit brings, which represents the love of God, without partaking of it with others. It reminds me of something a stake president over here I know said to me once, "all we are really trying to do in life is walk each other home". We can't get back home without each other, we must all be guides to some extent.
Things are really good over here. I am both excited, nervous, and anxious to return home in a few weeks but know that I will still do my best to guide and follow in the way I have been the past two years regardless of which country I am in or if I have a badge or not.
-Elder Brendan Pricer
We have been teaching quite a bit recently, the church has apparently been investing a lot more into online advertising because every other day we seem to get a media referral. It's brilliant! We're finding less and less and teaching more and more! Those days of knocking on doors and getting doors slammed in your face are long behind us.
I had an interesting experience the other week that really touched me. We have been asked to help pass the sacrament every week and on this one occasion a blind man who is a member of the congregation came to church. I had the responsibility of passing that day and when I came up to him to give him the sacrament he reached out his hand and I had to guide him to help him partake of the sacrament. I didn't fully understand why at first but to be able to help him in that simple way was such a powerful spiritual experience for me. Thinking about it, guiding people to Christ, which is what the sacrament represents, has really what I have been doing the past two years of my life. In a way guiding has been almost more spiritually fulfilling and joyful than partaking myself. Actually if anything I believe guiding is a critical part of partaking. I reflect upon the vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 8. Once Lehi partakes of the fruit his immediate response is to invite others, to GUIDE others to come and partake for themselves as well. I believe he truly wasn't able to fully partake of the joy that partaking of the fruit brings, which represents the love of God, without partaking of it with others. It reminds me of something a stake president over here I know said to me once, "all we are really trying to do in life is walk each other home". We can't get back home without each other, we must all be guides to some extent.
Things are really good over here. I am both excited, nervous, and anxious to return home in a few weeks but know that I will still do my best to guide and follow in the way I have been the past two years regardless of which country I am in or if I have a badge or not.
-Elder Brendan Pricer
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