So I have moved! I've moved from Rochdale to a place in Liverpool called St. Helens. It's funny I am now serving with a missionary called Elder Peterson from Utah, and the funnier thing is he sounds exactly like Brother Paul Peterson. St. Helens is so very different it is much different from the usual areas in the England Manchester Mission.
In St. Helens everybody talks quite different, they have such a Liverpool accent, it's amazing! It was hard saying bye to alot of people in Rochdale, it was even worse than saying goodbye to my own family. The Rochdale ward members made me feel like their family and when I left some even cried. It's a hard thing getting transferred but I am excited to be in St. Helens. Upon leaving Rochdale one of the members in Rochdale, Brother Hoyle texted me telling me to "make St. Helens my new home" it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever read, he acknowledged that he knew that I had made Rochdale my home and that I had to go and make a new home.
By the way singing at the christmas carol old peoples home service was amazing the Ward choir and I felt such great unity as we sang to these elderly people christmas songs and the spirit of Christmas, even the spirit of God was present. We had such an amazing Christmas in Rochdale it really was something special, we felt loved so much, I even got many presents from the members, alot and alot of chocolate. At Christmas eve we spent it at one of our investigators houses and we just had a great time, it really was a spirit filled occasion! We also spent the rest of the evening with our ward mission leader, he was fantastic, I love the support we get from members so much.
Christmas really is a special occasion for missionaries and this year it even happens to have fallen on a sunday so we had a wonderful time at the ward Christmas Carol service, we then spent the Day with The Hoyles and The Roses. Rochdale ward members are just so special I've never felt more at home on my mission than at members homes in Rochdale. Talking to my family was great, it seems like nothing has changed. I got the call to get transferred on Boxing day, it was hard, but I knew that I had been privilaged to spend 6 months in one of the best places in the World.
On Tuesday, I had to say goodbye to so many members, it was heart breaking, painful but I knew that they were happy for me, they had watched me grow from a shy young man to something much better. They had watched me sit in their homes a little shy and timid to what it felt like part of their family. Some members even protested they said "I'll call your mission president it'll be fine, you can stay a little longer" it was sad to say bye, missionaries have many names written on their hearts, "Jesus Christ", "Elder Sapaden" and "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints", "Rochdale" is one of the names written on my heart but it can't be seen, it matters just as much to me as any of the mentioned names already. I'm making "St. Helens" my new home now.
Love,
Elder Sapaden.
P.S write back to me before monday, we will be e-mailing this monday aswell.
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