"I know that it doesn't matter if the person you try to teach doesn't commit to anything, it just matters if you're doing your best at inviting them to come unto christ."

Monday 25 June 2012

Weekly Update 25 June 2012

First some pictures!



The first pictures are at Peel castle, we have done a little bit of touristic activities on the Isle of Man during our preparation days.

Peel is soo pretty and I am probably going to the Isle for a Honeymoon, it is so pretty, all of these Pictures were taken at peel castle. It's really nice here on the Isle of Man when it is sunny, it's a shame because a lot of the time it isn't really sunny, it's quite rainy or wet, or clouded over but when it is sunny it is so beautiful. I love where we live, we live next to the beach so it always smell like the sea, it is just simply great over here especially going home to the smell of the Sea/ Seaweed.

I just love it here. It's like a little paradise full of Fillipinos and Manx people.





More of Peel Castle,
 Then we went on top of the Highest mountain on the Isle called Snaefell or something like that,


















our car took us part way there, Kathy is just an epic car, conquering every climb.


Hello Everyone,

This week has been amazingly brilliant! We have picked up a whole Chinese family that we are teaching, I love being able to speak some Chinese, it really helps we are teaching a Father, a Mother and a Son. It is just great... what I particularly enjoy is helping them understand who "God" is, because of the cultural differences, they do not already have any formed or set beliefs but when they understand that God is a Heavenly Father you can see sparks flying in there eyes. It is truely magnificent. We just seem to be racing everywhere aswell, it's great to feel busy, I think that this could easily be one of the busiet periods of my mission, it is great to be kept busy, but I love being a missionary because the level of stress and opposition is ust so much higher, but when you grow from those experiences it make those mundane, simple annoying things just seem joyful and easy.

Alot of what we have been still doing is laying the Foundation, it is a great part of it, running between people and between houses just because you want to speak to as many people as possible. I love speaking to people, before my mission and even now I wouldn't consider myself one of the most eloquent or the noblest of speakers, but when spoken simply and clearly, the spirit of the Lord just fills in the gaps and does the rest, people stop to listen to us, and on the Phillipino front, we have managed to find a whole street of them, so we knock doors there regularly. Just the other day we were invited in without any hesitation by a young phillipino man, he told us he wanted us to pray for him and we did, we taught a few principles and set up another return appointment, he told us where all the other Phillipinos play Basketball and so we shall go forward!

Something that has given me some more discipline is the Car, Kathy is a beautiful thing, she rides like a beast on those mountain roads and she always gets us home at 9.00pm on the dot. Exact obedience is the pathway to the promise. However, we are only given a certain number of miles that we are allowed to drive her in, and so it really is an orderly system, it has helped us plan wisely and made us more aware of how we can use our time wisely.

I learn't a great lesson this week. We had one day where it rained all day, my umbrella just broke, metal was bend and several metal poles on the Umbrella even snapped. It was intense. Every item of Clothing I wore was soaked through, I was cold, I was wet and it was just near impossible to smile. My shoes are still in the process of drying. I was soaked to the Core, just as if I had jumped into the Irish sea and then back out again. Well, despite this the Natural man was winning, I started to become annoyed, I was overcome and I was sad. The lesson I learn't that was that Hymns and Sciptures are sources of protection. I decided since there was no one on the streets anyway because they were all inside, as we journeyed back to the Car to get home again for a change of clothes to sing "Called to Serve". I sang it as loud as I could, I was smiling and even my companion joined me in singing, our hearts were lifted, we were again full of joy. The people in the cars driving past, stared at us probably thinking "Why are they smiling?, it's miserable outside" I felt a little insane infact. However as we sung the words "Onward, ever Onward, Forward pressing Forward" I knew what I needed to do. I just needed to keep on going. We all just need to keep on going. Sometimes we get rained on, we all feel depressed and it is easy in a world where not many people actually care to lose ourselves, to lose our purpose. My invitation is to keep on going! Try this, when you feel down at some point this week, just sing a hymn. I promise that as you really do that with all the passion of your being, that God will be by yourside to lift you up in your hours of need.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Sapaden

"Quocunque Jeceris Stabit" 

this phrase is on all the Isle of Man money. It gives us a insight to how resiliant the Man people are, it means, Whichever way you may throw it, it will stand.

Monday 18 June 2012

Weekly Update 18 June 2012

Hello!
the first picuture is just taken outside our chapel, ahh.. the joys of driving!

The rest of the pictures show an Isle of Man legend, Low clouds note that our car was on top of a small hill so looking down we literally "above" the clouds, amazing isn't it?

This has to be a taste of Heaven, because a lot of imagery dictates that heaven is also "above" the clouds... I can't believe I just compared the Isle of Man to heaven, it really just must be that great of an area in my head. Another fun fact, on the Isle of Man, you can see Wales, Scotland, England, Ireland, just everything, it is so scenic!

The Isle of Man is great!

Also, type in "Manx Tartan" in google, it is what I'm getting my scriptures covered in, it is a special fabric that is indiginous to the Isle of Man. It's beautiful, a member offered to do it for me (she loves knitting and sewing).

So..

It has been a great week once again! Manx people really are great! We had our first week together as a companionship and we really are enjoying the Isle of Man. What a blessed area. I don't know if it is classed as a different country but you might aswell call it one. I love Manx people they are just so fun. You have to do certain traditions which I think is just part of the great culture. For example, you aren't allowed to say the letters R, A and T together, you have to call them "longtails" and when you pass this sign called "Fairy Bridge" you have to say "Good Morning fairies" or "Good Afternoon fairies" I love it! It is just so unique and quirky. I didn't drive through any clouds this week or any crazy roads which actually say "no motors" on them and you are expected to drive on them. Part of this week we actually spent "across" we went to England for a few days. Oh here is a tip, never call a Manx person English, that is a dangerous move, don't worry I didn't make that mistake. We took a nice Ferry over, it was 3.5 hours it was so long. I'd prefer going by Plane, it's cheaper and quicker... however, I couldn't imagine the other missionaries faces if they said "hey look at those Isle of Man missionaries, there so exclusive they are taking a Plane back to the Isle" we would be just too exclusive for missionaries.

I got a Manx tartan tie, this week Manx Tartan is just so beautiful. It's a type of Fabric that is indiginous to the Isle of Man. I'm getting my scriptures covered in it. I love those little things that "tell stories" like someone in the future will ask me about the pretty fabric on my scriptures who I would rattle on about the Isle of Man to. Here is a miracle. We were working on the Isle of Man up in the North in a place called Ramsey we saw some Chinese people and recalling the Chinese I had learn't from Elder Peterson I had a great conversation with them and they thought I could speak fluent... and I just kept saying "Yes, Really?, Good" in Chinese back to him thinking that I could understand him. We gave him our number and he seemed semi- interested but he didn't want to set up an appointment. Before he left he said in broken english: "I call this number if I want to learn about Christians?" I replied "yes" this week on the way to a teaching appointment he called us and was speaking Broken English to us saying that he wants to learn. It was amazing, no one calls us back usually by giving them our number they usually say "I'll think about it" but he, this Chinese Man had actually called us back! We are seeing him tonight!

We spend 2.5 days in Liverpool for Zone Conference, I love the Ferry it feels like we are going to a whole different world! Techinally the England Manchester Mission should be the England Manchester Mission and the Isle of Man. The Fillipino work here is going great! I'm used to being around lots of Fillipinos now, there is just so many here, we talked to like 10+ after church yesterday. They all have little communities that we are trying to tap into, there is a whole street of Fillipinos that we keep going back to, there is one e-mailing on the computer next to me, half of the tills at the tesco we go to are run by fillipinos, they work in this huge bakery in a place called Ramsey, they all work at the same hospital. You would be surprised at how huge the Fillipino population is here, it must be the biggest in europe or atleast in the UK, you know how they have "Chinatowns" they really have "Fillipino-Towns" in some areas, on some streets we talk to Fillipino after Fillipino after Fillipino, there is only a few gaps where we talk to a Manx person.

A member approached me this sunday and asked where my parents were from, I said Phillipines, she was so excited. Her less- active son is married to a Phillipino, who isn't a member. There is as many Phillipino shops here as there is Polish people in Staines/ Hounslow. Just think about that one.

Well, today after e-mailing one of the best parts of Preparation day on the Isle of Man is the tourist sites we can see, we are going to a Castle called Peel Castle and some other sites here and everywhere!

It is a great time to be a missionary!


Love,

Elder Sapaden


Monday 11 June 2012

Weekly Update 11 June 2012

Wow...

What a week it has been, it's has only been a few days and it is so epic here on the Isle of Man. Unfortunately my camera's battery is dead, it's really annoying me. But I'll tell you some more things about the Isle of Man, it really is the most Coveted area of this mission and this week I found out why. Just a few things to describe how my week was. First of all, the Isle of Man is a Phillipino haven, second, almost 50% of the island has no speed limit (when you see the national speed limit applies sign, the one with the white circle and a black line going diagonally across it means, go as fast as you want!) and thirdly, the Isle of Man culture is just amazing! They even have their own money, it's really pretty.

Seriously...I'm going honeymooning here, it is just so beautiful! Not that I'm thinking about that (again) but, it is undescribable. Okay here's a picture I want you to think of, it's on my camera with no battery life which consequently wont plug into the computer. The Isle of Man has some really, really, really low clouds. What I mean is that, on some parts of the Island where I would be driving, it looks like the Island is just floating above the sky. The clouds get really low. There is a mountain road connecting the north of the Island to the South, we live on the south of the Island and we had to drive home using this mountain road. The scary part was... I was driving through actual cloud mingled with fog. It was the thickest fog I've ever had to drive through, it was so scary and exciting, and the mountain road doesn't have any speed limits and one wrong turn and you will be flying through the cloud off of a cliff. There is never a dry moment here.

Why I say it is a Phillipino haven, is that you wouldn't expect it, but there is a HUGE Phillipino community here, the biggest I've seen outside of Phillipines itself. They have their own Basketball league, their own Churches, half of the people who we speak to on the Island are Phillipino, everyone on the Isle of Man has a Phillipino friend, I've never spoke more Phillipino than here, this even exceeds the amount of Phillipino I speak on holiday to Phillipines aswell. All the Phillipinos here know each other, I asked one on the street the other day: alam mo pinoy sa area nito? (which means: do you know any Phillipinos in this area?) and he led me 1 minute away to where one lived, and then you ask the next one if they know a Phillipino and he leads you to one aswell. There are some Phillipino investigators here already, and my vision is a Phillipino speaking Branch in the North of the Island. I've never seen so much Phillipinos outside of the Phillipines in one area. My mission president probably didn't know that he was sending his one and only Phillipino missionary to the highest populated area of Phillipinos in one area, revelation at its finest!!!

I've got no complaints about anything, in some areas the shower isn't good, in some areas the travel time is no good, in some areas people are very cruel to the missionaries, the Isle of Man is perfect! Something else I liked was this last Sunday, yesterday. The Douglas Ward ward pianist has been sick for a while now, so it was the first sunday that they were able to have a Pianist. They said "I've never heard that Piano played so loud", "That first hymn really woke me up!" and words to that effect, I sure love playing piano, if you play loud, people sing loud. There is always a balance, but Playing the piano at Church for however long I will be here will be so fun!

This week on the Isle of Man was the TT races, or in other words a lot of tourists come to see a bunch of motorcycles go round the whole Isle ridiculously fast. I got to go on the TT race track aswell. I was fun in a car, I overtook a bunch of Motorbikes and only one managed to re- overtake me. The Car is now called Kathy. She is just a miracle maker, I've gotten used to the Automatic drive, to be honest I think I prefer the Automatic feel than to the Manual feel now. I'm in love with Kathy. One thing I love is that we are always busy here on the Island, we are finding a lot of people and going through some investigators that were taught in the past, especially the Phillipino ones. There is also a bunch of Phillipino shops here aswell. This week I'll think of challenging them to a game of Basketball, if I win they have to listen to our message.

We live like 5 minutes away from the beach, it is so gorgeous! The Isle of Man is just on a higher plane, it has Towns, which have a City feel and it has Villages with a Country feel, it's quite it's own Country. Driving through Douglas (the main town, where we shop and e-mail and go to Church) is like driving through a normal city, it took us half an hour to find one parking space for us! It is just the most exciting time of my life so far here on the Isle and well I apologise again for my Camera battery being dead.

Love,

Elder Sapaden

Thursday 7 June 2012

Weekly Update 07 June 2012


You won't believe what happened to me this week. I got transferred to the most coveted area of the mission the ISLE OF MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is so exciting to be here, I'm the designated driver and I am driving an 1 week new Vauxhall Meriva. I've taken some pictures and I will send it on Monday, this morning we had to get a Boat from England, a Ferrie actually. I don't think I've ever been to another Country by boat, it's the only part of the mission that you cannot get to by car, you need to Cross the Irish Ocean and get to the Island. It's the only Island in the mission, you have main England, and then the Isle of Man.

We just got to the Isle of Man about an hour ago, and I had to get used to driving the Automatic car, I've never driven automatic before it is really scary. One of the best parts of the Isle of Man is that outside a few towns there are no speed limits!
It's techincally international- we have a different Mobile than everyone else in the mission, they all have Orange Mobiles, but Orange doesn't cover the Isle of Man so we have a different number from everyone else. Normal Missionaries in this mission have a 07800614... Number, while we have just a random number.

The most exciting part is that ever since my first 6 weeks in the mission the Isle of Man has had sister missionaries. On Sunday evening before transfers President Preston called me to tell me that we will be "White Washing" the Island. It's just me and another missionary, taking the Sister Missionaries out of the Island and replacing them, usually one missionary replaces another missionary. But when you replace a companionship with another companionship it's called White Washing. Anyway, taking the Ferry was interesting, it was like Boarding an Aeroplane... I think this will be the most exciting time of my mission because we have no clue about the Area, we have no clue who the sister missionaries were teaching, we have no clue about the members... it's just me and my companion, a car and a whole island to ourselves.

The whole Island is 227 square miles. With no speed limits except in a few towns. I was so scared driving the Automatic, a couple of times I was really scared to crash because I kept using my Left foot for the Break... Automatics don't have Clutches so my Left foot just sits there, I kept touching the Gear Stick because I keep thinking I need to Change the Gears.

We are so new to the Isle, we haven't gone back to the Flat yet, or done any shopping. We just got off the Ferry and to the Chapel to pick up our Car and all our luggage is still inside and we just came to e-mail. I haven't had anything since Breakfast.
To park on the Isle of Man you need some weird Time Disk thing... we were driving around for 30 minutes to try and look for one.

It looks so pretty here... Seriously I could come Honeymooning here. Not that I'm thinking of that right now. It's just so beautiful here. It feels so weird driving again, our mission has only a few Car areas, about 3 I think, and one of them is this Area.

I love the "Isle", I keep refering to it as just "The Isle" because it is such a legend here we just call it "The Isle" only good missionaries are sent here, very trusted ones too. Think about it, anything a missionary does in a secluded place such as an island is a reflection of the Church... if one bad missionary did something wrong, they would have to close down the Island to missionaries. Alot of released Assistants to the Mission President are sent here to finish off their mission, that is the level of trust required to serve here. Oh, yeah my companion... his name is Elder Stubbs, he is from Australia and is finishing his mission while serving with me, he has 6 weeks left. I've never been with a missionary who has to finish their mission with me.

Another funny note is that we can't techinally leave our area... missionaries can't leave their proselyting area without permission. We can't really leave our area, we are surrounded by water, that's another reason why missionaries must be trusted. If a missionary did something wrong... it would perhaps even be Days till the Mission President or his Assistants or anyone could come to tell the missionary off. It was a 3-4 hour Ferry ride from England, it really feels like I'm closer to Ireland than England.

Anyhow, I keep rambling on about "the Isle" I'm just really excited... oh and they don't have anyone who plays the Organ or the Piano so... I'm in. I'm on an Island... I'm not in England. Just think about that. Be jealous. Of all the days we could have come to the Isle of Man and I have to be driving after not driving for a whole year, and to drive an Automatic I come when it is the TT Racing thing. There are so many tourists here, and so many Motorbikes just flooding the whole Island and I have to get used to driving again.

Leaving St. Helens was a sad time, if anything, I'm not ungrateful toward my family. But it was harder leaving St. Helens than leaving my Family. St. Helens possibly could have been the best ward of the mission. Dinner appointments everyday, Shirts washed and Ironed, members who loved us so much and would do Anything for us. We bumped into a St. Helens member while we were in Chorley during a missionary meeting and he drove us home all the way to our flat. Oh... that reminds me we named our new car "Kathryn" she is such a beauty!

Back to St. Helens.... when I called/ visited the members to say goodbye... they all called each other, they put it on Facebook they just all already knew that I was leaving. It was really hard to see members who you knew carred about you telling other members that you would leave, they were all excited for me but it was so hard. I keep rambling on about the Car reading back this e-mail... I'm excited to drive... I have Car keys in my hands right now.

I wish I could show you more pictures, but my camera usb wire is still packed in my suitcase, expect it Monday. I love "the Isle" this is where Legendary missionaries are born, the kind that you hear stories about years later. The people here are called "manx" and it's a language aswell.

Anyhow, the excitement has caught up to me I wish I could write more but I haven't unpacked, shopped, been to the flat or even ate anything since this morning so... talk more on monday!


Love,

Elder Sapaden