Hello Everyone!
This is what a real mission is! Liverpool is the home of opposition
and for that I am grateful for, because when God gives us a trial is a
sign that he trusts us to get over it and pick ourselves up when we
fall. Opposition is also a key indicator of good things that are about
to come. Let me briefly share one with you.
We were knocking doors trying to find a less- active member in the
area. We knocked on the persons door called Paul, Paul was Irish and
he wasn't interested at first he tried to send us away, he looked at
me and asked "are you Phillipino?" I replied "Yes, I sure am" he had
so many Phillipino friends, he invited us in, poured out a drink for
us and started tell us how he had a Half- Phillipino son, and he spoke
almost fluent Filipino, now have you ever seen an Irish man ever speak
Filipino? Well neither had I. It was quite a sight; he called some of
his Phillipino friend right then and there and asked them if they
would want us to come over. He even just gave us many names of
Filipinos and their addresses and drew maps for us for how to get to
those houses. What a great man.
Its funny Elder Webb has wanted to baptise a Phillipino family his
whole mission, he is pretty famous in the mission for that desire
because it is so different, he has envisioned and enquired of the
Lord, and now I'm with him to accomplish that great desire.
I love driving again, we live in a four missionary flat (it's my first
four person flat) and we are living with Chinese speakers, so that is
pretty intense, I love being around the Chinese missionaries they are
just so diligent.
This week we have taught a lot. There is a good reason for that. You
cannot be called a Leader or even a Zone Leader and lead from the
back, you always need to literally "lead" in number of lessons, in
speaking to people, you just need to lead. It is a very refining
experience, I thought I had already been trained to be a missionary;
I've even trained a missionary. But being a Zone Leader is a whole
different "Ball Game" (for lack of a better phrase) it is all about
progression about growing about making mistakes all over again and
then correcting them.
We even found a family to teach and baptise already, a Hungarian
family who just want to follow Jesus Christ, it is a big family but
they are great. We are Baptising this Saturday and by the looks of it
Liverpool is the highest Baptising ward in the mission, just as Bolton
was.
It accountability I feel as a Leader is scary at times and sometimes
it is the same fear I felt as a new missionary, not knowing what to do
or what my responsibilities are, I just know that these missionaries
around me are watching very closely at every action I take, just as I
was when I was a new missionary. The people of Liverpool are just so
friendly and there sense of humour is just fantastic, they could make
anyone laugh, it's a huge city and in many ways it's just a smaller
London except the people talk way different here.
A true principle that I learnt recently is: if you want to see a
change in the world, you must first be that change. If I want
missionaries to speak to 100 people everyday (a very hard, challenging
task requiring you to speak to everyone you see) you have to speak to
200 people a day (requiring you to run after everyone you see in the
distance) I love it and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Love,
Elder Sapaden
This is what a real mission is! Liverpool is the home of opposition
and for that I am grateful for, because when God gives us a trial is a
sign that he trusts us to get over it and pick ourselves up when we
fall. Opposition is also a key indicator of good things that are about
to come. Let me briefly share one with you.
We were knocking doors trying to find a less- active member in the
area. We knocked on the persons door called Paul, Paul was Irish and
he wasn't interested at first he tried to send us away, he looked at
me and asked "are you Phillipino?" I replied "Yes, I sure am" he had
so many Phillipino friends, he invited us in, poured out a drink for
us and started tell us how he had a Half- Phillipino son, and he spoke
almost fluent Filipino, now have you ever seen an Irish man ever speak
Filipino? Well neither had I. It was quite a sight; he called some of
his Phillipino friend right then and there and asked them if they
would want us to come over. He even just gave us many names of
Filipinos and their addresses and drew maps for us for how to get to
those houses. What a great man.
Its funny Elder Webb has wanted to baptise a Phillipino family his
whole mission, he is pretty famous in the mission for that desire
because it is so different, he has envisioned and enquired of the
Lord, and now I'm with him to accomplish that great desire.
I love driving again, we live in a four missionary flat (it's my first
four person flat) and we are living with Chinese speakers, so that is
pretty intense, I love being around the Chinese missionaries they are
just so diligent.
This week we have taught a lot. There is a good reason for that. You
cannot be called a Leader or even a Zone Leader and lead from the
back, you always need to literally "lead" in number of lessons, in
speaking to people, you just need to lead. It is a very refining
experience, I thought I had already been trained to be a missionary;
I've even trained a missionary. But being a Zone Leader is a whole
different "Ball Game" (for lack of a better phrase) it is all about
progression about growing about making mistakes all over again and
then correcting them.
We even found a family to teach and baptise already, a Hungarian
family who just want to follow Jesus Christ, it is a big family but
they are great. We are Baptising this Saturday and by the looks of it
Liverpool is the highest Baptising ward in the mission, just as Bolton
was.
It accountability I feel as a Leader is scary at times and sometimes
it is the same fear I felt as a new missionary, not knowing what to do
or what my responsibilities are, I just know that these missionaries
around me are watching very closely at every action I take, just as I
was when I was a new missionary. The people of Liverpool are just so
friendly and there sense of humour is just fantastic, they could make
anyone laugh, it's a huge city and in many ways it's just a smaller
London except the people talk way different here.
A true principle that I learnt recently is: if you want to see a
change in the world, you must first be that change. If I want
missionaries to speak to 100 people everyday (a very hard, challenging
task requiring you to speak to everyone you see) you have to speak to
200 people a day (requiring you to run after everyone you see in the
distance) I love it and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Love,
Elder Sapaden
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