a series of short stories placed in an english setting: it's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 4:28 AM
Subject: it's commonly misconceived that you would not be accosted by wild horses while driving through the new forest

Dear those who have ever changed dinner plans on account of sudden discoveries of green in unexpected places,

So we've had an exciting and eventful week this week. Elder Manga got his license this week so we've began doing missionary work in a car, which is completely different experience to what I’m used to. Mostly in that I don't get as hungry as I used to and my shoes aren't wearing out as quick, surprisingly though I still get just as exhausted by the end of the day, which is interesting. Somehow I guess I always assumed the exhausting part of missionary work was the walking but I guess it's not.

The work is going really well in South Hampton; we have an absolute miracle investigator that the missionaries began teaching shortly before I got to the area. Her name is Rebecca and she is an amazingly wealthy woman. Half a year ago she saw a documentary on funerals and someone in that documentary was a member of the church. She was really impressed with how strong and loving this woman was especially in face of the recent death she had experienced. Then Rebecca basically forgot about the experience. A few months later her husband died of cancer. Through her struggles at this time she had many spiritual experiences and at some point remembered that woman she saw in the documentary and decided to learn more about what she believed. After researching the church for some time online she decided she wanted to be taught and the missionaries showed up a few days later. It’s crazy when we go to her house because she lives out in the countryside. So when we go there we drive down many winding green lanes that have random packs of wild horses roaming around. It’s basically exactly what I originally pictured when I found out I was coming to England.

I’ve enjoyed working in my new calling, it is demanding and requires that I spend a lot more time doing administrative things than I’ve previously done but I’ve already learned a lot. Throughout my mission I’ve been taught and inspired by my leaders and I can easily think of a few leaders that changed me as a missionary and as a person through their ministering. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about those leaders and what it was about them that helped me so much. Although my leaders have helped me in many ways, the thing that I feel has changed me the most is when leaders helped me to expect more of myself. This never happened through them simply telling me to do more or even to be more. I gained these greater expectations as I worked with them and observed the way they worked and interacted with different people. Especially when I’ve recognized and witnessed a deep love of god and of the people we serve in my leaders it has always left me with a desire to be better and do more and expect more than I have before. None of these leaders were condescending or boastful, they never tore me down for my inadequacies but instead praised me for what I could do and helped me understand where I could be doing better. I’ve already had some experiences where I’ve been blessed to be able to recognize the great potential that the missionaries in this zone have. What I want to do and what my hope is, is to somehow help them to see it as well. I know the only way I can do this is if I trust the lord enough to let him guide me when I speak to or work with any of these missionaries.

Missionary work is fun :)

I love you all and I love good cheese, of which there is a great abundance in England

With love

Elder Jarman

ps. recently the sun came out in England . . . and there was much celebration