This week was great! Yesterday our entire mission fasted together. It was a really powerful experience. There is so much power in prayer and fasting. It is something that I could feel very strongly.

I am learning so much about the gospel, and also a lot about myself. 

We are going to do something with our district today for p-day :) so our e-mail time was shortened a little bit, but everything is going really well here!

 

I would love to hear from all of you!

 

Love,

Sister Ernenwein

So much has happened this past week. I don't have much time so I'll just tell you about the most exciting part. Last Monday we traveled to the Hyde Park Chapel to hear Elder Ballard (one of the 12 apostles) speak! Hyde Park is not even in our mission boundaries so usually we would NEVER be allowed to go there. We got a phone call on Saturday that said we would be getting travel plans Sunday, but we wouldn't know if it was happening or not until Monday morning. Monday morning at 10 we got a text saying that we were going! We were instructed to go straight there and then straight home afterward so we obviously didn't do any sightseeing, but I saw London Bridge and the Eye out the window of the train.  Elder Ballard was supposed to go to St. Petersburg Russia, but his visa didn't go through so that's why we didn't find out until last minute. When we got there he was speaking to the missionaries from the London mission and we were instructed to go to the basement waiting room until he was finished speaking to them. We waited for about an hour, and then the mission President's wife from the London Mission came down and made an announcement that Elder Ballard wanted to speak to all of the missionaries together!

 

It was incredibly powerful to have 400 missionaries from two different missions all together listening to an apostle. The Spirit was so strong in that room! One of the things that Elder Ballard told us was that we can and ought to be baptizing more. He said that we can find, teach, and baptize more if we just believe. He also instructed us to always have Gethsemane in our minds. When we are thinking of the Atonement we will do the best we can because we love the Savior. 

President Texiera (the area president for all of Europe) also spoke to all of the missionaries. He said that the church needs to and will grow in Europe, and that growth will start in England. The Lord wants the Church to grow in the UK. Then he said that the growth in England will begin in the two London missions. He also encouraged us to set goals and plans and to increase our expectations (PMG pg. 10). 

 

We also heard from President and Sister Millar. They are both wonderful. I feel very blessed to be serving under their direction. 

 

We are very busy doing the Lord's work here, and it is wonderful. We are teaching a lot of really incredible people! 

 

I love you all!

-Sister Ernenwein

Sorry everyone just gets a big group e-mail today. We don't have much time at all. We are traveling to Hyde Park for a special zone conference with Elder Ballard!!! We are so excited.

Orpington is an amazing area. There are so many miracles happening here. Its beautiful, the members are wonderful, and the people are so prepared. We are super busy everyday and working very hard. 

 

 

I'll write a real e-mail next week!

 

Love you lots,

Sister Ernenwein

I am serving in Orpington, and my trainer's name is Sister Paulsen. She is from Denmark! She's amazing. All of the other missionaries and members absolutely love her. She has been serving for 15 months and she is the kind of person I want to be at the end of my mission. We get along really well, and I am learning a lot from her.

We have been crazy busy ever since I got here. On Wednesday we left Staines after the transfer meeting was over and traveled straight to the chapel in Orpington for a teaching appointment. Then, we went to the institute dinner with a lot of the YSAs so I met a lot of people from the ward. It was kind of scary. I was so nervous the first time I introduced myself that I said my first name accidentally. 

We have been teaching a lot! There is so much potential in this area, and the ward members are very involved in missionary work and willing to sacrifice anything to help the Church grow. 

On Saturday Amy was baptized. It was an incredible experience. I felt the Spirit so strongly, and she was just glowing. You could just see how much joy she was feeling. Sunday was a wonderful day as well, Amy was confirmed and we had an area 70 visit our ward. I feel so blessed to be here. 

I'm learning that missionary work is extremely difficult and demanding, but also incredibly rewarding. I feel like every day I get to participate in a miracle, and I am so blessed to do so. 

-Sister Ernenwein

More picture from the MTC