Creytn and his Beloved Loretta the Guitar

Week ending 11-25-12

Dear Everyone,

 

Today, on this wonderfully rainy and cold day in Scotland, is the 20th Anniversary of my birth... And I have a cold. Hehehehe sounds unlucky right? Well, It is a bit, but I think that God lets missionaries get sick so that they can have an opportunity to REST! I've thouroughly enjoyed the rest I've received lately, so that when I feel better I can go out at 100% again. So this pesky cold is actually a birthday gift in itself!

 

Last night, as I was sitting and drinking some hot throat medicine before bed, I was having the weirdest experience. I was sitting there with my nose running like Niagara Falls and coughing up a lung, but despite all my physical maladies, I was so HAPPY. I can barely even explain to you how happy I was. It defied all logic, but because of the mulititude of blessings that the lord pours down on me daily, I was experiencing an unexplainable JOY that only the Gospel can bring!

 

Here's just a couple of the wonderful things that've happened this past week:

 

1) This past Wednesday was moves day/Pday for me, and I was feelin' pretty tired and down. I hadn't gotten a letter from anyone for a while, and we hadn't planned anything for P day. So I'm just sitting there 'in a funk' on the couch, and I hear a *clang clang thunk!* I don't get off the couch, just thinking that Elder Griffin knocked something over in the other room. He comes through near the door, then walks in with THREE letters AND a notfication that I have a package waiting for me! Heavenly Father has the PERFECT timing! So that brightened my day instantly. :)

2) I've been thinking about spending my christmas money (or part of it), on a cheap guitar to take around with me for the mission and to give to someone else at the end. I decided to ask around and see if anyone had a seconhand one that I could buy from them. So we go to this member's home (The Buckel's) and I see that he has a nice guitar next to his chair. I ask Brother Buckel if he knows anyone in the ward who might have an old one that they don't use. He immediately said "I do!" and left the room. He carries in an old soft blue leathery case, then takes out an old guitar and starts tuning it up. Afterwards, he just HANDS it to me and says it's mine!!!
I was SPEECHLESS with gratitude. It's definitely older, but it's a solid guitar with a nice enough sound! "Ask and ye shall receive" was so literal there from my Father in Heaven. He loves me and truly knows how to "Give good gifts" to those that ask for them. So, I've named her Loretta, and I'm looking forward to jamming away in my (very limited) free time. :)

3) We have a recent convert in our ward named brother Evans. While we had a lesson this week, Brother Evans offered to take us out for a chippy (Fish and chips place) before a lesson this week. As I sat there and thought about his generosity, I was blown away with gratitude for him and for God. Brother Evans lives in very humble circumstances, and I have enough money for food as it is. But even so, he is willing to give what he can to be charitable to us, his friends. I wish I could describe my feelings better, but that is a truly Christlike Man exercising his love for those around him.

 

 

I hope everyone is staying warm and well back at home! 29 days 'til Christmas!!!!

Elder Crosby's Birthday Feast

Week Ending 11-12-12

Hello everyone!

 

This week will be just a wee posting, cause there's just one thing I wanted to mention:

 

Saturday night, after having a very slow week, I sat down and pulled out my planner. I then proceeded to write in for this coming week over 20 lessons, almost NONE of which were actually scheduled. I just wrote them in because I wanted them to happen. Afterwards, Elder Griffin and I prayed that we could make this 'dream week' happen. Then yesterday we went to work.

 

Since then, over HALF of these lessons have been confirmed, and almost all of those have been EXACTLY when we wrote them in!! Heavenly Father truly does guide us and inspire us in our missionary efforts. I've been a firsthand witness of that so far, and the wide array of member, less-active, and investigator lessons this week stand as a testimony towards that.

 

I know that the Lord truly does guide this work and that Heavenly Father is preparing people to hear the message of the Restored Gospel!

 

That's all I have for this week! But I'd like to give a shout out to Dylan Born for his birthday this friday (I think haha)! Happy 20th Dylan!

 

I miss you all and would love to hear from you as well!

Love,

Elder Crosby

Update from Oct. 30 2012

SO, missionary work has been good! Knocking Lots of doors, sharing lots of cards and pamphlets, bearing lots of testimony. We had our Ward Halloween party which went amazingly! Our ward mission leader bro cattell is a very gifted artist and did all the scooby doo themed and other decorations! It was really cool! I worked with my limited resources, and went as a tie rack! I just tied on all 20 of my ties.

 

It's getting dark earlier, and it's getting colder, but the work and the number of people we're meeting with is still growing! We had a wonderful meeting with a woman named Claire and her teenage daughter Sophie on the Book of Mormon. At the end of the meeting, both of them readily committed to reading the Book of Mormon and to learning more about it! Woohoo!

Also, We're meeting with many less-active members who seem ready to come back into the gospel with just a little work!

 

Let's see, in other news: Scotland is beautiful when the sun is out. I'm almost 1/2 way through another transfer (which is crazy). OH, and I found somebody I know in the Ensign! I can't remember what page, but it's in October's article about scouting and the priesthood and such. I turn the page, and there her hiking gear stands Kayla Black! I think it was some sort of week long hike you were on Kayla? Well anyway, I miss you Kayla and it was great to spot you! (hopefully it was you, but I'm about 98% sure its you haha)

 

Also, here's wishing a belated Happy Birthday to Maddy Dascanio! I miss you and hope your 20th was amazing!

 

This week is best described in pictures, so here they are. :)

Love,

Elder Crosby

Update from Oct 22 (Dad is a little bit behind)

Hey there!

Well! I have really begun to settle in here in Cumbernauld! I think the work here  is really going to pick up soon for Elder Griffin and I! We have a great amount of Less-Active Members to work with, and we're still working on building our pool of investigators.

 

We knocked. SO. Many. Doors this week. So many. Well over 200 at least. Lots of conversations, Lots of pass-along cards. LOTS of 'Not interested, *SLAM*,' But through it all, Elder Griffin and I have been able to do a lot of good! One story in particular this week was so profound to us, that we phoned it into the mission as a 'success story,' which are sent via voicemail (very handy) to all the companionships in Scotland. :D

 

On Friday, Elder Griffin and I were (as you can imagine) out knocking doors. We eventually knocked into a man named Jim. He opened the door and almost immediately told us to come in (Miracle #1). Elder Griffin and I were both pretty taken back actually! This supposedly happens to some missionaries, but it hadn't happened to us! So we, after pulling our jaws off the ground, walked in and sat down at his kitchen table.

 

At first Jim, who was actually staying in his daughter's house for a very short while, was pretty skeptikal. He had his views, and we had ours, and he didn't think that would change. He was, however, willing to hear us out. He had run into some missionaries a couple years prior, so he wanted to talk a little bit more.

 

Elder Griffin and I got to know him a little bit, and then started to teach him about the Book of Mormon, and the promise contained therein. He said he had never actually seen it before. As soon as we physically pulled out the book of mormon and handed it to him across the table, his whole demeanor changed.  As we read from it's pages testimonies of Christ, and as we read the introduction speaking of how we can know that it's true, he suddenly started to really listen. He continued staring at the book and flipping through the pages and the few illustrations at the front.

 

We testified of it's truthfulness, we testified of applying the promise, and we testified of it's divine origin. The Spirit was present very strongly, and when Jim offered the prayer at the end of the lesson (which lasted over an hour), he asked God that he could "Search with Integrity" and "Ask with and Honest Heart" if the Book of Mormon was true. (Miracle #2,#3,#4,#5)

 

It was amazing to see how the Book of Mormon, our Testimonies, and the Spirit wroght a complete change in this man. We'll be keeping in contact as he goes to Belfast for a while, and we're extremely excited to hear back from him! I know that the Spirit is there to soften hearts and testify of truth, and that he does help us in our missionary efforts!

 

I hope everyone is having an amazing week! Because of moving flats, I might get mail a bit slower than usual, but letters should be on there way back soon!

Love ya!

~Elder Crosby