Week 21: The Pure love of Christ and New Friends

 

Well Hello to everyone again! This is Elder Sopal. This past week was my first week in Niagara Falls. This place is so much bigger and confusing than Windsor! So Monday night I packed up everything and man do I hate packing! I left a few things behind by accident haha whoops! It was weird to leave. 

I am impressed for a packrat that this is all he has acquired. 

We went over to Becky's after Prep day and ate and chatted. We were in such a rush and I was honestly so sad to leave. I cried. I did not want to go, I had grown so close to her and was really hoping for her to get baptized while I was there. It was so sad to say good bye. We than left and drove up to London to stay the night with the Zone Leaders. So I got to chill with Elder Beyer. I was so nervous about this whole training thing. I did not sleep at all that night. Well Tuesday came and we got stuck behind traffic coming into Brampton. So we got there late and arrived late for the trainers meeting. But man I got a lot of my nerves and questions out. I became much more excited to train after that. They called up the trainees and we had a testimony meeting with the trainers bearing their testimonies and then we would get our new comps! 

The new companion - Elder Lowry

I was so excited to get my first son! That Ballet guy, I told you all last week who came from Australia! I met him and I was excited to see if he was going to be my son! But I got someone who was even better! An Islander from the Cook Islands! His name is Elder Lowry. He was born in Lethbridge! and lived there till he was 5 and then moved out to the South Pacific! He loves climbing coconut trees and music and much much more. Our drive back to Niagara was a fun one! He had so many questions about the mission and he was so new to the big city and all it was fun to watch his excitement and his newness emulate from him. He wanted to get to work but sleep at the same time haha. 

So there was a sad story too! The guitar I acquired from Windsor got lost in the transferring and now I do not know where it is. I was so sad. But oh well it happens. So on the way back we had our travel plans for our new address but it was the wrong one and led us to a place in Stoney Creek which was an hour away! It was an adventure. So then we got into Niagara and we got a call from a Sis  Gilmour to come over for dinner so we did. they lived in a super nice neighborhood. Little did we know her husband was the Stake President  haha. So we were both surprised with finding that out half way through dinner. I was amazed we had a dinner appt our first day here. Then that evening I found out we had them for the next three days straight. The ward is going to feed us so much here haha. We have been over to a lot of the members houses already! They are all super nice! The ward here is awesome! it covers a lot of the Niagara  area which includes Fort Erie, North part of St. Cats, and Niagara Falls, and Niagara on the Lake! So we have a huge area! We have about 140 people active in the ward! Which is super awesome! The Bishop here is named Bishop Sorely. He is super cool guy and really fired up about missionary work! So we will be seeing a lot of miracles here and being put to work too! This past week we had two people who got confirmed into the church. Their names was Dylan and Virgil! They are super awesome people, it is a mom and son. He actually looks a bit like Harry Potter. So a lot of these members in our ward know people from back home which is sweet! Even there was a family who used to baby sit my Dad and his brothers! It was pretty awesome! Everyone is so kind here.

We had to do a huge clean up on our apartment and also do a lot of book keeping arranging which sucked. As we are still working through all the area books we found in the messy apartment. I can now finally sleep at night again as it is relatively clean. My comp Elder Lowry was ever so helpful with that. We made our apartment cozy and our home now and are settled in. Our apartment is on the 6th floor and pretty nice minus the hard wood floor which is so cold in the morning. We even had to buy a new toilet seat as the other one had gross mildew on it and also the shower curtain was molding haha. So we cleaned the place right up. 

Ew... note the gloved hands.  How can you tell teenage boys lived there?

Ew..

Um, really?!

Bonus!  Weight set!

As of missionary work wise. We had only recent converts to work with when we came in. The first night here I wanted to find a new investigator to start off the week good. So we prayed and the first house we knocked we got let into. It was a guy named PJ who was super nice and really kind. But he was a little less accountable and so we are just befriending him and helping him learn to read the bible so it will be fun and a lot of work. But we also picked up several other people this past week. We met a guy named Tim who is super nice and has been investigating before. He has read half the book of Mormon and still is not baptized but we will help him to recognize the Spirit as he is having trouble doing so. We will also re-commit him to be baptized and help him enter the waters of baptism this transfer! Then there is a family named Tracy and Tyler who will also will be teaching they have four kids! All of baptismal age! So we will work with them this transfer! We also met a single mom, named Kayla who is seeking for truth and trying to find God. We are trying to help her do so. She said her first real prayer with us and it was so amazing how strong the Spirit was. We will continue to work hard and be diligent. 

Well as you all know I am training Elder Lowry. He is my "son" and my posterity. He will be the best missionary out there. We have been hitting the pavement and was so close to hitting standards this week! We plan on hitting it every week from now on this transfer! Hopefully haha. he is super fun and really laid back but he is trying to learn. It is sometimes trying when he does not get things or blanks in lessons but I love him still. He is going to be a good missionary. He has a strong testimony and is trying to become a successful missionary. I love training and helping him learn. I have learned a lot about patience, perseverance, and love. I have gotten very flustered with him sometimes but than I try to think of what Christ would do and how i can serve him or help him and it takes those feelings away. I hope he is learning a lot and is having fun. He tells me so many stories back from home and has a sleight accent too of the Aussie nature.

We also get the pleasure of driving a car so I am quite happy and content. 

Niagara falls is awesome! I am definitely going to love this place! We have even gone to see the falls already! they look so cool all frozen over! I will send pics next week of them! It will be good. Well that is all for this week if you all have any questions just let me know and I will try to answer them! 

Love you all! 

Elder Sopal signing off!