Yes, I'm getting fed!

Hello!!!! 

So everything is going great!!! YES I AM GETTING FED!!! :D It is actually so great how much the members feed us here! The ward is great and the members are really nice. Some of them can't say my name so they call me Elder Kit-Kat :P Haha... Sister O'Neil started that. I really like the O'Neil family. I think I told you last week that Brother O'Neil has a Mormon message about him, he is the one with the owls:) I will hopefully take a picture and send it home :)

Anyways, we had a GREAT WEEK!!!! WE SCHEDULED 3 PEOPLE FOR BAPTISM!!!! :D I am so grateful for the spirit to testify to people because I know I am not the perfect teacher but if I have the spirit with my teaching, it will testify of the truth to the investigators. 

We had our first pday last week where we watched the RM and played ping pong! I am getting pretty good at it - haha. We cut pday short so that we could find people. There are 4 main people that we are teaching and my heart really goes out to them. Two are single mothers, one is a middle aged man and then there is a sister who is the fiance of a member.

We have had such powerful lessons when our investigators don't cancel on us haha. It doesnt get me down though. Just makes me want to work harder to find more people to teach and who the Lord has prepared to accept the Gospel.

I am learning so much with my scripture study every morning and I absolutely love it! It is so fantastic! I am so grateful to have a knowledge of this Gospel and to have my testimony strenghtend every day. Not only through reading the scriptures but through testifying of Jesus Christ!

The people here are very nice and open enough to often stop and talk about religion and even if they aren't religious they are curtious :) The amount of little rain here has suprised me (knock on wood that it doesnt rain). | have only really been rained on like 4 times.  Anyways, I love it here. I know that this is where I am supposed to be!  I'm not going to lie, I think about you often and sometimes I really miss you but I know that I will see you again :)  

I'm very glad to hear that you all are doing well :) I did hear about the floods and I got worried but I know that the Lord will keep those that I love and care about safe :) I pray for you every time that I can say a prayer.

The sunsets here are beautiful. They remind me of home and the beauty of Gods creations.

The lava clouds are beautiful and help me remember many wonderful happy nights with the people that are the most important to me :)

Most profound thing I have learnt this week is love the Lord and he will bless you:)  Serve him - D&C 4

I love and miss you all very much!

May the Lord bless and protect you :)

Sincerely, 

Elder Dotschkat

Spud on a stick - so good!

My first fish & chips - SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!

First Week in the Field - Hull

Hello everybody!!!!! 

This first week in the missionary field has been great!!! I met the mission presidency and their wives and they are all really nice and truly do love the missionaries! After the missionary orientation we met and had a testimony meeting for all the new missionaries entering the field to bear their testimonies to the ones already there. This was nerve racking for some reason haha my legs were shaking but I did it! Anyway after all the ''Greenies''' bore their testimonies we got set up with our trainers. My trainers name is Elder Richards. He is from all over the world because he never really stayed in one place for long because his dad works for the US government. He has been out 10 months and is a great guy! We are stationed in Hull and living with the Zone leaders. We decided that we want to bring as many people as we can to the gospel but also have me able to train in 12 weeks if President Pilkington asks so we are almost running from house to house stopping people along the way. My first night all he said to me was go get em' and I went and talked to nearly everyone that passed by! The most profound thing that I learned my first day was to not only trust in myself and my trainer and what I have been taught but to also trust in God that he will put the words into my mouth that I need to say at that very moment. I sometimes make a fool of myself because I am so excited that I trip over my words but I pick myself up and dust myself off and run again! 

The second day that I was in Hull we went knocking for the most of the day after we had lunch at a members house (FOR ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE, DON'T WORRY, I AM BEING FED WELL!!! :D). Their housing is so tiny here!!! But I got used to it :) Anyway, the most profound thing that happened that day was that it was pouring rain on us (we didn't have our jackets because the weather here changes in the blink of an eye)  as we were talking with some man on a bike trail and I said a prayer asking if it could stop and immediately after it did. I know that the Lord answered my prayers because once we were done talking to him...IT STARTED RAINING AGAIN!!!! and we RAN for cover haha. Anyway, the most profound thing that I learnt that day was that the Lord sends his servants where they need to be in that very moment because that day that we knocked on all those doors, we have at least 8 people who want to talk to us again. The next day we went finding again and met with some of the members and they are really nice here. They think I talk funny haha. 


That day we went and taught this man and he is OLD!!! He is 94! His name is Wilford and we are praying really hard that he will be baptised, he doesn't see any reason for the gospel to not be true and so we are praying for him to gain his own testimony of it :)  We also meet with this lady called Jenine, she is really nice. She is engaged to a member who is coming back to church and they have a son name Lenin. Like after John Lenin. The most profound thing that I learned that day was that the spirit is the real teacher and we are just the people to make an atmosphere for it to be in. Anyway, the next day was Saturday, that was the day that we talked to a man that went to school to be an C OF E (Church of England) minister, this made me really grateful to know the Gospel and the true message of it because he said nothing that made sense. So much so that he would say one thing and then say something completely opposite haha. The most profound thing I learned that day was that the apostasy really put a drift between truth and everything else on this earth and to always stick to what I know to be true because there will always be people who try and confuse you. 

OH YEAH!!! I had my first fish and chips here and they were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!  

After that we had dinner at the O'Neils. He has a Mormon message about him!!! He is the man with the owls!!!!! :D I will send a picture of me with them next week!  After that we went and met a less active lady who makes her own dolls..........they are creepy. They feel the same as a real baby hahaha.  The next day was Sunday! Church was great and they asked me to give an impromtu talk about whatever I wanted so I chose my 2 favorite prophets in the BOM. 1 - Everyone knows- Captain Moroni!!! and 2 - Enos. These men are wonderful examples of how Gods servants are always great! After church we went back to the flat (apartment)  and had noodles :) We then went finding and met Jenine again and then went home to bed after planning for our next appointments. One is with a pagan lady who we gave a BOM to and she is nice and then some other people. Anyway, I hope you all are happy and well :)  I hope that Papa will feel better and that you all will be safe.  All of you are in my prayers and in my heart :) I will talk to you next week!!!

I love you all, and remember KEEP MOVING FORWARD. 

Sincerely, 

Elder Dotschkat

The Missionaries arrive at the Mission Home

Elder Dotschkat with his new companion and Mission President

President and Sister Lindley meet the new missionaries and their companions

Last letter from the MTC

Hello everyone!!!

I hope that you all are doing well! I am doing great!!! I have learned so many new and wonderful things and have truly seen the Lords hand in my life :) He has opened the scriptures to me and helped me to see the scriptures in a new light. I absolutely love it and I absolutely love everything about my mission! I have made many friends and many memories just in the MTC! I am SO EXCITED to be out in the field and make so many more memories!

Anyways, tommorow we will be finally heading out to the missions and I won't have P-DAY till next week. I am so excited to be in my mission and meet my trainer! This is going to be great!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well and that you all are seeing God's hand in your lives. I am seeing Him in mine every minute of everyday :)

The most profound things that I learned or had taught to me in greater depth this week were:

- Heavenly Father knows and loves each of his children personally

- He answers you heart's prayers and concerns when you trust in him

- Rely on the Lord and everything will turn out the way that it is supposed to happen

- Heavenly Father has no limits

- Everything happens for a reason

Profound scriptures:

- 3 Nephi 13:32

- Alma 37, 41-43

- Ether 12:27

- Enos 4-8

Talk to you next P-DAY

Love

Elder Dotschkat

Elder Dotschkat at the MTC

Preston Temple at sunset

At the MTC

Sunrise over Chorley

The House of the Lord

Life in the MTC

Hello everyone! 

First of all I want to say that life is great! ( there are a few bumps in the road but I keep pushing through).

The MTC is awesome and I love it and all the missionaries here!  They come from all over the world!  One elder is from Finland, and one of my roommates is from Sweden! Its so cool! There are mostly Utah missionaries though haha. There are also sisters from the Pacific Islands like Kiribus and some from Vancouver and another from the Philippines. 

Anyways, life is great and I'm learning so much!  Like I actually can't put my pen down all day because I am writing all the thoughts and impressions that come to mind . There has been so many experiences within that first week!  I can't write them all so I am going to just write my feelings right now I guess.

The first day that we were here, we just got settled in but my companion Elder Hirschi and I walked up to the temple. It is so beautiful! I love the English weather because it promotes amazing displays of flowers and greenery!

So the most profound thing that day was I learnt that the Lord blesses his buildings that they might always be beautiful :) After the walk around the temple, the other elders and I went and did some family history. They never did it before so I taught them how to! They couldn't find any names to take to the temple so they took ( mom write these down );

David Bruce- born 1886 Aberdeenshire Scotland

Angus Gillies born 1826 Argyll Scotland

hector gillies born 1780 in Argyll Scotland

Archibald gillies born 1831 in Argyll Scotland

James gillies born 1831 in Argyll Scotland

Anyways, the next day we started our actual MTC training. We had classes on how to teach and what our purpose is and the doctrine of Christ. I am learning so many wonderful and marvellous things. After watching the district I started to actually feel like a missionary but it hasn't really set in yet. I'm so happy that I am here and have made it to this point in my life!

My letter is jumbled because I don't have much time and got to go now!  But I will keep you all posted! I love you all and hope that you are doing well! You all are in my prayers:)

Most profound things that I have learnt have been:

- Ask, listen, testify of the truth

- Listen to the spirit in every situation, even if you are nervous:)

- I talk to much haha

- DC 6:36

- Alma 48:17

Anyways ! Got to go!

Love you all!

Sincerely

Elder Dotschkat

Zack Attack

PS- I'm not losing two years of my life, I'm gaining 2 years in eternity :)