Study scriptures & they will speak to you

Well Hello there! Long time no see! haha 

Its me again (of course :P)

So this week I truly saw miracles and the hand of God in my life everyday. I feel that I have grown so much, not only in my testimony but as a man. I am grateful that the Lord has me go through hard things that make me grow. All you have to remember when you are going through the hard things are your testimony and that God loves and is there for you. 

Monday - That was a good day! We had p-day, I forget what we did :P But all I know is that we watched free willy because I was singing the Michael Jackson at the end all week and wanted to listen to it...Anyways though, we had a lesson at the chapel with Yasmin. She is our Muslim/Catholic/Church of England investigator :P Haha..Its very confusing but she is accepting everything and she and her son are preparing for Baptism on the 14! We are very postive that she will do it! Anyways, the most profound thing that stuck out to me is that miracles happen everyday. We just need to have faith and look for them. 

Tuesday - We had zone conference that day and we looked at D&C:4 in great depth. I understand the scriptures so much more and am grateful to have time to study them. If you set apart time to study your scriptures, they will speak to you and help you in your life. You just need to open them and let them speak to you. The most profound thing that came to my mind that day was that we all need to remember our testimonies and what we stand for in all places. 

Wednesday - So since I have gotten out Elder Richards and I have been praying to be busy all day with lessons and it finally happened! I loved it! We had lessons all day and the day went so fast! It was unreal to look at the time when we got into the flat in the evening and just think "where did the day go???". I know that the lord answers our prayers and he will comfort us. On Tuesday I wasn't feeling well and I was worried that something happened at home and in my personal study the scriptures comforted me. Let them speak to you. The ones that stuck out to me were, Mosiah 4:9, Isaiah 55: 8-9, DC 6:36. We need to trust the lord and he will bless us. Have faith in him.

Thursday we saw our friend who is returning to church. They love us now. So much so that they are willing to feed us as often as we need. It is wonderful to see a new flame and love for the church in him. We watched the Mormon Message, mountains to climb and testified of the atonement. I want you all to know that I have a testimony of the atonement. It is a truly wonderful power that God has given us. We can use it, no matter the trials that we are going through, Heavenly Father wants us to return to him. 

Friday we had a conference in York. We went on the train in the morning. It was an hour ride and then a half an hour walk but it was alright :) Anyways, while there they separated us into 3 different groups, The newly entered missionaries who are getting trained, the ones that came in the transfer before and then the trainers. I was in the second one. It was great to be able to talk with the AP and discuss how we can better missionaries. I feel very confident (not prideful though) that I  am becoming a better missionary everyday. After we went all together again and the most profound thing that day was brought to my mind by President Pilkington. It was me asking myself What can I do more for the Lord ? Why only come out here, leave my home, my family and those I love to do only 1/2 the effort. I want to give it everything that I got. I only have so many months, weeks, days , hours and moments left to serve the Lord. We must make the most of every moment. 

Saturday the most exciting thing was mormon.org time. I love watching the videos and feeling the spirit that they give. No matter where you are, you can feel it. Always strive to be worthy of the spirit, it is a gift from God. The one that was the most profound for me was the one called He will Give you help. I love this one (not only because its Canadian) but also because the story of how the boy used the atonment in his life. The most profound thing that stood out to me was that Heavenly Father never said that this life would be easy. He just told us that it would be worth it. Even though trials arise, trust in him and he will hold you up. I can feel him hold me up everyday, he loves all of us. He is there for all of us.  You just need to talk to him. 

Sunday t'was a good day. Church was nice, Elder Richards gave a talk. After church I was so hungry! I am losing weight though haha :P Anyways, we had 2 hours of study so in the end we had just 1 hour to work. We ended up seeing a member of the church and then going to a village. It was great. Brother O'Neil drove us out there and the young woman who is considering baptism is funny. Her name is Amelia and she is 12. The most profound thing that happened that day was that brother O'Neil gave me some advice . He said don't believe rumours about other people and that you decide what you belive. Also I realized that I want a Christ centered home in where the spirit can be felt every moment

Love you all

Elder Dotschkat

Six missionaries at a Pizza Hut buffet

Hello

Tis' me again!

I hope you all have had a great week because I have! It went pretty fast again and I realized that I am already done a quarter of the first year. Very odd for me. It does not feel like I have been out that long at all. But whatever because I am loving every minute of it!

So Monday was p-day and we didn't want to just watch a movie at the chapel again so we went to the all you can eat buffet of pizza hut and cleared them out:P Haha I bet they loved six missionaries eating all their food :) Haha. After that we went to the whaling museum. That was fun! I took some pictures! After we went to the chapel and watched Monsters Inc. and we wanted to listen to the Tarzan soundtrack so we watched the movie. anyways, the most profound thoughts that came to mind that day after reflection was we need to take time to enjoy life. Don't rush it because it it too short and we need to enjoy every moment with those that we love.

Tuesday - Was supposed to be a busy day but all of our plans fell through haha. Sometimes it makes me wish that people would just say no rather than lead us on. One thing that comes to mind though is something that President Pilkington says to us. That no words are wasted in the work of the lord. We looked at mormon.org that day. There are a few videos that I really liked :) But the main thing that stuck out to me was President Monson saying "Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price is too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings of the temple".

Wednesday - The main thing that was good about that day was district meeting. We talked about sacrifice and how we can become the best men that the Lord would have us be. It was great to be able to coordinate with the other missionaries and talk with them. There was a quote by John Taylor that said "sacrifice is the only surrender that is a victory". The most profound things that day were thoughts of what sacrifice is. Sacrifice is to give something up for something of greater worth. Also that God will answer our prayers. DC 112:10

Thursday - This week has just been a blur. I can't remember distinct days. So much so that in the evening after we had a member visit with the first councillors family, I looked up at the sky and realized how long I had been out. I was surprised that time was going so fast. I also realized that I am starting to love the work more each day! It is so fun just to be able to talk to everyone and listen to their funny stories.

Friday - Friday was a good day. Once again all of our plans fell through so the most exciting thing that day was going and seeing our less active who we are helping return to church. He and his mom have not been sealed as a family together and their goal is to have that within the next few years. One thing that stuck out to me was that we cannot let anyone fall through the cracks. We must pay attention to all of our members. We are family and children of god. We are all important.

Saturday - The two things that stuck out to me were in my personal study and at the end of the day. In my personal study I realized that I am very grateful to the Lord for my trials that I struggled with in my life. I know that sounds odd but I am. I am grateful for them because they have made me into the man I am today and will make me the man that I will be in eternity. I pondered on this thought all day. It made me very happy and hopeful for a better tomorrow:)

In the evening we were on our way home and as missionaries we talk to everyone and the last man that we talked to is super prepared. He wants to believe that there is a god who loves us and wants a bible that as not been corrupted. We told him about the Book of Mormon and we are meeting him on Wednesday.

Sunday- Sunday was alright, not many exciting things happened . But the most profound thought that happened was that we need to stop and enjoy the life that has been given to us.

Profound scriptures :
3Nephi 12 10-12

Mark 12 41-44

Matt 18 16-26

Hope you are well!

Elder Dotschkat

The work is the salvation of souls

Well Hello !

So this week was again another week and WOW did it ever go SO FAST! I am absolutely amazed and so surprised when I lay down in bed on Sunday night because I always ask myself where the time went. Anyway, this week there was so many things that happened!

So on Monday was Preparation day again. not really much was different, played basketball (I'm getting better at it because its the only sport we play :S) , watched a few movies...yeah...there was a member in Hull 1 that had a copy of Monsters University and it was great! But anyway, while that time was going I wrote some letters and relaxed :) after P-day in the evening I went on exchange with Elder Coombs FROM EDMONTON!!!! :D! It was great because I could actually talk to someone and have them able to relate! :D It was fun! The most profound thing that I learnt that day was no matter how far the distance, home is where your heart is and always will be :)

Tuesday was a pretty good feeling being senior companion and having some responsibility and so that day I felt that it was all up to me to make it run as smoothly as possible. There were a few bumps in the road during the day that I had to handle by myself and it was a learning experience. We had our most promising investigator (named John) drop us through text. It was a sad experience but we still wish him the best. During lunch we went to a less actives home that we helped to reactivate him and they fed us lunch! :D It was great! After that we had some time to spare so we went to see John in person and see how he was doing. That went alright but he still says that it isn't for him. I look at it like everyone has their agency and as I said we pray that he will have some experience that will make him want to meet with us again. After that we had a very busy day , so much so that we forgot to have dinner till 900. We had my favourite meal :) Donairs :) Or kebabs as they call them here. The most profound thing that I learned Tuesday was that the temple is the only place that I want to be married in . When we were talking to our reactivated member, we asked what his goals in life were and he said that he wanted to get married in the temple. It made me ponder on this subject all day and I came to the conclusion that I will only be married in the temple. I want that day to be as special and wonderful and I have dreamed it can be. The main reason that I will only be married there is because I want to have the person that I love the most in the world with me forever. I want to have my best friend always by my side through everything. I want to be able to support her and grow with her though everything and have not only a temple sealing but a celestial and happy marriage. I want to have my family forever because that is the only thing that will bring me the most happiness in my life.

Wednesday - GUESS WHAT!!! We got on a coach in the morning and went to a MISSION CONFERENCE ! It was so great! I learned so many things from Elder Rasband, Elder Teshiera and ELDER M RUSSELL BALLARD!!!! It was great to be able to listen to apostles and representatives of the lord. The thing that they stressed the most is member missionary work. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THAT THE WORK WILL MOVE FORWARD!!! GET ON IT!!! One thing that I found that stood out to me was that I am so grateful to be a member of this church and to be able to suffer things for my saviour. I have learnt truly how much he loves us and is proud of us when we make the right decisions. I promise everyone that makes their decisions with the lord in mind can never go wrong and will be blessed for choosing right. The rest of the night we travelled back and didn't even get into the flat till 1030 :P I was beat! The most profound thing that I learnt that day was that the Lord trusts us to make the right decisions so we need to trust him.

Thursday - That day was interesting because we were unable to plan anything for the day so we essentially flew by the seat of our pants. We did missionary work, don't get me wrong , but it was kind of ...not really planned :P I guess the most exciting things were lunch, when I created food :P I wanted burgers but we had no meat so I used corned beef :P Haha it was tasty enough :P DON'T WORRY I AM SURVIVING! And the next most exciting thing was our mormon.org hour! I love watching these uplifting videos! They are truly inspired! The 3 main ones that I liked that day were 1- Mountains to Climb 2 Testimony of the Book of Mormon and 3 The infinite power of hope :) Please watch these :) I share these quotes, scriptures and videos so that you can all enjoy and experience my life as well :) Anyway, the most profound thing that day was a quote, " If the foundation of faith is not embedded into our hearts, the power to endure will crumble" .

Friday - IT WAS MY COMPANIONS HUMP DAY! He has been out a year now :) It was pretty good :) We bought cake :) Anyway, the most exciting part of that day was how 1- he has been out a year now and time is flying by for me as well! And 2- We gave a chapel tour to 2 teenage boys and scheduled them for baptism!!! WOO! That evening the Barber Family fed us again and we had chicken fajitas :) They were tasty :) The most profound thing on Friday was that time goes fast so we need to make the most of it and love those around us as much as we can. Also when we test god with faith, he will always follow through on miracles and blessings!

Saturday - It was a pretty good day! We got flogged a lot :P This just means that people don't show up to lessons that we set up with them :P I say it was a good day because no matter what happened my attitude never got down . The 2 lessons that actually came to fruition was a chapel tour where we scheduled this lady for baptism!!! :D and another lesson with our reactive member friend. We talked with him and saw that he had a rough week because he gave into his temptations and it made me think a lot. He was so happy on Sunday and Tuesday but when we met him he was depressed again. Just one split moment of bad decision can tear us up inside. So the most profound thing that I learnt that day was to stay away from things that can even lead you to temptation.

Sunday - It was a good day! Pretty nerve racking I must say because I taught Gospel Principals class but other than that it was good. In joint P/R meeting we had the 2nd counsellors brother in law come and give a presentation on the RBL ( Royal British Legion). It was good to see that people here have a lot of support for the troops. I love that fact about Britian. While he was talking about the conflicts of war and the losses it made me think a lot of my own life. I never discounted the military as an option and still don't but I realized that I do not want to put my those people like my friends, my family and my future family through loss. I will serve my country and give my life for my family and my friends if I must to protect them and their freedoms, but I do not want to voluntarily put my future wife, children and family through loss of my life. Its not that I will not serve in the military , but I want to spend my life with those I love. In GP class I taught the lesson on temples and FH and it was...good :) The most profound thing that stood out to me during that class was that its not always about marrying the right person, rather being the right person. Any 2 worthy LDS people can marry for eternity and get through life together and nurture their love for one another every day. It is about working through difficulties in life together and making selfless sacrifices for those you love.

As you can tell, This week was great! I am loving every moment of my mission and being the most effective missionary I can be. This work is the salvation of souls and there is no other work more important than this.

I know that Heavenly Father is watching over each and everyone of you and that is what brings me the most joy. You all are in my prayers. I love you all.

Have a great week

Sincerely,

Elder Dotschkat

We took a little trip to the Mariners Museum. Around 200 years ago Hull's whaling industry was at its peak. It was the largest whaling fleet in Britain. Whaling is now controversial and considered unnecessary. During Hull's whaling industry the products of whaling were considered crucial for Britain. Whale oil from blubber was used for lighting, for the preparation of leather and cloth, for making paints and oiling machinery. 

If you love something let it go ...

Well hello again! Wow! This week went so fast!!!!

So we had a great week just full of answers to prayers! I hope that you all are seeing the lords hand in your lives as much as I am because its wonderful when we realize how much the lord loves us and how much he blesses us when we are obedient! Anyways, here are the updates! 

Monday- It was P-day Not really much happened, we just wrote emails in the morning and then went to the Hull 1 stake center for the rest of the day! While we were there we played football (soccer sounds vulgar now :P) and watched a few movies. After p-day we went back to our area and had fun trying to find people. All I can say is that the move of member missionary work needs to move forward because it is MUCH more successful than just knocking :P

The most  profound thing that stood out to me that day was that even though there are no numbers, success comes in you attitude towards your work and how much you enjoy doing it. 

Tuesday- That day was VERY BUSY! We had a chapel tour and then went and saw a less active man. We have seen miracles of growth and determination with him! I feel priveledged to be able to help these people return to church and help them receive greater happieness in their lives :) Later in the day we had tea at a members home and the wife served a mission in CALGARY!!!!!!! She brought out her photo albums and there was a picture taken from the top of COP and it was...well...it made me very happy but weirded out at the same time to see where my house, the stake center, my friends houses and the temple are now. It made me smile very much none the less. It made me think of all of you and I just wanted to say Thank you. Thank you for all of your support and your love for me over the years and helping me reach this important life changing point. I can see myself growing into the man that I know I can and want to be each and everyday. The most profound thing that day that I learned was that we all need the atonement because without the atonement we cannot become the people that we are meant to be and achieve our full potential. 

Wednesday was probably my favourite day this week. In the morning we had a wonderful and revelatory district meeting in which I learned many things about who I was, who I am and who I want to become. I have set challeneges for myself so that I can grow into my full potential and nothing will get in the way of what I want. I am determined to get what I want or die trying (haha, I know it sounds a little dramatic but that it how I feel about my goals and desires for life. NOTHING WILL STOP ME! )

After that we went to lunch at this Polish resturant and it was fantastic! I love the food here and I think that I am losing weight! Or I hope so haha :P In the afternoon we went and saw one of our investigators who is almost ready for baptism in the near future! I wil send pictures when it happens :) We also went out to a little village in the evening! I love these little villages because we find out many great things! Like there are many lakes arounf to go fishing on pday!!!! IM SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! :D Anyways though...back to missionary work right! :P The most profound thing that day was that I feel honoured to be a member of this church, to have the preisthood and to suffer things for the name my savior. I feel his love and support for me when times get hard and I know that with him we can do anything :) 

Well Thursday was pretty good! We had normal work in which we met four potential investigators! It was fantastic! Also we got to take our hour of www.mormon.org time ! I would highly reccomend wathching the videos of Jeremy Dick and "We Lived with God", They were the ones that stood out to me the most :) I am very grateful for these tools that we can use as missionaries because it helps people to see that we are "normal"...well...as normal as we can be :) Its okay to be different as long as you accept and love who you are :) The most profound thing that day was that you need patience and love for those around you, even when they get on your nerves, NEVER STOP LOVING THEM! :) 

Friday we went out to my favourite village! Heden! It was great! It was a great day full of boning for Elder Richards and I . We talked about missionary work, what we did in highschool and what we are going to do when we get home  (he has a year and I have a little more than that :P ) haha. It was great! I can truly feel that our compaionship needed that. All I can say is that if you have an issue, discuss it with the person, say how you are feeling and try your hardest to forgive them and get over it because there is no reason to be upset, life is too short. The most profound thing that day was even though it may be hard, be happy and enjoy life. No matter what, it will all turn out for the best! :)

Saturday was a pretty good day :) I just want to say that I love my mission no matter what situations that I am in! I went on an exchange in the morning with an Elder Pew. He is a great Elder and will do fantastic things in his mission! We talked to everyone that we could find and really tried to learn things from one another in how we approach missionary work. He has only been out 1 more transfer more than me but it really shows, I know that because I will work hard Heavenly Father will bless me to reach my potential. In the afternoon we had to study because I'm still "new" but it was great being able to see the blessings of our diligence later that day! We had tea at the Oneils and watched BYU Top 50 Football Plays and that was GREAT!  I love it and can't wait to play either that or rugby later in life :) In the evening we again saw our less active friend and commited him to church! It was a great lesson truly guided by the spirit, I have never felt it this strong on my mission yet! It was great! After that as we headed home, you know how I talked about miracles right?!, We met this single mother and her two daughters and taught them lesson one!!! They are intersted in learning more and soooo excited to teach them! I love this ! Most profound thing I learnt that day was that God will answer our prayers as long as we are diligent, faithful and obedient! :)

Sunday was a good day. In the morning in my study I found a verse that I really liked. It is the first part of Alma 41:15. Its message is wonderful because it is one that I have truly seen in my life. The general statment is that, If you love something, let it go. If it loves you, it will return :) This is something that I love about life because I know that Heavenly Father will always bring back to us those people that are most important to us :) At church again we got a lot of food to stock our cupboards from the members. We had a fantastic lesson on the Law of Chastity. It is so important to obey and follow this law. I cannot stress it enough other than to say that Gods power is in our hands and we need to honour it and use it wisely. The most profound thing that I learnt that day was the message of that verse. I love it. 

Well my time is up ! 

May God watch over you and protect you till the next time we speak

Until then Goodbye

Love you all, 

Elder Dotschkat