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| En route home ... a final selfie of the missionary |
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| As the flight continues ... excitement builds! |
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| Waiting (im)patiently! |
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| HE'S HOME!!! |
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
And He's Home!
Letter from Mom posted on Facebook - May 12th
I just posted Elder Zachary Dotschkat's final letter home. He returns from his two year mission to Leeds England on Thursday night. You can see his final post on his blog. He will be speaking in church at 9am on Sunday May 17th.
I'm certain this is a bitter sweet moment for him as it is Wednesday morning in England and he is waking up to a transfer to the mission home where he will bid farewell to the Mission President & his wife and the missionaries that he's grown to love. He has made many many wonderful memories and he has met many many amazing people ... How grateful we are that he has had this opportunity. How grateful we are that he has been in the hollow of His hand. How grateful we are that he is coming home.
I'm certain this is a bitter sweet moment for him as it is Wednesday morning in England and he is waking up to a transfer to the mission home where he will bid farewell to the Mission President & his wife and the missionaries that he's grown to love. He has made many many wonderful memories and he has met many many amazing people ... How grateful we are that he has had this opportunity. How grateful we are that he has been in the hollow of His hand. How grateful we are that he is coming home.
This is my final letter home
As I contemplated with much thought and effort the last thing that I want to be written down so many great and wonderful experiences have some to mind but how can you summarize the miracles, mercy and love for god that you experience over 2 years? It must needs suffice to say a few words further than what I have already expressed before.
I want to thank all of you, each one of you for your support, prayers and continued love during this wonderful season of my life and as it comes to a close I can look back on it with fondness and see that I did my best, I gave it my all. All my heart, might, mind and strength. The only way I was able to do this was because of you guys :)
Thank you for continuing to help me and strengthen me into becoming the man that God wants me to be. I feel that I have got to know my Father in Heaven more, and even though I do not know him perfectly I am grateful to know Him better than I did before.
I know that the Atonement is a true power to all who utilize it to helping them make more of themselves through the love and power of Christ, more than they could do by themselves.
I thank my Father daily for the special people that I have met and the wonderful experiences that have made me grow into who I am now. The good and the bad are both as necessary as ying and yang because one is not complete without the other. We cannot measure joy or know joy if we never experience the trials.
I know that God answers prayers. The earnest and sincere seeker of righteousness and truth will always have that assurance that what they ask for, if it be right and in the name of Christ, it can and will be theirs according to their faith.
I am thankful for all of these wonderful things that I have learnt and the many things that I continue to learn and I look forward to the day when I will see my Savior and can thank him for all that he has done for me :)
I love my mission.
I love my family.
I love God and Jesus Christ.
and I love each one of you. You are important and you are children of God.
2 Timothy 4:7- 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith!
Have a great couple of days!
See you all soon and looking forward to the onslaught of hugs and smiles! :)
Love always and forever!
Elder Zachary Lee Dotschkat
Tuesday, 5 May 2015
Happy Mothers Day
Hey guys!
So here's hoping that you have had a great week just as much as I have and I am thankful to God for the blessings that he has given and continues to pour out on His children.
So to put it simply, this week was full of some great times and full of some great joys!
On Monday we went to the MetroCenter in Gateshead to do a little shopping and it was good fun. The place is massive!
On Tuesday we had a meeting with President Pilkington at our District Meeting and it was a good time to be able to have him give us some great advice. We discussed the importance of diligence in all aspects of missionary work and what we can do to encourage and grow in our diligence. After the meeting I was on exchange with Elder Jardine and we had a blast! We went and taught one of our investigators and they talked about how to take care of horses and let the gospel into your life as well. That night we had a great talk and got to know each other a lot better. I guess needless to say the biggest thing that I had learned was that God works in very mysterious ways.
So here's hoping that you have had a great week just as much as I have and I am thankful to God for the blessings that he has given and continues to pour out on His children.
So to put it simply, this week was full of some great times and full of some great joys!
On Monday we went to the MetroCenter in Gateshead to do a little shopping and it was good fun. The place is massive!
On Tuesday we had a meeting with President Pilkington at our District Meeting and it was a good time to be able to have him give us some great advice. We discussed the importance of diligence in all aspects of missionary work and what we can do to encourage and grow in our diligence. After the meeting I was on exchange with Elder Jardine and we had a blast! We went and taught one of our investigators and they talked about how to take care of horses and let the gospel into your life as well. That night we had a great talk and got to know each other a lot better. I guess needless to say the biggest thing that I had learned was that God works in very mysterious ways.
On Wednesday the biggest thing was the funeral for one of our investigators. It was a very uplifting service (as far as funerals can go) and many people were very touched by the words that were shared. It is sad to see him go but we know that he is in a better place now :) Later in the day we had a good time discussing the gospel with his family members and friends that met at his home later in the afternoon.
On Thursday we helped some wonderful members with their horses and had some good fun with them. Elder Jardine was in his element there and it was great to see him happy. It was really good to also have a great talk with the members about missionary work and how we can all participate in our own individual way with it.
On Friday we had the special mission meeting in Leeds where we found out that we are going to be 1 of only 86 missions in the world that will have the opportunity to be a "test mission" for iPads and to see how they help the work. We are going to be the ones that help this work go forward in the technological age. The biggest thing that stood out to me that day is that I feel very privileged and blessed to be in my mission at this time under the direction of President Pilkington. He is a great man and I know he is called by God.
On Saturday we had a full day of finding and boy! it was a pretty good day. We went out to a little village by the coastline and it was very beautiful to see the wodnerful sandy beaches. We met a few really nice people but alas did not meet anyone that desired to hear the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the evening we had tea with a member and her husband and played a fun board game after with them. It was a great time to get to know them both, especially after she admitted to us that she is from Edmonton .
On Sunday we had a great time at the Carlins and watching the Mountain of the Lord dvd. It was a great time to be able to explain and expand our knowledge of the restoration and feel the spirit empower us as we watched the film. In the evening we had a great missionary meeting to discuss the developments of the work in the branch and how we can help to move it forward.
Well thats my week!
Staying focused and working hard!!!
Leave it all in the field!
Have a great week!
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL WOMEN IN MY LIFE! :D
Love
Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 27 April 2015
Pray, He is there. Speak, He is listening
Hello everybody!
So this week was good!
I guess the biggest thing that I learned this week was how much God truly loves all of his children no matter what they do or how they struggle, he still loves them.
I felt the spirit many a time this week testify to me that the people I met were important and that God knows them and what they need.
God knows you and he loves you and will always be there for you, I know it and you can too.
Pray, He is there.
Speak, He is listening.
Have a great week
Love
Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 20 April 2015
HP Boy is Back!
Hey! So this is my week!
On Monday we went to Alnwick castle which was super cool! Not enought time to truly enjoy it thoroughly but enough time to say I was there and to see that majesty of the building. Its super huge and super old and super awesome! I saw where they filmed some parts of Harry Potter and they had a gift shop with some of the Potter stuff but it was daylight robbery for most of it.
Then in the evening we helped Elder M pack again because he was getting moved AGAIN to the south of the mission. They split our trio :(
Tuesday I had a meeting in Billingham and had to be there for 9:00 so I was up SUPER early to catch a bus to New Castle and then a train to Billingham. It has taken me quite a while to recover from the early morning but I think I am almost there. In the evening we were blessed to have tea and spend some time with the Turnbull family. Its pretty cool how they got their name. Long story short, a bull was going to run over the king and one of their ancestors jumped and turned it by the horns to move it out of the way of the king.
Wednesday we just worked. Simply just got up and were so tired still from the early morning the day before that we slept for lunch and then worked the rest of the day. In the evening we were blessed to spend some great times with the Broadfoot family and just have some great laughs about the silly things that happen in life. Mostly silly things that I have done or that have happened to me. If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
Thursday we had DDM in New Castle and really enjoyed the district's participation and acceptance of what has recently been given down through the lines. Unfortunatly there was not enought time to get them everything so this week we are having a stick pull, tug of war and arm wrestle competition! Gotta love that doctrine behind it! hahaha. In the evening we were blessed to have some time and share a meal with the Redpaths and after the meal Brother Redpath took us to a really nice beach nearby. It was super beautiful and boy! The memories and fun thoughts that went into my head nearly exploded it! haha..
Funniest thing to happen to me that day, I accidentally stuck my hand in some bird poop!!!! GROSS!!!!
Friday we finally got out of our suits for service! Its a jugle out there! Twas a great day friday! And boy I was taken aback when my companion started to tickle them ivories! In the morning we had a great time planning and then we went to the school where one of the members works and showed the music teacher the talented fingers of my companion! MAN IS HE EVER GOOD! (my guess is that he will be famous one day lol) After that the music teacher had mentioned that possibly a recital in the near future might be good to invite the community to. After that we did 2x load of service for a bit (meaning it was at two members homes) and man! I got cuts all over my legs from them bramble bushes! hahahha - silly idea to wear shorts huh? (I only realized I had cuts on the legs in my shower the next day when the soap got in them! I was dancing like I was on burning coals! haha) In the evening we were treated to a very nice curry :) That makes me happy :)
Saturday included painting, HP boy time and sending a friend off. So it seemed like everybody was wanting our help the same week so we sacrificed a few of the personal hours that we would have for time to ourselves (meals) to help out some members with their needs. One was planned and the other just an emergency.
Saturday morning we helped this old man in the branch paint his new place that he is moving into. As we did that he told us about the war and the military that he was in and he is quite funny haha A good guy and I seriously respect him for what he sacrificed as he was there. In the evening we went and shovelled horse poop! hahahahahha HP BOY IS BACK!
We just had a great time with those wonderful creatures (the horses, not the poop) and had a great time taking some of the load of the members backs. In the evening we also found out that they needed us to dig a hole in emergency for one of their pet cats that had died. So Elder Young and I got to work and just did the best we could with all things in mind. I thought I hit a water pipe with the pitch fork but just some splashed inside of it. Anyways, it was a good time to help our fellow travellers on this road of life.
Sunday was church and then it was tea with a great family in the ward. We had a great time of laughs and just talking about life in general. I feel very privileged to be here and know these great people. The husband then played some guitar with me and taught me a new song to serenade people around the camp fire.
I love my mission
Hope you have a good week
Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 13 April 2015
Back in Sunderland
Hey guys! Daylight is burning quick! I am loving the mission though and lets just say that we are working super hard now. I have really enjoyed this past week and look forward to the coming days ahead!
So now I am in a tripanionship with Elder Young (from Buffalo NY and related to Brigham Young but some weird relation lol) and my other companion is Elder Muhlmann (from Frankfurt Germany and he is a really funny guy). We are enjoying the great times that we are having right now and look forward to the great times ahead.
Transfer day I was stuck in Sunderland to work for the day but I had a great time with my mission great-great grandson. His name is Elder Tuala and he is a born in the Philippines but grew up in Belgium. He is also about 5 feet tall. So it was a great time with him working one of my previous areas. It was pretty good because the area that we were assigned to labour for the day included good old Mavis Spence's house! So we went in and got a drink and just read some scriptures with her as we caught up on the last 15 months of my life since I had been there. She is a wonderful lady and gave me her secret recipe for her bannaffi pie! BOOYAH! Gonna get my sweet tooth happy again lol. Also had a great time talking to literally everyone we saw on the street that we ran into this dance crew from Durban, South Africa that I challenged them to a singing competition. I sang I am a Child of God and they sang some zulu music for me … they won! lol Four against one though so I held my own.
The rest of the evening was spent with my companions getting to know them a little on our three hour transport home. The miracle of the day, one of them had their wallet nearly stolen but the bus driver booted the thief off the bus and got the wallet back. A great start to whats going to be an awesome transfer!!!
Thursday we had a mission meeting in Newcastle in which we discussed diligence. Simply my thoughts are the same as President Brigham Young "I will not ask the Lord something that I am not willing to do myself". We as the children of God are accountable for our works and labours here in this mortal existence and if we desire the blessings we must be ready to sacrifice and work for them! Then the rest of the day was spent knocking on doors and boy we are having a great time here! So weird working in a tripanionship and even though I have had three before this one I can just seem to quite work out how to work it … three big guys at someones door is only slightly intimidating lol.
Friday was spent knocking on doors to locate people that have either moved or their whereabouts has been lost from the church. All I'm going to say is home teaching and visiting teaching is a must for the work of God to move forward. He will not bless sue to find his children if we are not already taking care of the ones that we have currently. We must BE brothers and sisters to those people and remember our divine origin so that we may help others to remember theirs. Brother and Sister is merely a title, it is a compliment and a way for us to recognize who we are and who the people around us.
Saturday was another mission meeting in which I conducted it. It was really nice that Elder Young plays the piano (he's a professional concert pianist and has played all over the world including Austria and China) and so to have him in the district is a great blessing to keep us on key lol. They meeting went well. Although I am currently in a district with a bunch of jokesters!
After the meeting we went and knocked some more doors and found some AUFs that we were looking for. In the evening we traveled to Sunderland to help set up for their choir production and we were very privileged to stay and feel of the spirit so strongly. Several people were moved to tears and the spirit could have been cut with a knife it was so thick! It was also a really great time to see some more people of sunderland ward and feel the warm welcome back :) Now I know and feel that I am not a simple missionary in the passage of time but one that made a difference. I have completed that part of my life and a new page has turned.
Sunday was a great day full of testimonies and organization. I really enjoy keeping on top of things and planning it all out so that I can know where I am going to be in the coming days. After Sunday dinner with the Carlin family I was privileged to receive a hair cut from David as we visited with him and his family. I feel as light a feather now lol
Well today we are going INSIDE Alnwick castle so I must run to get the bus.
Hope you have a great week
Love
Elder Dotschkat
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!
So now I am in a tripanionship with Elder Young (from Buffalo NY and related to Brigham Young but some weird relation lol) and my other companion is Elder Muhlmann (from Frankfurt Germany and he is a really funny guy). We are enjoying the great times that we are having right now and look forward to the great times ahead.
Transfer day I was stuck in Sunderland to work for the day but I had a great time with my mission great-great grandson. His name is Elder Tuala and he is a born in the Philippines but grew up in Belgium. He is also about 5 feet tall. So it was a great time with him working one of my previous areas. It was pretty good because the area that we were assigned to labour for the day included good old Mavis Spence's house! So we went in and got a drink and just read some scriptures with her as we caught up on the last 15 months of my life since I had been there. She is a wonderful lady and gave me her secret recipe for her bannaffi pie! BOOYAH! Gonna get my sweet tooth happy again lol. Also had a great time talking to literally everyone we saw on the street that we ran into this dance crew from Durban, South Africa that I challenged them to a singing competition. I sang I am a Child of God and they sang some zulu music for me … they won! lol Four against one though so I held my own.
The rest of the evening was spent with my companions getting to know them a little on our three hour transport home. The miracle of the day, one of them had their wallet nearly stolen but the bus driver booted the thief off the bus and got the wallet back. A great start to whats going to be an awesome transfer!!!
Thursday we had a mission meeting in Newcastle in which we discussed diligence. Simply my thoughts are the same as President Brigham Young "I will not ask the Lord something that I am not willing to do myself". We as the children of God are accountable for our works and labours here in this mortal existence and if we desire the blessings we must be ready to sacrifice and work for them! Then the rest of the day was spent knocking on doors and boy we are having a great time here! So weird working in a tripanionship and even though I have had three before this one I can just seem to quite work out how to work it … three big guys at someones door is only slightly intimidating lol.
Friday was spent knocking on doors to locate people that have either moved or their whereabouts has been lost from the church. All I'm going to say is home teaching and visiting teaching is a must for the work of God to move forward. He will not bless sue to find his children if we are not already taking care of the ones that we have currently. We must BE brothers and sisters to those people and remember our divine origin so that we may help others to remember theirs. Brother and Sister is merely a title, it is a compliment and a way for us to recognize who we are and who the people around us.
Saturday was another mission meeting in which I conducted it. It was really nice that Elder Young plays the piano (he's a professional concert pianist and has played all over the world including Austria and China) and so to have him in the district is a great blessing to keep us on key lol. They meeting went well. Although I am currently in a district with a bunch of jokesters!
After the meeting we went and knocked some more doors and found some AUFs that we were looking for. In the evening we traveled to Sunderland to help set up for their choir production and we were very privileged to stay and feel of the spirit so strongly. Several people were moved to tears and the spirit could have been cut with a knife it was so thick! It was also a really great time to see some more people of sunderland ward and feel the warm welcome back :) Now I know and feel that I am not a simple missionary in the passage of time but one that made a difference. I have completed that part of my life and a new page has turned.
Sunday was a great day full of testimonies and organization. I really enjoy keeping on top of things and planning it all out so that I can know where I am going to be in the coming days. After Sunday dinner with the Carlin family I was privileged to receive a hair cut from David as we visited with him and his family. I feel as light a feather now lol
Well today we are going INSIDE Alnwick castle so I must run to get the bus.
Hope you have a great week
Love
Elder Dotschkat
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!
LOVE YOU!!!!!!
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| Getting my English haircut |
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| Me and my buddy David |
Tuesday, 7 April 2015
God loves His children and that is a fact
Hey Everybody!
Its so funny that you mention watching "parts" of conference. That is exactly what we did. LOL The connection kept dropping in and out and I never got to see the Sunday night sessions.
So this week was good! We enjoyed being together and working together this week and have definitely enjoyed serving with each other. My companion and I are finished serving together now. The Lord has seen fit to call him to a new area where people need him and I will stay here. He will be going to Wharf Valley and as for me I will be getting not just one but two new companions! I am really excited for this! It will be my last transfer, we will work hard, play hard and sleep harder lol
So this past week was really quite enjoyable. The entirety of our Monday was spent with a member of the ward and he showed us a bunch of history of the area. We went to Hadrians Wall, Durham Cathedral and the Caussey Arch. It was all really cool and at the end of the day we had learned so much about the history of this wonderful land that we were able to definitely feel accomplished for the day.
Then the next couple of days both my companion and I were ill and had to stay in the flat for the most part of the time. I took this opportunity to ponder and read the scriptures if I was not tired enough to sleep anymore and I enjoyed feeling the spirit and revelation flow down from heaven. I had a wonderful experience in which I knew that God knew me as an individual and I was cared for. I love my Father in Heaven and know that He answers the earnest prayers of His children.
When we finally had rested enough to recover we spent the most part of our time finding and having lessons with people that we had grown close to over the time that we have been here. It was great to see their smiles and to know that through the grace of God we had made a small impact in someones life. I love this wonderful work and get to know that this its he most important work on the face of the earth. The work of building the kingdom of God and helping his children reconnect with Him.
The weekend was momentous occasion and a wonderful time full of reassurance and revelation. I enjoyed all the talks ranging from family and family responsibilities to mainly the Atonement and the wonderful miracles that were preformed upon earth many years ago. This knowledge has changed my life for the better and has truly made me such a happier person. I look forward to each day that I have to tell people the wonderful news that because of Christ, everything is possible.
I had many great and wonderful experiences this week that it would take me a much longer time to explain but know this … God love His children and that is a fact.
I hope and pray that you all have a fantastic week and can see the hand of the Lord in your daily life. Please keep missionary work in your prayers because ALL of God's children will benefit from this wonderful message … the message of Jesus Christ.
https://youtu.be/_S3TI4bYerU
Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Lee Dotschkat
Its so funny that you mention watching "parts" of conference. That is exactly what we did. LOL The connection kept dropping in and out and I never got to see the Sunday night sessions.
So this week was good! We enjoyed being together and working together this week and have definitely enjoyed serving with each other. My companion and I are finished serving together now. The Lord has seen fit to call him to a new area where people need him and I will stay here. He will be going to Wharf Valley and as for me I will be getting not just one but two new companions! I am really excited for this! It will be my last transfer, we will work hard, play hard and sleep harder lol
So this past week was really quite enjoyable. The entirety of our Monday was spent with a member of the ward and he showed us a bunch of history of the area. We went to Hadrians Wall, Durham Cathedral and the Caussey Arch. It was all really cool and at the end of the day we had learned so much about the history of this wonderful land that we were able to definitely feel accomplished for the day.
Then the next couple of days both my companion and I were ill and had to stay in the flat for the most part of the time. I took this opportunity to ponder and read the scriptures if I was not tired enough to sleep anymore and I enjoyed feeling the spirit and revelation flow down from heaven. I had a wonderful experience in which I knew that God knew me as an individual and I was cared for. I love my Father in Heaven and know that He answers the earnest prayers of His children.
When we finally had rested enough to recover we spent the most part of our time finding and having lessons with people that we had grown close to over the time that we have been here. It was great to see their smiles and to know that through the grace of God we had made a small impact in someones life. I love this wonderful work and get to know that this its he most important work on the face of the earth. The work of building the kingdom of God and helping his children reconnect with Him.
The weekend was momentous occasion and a wonderful time full of reassurance and revelation. I enjoyed all the talks ranging from family and family responsibilities to mainly the Atonement and the wonderful miracles that were preformed upon earth many years ago. This knowledge has changed my life for the better and has truly made me such a happier person. I look forward to each day that I have to tell people the wonderful news that because of Christ, everything is possible.
I had many great and wonderful experiences this week that it would take me a much longer time to explain but know this … God love His children and that is a fact.
I hope and pray that you all have a fantastic week and can see the hand of the Lord in your daily life. Please keep missionary work in your prayers because ALL of God's children will benefit from this wonderful message … the message of Jesus Christ.
https://youtu.be/_S3TI4bYerU
Sincerely,
Elder Zachary Lee Dotschkat
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| Hadrian's Wall was built by the order of the Emperor Hadrian, following his visit to Britain in AD122. It was planned as a continuous wall with a milecastle every Roman mile and two turrets equally spaced between each milecastle. The wall, with its defensive ditches and large forts, stretched from coast to coast, a distance of 80 Roman miles. It formed the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire. |
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| In the middle ages Durham Cathedral provided refuge for fugitives. Anyone who committed a serious offence could claim sanctuary by knocking on this door. The fugitives were given 37 days to organize their affairs. They had to decide either to stand trial or leave the country by the nearest port. |
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| This knocker is a replica. |
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| Causey Arch was built in 1725-26. It is the largest single-span bridge (105 feet wide) in the country and remained so for thirty years. |
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Thank You!
Hey guys!
So I just wanted to tell you what is going through my mind right now. I just want to thank all the wonderful people that have supported me whilst I have been out here serving the Lord and say that I will forever be eternally grateful to each one of you as I look at who I was and who I am now. It is because of you that I have been able to grow into the man that I am today and I thank God for the blessing of having each one of you in my life.
I am grateful to all the men and women in my life that have taught me to have integrity and stand alone even when you are afraid to. I am grateful to those who have taught me loyalty when faced with hard decisions. I am thankful to those who have taught me compassion even though sometimes you may feel that someone is undeserving of it. I am thankful for those who have taught with God, I CAN DO HARD THINGS! I am thankful to my siblings who have taught me to love purely and to enjoy the special times and smile often! I am thankful to those who have believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. I am thankful to those who have never given up on me even when I thought the war was lost. I am thankful to those that have taught me to express myself honestly with others and have courage in my thoughts, desires and passions. I am thankful to those who have taught me to work hard, play hard and laugh harder. Needless to say that the list can go on for eternity, but if you have been a part of my life in any way, from the bottom of my heart I thank you and wish all of the blessings of God to be upon you and your families.
God is good and because he is good we can be changed. I feel I have changed and that now I know who God is and who I am in his plan. We are all brothers and sisters and if we look at one another in that way and simply be kind to our fellow travellers in this mortal existence, then the world will be changed and be a better place because YOU were in it.
I hope and pray that you have a wonderful week!
Love
Elder Dotschkat
So I just wanted to tell you what is going through my mind right now. I just want to thank all the wonderful people that have supported me whilst I have been out here serving the Lord and say that I will forever be eternally grateful to each one of you as I look at who I was and who I am now. It is because of you that I have been able to grow into the man that I am today and I thank God for the blessing of having each one of you in my life.
I am grateful to all the men and women in my life that have taught me to have integrity and stand alone even when you are afraid to. I am grateful to those who have taught me loyalty when faced with hard decisions. I am thankful to those who have taught me compassion even though sometimes you may feel that someone is undeserving of it. I am thankful for those who have taught with God, I CAN DO HARD THINGS! I am thankful to my siblings who have taught me to love purely and to enjoy the special times and smile often! I am thankful to those who have believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself. I am thankful to those who have never given up on me even when I thought the war was lost. I am thankful to those that have taught me to express myself honestly with others and have courage in my thoughts, desires and passions. I am thankful to those who have taught me to work hard, play hard and laugh harder. Needless to say that the list can go on for eternity, but if you have been a part of my life in any way, from the bottom of my heart I thank you and wish all of the blessings of God to be upon you and your families.
God is good and because he is good we can be changed. I feel I have changed and that now I know who God is and who I am in his plan. We are all brothers and sisters and if we look at one another in that way and simply be kind to our fellow travellers in this mortal existence, then the world will be changed and be a better place because YOU were in it.
I hope and pray that you have a wonderful week!
Love
Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 30 March 2015
Love one Another!
Hello Everyone!
Sorry for the quick email, there was a lot of mission things that I had to sort out but I will let you know that I am happy and doing well.
Here are the things that I learned this week
God is good and protects His children
God loves us, imperfections mistakes and all.
He knows what we go through and is willing to help us if we simply ask him.
As it was a commandment and still is in place to "love one another", we must also love ourselves. Took me 21 years to learn it to the point I am at now but I look forward to learning day after day about it.
God sends us to touch the lives of people for special reasons and his will always is done.
We must take care of those we home teach and visit teach so that the work of God will continue to move forward.
Have a great week!
Love
Elder Dotschkat
Sorry for the quick email, there was a lot of mission things that I had to sort out but I will let you know that I am happy and doing well.
Here are the things that I learned this week
God is good and protects His children
God loves us, imperfections mistakes and all.
He knows what we go through and is willing to help us if we simply ask him.
As it was a commandment and still is in place to "love one another", we must also love ourselves. Took me 21 years to learn it to the point I am at now but I look forward to learning day after day about it.
God sends us to touch the lives of people for special reasons and his will always is done.
We must take care of those we home teach and visit teach so that the work of God will continue to move forward.
Have a great week!
Love
Elder Dotschkat
 |
| Me on the bus! |
Monday, 23 March 2015
When the Lord says "be comforted" it is a commandment
Hey Guys!
So life is great here on the mission and I am definitely learning loads. I can feel myself change daily and I am grateful for this chance that I have to serve the children of God.
This past week was simply a really great time. I thoroughly enjoyed each day and the opportunities that I had to talk to so many different people.
So this past week was just a really good time for me to sit back and to listen to what the Lord had in store for me and those people around me. I went on some exchanges this week and it was really great to understand the needs of some of God's children and see how the gospel could bless their lives. We talked to this one couple this past week and we were quite grateful to see the husband open up and see the need for baptism in his lift to start new. I have seen on my mission the wonderful chance that baptism is so that people can feel clean and whole from the mistakes that they have made in the past and then when they enter they are overjoyed to feel God's love more abundantly. God's plan is perfect and he has a way for us to return to him in faith and peace and joy.
Then another person this week that we contacted showed me how to truly let the atonement play its part in covering all sin and in letting the past remain the past and learning from it. This wonderful person taught me that no matter what we go through, if we simply let God in, he will make up for all the things that life throws at us and will give us greater peace, understanding and knowledge from our experiences.
Then we had a wonderful discussion with this one couple and they were so great in helping us understand peace and tranquility. We read many scriptures with them about the comforts that we can have through the atonement and then I realized that when the Lord says to be comforted that it is a commandment to let His peace enter into our lives.
Well I just want to say that I love you all and know that God exists and that all will be well if we are simply loyal to the Lord and trust in his eternal plan and purposes.
Love
Elder Dotschkat
So life is great here on the mission and I am definitely learning loads. I can feel myself change daily and I am grateful for this chance that I have to serve the children of God.
This past week was simply a really great time. I thoroughly enjoyed each day and the opportunities that I had to talk to so many different people.
So this past week was just a really good time for me to sit back and to listen to what the Lord had in store for me and those people around me. I went on some exchanges this week and it was really great to understand the needs of some of God's children and see how the gospel could bless their lives. We talked to this one couple this past week and we were quite grateful to see the husband open up and see the need for baptism in his lift to start new. I have seen on my mission the wonderful chance that baptism is so that people can feel clean and whole from the mistakes that they have made in the past and then when they enter they are overjoyed to feel God's love more abundantly. God's plan is perfect and he has a way for us to return to him in faith and peace and joy.
Then another person this week that we contacted showed me how to truly let the atonement play its part in covering all sin and in letting the past remain the past and learning from it. This wonderful person taught me that no matter what we go through, if we simply let God in, he will make up for all the things that life throws at us and will give us greater peace, understanding and knowledge from our experiences.
Then we had a wonderful discussion with this one couple and they were so great in helping us understand peace and tranquility. We read many scriptures with them about the comforts that we can have through the atonement and then I realized that when the Lord says to be comforted that it is a commandment to let His peace enter into our lives.
Well I just want to say that I love you all and know that God exists and that all will be well if we are simply loyal to the Lord and trust in his eternal plan and purposes.
Love
Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 16 March 2015
A visit to North-East England and Alnwick Castle
Hey guys. So I haven't much time because I was sorting out some stuff for flights home and everything but lets just say that all is well in Zion and that I'm happy :)
Life is great here on my mission right now! I am loving everything about it! Especially the new people that I get to meet during my travels :) So this past week I have been all the way up in Alnwick on exchange and had some crazy fun driving again! It was crazy because I have not drove in nearly a year! But I did it and we are alive! So this past Monday though was seriously one of the best Mondays on my mission because I got a sweet thing to bring home with me! Someone gave me a guitar! Its got a few bumps and scratches but that just reminds me of how the mission is. You get a few bumps and scratches over time but if you tune yourself in (to the will of God) and take on some new strings (Christ like attributes) and not forget your purpose (to help other people enjoy what you have to share with the world) then you will be that much more valuable at the end of the day. You will look like an antique (not old, just well used and mature) and you will feel like a million bucks! So on Monday D, the partner of a member in the ward, took the day off work to hang out with us! By the end of the day I got a 100 pound guitar case for 35 pounds so I am pretty pumped about that!
The next two days I spent in Alnwick enjoying the North-East England countryside and the nice people that live there. I had some fun driving and even more fun talking to the great people about the history of the place. At the end of the week, I returned to Ashington with Elder Dickson and we worked ourselves to the bone! To the point that I was dizzy from working so hard! It was great because we saw success! We are now teaching a great young couple and an elderly widow about the gospel. The young couple has got a seven month old daughter who is adorable and a bundle of fun and the elderly lady just loves to chat and is scheduled for April 11th for baptism!
So this week all in all was great and the biggest thing that I learned was simply if we do the Lord's work and if we trust him that he will sort everything else out for us.
Last night I and a fantastic chance to Skype my wonderful family :) I truly do love them and would do anything to see them happy :) Funny thing! The cat ended our phone call! Talk to my mum about it if you wanna know more!
Well I must run because my time is gone and I just want to say that I love you and that you are in my prayers!
Have a great week everybody!
See you soon!
Elder Zachary Lee Dotschkat
Life is great here on my mission right now! I am loving everything about it! Especially the new people that I get to meet during my travels :) So this past week I have been all the way up in Alnwick on exchange and had some crazy fun driving again! It was crazy because I have not drove in nearly a year! But I did it and we are alive! So this past Monday though was seriously one of the best Mondays on my mission because I got a sweet thing to bring home with me! Someone gave me a guitar! Its got a few bumps and scratches but that just reminds me of how the mission is. You get a few bumps and scratches over time but if you tune yourself in (to the will of God) and take on some new strings (Christ like attributes) and not forget your purpose (to help other people enjoy what you have to share with the world) then you will be that much more valuable at the end of the day. You will look like an antique (not old, just well used and mature) and you will feel like a million bucks! So on Monday D, the partner of a member in the ward, took the day off work to hang out with us! By the end of the day I got a 100 pound guitar case for 35 pounds so I am pretty pumped about that!
The next two days I spent in Alnwick enjoying the North-East England countryside and the nice people that live there. I had some fun driving and even more fun talking to the great people about the history of the place. At the end of the week, I returned to Ashington with Elder Dickson and we worked ourselves to the bone! To the point that I was dizzy from working so hard! It was great because we saw success! We are now teaching a great young couple and an elderly widow about the gospel. The young couple has got a seven month old daughter who is adorable and a bundle of fun and the elderly lady just loves to chat and is scheduled for April 11th for baptism!
So this week all in all was great and the biggest thing that I learned was simply if we do the Lord's work and if we trust him that he will sort everything else out for us.
Last night I and a fantastic chance to Skype my wonderful family :) I truly do love them and would do anything to see them happy :) Funny thing! The cat ended our phone call! Talk to my mum about it if you wanna know more!
Well I must run because my time is gone and I just want to say that I love you and that you are in my prayers!
Have a great week everybody!
See you soon!
Elder Zachary Lee Dotschkat
 |
| Alnwick Castle |
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Monday, 9 March 2015
I got a FREE guitar!
Hello Everyone!
So this week was another week of good progress and great growth! I am thankful to note that I am still alive and the weather is warming up! Also I cannot believe how fast the time seems to be going!!!! WHERE IS MY LIFE RUNNING TO? Anyways, so this past Monday was another resting P-day and it was really good to work out and to rest a while. In the evening we went and saw a brother that races motorcycles and has a son in the military. Funniest thing for an umbrella holder, a used tank shell casing! I will get a picture soon lol
Tuesday we had a great day! It started off pretty great as well because the day before a brother in the ward phoned us saying that he found a guitar in his house and asked if I wanted it. So of course as you do, you say yes! And I was thinking that he wanted to sell it to me but now its proven that he just wanted to give it to me for FREE! Pretty sweet price I must say and life is looking up from here! It needs a little TLC but hey, ITS A FREE GUITAR! I won't complain lol. So the entire Tuesday was spent going to people's houses and knocking to offer service with summer coming up and people needing their yard work done :) Sadly no takers but we just had a great day of laughter and just great memories. Elder D and I feel like brothers now and I look forward to traveling to South Africa one day :)
Wednesday was great as well because the members here once again took care of me. I have recently ripped the stitching out of my crotch on my trousers on three different sets and the lovely sister offered to mend them. Needless to say, my answer was yes and I really appreciated her offer. I just simply don' thane the spare time to sew. Anyways, Wednesday's day of work was a lot like Tuesday just in a different place and it was a place that we will return to because we enjoyed the people there.
Thursday I had a meeting in Newcastle and it was great to receive some great revelation and to know the exact direction that the Lord would desire to take me in!
Gah!!! I'M OUTTA TIME!
Well lets just say that I am happy, healthier and having a great time!
Will fill you in more next week.
Love Elder Dotschkat
So this week was another week of good progress and great growth! I am thankful to note that I am still alive and the weather is warming up! Also I cannot believe how fast the time seems to be going!!!! WHERE IS MY LIFE RUNNING TO? Anyways, so this past Monday was another resting P-day and it was really good to work out and to rest a while. In the evening we went and saw a brother that races motorcycles and has a son in the military. Funniest thing for an umbrella holder, a used tank shell casing! I will get a picture soon lol
Tuesday we had a great day! It started off pretty great as well because the day before a brother in the ward phoned us saying that he found a guitar in his house and asked if I wanted it. So of course as you do, you say yes! And I was thinking that he wanted to sell it to me but now its proven that he just wanted to give it to me for FREE! Pretty sweet price I must say and life is looking up from here! It needs a little TLC but hey, ITS A FREE GUITAR! I won't complain lol. So the entire Tuesday was spent going to people's houses and knocking to offer service with summer coming up and people needing their yard work done :) Sadly no takers but we just had a great day of laughter and just great memories. Elder D and I feel like brothers now and I look forward to traveling to South Africa one day :)
Wednesday was great as well because the members here once again took care of me. I have recently ripped the stitching out of my crotch on my trousers on three different sets and the lovely sister offered to mend them. Needless to say, my answer was yes and I really appreciated her offer. I just simply don' thane the spare time to sew. Anyways, Wednesday's day of work was a lot like Tuesday just in a different place and it was a place that we will return to because we enjoyed the people there.
Thursday I had a meeting in Newcastle and it was great to receive some great revelation and to know the exact direction that the Lord would desire to take me in!
Gah!!! I'M OUTTA TIME!
Well lets just say that I am happy, healthier and having a great time!
Will fill you in more next week.
Love Elder Dotschkat
Monday, 2 March 2015
Car trouble won't get us down
Hello Everyone!
So this week has been one of learning and definitely one of hopeful progress into refining myself into who God wants me to be.
I'm at a loss of where to start with my explanation. Lets just start at the beginning of the week I guess ... thats whats only logical lol. So to remind everyone, last Monday was transfer calls and Elder Dickson and I are both staying together in Ashington for another six weeks. Then Tuesday was P-day and was a great preparation day. Elder Dickson slept whilst I worked out and listened to talks by general authorities. In the evening we saw Tony and had a great time just once more discussing the gospel and all of the blessings of living the gospel joyfully. We are now currently re-teaching him everything so that we can help him with his next step which is the priesthood.
Wednesday was super crazy but a great day full of revelation and what I believe to be the hand of Heavenly Father. So it was transfer and I was meant to go to the transfer meeting in Leeds and go on the bus but one thing and another (me first getting dog poo on my shoe and then on my suit!) happened and I ended up issuing the transfer bus and traveled down with another senior couple even though I told people not to leave without me ... note to self, when you ask something to be done, make sure you get a response! So anyways, the drive down was phenomenal time full of revelation, encouragement, answers and the spirit. I have had a few questions lately for things in my life and as we drove I confided in the senior couple my hopes, ambitions, dreams, desires, fears and plans for my mission and what I got to get done after it. We then discussed the ambitions and goals that I have and how they are achievable and definitely will make me stretch into becoming who God wants me to be. So as we were driving we ended up having car trouble and had to wait to get road side assistance. During that time, the couple told me of their history and why they were so happy. They gave the advice to immediately plan for a senior mission later in life and to work for everything that I desire. They proceeded to tell me of their life experiences and what they learned about themselves as they were going through life. AS we discussed this and many other things we deduced that a few important elements in learning from the trials of life are that:
1. God will NEVER give you more than you can handle and he will always provide a way to overcome the obstacles of life (1 Ne 3:7)
2. To always take a step back and to look at the bigger picture so that you can make educated decision based upon the needs of you and your family.
3. To always trust that the Lord knows best and that if he asked you to do something that it will always be for your benefit.
So then after nearly 90 minutes of waiting for assistance to come and save us from the roadside and the man actually giving us assistance, we got back into the car and headed on our trip again. WE FINALLY MADE IT TO LEEDS - WHEW! but the meeting was finished hahahahahahaha. At least we made it there and luckily we called people to tell them of our situation. Anyways, we stretched our legs for a bit and then we returned up the road to march north again.
Thursday was my birthday. Thank you to all those people who made it such a special day for me :) It was truly appreciated. The biggest lesson I learned that day was first - distance is better than resistance and second, obedience is better than sacrifice. In the evening we spent some time with a wonderful family and we just had a great time of fun and laughter there. The father of the house has offered to take a day off work and to take me and Elder D to a guitar shop. COOL!
Friday was good we went to an area that we normally don't go to and we went finding all day. Man that was heavy! I found a few nice shops and apparently the best fish and chips shop is somewhere around there .. definitely returning to that spot!
Saturday we went finding all day again and went out by the sea. MAN WAS IT COLD! We saw a pretty cool statue and thought that it was some unfortunate couple that got stuck out in the sea and I was laughing so hard and then Elder Dickson told me that it was statue and boy I felt silly!
Sunday was a great day. We had church and Peter passed the sacrament for the first time. It was such a wonderful moment on my mission to see a person progress to their Father in Heaven so much more. I know that this is the work of God an that he will always be there to help us:)
Well I must run! Once again, thank you for all the birthday wishes. Love you all!
Have a good one!
Elder Dotschkat
So this week has been one of learning and definitely one of hopeful progress into refining myself into who God wants me to be.
I'm at a loss of where to start with my explanation. Lets just start at the beginning of the week I guess ... thats whats only logical lol. So to remind everyone, last Monday was transfer calls and Elder Dickson and I are both staying together in Ashington for another six weeks. Then Tuesday was P-day and was a great preparation day. Elder Dickson slept whilst I worked out and listened to talks by general authorities. In the evening we saw Tony and had a great time just once more discussing the gospel and all of the blessings of living the gospel joyfully. We are now currently re-teaching him everything so that we can help him with his next step which is the priesthood.
Wednesday was super crazy but a great day full of revelation and what I believe to be the hand of Heavenly Father. So it was transfer and I was meant to go to the transfer meeting in Leeds and go on the bus but one thing and another (me first getting dog poo on my shoe and then on my suit!) happened and I ended up issuing the transfer bus and traveled down with another senior couple even though I told people not to leave without me ... note to self, when you ask something to be done, make sure you get a response! So anyways, the drive down was phenomenal time full of revelation, encouragement, answers and the spirit. I have had a few questions lately for things in my life and as we drove I confided in the senior couple my hopes, ambitions, dreams, desires, fears and plans for my mission and what I got to get done after it. We then discussed the ambitions and goals that I have and how they are achievable and definitely will make me stretch into becoming who God wants me to be. So as we were driving we ended up having car trouble and had to wait to get road side assistance. During that time, the couple told me of their history and why they were so happy. They gave the advice to immediately plan for a senior mission later in life and to work for everything that I desire. They proceeded to tell me of their life experiences and what they learned about themselves as they were going through life. AS we discussed this and many other things we deduced that a few important elements in learning from the trials of life are that:
1. God will NEVER give you more than you can handle and he will always provide a way to overcome the obstacles of life (1 Ne 3:7)
2. To always take a step back and to look at the bigger picture so that you can make educated decision based upon the needs of you and your family.
3. To always trust that the Lord knows best and that if he asked you to do something that it will always be for your benefit.
So then after nearly 90 minutes of waiting for assistance to come and save us from the roadside and the man actually giving us assistance, we got back into the car and headed on our trip again. WE FINALLY MADE IT TO LEEDS - WHEW! but the meeting was finished hahahahahahaha. At least we made it there and luckily we called people to tell them of our situation. Anyways, we stretched our legs for a bit and then we returned up the road to march north again.
Thursday was my birthday. Thank you to all those people who made it such a special day for me :) It was truly appreciated. The biggest lesson I learned that day was first - distance is better than resistance and second, obedience is better than sacrifice. In the evening we spent some time with a wonderful family and we just had a great time of fun and laughter there. The father of the house has offered to take a day off work and to take me and Elder D to a guitar shop. COOL!
Friday was good we went to an area that we normally don't go to and we went finding all day. Man that was heavy! I found a few nice shops and apparently the best fish and chips shop is somewhere around there .. definitely returning to that spot!
Saturday we went finding all day again and went out by the sea. MAN WAS IT COLD! We saw a pretty cool statue and thought that it was some unfortunate couple that got stuck out in the sea and I was laughing so hard and then Elder Dickson told me that it was statue and boy I felt silly!
Sunday was a great day. We had church and Peter passed the sacrament for the first time. It was such a wonderful moment on my mission to see a person progress to their Father in Heaven so much more. I know that this is the work of God an that he will always be there to help us:)
Well I must run! Once again, thank you for all the birthday wishes. Love you all!
Have a good one!
Elder Dotschkat
 |
| Newbiggen Couple (see why I thought they were stranded people - they look real) |
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