Happy Christmas

Hey everybody! Hope your all doing really well :)

Things are going great here, and I haven't done an update for a couple weeks (I think), so I shall now!
     We have been so blessed lately, by meeting the most amazing people!
For one, we tracked into the nicest brothers ever. They are so sincere and humble that it's hard to believe. They invited us in, fed us, and let us teach them. They invited themselves to church, and we're really excited about what we shared with them. they work really hard, but Hopefully they can make it to church next week! Also we tracked into the most amazing family from Ghana. (We talked to him on the street earlier that week) it was really exciting to see him at his house. He understands that God sent us to his family, but he and his family are ministers of a local church. We're really excited to teach that family. We also have an amazing investigator who has come to church for three
weeks in a row now. I'm amazed at how many awesome people we have met recently. And this
ward is great, just so willing to help.
     Oh yeah! I'm still in Swindon, and I'm serving with elder Davis again :) So that is pretty much what's happening lately! We've been spending a lot of time sharing the churches Christmas video
with everyone. It's a great little video, you should all share it with your friends! There really is an attendant spirit about Christmas.
     We had a multi zone conference last week, and it was wonderful. The spirit was so strong at the testimony meeting! It's such a wonderful opportunity to be called to share the message of Christ's birth and atonement.
     I really love this calling, it has taught me so much!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas week, and enjoy spending time with family!
Love to all of you.
Elder Jarvis

New Area

Hey everybody! I can't remember when I did an update last so I should probably do one!
I'm serving in Swindon now, with elder Davis. He's from Texas, and kinda sounds like forest gump. It's a great time (: Swindon is totally awesome. There is so much to love here! But this week our progressing investigators were shipped out of the country due to unfortunate circumstances... So it has been a strange week. But nevertheless, it continues to improve. Today we went as a district to Gloucester cathedral. Aka the halls of Hogwarts. It was great.

Oh yes, this week was thanksgiving... And well they don't celebrate it here... So that was a bit disappointing. :-(
Also, we went tracking in a little village in our area, it was really posh and interesting to see the people there. Rich people in this country are either really kind or frankly rigid. We went to stake conference is week, and on the Saturday session we got there 3 hours early by a happy mistake. So I had the opportunity to go contacting with two of my favourite missionaries. It was eye opening to see the power of a positive attitude. Our joy of being together fuelled our efforts to complete our tasks. I think we ended out giving out about 20 Books of Mormon in the course of 2 hours.
Looking back it seems to me like this is applicable to everything in life. Our attitude is the driving force for our success and happiness. Especially since our attitude in most cases won't change our scenario. (And in the few times it can, it's always made better from the positive attitude, rather than the negative one). I'm seeming to be taught over and over that finding the capacity to enjoy the moment and press on at all times, is one of the great
callings of this life. That is made so much easier as we take hold to the simple truths of the gospel. Not perhaps at first, (as surely the iron rod is made cold from the lack of warmth present in the mist of darkness)... but as we
hold on and press on, The confirmation of our own standing(in relation) to the saviour can truly carry us to press on through any degree of trouble.
Anyways, no time. Gotta go! Hope you're all doing treat love ya

Mission Conference w/ Elder Ballard

Hey guys,                         November 16
Short update!
I got moved again...
I'm in Swindon now. It's an awesome area, I totally love it. There are three teams in Swindon, and it's a load of fun. Also, we had a mission conf. With Elder Ballard. It was probably the best day of My life.  It was so wonderful.  Things have been really busy this week, but I just wanted to let

      

everyone know what's up :)   Hope everyone's doing alright :-)

Ps...
It gets totally dark at 5 now, and the sun comes up at 730.
It's totally strange. But it really mixes things up!

November 9,2015

Hey everybody!
Here's another update for ya :D
Things have been great this week. We have been so blessed. We have started teaching a couple new people this week, which is awesome because we've been struggling to find people to teach. We're going to do some service for one of the investigators tomorrow by helping him heart he sermon from the church his wife goes to, as he is hard of hearing... So that will probably be a funny story.
Nevertheless, We're happy to help. This week we helped a less active family move over the course of two and a half days... So this week has been pretty tight on time, and yet things have still worked out beautifully. Just goes to show... If your hearts in the right place, the Lord will provide. Despite the challenges of life, I have seen how the Lord does truly provide... If you can put your trust in him, you need not worry. When you teach or share your testimony, there's a wonderful spirit about the experience. Those experiences are what have carried me throughout the week. We have been doing loads of work with less actives, and it has been so wonderful. We have met tons of wonderful families. Also, we got a new bishop this week. And he is totally missionary minded! We are excited for the new emphasis, and change it will bring. So all in all, this week has been awesome!
And this next week will be even better. Elder Ballard is coming to the mission!

Well, I hope everything is going well!
Love and warm regard,
Elder Jarvis

Wolverhampton update

Hey Guys,

Things have been so crazy here. To be perfectly honest I don't remember exactly what my last update covered, so forgive me if my updates touch on the same things. My time in Wolverhampton so far has been nuts! I came in with 2 companions, Elder Bogeart from Switzerland and Elder Smith from Jamaica. Within two week I lost both of them, and now I have Elder Bellen as my companion again (the Elder I served with in Walsall). So that has been most peculiar! It has taken a little while, but I'm finally starting to get settled in. Things have been going great out here. It's been a bit hard to find people to teach, because of the dynamic of our area, so we have decided to put a bigger emphasis on working with less active members. We have set up a programme with the ward mission leader and elders quorum president, and they have become really excited! It's awesome to see the ward getting excited, but especially the ward leaders. We are going to try and have every less active member of the ward (which is a lot) visited before Christmas, by coordinating missionary efforts and home teaching efforts. I really hope we can help people see how important home teaching really is, and what a sacred privilege it is! We don't have many people we are teaching, but we did meet with a great less active - part member family least night and they are so awesome. We will definitely start visiting them more often. So that's what missionary work looks like in Wolverhampton 2nd ward right now. Fall is coming, and it's beautiful, but really cold. But being able to share a testimony brings the warmth to heart that makes it bearable. It's so true that the spirit brings warmth to the soul, and what an amazing feeling indeed.  I think that's about it for today. I really love this ward, and this work it's so great. I hope everyone is finding happiness, despite the trials in your life... For I have learned out here that happiness is not situational and knows no bounds!
Love you guys,
Take care

Conference was amazing!

      Hey everybody! Hope everything is going well. This last week has been crazy. The end of last transfer was sad because the district split up and it was such an awesome district. One of the sisters went home, and I got a transfer call to Wolverhampton. I came into the transfer with two other elders, Elder Smith and Elder Bogeart. It was an absolute riot! A few day of hilarity and joy.But unfortunately Elder Bogeart has been transferred again and we are back to a companionship of two. Wolverhampton seems nice from what I've seen so far. We're not the team that has the city centre, so things are pretty spread out. But the bishop and ward mission leader and a number of members live really close. We whitewashed into the area, so none of us know what's going on. We're slowly picking up the pieces but unfortunately no one has been taught here for a number of months. So I'm really looking forward to finding new people to teach. This transfer is going to be great, I have grown to like starting an area from the ground up.
     Conference was amazing! I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, because we helped Elder Bogeart pack the night before... We were pretty tired for conference. But I loved it none the less. I still have yet to see the Sunday afternoon session, as the time difference doesn't allow missionaries to do so. But out of the sessions I saw I was deeply moved. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to receive counsel from living prophets and apostles on the earth today. While again I do not have my notes with me, one of my favourite talks was on needing sincerity to receive an answer of if the Book of Mormon is true. I immediately knew I would love the talk, as it is a topic that is so dear to me.I also loved President Uchtdorfs talk about keeping the gospel simple. I have definitely seen how complicating the gospel makes missionary work ineffective. And if conversion won't come from complicated gospel teaching... I think it's fair to say our own continual gospel conversion should reflect a similar focus. I look forward to watching the session I haven't seen. I hope everyone had a wonderful conference weekend and got a chance to experience the convincing power therein.
I love you all, have a great week.

One of our great friends was baptised this week!

Hey everybody! Things have been going great in Walsall! The weather is changing, but the work is pressing on. Elder Bellen and I have been spending a lot of time working with members. He is awesome at it! One of our investigators is on a baptismal date (again), hopefully is time he will follow through!

 

One of our great friends Ticia was baptised this week, and it was amazing!
Sometimes it feels hard as the work in England is not easy, but seeing the baptism this week was a great reminder of just how worth it all the work is! I've been studying the Book of Mormon really closely this past week, and I keep finding so many hidden principles in every chapter. Last week I prayed that I might strengthen my testimony of the Book of Mormon, and it's cool to see how quickly prayers can be answered. I think it's worthwhile to note that that strengthening came from an increase of effort on my part. I heard something I liked at church on Sunday.... It was, if church is boring to you, it's likely because you keep getting told the same things from the holy ghost. Or in other words, you aren't acting on the necessary prompting you're getting, so you're not growing to a place where you can hear more. I suppose the theme this week was to take a step forward in faith. Something I think we all need to do, regardless of where we are in life.
We had been really trying to get one of our investigators to read the Book of Mormon, and it wasn't until we had a great lesson at a members house that he seemed to have his curiosity kindled. It's amazing how much power members have, when they share their passion for the gospel. Sorry for the short update, but I'm low on time.

I love you guys. Have a great week.

6 Month Mark

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since the last update (but I won't repent, because I'll probably do it again) things have been a bit manic here in Walsall. My companion Elder Sioeli went home this past Wednesday, which was really strange. I have a new companion Elder Bellen ( who also
served with Elder Sioeli), so we have plenty in common already. Elder B is from the Philippines so naturally we eat a lot of rice. Which I'm fine with ( not so sure about my stomach). Things have been going well between us so far, he's a nice guy. This last transfer has been a really strange one. I
learned lots (as you do from comps.), most importantly, I think I have come to value time a lot more because of the last transfer. Things are going well for us currently. We have one investigator  that has been to church a couple times now. He's an awesome guy from India. Anyways, Elder B and I are looking forward to this transfer. It's gonna be great.

Recently I have been continually brought back to a message. That message being the importance of the Book of Mormon in our gospel progression. This week I came to see that often times in the gospel, we look for grand or clever concoctions of ideas and thought to enlighten and inspire youth, and church members alike. When in reality this is a reactionary behavior. If we always try to find a way to catch up with the problem, we will find that our lives are spent always being reactive to problems... Rather than being proactive in moving forward. The real issue (as commonly is the case) is not a matter of the problems we see (lack of commitment etc.), but rather a result of the deeper more underlying issue. Strangely enough however, the solution is not more complex. Indeed you may say the solution is not complex at all. The solution lies not in finding new avenues or theorizing an arsenal of defensive mechanisms, but simply in following the basic counsel of the prophets. Specifically, daily scripture study. The power in daily scripture study trumps all other defensive tactics. Daily scripture study gives our daily arsenal, and as we study each day we don't need to try and spend so much effort coming up with ways to solve the problems in our lives (or the lives of those we love). For our (all knowing) God will give us the answers. Surely there is wisdom in the prophets words to study continuously from the scriptures (and indeed it is the words of the prophets, as every prophet on this earth has given this counsel). Many of the problems we face in life could be avoided through certain behaviors beforehand. Likewise I think when our agency is a key factor in the existence of the issue... Then to at least some extent, Heavenly Father will expect us to use our agency to undo the problem. I postulate that if every member of the church was to study the Book of Mormon each day (for even 30 minutes) the reduction in poor decisions and problems would be astronomical.

I firmly believe that the Book of Mormon is the key in not only converting non-members... But converting members, insomuch that they may feel the daily joy that they are intended to feel from the gospel. It is in no wise my creation or idea, but I will surely claim it to be my focus and my life goal. The Book of Mormon has been the key in my personal conversion, and likewise I have a great desire to build up this church, using this wonderful tool. Now, I may have no stewardship over anyone's life but my own. But to all my friends and family who read this I will make a promise, not of my own words... But the words of one Elder Dykes of the 70. "If you read from the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes everyday for the rest of your lives, you will never fall away from the church". What a brilliant promise indeed, and I see the wisdom in his counsel. Likewise I invite all to 'sup daily from its pages', and to experience the continuous change of heart God intends for all to experience each day. Unfortunately it proves rather difficult to share this message to an open heart in England. But my hope is that all my friends and family grow to abide by this standard, and invite those around them to do the same. I have experienced the depth of power of change this gospel has to offer, and come to love it so dearly. This Wednesday marks the 6 month point of my mission, and boy am I glad I came out. What a change it has wrought in me! Amazingly enough however, the majority of things I have done or experienced are readily available to all worthy members. I'm having such a wonderful time out here!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully.




Love,

Elder Jarvis

Things are going great in Walsall

Hey guys, hope you are all doing fantastic! 

Things are going great in Walsall! It has been so sunny here lately, It's way nice. The work is still pretty similar, we do a lot of finding in town centre (which is a 15 seconds walk from our flat). So the days feel pretty similar sometimes, but it's great! We teach a lot of people on the street, and the majority of the return appointments we have are done at a bench or table in town centre. So I've gotten used to the town centre pretty quickly.

It has felt so strange, as my companion is going home after this transfer. So that's been a bit hard.
But really, things are a blast out here. My comp. get along really well, and it's super enjoyable.
It's funny how much easier it is to work, when you like the people around you. We do a lot of exchanges here as well, so that keeps things lively. It's so strange to think in a few weeks I will have been out 6 months! I have learned so much, it's unbelievable. This has truly been a wonderful experience so far.

We recently got a new mission president, and we had our first interviews with him this past week. It was awesome, he is such a cool guy. He tried to tackle elder Sioeli when he found out he played
rugby. (Yes this was during the interview). Just a really fun guy. It's amazing how quickly you can learn to love somebody when you pray for it. I am so excited to serve with President Leppard, I know it's going to be amazing.

I want to say more, but I have no idea what to say... We have a few people coming to church, but they're not too solid.. As their lives are kind of in shambles, and they aren't overly dependable
at this time. But hopefully we will continue to find more great people, and eventually find those who are prepared to receive the fullness of the gospel.

Again, I hope you are happy and growing. I wish you well.
Until next time,
Elder Jarvis

New Area.

     This week has been manic! Transfers were weds.My new area is Walsall. It is absolutely brilliant here. The town is exceedingly dirty, more rubbish on the ground than anywhere I've ever been. But the people in general seem more open. It's amazing how 10 miles can literally change the attitude of a whole city. There are tons of Muslim and Seek people here, so it's very diverse. I had a bit of a scare as my companion (Elder Sioeli) pretended to be afraid of talking to people, and pretended that all he did was watch movies, sleep, and eat. He sold the role pretty well. Oh yeah he also pretended to have like 8 months left.

 
Well turns out he's going home next transfer, and he's probably the most solid guy in the whole mission. Amazing conversion story, and just a great guy. He is just the coolest. So anyways, it wasn't until district meeting that I realized he was playing a big prank, to which I was quite relieved. :p
     Things have been heavenly since then, just an absolute blast. Anyways, the work has been pretty interesting, as Elder Sioeli has a pretty different approach to missionary work. But yeah I'm so glad to be in Walsall. It's such a sweet area. Unfortunately all the elders in this district are dying(nearing 2 years), so at the end of this transfer all three of the other elders will be headed home. Which will be a drastic change..... However as one elder is going home this week, we'll get an extra guy that will hopefully stay. Anyways, the work is going quite well. We do tons of finding in Walsall, and compared to Tamworth, finding is a blast! We've made a district goal to make 6,000 invitations to learn this transfer. Quite a hefty goal, but I'm serving alongside some of EBM'S finest. I won't go into specifics, but lately I've really been able to see the power of prayer, and how quickly prayers can be answered if Heavenly Father wants you to receive the answer.
     The Walsall ward is so awesome, I'm really excited to be serving here. Although I do really miss the people in the Tamworth ward. It' scrapyard how good of friends you can make in such a short time out here. Anyways, that's me in a nutshell. Things are going so well. I hope everyone is getting on quite well also.

New mission President

Greetings!
     I'm aware that it has been a while since the last update, so I guess it's about time to do one :)
A lot has gone on since the last update.  First things first, We got a new mission President this week, President Leppard.  As Elder Bednar once stated, most missionaries are called to a mission for the mission president.  I saw how that was true this week.  During the (meet the president) meeting this week, I had an instantaneous and strong witness that this man was called to direct this area, and that I was called in large part to serve along side him.  What a marvelous blessing it is to have a Heavenly Father who knows all of our needs and desires long before they need to be understood.  I'm much looking forward to the time with President Leppard, however I am too sad to see the Rasmussens go. They were absolutely lovely.
     Similarly, I will be leaving Tamworth this Wednesday, and I find out tonight where I'm headed. So I'll send that in the next update.  It is a bittersweet feeling, as I now have to leave the people I have just started to become acquainted with.  However I now get to make new friends elsewhere.  Being less than overly confident in coming to meet new people. this will be quite a big task for me.  But nevertheless, we push on.  Saying goodbye to people has been strange, the gospel ties people together like nothing else can.  In just a few short months, I've come to love the people here more fully than I have ever thought possible.  I will be really sad to not be able to continue helping the investigators in this area,
     Looking back on this transfer I'm quite happy.  We helped A. long term investigator read in the book of Mormon ( something She had never done up til recently)   This took no shortage of prayer, faith, and trust in Heavenly Father.  After a year, she got the answer that she was to read the book, and it would be by her own efforts, not by divine influence.  So it was quite wonderful to see, that regardless of how long it takes Heavenly Father will give his children what they need ( when he knows they're ready).  Hopefully she will agree soon to be baptized.

     Also this transfer we have found a number of investigators though our efforts in contacting former investigators.  These have been some of the most memorable people.  They seem to be quite prepared, and we've had the wonderful blessing of helping them through many trials.  I see a lot of potential for this area in the next few transfers.
     I have seen so many blessing come to my life in this area, and I've learned so much about what the gospel should mean in our lives.  I hope it continues to be as fruitful to those to serve here for years to come.  I have had the privilege of becoming great friends with many people in this area.  One of my very favorite people is a mother, who when we first met her was very apprehensive of religion.  It's been amazing to see how big of an impact being open and warm has on those around us.  While her practices and beliefs are far different from ours, she is more willing to hear about our perspectives, each time we show her how wonderful our message really is.  It's been such a great joy serving in this area, here alone I have learned more than any amount of money could buy.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.
     I hope you all are having a wonderfully fulfilled time, regardless of how difficult things are. Because I know, that is something the gospel has power to do.
Also, I hope you all have a wonderful week or couple weeks,,. ( not sure when I'll write next)
Anyways, Bye

Beautiful weather

      I wont do a written update this week, as I kind of broke my bike... a.k.a. we're walking a very long way to dinner tonight, and I don't have time. But I'll share some pictures, and will try to write one next week. Things have been going well :) 

These are my favorite trees, (one's actually a bush that is the size of a tree, but nevertheless...) 

     If the pictures are bad, sorry... I've just been using the Ipad, as It's a lot more practical. Included are pictures of Elder Joblot and myself ( Elder Joblot is my all time fave) and my district meeting and my new companion Elder Peterson.

     It's rose season here ,and the flowers are absolutely beautiful. Also the Sun never goes away. It looks like day until 10, and the sun doesn't really leave until like 12. At which point it starts rising again at 2ish.... But the sunny days have been nice. anyways, here are some pictures that I'm always promising




     Wow School is out, that is so strange. Sad to hear that trek was cancelled, I bet a lot of work went into it. Also it would have been a great experience for all who went. A heat wave you say? That's new.
     Things are going well here. we're getting closer to transfers and getting a new mission pres. So that will be interesting. I really love the people here, especially Anne, It'll be hard to leave when I do.
Interesting to hear about the new stake presidency, I hope great things come from their efforts. I really can imagine the power of members being able to openly share their beliefs. I think about it a lot actually, it really kills me some times to think about! It's something I want to change when I get home.
     I won't acclaim a time or understanding of the lords choosing of second coming, because it is written that even his angels won't know... ( and I'm certain they know the signs a lot better than us). But the bishop in this ward, and an ex bishop who is our ward mission leader have claimed that they believe a big gathering of some sort in coming. How far off I don't know, we shall see I guess. Elder Holland spoke in the English Parliament this week, which is a first for the church. So things are surely changing.

Anyways, things are great out here I'm still working hard.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

The Book of Mormon is where to find safety for the soul

It's beautiful here right now. There are a couple really lovely trees in bloom that I just love. My favorite two being a blue and a yellow flowering tree. They take my breath away. There are a lot of flowering bushes as well that are just indescribable. Anyways, things are going wonderfully in Tamworth. Last week we had transfers and I got a new Companion, Elder Peterson. He's a great guy!
I continue to learn so much out here, every day. My first two transfers taught me a lot about patience and problems. I was reflecting on my transfers thus far and recognized or came to realize that.
I was just having a nice conversation with a guy sitting next to me, and it ended up lasting nearly an hour, so I'm a bit short on time... So perhaps I'll talk more about problems later. This week has been wonderful. It's been sunny and cheery,and filled with nice people. Working with Elder P is like a cake walk ( this helps a lot )
Yesterday was by far my favorite day of the week. We attended a video conference being broadcast from Edinburgh to the whole of the British Isles, and the Nordic countries. Elder Holland was attending, and he blew it away. The conference was absolutely amazing,in fact Elder Holland regarded it as the most touching area conference he had ever been to. There were so many great speakers, but my favorite by far was Elder Holland.
The conference seemed to have a theme (unplanned) of the meeting seemed to be unanimous. All the talks touched on the difficulties of being a saint in these last days, and the importance of individual effort/ uniting our efforts. Elder Holland topped this with the solution. His talk summarized, would be the BoM as a means to traverse our way through the trials, and having a rock solid testimony of the BoM to make it possible.
His talk was much similar to his conference talk, 'Safety for the Soul'; however it focused ( in a much more emotional and logical stance) on the obvious truth of the divinity of this book. It absolutely blew me away. It was like a sequel to my favorite talks ( or one of), wherein the sequel was better than the original. I hope that talk is open for public consumption, because I would love a copy. He incited ( with much exactness) the account of the witnesses to the divinity of the book (the original witnesses, and his own) with such simplicity and power, that it would be hard for any person mentally present to ever deny the words he spoke. One of my favorite things he said, was that it would be an infinitely greater miracle if Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, than if he translated it.
One of the most amazing things to me is that there were people in that room who got nearly nothing from it. Because they were not listening. I think this is a wonderful type. If we don't open our spiritual ears, we will denounce the wonderful gifts and love that lay at our feet. I would urge all my friends who come to read this, to ask how you can further open your spiritual ears. For it is never to late, and you are surely not complete..
I wish I could even come close to conveying the spirit that confirmed the words which were spoken at that meeting. But alas, I fear that I cannot. But I will say this; it is clear to me that the Book of Mormon is the literal word of God. That knowledge I can give, Not that it came easy or quick.
Anyways, Stepping away from Elder Holland and the conference (as I assure you that you'll hear more about him next week)... I have really come to appreciate the words spoken in Helaman 5:12. Up and downs, come as they may... With Christ as your sturdy foundation, you shall not fall. The more I center my understanding on Christ, the less I recognize my potential and ability. I have seen that in Christ, all things are possible.
I really love this Gospel, it is astounding how much change it offers.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week, and that you may choose to more richly fulfill your life, by the words and deeds you already know are good.
And thus I make an end, Amen ;)

Knowing it in your heart.

The gospel has given me the perspective to attain and retain desires for things that are lasting, such as knowledge. I think it is a necessary perspective to have for everyone. At the end of the day, genuine love and sincerity are the best thing you can do for others. And also, ensuring that you hold up on your personal spiritual roles. We need to understand that the Gospel brings out good actions, not just desires.

There's a family in the ward who openly tells the story of their son leaving the church because of the parents actions.(the parents were acting pretty poorly) Later the son rejoined the church because he saw how much it made them change. Obviously I wouldn't compare you to those parents, but I do want you to hear this... For me at the very least, I never saw who you used to be. I only ever saw you as a lovely mom, who had the gospel wrapped around her life. I never saw the change. If I had a mom and Dad who were such great people and yet all they ever did (that I could see) was go to church, and occasionally read the scriptures with the family... Then surely the same would happen to me. I'm not at all implying that's all you personally do to have your faith, I know how much you do now. But as a child you don't see it. Same as all these people out here who have never even thought about a God or an afterlife. We reflect what we see around us. Our notions of normality come typically from those we observe.

In my opinion, here's how you can help anyone, the important thing is that they see you doing what is right. They need to understand by watching you, that having the gospel isn't enough. That we have to dig to digest it, and that the more you dig the more you get. That's a really long way to put it, but I really do think it's important to help them see that you're not willing to skip out on things like reading scriptures. That's a great starting point, and I'm sure just being 100% will be a huge blessing. Once there, you can take it a step farther. Like a 5 minute gospel discussion. The basic things carry so much weight. It's not about them getting it, that will come with time. It's about them seeing it. It's the difference between knowing it in your mind, and knowing it in your heart. That's why I prayed to God every day for 16 years and never felt he was there. I didn't search Him out like I needed to, I didn't understand that I needed to. It made no sense to me that I would need to search him out. Why would I? Isn't He loving and doesn't He care? Our notions of what is required and what should be desired are the things that will makes us get it in life or not.

One of our investigators thinks he needs to be converted in a matter of 3 weeks or it's not right. We have no idea where he got that Idea, but we know that if we don't help him out of this line of thinking, things won't get better. But the important thing is that, he believes something that isn't true, there for it's not allowing him to see what is. I cannot convert somebody through my logic, no matter how much sense I make the gospel seem. I have already learned that. The true necessity is a personal desire.

The power of simplicity

 I had one of my favorite lessons ever this week because it helped me understand the power of simplicity. We were teaching J, and I used the parable of faith as a seed and expounded on it in a way I've never really thought about. The spirit totally took over what I was saying, and what I was saying was very simple. Yet it made sense to her, it made a lot of sense to her. I could see it and feel it. We hadn't planned to talk about that at all, it just came up. I came to see without a doubt, that just as the Savior himself taught in simplicity, so should we. It sticks now. Simplicity in the gospel is so important because it speaks to the simple of understanding and the knowledgeable. That lesson really makes sense to me now, and I'm so happy to have learned it. Because It's so important to understand as a missionary... And I will continue to develop my understanding of it with time.. Anyways, I'll step off my soapbox :P

I love what you said about helping those who have fallen through the cracks. My companion is sick so I spent all of yesterday going though area books full of past investigators and people who have been baptized. It was actually really nice going through them all day, you get to think about the person and their brief relation with the gospel and how they reacted, and you have to use clues and make inferences... I found it really fun believe it or not. I never thought I would say searching through papers all day would be fun, but hey you never know I guess. Anyways in setting out those who I wanted to visit, I came across the large stack of people who have been baptized and are less active. My goals for the next couple transfers are to consolidate the 4 big area books into one, and organize it. I want to visit each one of the hundreds of names in the books to receive updated information on those who have moved, are uninterested etc. Also, I want to visit those who have stopped coming to church and help them re-understand how the gospel will bring blessings into their life that they need. I'm not sure that I will visit every one in that pile, because it's obviously quite a big goal. I know there will be a lot than can come from it. But I'm most excited to try and help those less active members see the blessings from the gospel once again.

Have a lovely week and enjoy the little things!

This week has been great!

As far as missionary work goes, it has been lovely as well. We made a commitment to stop by every prior investigator who had come to church with the hope that one or more of the people on the list would now be ready to receive the gospel. It has brought such amazing results! Most of the people have moved, but all but two of those who haven't moved said they would like us back. We will continue to do this until we exhaust the list. It has given me time to think about a couple things. One how this week has made me feel, and two planting seeds.
Let me just say, this week has felt amazing! We have been trying to dedicate all of our extra time to visiting these people. We have had to work harder and faster than ever before to fit it all in. If we wasted any time it wasn't because we didn't have something specific to do. Granted these people were spread all around Tamworth so it was A LOT of biking. But nevertheless I think that made it even sweeter. I came to recognize that working that hard made me more confident and comfortable with myself and my purpose. Pushing to achieve a goal feels good. Fighting to achieve a goal feels even better. We were trying to do all the names in a week. However We couldn't physically do that and still teach lessons. So we didn't do all the names in a week. But we fought for it. We tried our best. And it feels so much more fulfilling than achieving a goal because it was too easy. I can't wait until I have that balance down just right. Until my goals are just to where I can reach if I work my hardest, and won't reach them if I don't. That will take more of getting to know myself and time. But I'll get there eventually. I've come to more fully appreciate the joy that comes when you work hard for what you know you want.
Also from this same experience I got to see the power of the small things. All these people who are more prepared to hear the gospel invited us in because they have already had the seed of missionary work planted in them. That is so cool. These peoples lives were influenced long after the missionaries went away. In one case we accidentally got a form mixed up and went to a mans house who had only ever been talked to once on his doorstep. He still was open and friendly. The amount of open doors I saw this week has been astounding. This is the power of being a good example! Most people will have to have tens if not hundreds of doors open before the gospel clicks, but if they have just that first door unlocked... That's enough to let the missionaries do the rest! I can totally see how some missionaries might get overwhelmed out here, sometimes it seems like nobody has those doors open!
Members are the KEY to opening that first door. It is exceedingly hard as a missionary to have someone immediately open up enough to let you plant that seed. Definitely not impossible, but hard. But when it comes to members, and their friends/acquaintances, they have power like you wouldn't believe!
However I too know for myself, the strange and often troubling waters of thinking how to share the gospel with those around you. It can be so difficult and frightening to think of what could happen if something were to go wrong.  However in the reverse, think about if it went right!  As missionaries we are counseled to look at those around us and imagine them in baptismal clothing. It gives great perspective as to why we're here. To help them receive eternal Joy. To allow them to experience the great treasure of knowledge that exists, and that we have so readily available.  I think often times as members we get caught up in the notion of missionary work being this strange distant thing. Most the time, the best way to do missionary work is breadcrumbs. Doing little, non-bold things repeatedly (like service).
Things don't change when you leave for a mission, it's still just as difficult to talk to somebody about the gospel. In fact, we talk to strangers about it, so that's perhaps less comfortable.(or should be) That being the case I've come to learn that everybody has a line in regards to religious discussion. If you're not comfortable boldly crossing the line in order to find it... you have to come to it subtly. We occasionally talk to people who will absolutely shut off at the mere thought of a gospel discussion. My favorite thing is to slip in a testimony or a gospel principle into our casual discussion in a way that goes nearly unnoticed. It's amazing how such a small act changes that line. People become more and more responsive to the gospel when they have repeated non-confrontational contact with it.

 I would challenge everybody who reads this, whomever it may be.. Do something more, to share the blessings you have in your life with those around you. Even if it's something small, it will bring joy to you and those around you. That's what the gospel is about, sharing joy and strengthening and uplifting.

I hope everyone is doing great :)
Forgive my ranting, I tend to do it a lot!

Book of Mormon and joy.

I had a great week and realised a lot! One thing specifically is how much more room I have to use the Book of Mormon to help people solve their problems. We have been promised that the answer to all the problems of this life can be found by studying the Book of Mormon. Whether that's because all life's answer are in there... I don't know. But I do know that diligence to commandments breeds blessings. So I'm trying to be more diligent in using it as a tool. I know that all problems can be solved with it. I've come to appreciate that there is not a single issue in this world that cannot be overcome through faith in Jesus Christ and studying the Book of Mormon. That's why Jesus went to the depths of despair. So He could honestly say ' I've been there and know exactly how it feels. Jesus is the perfect example of a comforter. He will let you speak endlessly of your problems and all the while uplift your spirit. Jesus is our key to redemption in so many ways. When you read in the Book of Mormon, pay attention when they mention types (which are symbolic things) you will come to see how deep the principle of the gospel are and just how many ways the principles of the gospel are inter connected.

I was listening to the testimonies yesterday and was thinking about joy. This is what I came to realise.
As said in the scriptures. Men are that they might have joy. Joy however is not our purpose, it's a consequence. Joy is a natural consequence of righteous progression. If we are in charge of two things we can fill out spirits with joy. One being making sure that your testimony is as strong as it can be today. Meaning, make sure you utilise the countless knowledge and blessings you have been given to this point. I love how the Hymn count your blessing puts it. Count your many blessings and see what God has done. Not what he will do... What he has done. We have so many blessings in our lives. Honestly Trying to count the blessings will make you realise new blessings every time. When we focus on how much we have we realize our potential, which is great.  That being said is making a specific plan for tomorrow to make sure your testimony is stronger than it is today, even if just by a wee bit. Preach my gospel states that people need a reason to change their thoughts and actions. Being grateful will help us realise how God keeps his promises and how much he loves us. This SHOULD be enough to make us desire to improve.

Lots of love, hope all is well.

Fasting, positivity, and happiness.

So as an update, things are going really great in Tamworth. Our investigators are all taking really strange paths( some quite litterally) Mike is in Hongkong right now, so teaching is on hold. I love teaching him though, he wants to be a member... He just need to strengthen his personal testimony first. We had him reading the BoM each night before he left to HK. We have really great lessons with him. In one particular lesson I received an answer to my fast midway through the lesson and I shared that with him. It was a really powerful experience! I've really come to appreciate the power of fasting on my mission! The first week I came to Tamworth I was asked to give a talk on it, and I've seen the blessings come from it on multiple occasions. It is such a powerful tool of the gospel!
It's a great way to get our minds into the missionary mindset. I find that fasting with a purpose brings your closer to Christ. If you act on that Christlike love you feel, you will bear your testimony though your actions. You will serve those around you and show them greater appreciation, if you follow in this pattern it will lead you to confidently sharing the gospel verbally. So again, fasting is a great tool.
I find that to be the case with most things in the gospel. They're all tools, and the more time we spend finding out how to effectively use them... the greater we can fulfill our purpose as individuals and children of our heavenly father.
I've seen that the relationship between discomfort and comfort is very linear. As we do things that are uncomfortable, that we know are good we begin to become more comfortable doing good things, and we begin to become more comfortable with ourselves. I've come to appreciate that our souls know what we need. I can see that in the people here. Most of the people we talk to are missing something, and they know it. Yet they are so hardened that they do everything they can to deny that this is what fills those cracks. To be honest I think English people are some of the most sincere people in the civilized world. It's amazing how many people here don't believe in God because of the cruelty of the world, and how much people do to try to stop those issues. The English are very happiness oriented, and it's sad to see how callused they are. Because the people who do join the church here are incredible, I mean absolutely incredible. I think frequently the people with the best perspectives on life are those who have very little. It's surprising to see how many of those same perspectives thrive here.
Anyways I was saying, desire proceeds action and action proceeds growth. That's why we set goals as missionaries, and follow up. The pattern of progression in life lies in making and keeping commitments. That is why we do what we do with investigators. But this is so applicable with ourselves. As missionaries we try to become more effective each day, and do so by setting daily weekly and transfer goals.
Too commonly people (definitely happens with investigators) see the lack of closeness with what they want and let that discourage them from acquiring their goals. With investigators, it's understanding the church and feeling the spirit. I've seen that when they focus on how far away it seems, they lose their desire to find their answers. We should NOT let the distance from our goals dampen our desire to achieve our dreams. Positivity is the driving force for action, which is the driving force for change. I'm coming to appreciate more and more every day how positivity reigns triumphant over reluctancy every time. I can see the difference by looking at different missionaries. Those who are here for a specific purpose and are positive learn and do so much more, than those who are not.
I've seen that missionaries get homesick when they think of home, and yet they don't stop doing it! It's helped me realize that we can judge our actions by our desires. If they don't line up, then either our desire is insincere or our actions don't measure up. I've learned a lot since I've been on my mission! My favorite thing I have come to understand better is the Commandments. We are commanded to do things that bring us happiness, that is God's purpose to bring us to a state of eternal joy. Likewise, this desire is reflected by what he commands us to do. He doesn't command us to do these things because He is vain or selfish, but rather that it is the ONLY way we will achieve our purpose. We have been given means to understand everything in the gospel and all the things we need in life. All we have to do is refer to the basics and apply them to our situations. The gospel is so simple, and so is life. I hope everyone is doing alright :) time to go now.
Love you all.

Conference was great!

I didn't bring my journal with all my conf. notes, so I might just do the blog email next week. But I think I have what I need to update pics. So if that works, that should be good progress in of itself.

 I am so glad to hear about D!!! Believe it or not I've been thinking about him lately. I absolutely loved Elder Hollands talks also, I can talk about that one because I didn't even take notes. I think my journal says something to the effect of, ' too good, didn't take notes. If any questions arise, refer to written talk.' I may be biased because I've always like Holland the best and he served his mission here... But yeah I loved his talk. I love being able to understand the Savior more fully out here. Seeing and feeling the things He experienced in His days of ministry. And I also loved Pres. Uchtdorfs talk as well. Being out here has helped me see how even being in a place and time where I can give everything to the Lord, and know I am supposed to. It is still so hard to do it sometimes. For me the hardest part is keeping my thoughts continuous. There isn't a thing out here that is too much for me. A companion who is really pushy, people yelling at you, riding for miles and miles, etc. I come through it all just fine. The thing I need to improve is keeping my spiritual vision at the center of my focus. The world is loud. The world here is really loud. And I don't mean just noise, I mean all kinds of things that distract you from your purpose here on earth. That makes it hard to keep up with the spirit some times. Sometimes I have a difficult time in-between lessons keeping up with the spirit. That's what I'm focusing on now. Keeping my spiritual vision consistent. Obviously we can't be spiritual 100% of our day. But it's good to think about. What is the right balance, more importantly would I be comfortable being the way I am each day if today was the day I went to meet Christ. Could I follow him around all day and not get bored? Things like that.
I took the time last week to talk to her little brother who is like 16. He was having a hard time in life, and turned to video games to fill the void and the behavior became a pattern. I talked to him for a long while and gave him a lot of counsel. But the conclusion I came to was this, If we aren't happy in life... The gospel CAN fill that hole. Our unhappiness comes from 2 things, temporal things, or not understanding eternal things. The commonality being, as we continue to understand eternal things we will be joyous. I have really found this out here. I am growing so fast, so I get to see the holes filled faster than some. But that means I get to testify to others that happiness increases as you lose yourself and do what you can with what you have to improve yourself and those around you.

Here are some pics!   An enormous 14 stone dog. (225 lbs) The Moat House. The channel in Fazely by the mill.

Plan, teach, commit, follow up.

We went on exchanges ( go to another area for a day), I went to Lichfield. They have a very old cathedral there, here are some pictures.

 The work is so different there. They look for people to teach all day because they don't have many people to teach. It's hard work. Talking to people you don't know is easy. Talking to people you don't know about Jesus can be hard. But I'm realizing, the best way to do it... is to learn to love with a Christ like love. When you love every person you walk up to, it doesn't matter what happens. If they shout at you, you can move on. If they listen, you can teach with love. However, if you don't extend that love to everyone, you get irritated and try to retaliate, or try to prove them wrong.
I really like a scripture I came across yesterday. I'll write it down and quote it better next time but it essentially goes like this. If you're called of God and teach not by the spirit your words are not of God. And godliness is required in the manifestation of the spirit. Or in other words. Even as a missionary called by God, If you do not use the Spirit in your teaching... You are not acting of God. That struck me. Even if you're trying to represent Him, you are not representing Him by Him (if that makes sense). It's hard to describe, but teaching and teaching by the Spirit are totally different from just teaching about the gospel. You have to focus on entirely different things. I'm learning to put away the logical, and open up to the Spirit. It's hard but necessary in being an effective missionary.
There are a lot of things we learn as missionaries that are applicable to regular life.

Two of which, I want to share. The concepts of planning, and teach, commit, follow up. We plan out not just what we do in the day, but we make plans on how to help us achieve our goals... and often times we do role plays to get certain things solidified. We do this even though every single lesson is supposed to be taught by the Spirit, and most of the times it deviates from the plan quite a bit. It's applicable to life in this way: if you want something (especially like improving yourself or others), you have to plan what you want and then how you will help yourself or other people improve. The other part is what comes after. Teach, commit, follow up. After planning, we teach people (what we planned hopefully) commit them to take a step forward (after they have grown an understanding of why they should) and then follow up. We have to make sure they did what they said, and be super firm in helping them know it's important. If we don't we set a president that laziness is okay. That is a very hard idea to undo. Also it should be said that we try to make everything personally applicable to how it can help them specifically as an individual, and make sure as they do what we ask we help them see the benefit.
I think this totally applies to life. Hindsight is 20/20, but yet it is so hard to look back and see the change from a day or a week. I think that can be super discouraging. ( ie. but I did it for a week and nothing happened!) Most the time our perception adjusts with our experience. We forget exactly where we were and think where we are now is where we were before we made the change. That's why if we help people see the improvement, they will be more willing to continue down the path.
Following up has always been the hardest for me in my life, and I'm learning to get better at it. But it only really improves from the difficult effort it takes to do it. Anyways, I thought I would share that

Thinking of America makes me want apple pie. On the exchange the dinner appointment we had was with a family in which the mom loved America. She made us apple pie. It felt like heaven eating it. haha

Mail box fun

People are interesting here, really dry humor. They're different in lots of ways though... So it should be a little while before you really relate with them. I don't find that the case. I love all of our investigators. We are teaching around 15 people now. Some just love us and don't wanna hear the message, some have a testimony and wish they didn't, and some acknowledge they know its true but pretend like they don't. I'll highlight some of the more interesting people we're teaching for the sake of time. Anne, owns a music shop in town center and is Super awesome. She's had spiritual experiences all her life, and strong answers from heavenly Father, She's been taught for a long time, so she knows a lot the gospel, but she's expecting a huge answer. We're trying to help her get past looking for the huge sign, and working on the things she has. Lorrane is a really lovely lady whos husband totally up and left for some young fitness trainer. We're just trying to get a single heart to heart lesson with her. Edith, is an even older lady who is looking for spiritual answers. She swears she's not, but she's being taught by 3 different sects at her house.. she believes the BoM is true but refuses to come to church. She's been Church of England her whole life, I think she just doesn't want the change, and know what she'll find when she goes to church. Mike is the coolest. This guy wants to be converted. he has a couple issues with some doctrine but he wants to be a member of the church. I love teaching him! He is so straightforward, there's no digging involved to get to the bottom of an issue. Ken baxter is a widower less active, who is a really sweet guy. We've been trying to help him as he is struggling with the loss. Wesley, is the GREATEST guy ever. He loves Heavenly Father and improving his relationship with him. He has two awesome dogs that make me miss clark, but they always slobber on us. The church has helped him through some rough patches so he LOVES missionaries. Elder DePRIEST locked our keys out of the flat one night and he sped over to see if he could pick the lock. Told us he could drill it, and took us back up the hill to his flat whilst we got our answer. We ended up unlocking it with a cane through the letterbox the next day. (thanks Kim Young for the idea).. I was the one who got it, and as I knew I would, got my hands stuck in the slot. So i lost a bit of skin on that. ( the mailman totally walked in right after I had finished the job and my hands were stuck in the door, so we had a good laugh over that...)

St. Ediths

The town is lovely, theres a big chapel st. edithas with bells that are always going off, and the town has a castle in it. The ward is so lovely, we get fed like lambs to the slaughter. We bike a lot, but it totally depends on the day. the first day we biked like 10 miles, some days we just walk. So it's very different from day to day. also as you may be able to tell... The people we teach are all so different, with individual needs and demands. I do really love the work here. We keep super busy. Most nights I cant get to bed on time, because we try to do all the list of things we're meant to. It's pretty hilly here, so that's a pain sometimes. But I'm getting us to it.

Tamworth Castle

Ist Area

\

So I'm in the first area now. Guess where I got sent?!? Tamworth..... That probably doesn't ring a bell, but it will in a sec... wait for it..... It's where Reliant Robins were manufactured. My first area is the reliant robin town. haha I haven't seen any yet though. Ps- I'm jealous you saw a reliant! I still haven't. Well I probably have, just not noticed.

(This is an old family joke about Rick wanting to buy an Elio motors 3 wheel car and the boys showing him videos of rolling Reliant Robins every time he mentions one.)

I've met some pretty cool people here. Super English, really cool little town! The houses are great here to! People here are wonderful.  I rode like 10 miles the first day here.... and it's all hills here. SO that's been a pain. I've been adjusting well! It's awesome here, the ward is AMAZING!

It's been a month since I left WA, and it's been nuts. It feels like it has been AGES! I'm happy i get 23 more of these though! I'm growing so much out here. I feel the spirit so much, especially so in lessons. I feel it the strongest when I testify to people, so I've done that a lot. I gave a talk yesterday in church and that went well also. The people here are wonderful, and like you if you make fun of who they are (which is weird to get used to).

They do market days on Tuesday and sat, and people just set up stalls all over. Anyways, We took a bus straight to the mission office which is in a place called Sutton Colfield. It's a really wealthy area. But yeah Tamworth does have a lot of cool things about it. It's very mixed, Also I found out why England is so compact in the cities, and so spread out. They zone all the open land as 'green belt zones' where you can't build anything more than a lean to. Also, there are so many trees everywhere because if you cut one down you have to have permission, and you have to replant one. Even like on your land for your business. It's a bit excessive, but it does have a nice effect.

Oh turns out I have a few more minutes! Oh guess what? There's a cartridge world like 100 feet from our flat! I think it's funny every time I ride by. The spirit has been really lovely in the field. I've been able to give some great lessons already! The work is really nice here. There is lots to do. We bike A LOT. The district meetings are in the next town over, it's called Lichfield. There is and ENORMOUS cathedral there. I'll be sure to get some pictures before I leave the area. This town has a really old chapel in it too. But the one in Lichfield is extremely old. Take a look on google maps, I think you'd like it!

MTC and the Spirit

The spirit here is so wonderful, It is like a red hot fire. You can always feel it, and when you focus and come close it is so powerful.

The experience has been the most amazing of my life! It has been a week and I have grown so much. The culture here is AMAZING. and it's beautiful.

I am excited beyond belief!! It is so cool here at the mtc, and I can go walk the grounds and see the temple after this. love you guys and will keep in touch.

We're a stones throw from the temple and went today and it was AMAZING.. It is like heaven on earth!! And honestly this place is like refuge for truth. All it take is focus and you can feel the spirit like a FIRE at anywhere in the building. I'm so glad I'll be serving along side these people. They are the most genuine sincere people I have ever been around besides family. I mean we really treat each other like family. I would trust these guys with my life.

It is beautiful. It's one of the largest in Europe, if not the largest... And yet its MAYBE half the size of the portland temple. But the session was amazing. I am trying to absorb everything I can from the mtc before I go back out into the harsh world. Becuase I know the spirit thrives here in a way thats unmatched.

 


Anyways, Chorley is great... and the temple grounds are absurd. The temple has some stained glass windows, so at night it glows in the most remarkable way. I LOVE IT. We got to go to the temple twice as 2 week stayers. So yeah the MTC was great, the spirit was amazing, and the people were all so bright and cheery.

The weather here is a lot like home, more crazy really... And seeing people transition to this weather has taught me a couple things. One the lord prepared me in so many ways to come here. Two- It doesn't matter how bad the storm is outside if the inside invites the spirit. I was talking to Elder Erickson the other night about how excited we are to have our own families and make our homes places of spiritual strength and enlightenment. I know how powerful that is now, and the amazing thing is it comes entirely from diligence.

I have a great comp. elder tsai from tailand, we laugh a lot and tells lots of jokes. And I know some Chinese words now :P and I say 'ELDAH' now in an aussy accent now, because elder corcoran from autralia who has the greatest accent ever haha. Honestly I say more things in an Aussy accent than in an English one.



anyways, hope you're doing well,
I send my love as always. - elder Jarvis

Arrived in England

I dont have a lot of time, so I just wanted to say I got here alright and it's been a wonderful experience! It's so spiritual at the mtc I am LOVING IT. there's a private catering service so we are eating SO MUCH FOOD. The food is so amazing it's flippin ridiculous. The culture here is fantastic, I love it already. The weathers a lot like home, but more intense... The accents are great, and the stereotypes better ( or rather the fact that the stereotypes are spot on)  You wouldn't believe how much my teacher says brilliant. It cracks me up. Anyways, Chorley Is beautiful.

I wish I could never leave the MTC because It is the most amazing place I have ever been to in my life. The temple is a 3 minutes walk.

Anyways, it is so beautiful here. The houses are packed together, so there is still a lot of untouched land. There is beauty all around, it's wonderful. Also it's very normal here in ways, they have asda which is basically walmart. it's owned by walmart in fact ~ in all fairness it is a little different. I like it a lot more than walmart. It's set up nicely. Things can be expensive here, but also really cheap. Like when you buy the white shirts from Asda for 8 £ you can get them tailored fro 5£. So not bad if you're a brit. If you have to convert money, you're out of luck. With conversion fees, 13£ cost like 188998234$. But really though. ON the plus side, you can get cheap suits at asda for 20£ for the coat. Or 10£ jeans, that are actually nice. You have to drive down a long road to get to asda , which is filled with houses. I love how many brick houses there are here! Also I love that they don't tear down, they renovate. So the houses are super old and the town has the coolest feel to it. Also everything is close together, so when you drive you can see rolling hills and scattered trees without any buildings on the land. It feels so different, and so similar. The weather is so much like home. It rained snowed hailed and was sunny the other day, and the locals didn't seem to notice.

I used to think of traveling to Europe, and while I obviously want to come back... I think it's better to find a way to come stay here for a while. From the little I've seen, it appears that being super rich isn't as realistic... so people are more okay with that... They take life for what it is. Good sunday roast, desserts in cyclical patterns etc. it all points to the same thing. Making life comfortable. There is somthing to be said about the Ideas in the USA, but I do love the way this place looks and feels.
Also my teacher is one of the 'investigators' we teach, which we do multiple times a day. He told me the way I think is very European, which is cool. Another thing I see here is people think differently... As my teacher put, and I would agree, Americans think more surface level, and Europeans thinks more below the surface. I had expirienced this before in Model UN, but I see it now. From the toilet paper to the cars, things are more logical here. Which I love, It suits me quite well. So maybe I become a prof out here someday, who knows. But I do know this, Europeans can travel between countries so easily ( which makes food and other goods here fresh and imported if imported is better) so everything is nice here.