Week 26: Double Baptisms and Transfers!

Hello everybody!!

Guess what?? I'm leaving Leeds! It was transfer calls last week, and if you couldn't already tell by the subject line, I have been transferred! I have been assigned to labor in the Doncaster area, which is in the Sheffield Zone of the mission! My new companion is Elder Jestice, whom I have heard hardly anything about... But I'm sure he is amazing! I am truly going to miss Elder Thomas though... These past two transfers with him have been some of the most fun and most fulfilling times of my entire life! But he is moving on to bigger and better things... As he trains a brand-spankin-new Elder who will be taking my place! Ah! I am so so so excited for him :) He is such a star, and I will never forget the miracles that we were able to be a part of :)

Please send all letters to:

Elder Gabriel G. Spencer

55 Laneham Close

Bessacarr, Doncaster

England DN4 7HX

Please continue to send all packages to the mission office address.

Another guess what! Even more big big BIG news!!

DOUBLE BAPTISM!

That's right, folks! To finish my last week in the blessed area of Leeds 5, Elder Thomas and I had the blessing of assisting the Lord with the baptism of Damien Yates (21, first picture) and Christian Barker (22, second picture)!

The past week was completely jam-packed with daily visits of these two wonderful men. They didn't really know each other or anything, their baptisms just happened to land on the same day :)

Damien was found street contacting about 4 weeks ago by Elder Thomas, and had a miraculous experience after our first appointment with him of the power of Jesus Christ's atonement, wherein he was able to seek forgiveness on some regrets that he had, and he literally felt the burdens lifted from him following his prayer! He has a daughter, Scarlet, who is 3 (and btw she wins the #1 cutest baby award for Leeds) and a girlfriend, who we are also teaching :) It is truly amazing to be a witness of the full process of the purifying power of the Holy Ghost in a person who was so lost in a life of drugs and deceit. Talk about a total change of heart!

Chris is a member of a part member family, in which his mother was baptised at 16 (she's now 50 and has been inactive for many years). Our first visit to his house was originally to reactivate his mother. Chris was in the house, but did not want any part of the church. He was an adamant atheist, to which his mother said ''There is no way you'd get him to come to church''. The miracle in this conversion was that he slowly but surely started to form a relationship with us. Every time we'd see him we'd say ''Alright Chris, ask us any question about the church. Try and stump us!'' To which he would reply with a question. Eventually, he began to trust us, which made him more willing to listen. He tried out keeping the commandment and as Alma said, the seed he planted blossomed into a testimony (Alma 32). Chris is now excited and ready to start his new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ!

Well, that's our week. I'm a little anxious to see how the next 48 hours unfold, but I know I really have nothing to fear. Although I am excited to move to a new area, I am truly going to miss the Leeds 5 branch. The members have truly made this work so much more enjoyable for me and my companions.

I love this work! Miracles happen every day! Accelerated growth! Adventures! Blessings galore! And all this is possible if we but have ''an eye single to the glory of God'' which ''qualify [us] for the work''!

If I may ask a small favor, I would love it if you could pray for me to learn the things that I need to learn this transfer as a missionary in the Lord's kingdom. Thank you!

Love,

Elder Gabriel G. Spencer

PS Bonus pictures! So I was over at Alan and Nicola's home (eternal investigators) and I used their toilet (what Americans might call, the bathroom) and as I looked into the linen closet for a towel, I found an original power rangers bed sheet! I was so excited when I found it that Nicola said I could have it! Score! ''Go! Go! Power rangers!'' And for those of you who might find this a bit ''childish''... Its the small things that can really make us happy okay? Don't judge :P You're just jealous anyway...

Last picture! The Leeds 1 District outside of a very delicious Chinese restaurant after district lunch! Yum!