Young Adults - Young Missionaries

 Our district consists of the Oxford Elders, the Oxford Sisters, the Reading Elders and us.  The six young missionaries are 18, 19 and twenty-year-olds.  The Oxford Elders are the District Leaders and set up this meeting on a weekly basis.  Our district leader is from Ghana.  He is energetic and enthusiastic and makes a wonderful leader.  

He has an agenda which he follows carefully (and which he sends out to each of us the night before).  It lasts an hour and is an orderly and inspiring meeting.  He assigns two missionaries to train on a specific topic for five minutes each.  At the end of their training, they give us something to do - to follow up on the training for next week.  Elder Preston asked us each to pray in private asking for specific help, and Sister Tizard asked us each to trust the Lord by remembering how good He has been to us in the past.

The last few minutes of the meeting was spent discussing how these young missionaries can strengthen the people they are teaching to come closer to Christ.  One young woman doesn't understand the need to give up alcohol, smoking and coffee when all her friends indulge.  Another young woman has an appointment today to terminate her pregnancy (twins) and doesn't understand why that is wrong.  Another - raised in this "modern" world doesn't really know why she should live a chaste life....and besides, who does that?

These are big problems that these young missionaries grapple with. They are eager to teach and help these individuals build a relationship with Christ.  Most people their age are neck-deep in college and work and dating and themselves.  These missionaries have hearts that are attuned to the problems of the many they come in contact with, and they want to raise people up, to give them a new vision of what life can be.  

I love them more each time we see them.  I know that they are far from perfect, but they are trying hard to help others, and when someone accepts fully and embraces the gospel, it gives our young friends such great joy.

We have not left the flat this day.  It is OK.  I love this little apartment. and it has been raining.  Every room has a window.  The rooms are all in a row.  Bedroom, office kitchen living room, with an entryway that kind of connects them all, plus two little bathrooms minus windows.  It is a great little place to hang your hat.  

We had Institute tonight and had a fair number of young people there.  It is the last until January.  

We watched Copenhagen Stake's Christmas Concert.  It was music to our ears!

Time to go to bed....tomorrow we're traveling!

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