Llanelli Week 1 And 2

Hiya!

I have now moved to Llanelli, Wales (pronounced "Hluh-neth-Hlei"). My companion is Elder Johnson from Las Vegas, Nevada. We have both been out for a while and like to work.

My first impressions of Llanelli are that this place is definitely a downgrade in terms of the city. Definitely a bit dodgier and lots of drug users over here. However, we are next to the coast and have had good weather for the past few days. The ward is very nice but quite old.

Our teaching pool is a bit small right now, but we have a very solid lady from Zimbabwe whom we teach every day. She is planning to be baptized in about 2 weeks. That is exciting. Her family will be moving over in a few weeks as well, and they will probably be interested.

There are also several recent converts who are great fun to be with.

We had two surprise trips to Swansea, just 20 minutes down the road.

The first time we were planning on tracting some doors, and our tire warning light came on. We went to check, and we had a bolt shoved right into our tire. I guess that explains the clicking sound I was hearing while on our journey to see a referral the day before. Luckily, we got it fixed real quick.

The second time was for a baptism that the Swansea Elders had. One of the Elders forgot a belt, so we drove to their flat and got it. I just have to say that I have never driven on a more pothole-ridden road in my entire life. I was shaking in frustration. You will see a picture next time I go down it. Anyway, when we got to the Chapel, we had a wonderful baptism for a lady, and there was a great turnout. It was also cool to see my friend, Gabby, in attendance too, as she has been studying in Swansea for the past semester.

On Sunday, we had a great and short Easter service with some songs and then 2 brief testimonials about Christ's resurrection. The ward was also kind enough to have us over for some food later in the week. The people here are very nice.

For our P-day, I went GOLFING. Yes, golfing. It is actually a lot of fun, but definitely not an easy thing for me to do. I kept hitting the ball out into the river on the side. Some of the other Elders were better. I would definitely do it again. I also had Denny's for the first time. Why have I never had this before? Honestly better than IHOP, hands down.

----Week 2-----

This week, we went out on the street, and while we were out, we met a guy named Chris. He explained that he was Chris and he was a member but hadn't gone to church for a long time. However, this guy had a good testimony and actually read the Book of Mormon every day. So we had him join us for a lesson that was happening in the library only 30 minutes away. It was great. The guy just dropped his testimony on this skeptical friend we were teaching and left him speechless.

We also went out to the western coast of Wales in the parish of Pembrokeshire. It is beautiful. Lots of people go on vacation there. While down there, we visited a referral who wasn't there. But in the process, we met a really old member (94 years old). This guy is the sweetest man ever. He has so much wisdom. The legend, Brother Dickie. We asked him for the greatest piece of life advice he could give to someone, and he said:

"Investigate the claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Let that sink in...

We took some sick pics on the coast (for like 30 minutes, then we got back to work) and then went to a member's house out there, and they made some "bussin" fajitas. (Bussin is Elder Johnson's favorite word).

While we were at this member's house, we had a call with another lady who is super prepared. Wow. She is ready. A member went and dropped off a Book of Mormon, and she has started reading it! We are excited.

Today, I went to Carmarthen for lunch after church. The family that had us around had 11 children. (They are all grown up). It reminded me of Grandma Carey. Quite sweet. The house even smelled the same. Call me crazy, but this is our heritage. This is the exact town where our family history goes to. It is remarkable, and my entire mission I have hoped to serve in this area. Here I am. West Wales. The promised land.

I am thinking about my future and my opportunities. I don't see what will happen, but I choose to trust God. And when I am worried or frustrated, I trust God. I don't know if God will allow me to be on the OU drumline. I don't know how I will get on in advanced math classes. I don't know who will be my roommate. But I CHOOSE to trust God and work my tail off.

I love Him.

-Elder Berry