hail storm of death

so you know in Harry Potter the first movie when they are going to find the  stone and harry goes into that room full of killer keys that are flying at him at 100 miles an hour?? that is what Saturday was like.  we were out and it was raining decently hard, then all of a sudden.... BAM! it starts hailing and thundering and it was so windy and everything all at once. 

It felt like pieces of glass were getting thrown at us from the sky. we literally did a duck and cover on the ground on the corner of this busy intersection.  i am sure the people in the cars were just dying laughing at us.  it was a hilarious scene not gonna lie.  finally after a few minutes we were able to make it to a bus stop for safety, and when the bus driver pulled up he just started laughing and said we looked like we had been beaten against a wall and had water dumped on us.  best compliment i have ever gotten.  needless to say, i am now pretty sick haha 

This is a picture from UK this weekend - not taken by Rachel.

when i get home i am going to be addicted to family history!! just learned how this week, and it is so cool. and there is a lady in the ward who is a family history guru, no lie she is incredible. she served a family history mission in salt lake a little bit ago.....anyways we decided we needed to learn how to do it so that we could use it as a tool to teach and find investigators. so we were on a bus to her home and there were these two very nice older woman in the front.  nothing special right, well we were at her home for the morning learning all the secrets to family history, and then on the way home guess who is on the same bus returning to st albans, those two ladies.... we start to talk to them, and find out that today they were out looking for information at parishes for her family history.  June has been searching to find her father for forever and is stuck and does not know what to do.... also turns out that she is a member from Watford but has been less active for years! but we get her phone number and then give it to Anthea the lady in our ward, and the next day she calls and tells us that she was able to find June's father and all of this cool stuff.  It was such a sweet miracle.  

Heavenly Father knows and cares about the little details of our lives, so much so to put us on the same bus as this lady on the exact day we learned about family history.  We have never meet with Anthea the member before, never been to that village on that bus and never known anything about family history before.  It all came together at the perfect time.  I know that there are people who have passed away who are guiding us to find out more about them so that we can help them became a family for eternity.  

(It's really not as hard as it seems and it's amazing to find stories and names of your ancestors!  Try it!  https://familysearch.org/)

oh ps! sister pope and i are related! crazy right. we are like 4th or 5th cousins. from here in england. he was the first person to join the church for both of us. cool huh.

we got attacked by a devil cat this week.   It was the best guard dog i have ever seen for this house.  It had the scariest eyes, and would run at you if you got to close to the door.  We were trying to tract the door, but anytime we would get close it would come stalking after us.  hissing and spitting. when it would turn to attack sis pope i would try and sneak to the door and then vice versa.  finally we were able to knock just to have no one home.  risked our lives for nothing, but it was probably really funny to people watching to see two 20 year olds running away in terror from this little cat.  

not going to lie, i always used to look at Hermione's hair in harry potter and wonder to myself why they had it soooo poofy..... I have realised why. it was because of england.  no matter what you do, your hair has a life of its own. never again will i judge Hermione and her poofy hair.     

The lady I told you about last week, about us dumping our drink in the plants, well we have taught her again this week, and it is always an adventure when we go there.  She is this 60 year old lady that has had a pretty rough life, and is a bit not all there mentally and physically, but she has such amazing desires. yes her actions a lot of times don't match those expressed desires, but that is why Heavenly Father knows best and is in charge.  but it is funny whenever we go she is... lets just say very open about everything and she usually starts off the meeting by telling us about her lovers and some things that are just too much information for our poor missionary ears haha but as we begin to teach it is amazing to see the spirit coming into her home and into her.  her whole countenance changes from the beginning to the end of the lesson.  you can physically tell a difference in her, and it just amazes me what the spirit can do.  It really is true that the gospel will not always change our circumstances, but it changes us so we are able to find peace hope and comfort in those circumstances. 

this week has been a pretty emotional week.  I don't know what it is about missionaries, but everyone seems to think it is a good idea to tell us everything.... and i mean everything. Sometimes I am surprised at the things people entrust us with.  I don't mind really I don't, i love to be able to listen and try my best to help, but so many times we can't help at all and I just feel so helpless.  but i think it just helps having someone to talk to for them. once again my eyes have been opened to how incredibly blessed I am.  I have heard and witnessed some horrendous things this week, things that absolutely break my heart.  things that I wish were only in films or books. and all i can do is offer love.  Multiple times this week sister pope has turned to me and been like what can we do? and my only answer is to listen, to love, and to help them realise how much Heavenly Father loves them, and is there for them.  songs have been sung in attempts to comfort with tears rolling down our cheeks, scriptures have been read, and love has been expressed.  Man oh man the things I have learned from my 10 months here in England. things that will forever be carried in my heart.  and have changed my perspective forever.  missions will do that to you. 

shout out to mckay!!! the big 1 6. what the heck stop getting so old. i can't believe you can now drive and date. that is not okay with me.... not at all. but i guess i just better accept it.  you are the best oldest little brother anyone could ever have.  probably has to do with the fact that you had me for an older sister :) haha just kidding.  thanks for being so awesome and for being such a great example to me.  honestly you are the best! now go and pass your driving test and then go and drive and get some taco shop and a smoothie just for me.  hope you have a great birthday! and don't worry i will definitely eat some cake over here to celebrate for you.  

transfers are this week! i will know my fate the next time i email you.  I hope i don't leave, this place has become my home and my family.  I can't imagine leaving some of the people here, but i guess that's life.  and that is why we have fb right?

mum i loved your circular thinking. it reminds me of our companion studies in the morning.  sometimes are minds just get blown away by things. 

adam- i hear you are just the best runner ever! good job.  i used to be like that before I came and discovered english chocolate and how great nutella is. now the only running i do is for the bus.... and we usually miss it anyway ha

it is freezing here but then when i convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (yes i finally have learned how to do that in my brain) i realise it is not even that cold and then i feel like a baby... but i understand now when people talking about it being cold to the bone here, it is a different type of cold! and sister pope and i are praying for a snow day.  just a one day blizzard so we can stay inside and study all day, and play in it for a little bit, and then have it be gone the next day.  so when you hear of a freak blizzard with snow that only lasts one day here in england, you will know why :)

i love you guys! hope you have a great week! don't party too hard for mckays birthday, mum and dad you may hurt yourself.  :) love you! Rachel