June 17, 2019
I've survived my first week in Shrewsbury somehow! Even with the River Severn growing higher and higher with all the rainfall, I did it. It was a little spooky just how high the river was honestly. Sometimes we can hear helicopters, and the only reason they come out is because they have to go looking for the bodies of people who have jumped in. Apparantly all the drunk people here think they can take the river on, but it doesn't always end well for them. I guess they just don't have the superpowers that come with being intoxicated.
I've survived my first week in Shrewsbury somehow! Even with the River Severn growing higher and higher with all the rainfall, I did it. It was a little spooky just how high the river was honestly. Sometimes we can hear helicopters, and the only reason they come out is because they have to go looking for the bodies of people who have jumped in. Apparantly all the drunk people here think they can take the river on, but it doesn't always end well for them. I guess they just don't have the superpowers that come with being intoxicated.
I'm loving Shrewsbury so far though! It's beautiful here and more people actually respond to me out on the streets than my previous area. That's quite nice honestly. We're teaching a man called Justin, and he's teaching me how to juggle! We juggle and talk about the gospel. It's pretty great!
I was also pretty excited to meet a woman, who we'll call Martha, who was an absolute miracle for the Sisters here. They'd been trying to contact old contacts in their phone and found her. She already has had such a strong testimony of the gospel, and had even said she'd be baptized. I met her on Saturday and we talked all about The Gospel of Jesus Christ. She expressed a desire to come to Sacrament meeting, but wanted to learn more about it first. It was quite the shock when we were having tea with a couple in the ward later and they told us that one, she wasn't even in our area, and two, she was already a baptized member in the Wrexham ward! So much for that, huh? Sister Biggs and I both are so confused at why Tarja wouldn't just tell us she's already baptized. We plan to meet with her this next week to figure out what's going on, and then have a sort of "pass over" lesson with the Elders in the area since she's one of their returning members. We'll see how that goes... I can already see it now... "So um, Martha, tell us about the time you were, um, baptized?"
Anyway, Sister Biggs and I get along really well! I'm excited to work with her this transfer, it'll be a good one. We both just want to make friends and teach people, so we're going too put our best foot forward and go for it!
Also, we're sort of having an issue with the bathroom in our flat and we're not sure what to do... half of the floor is covered in black mold. It's unexposed, but it's just growing and getting bigger and bigger. We've made calls to the owners to try and help us get things taken care of and fixed, but they're kind of taking their own time with it. We're anxious to even try messing with it because we don't want to 'stir it up' and end up inhaling it and getting sick and dying. Fun situation to have come into.
This week a few verses from Romans have really been on my mind. Romans 8:31-39 to be exact.
(I would say to just go look it up, but I'm pasting them in because I'd rather you read them than be too lazy to open up your scriptures :) ha!)
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
"...we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." That is probably my favourite line in that whole set of verses. There is so much power in knowing that we have Divinity on our side, and that we will always come off as conquerors. Even then, we are more than conquerors! Just think about that. Oh boy we are so blessed!
Lots of love!
-Sister Sellick
