Week 4 in England

More pictures of Elder Blaylock sleeping.  I hope he thinks these pictures are as funny as Jonah does.

I love these pictures of Jonah leading the music. I miss that smile and fun personality so much!

He said they took turns leading and he had no idea what he was doing.

I asked him about this picture and he said he was so hot!  Jonah is not one to complain about being hot so it must be pretty hot in the MTC. He said they are starting to put air conditioning in some parts of the MTC.

He added more pictures of them going into town.

He enjoys going to Chorley on his pdays.

He said it's a really small town and a little sketchy. 

They all bought Looney Toon pins.

We love when this face pops up on our screen.  He called us at 6 AM on Friday.

We had a nice long talk with him.  I ended up going in late to work because we were still talking to him.   He said he's worried about his French, but also realizes how far he has come.  They were only going to be speaking French this week so that will be a challenge. 

Wyatt was at FSY so he joined the call for a few minutes. Jonah said his mission objective in French for us. He sounded so good.  He is still doing great and enjoying everything.  He loves all the missionaries there. 

He loaded these pictures last Sunday. This is everyone going to France.

 These are the Elders going to his mission.

And all the Elders going to France.

Looks like they had fun taking a lot of pictures.

There is a new group of missionaries at the MTC that are there for two weeks before they go English speaking. Jonah loves meeting and getting to know everyone.

Elder Boouillon is from Pais.  Jonah loves him. 

Jonah catching a skittle in his mouth. I asked Jonah about it and he said, “I caught a skittle in my mouth and I looked really cool doing it with my hands on my hips.”

I think Jonah has been focusing on "forgetting himself and going to work."

Elder Loosli, Elder Zeedik and Elder Holker.

We talked to Jonah about some of the things he wished he had, so we sent him an Amazon package.  He sent me this picture this week when it arrived.  I've looked into sending him a package and it's so expensive so I think we will have to go the Amazon route.  I sent what he needed and I added some things I thought he might like too. He said he has been missing goldfish crackers, so I sent him some of those.  He loved the goldfish and the mints and thanked me for putting those in. 

Week 3 in England

I get so excited about Jonah calling every Friday that I don't sleep well.  I love talking to him and it's so exciting seeing his smiling face every week!

Jonah said he was just sitting there and Elder Zeedik sat behind him and then everyone just got behind him and this picture was born. 

I love seeing these pictures.

You can tell they have so much fun.

Here is Elder Zeedik and Elder Bright. 

Elder Bright is from Jamaica.  Jonah loves talking to him.  He just left for the field. 

Jonah said Elder Saaid is the nicest guy you will ever meet.  He is going English speaking so he was only in the MTC for two weeks. 

This is Elder Cowden, Jonah loves him. He said he has the most contagious laugh ever.

P-Day was on the 4th of July.

Jonah said the meal was amazing. 

Jonah loves the 4th of July so I'm glad he got to celebrate it there. 

Elder Catania is from Italy. He is there learning English. Jonah loves to talk to him and hear about Italy.

Jonah said he played soccer today.  He loves to play sports for exercise.  He said they usually play soccer and sometimes basketball or volleyball.

Jonah doesn't have a picture with Elder Bettrdige, but I guess he told his mom that he wanted blue light glasses and he asked her to send Jonah some too.

Sister Garlock and Sister Jensen went to LA with Jonah.  He said they realized that they were red, white and blue so they took a picture.

Elder Quintin L Cook came and talked to the England MTC today. Jonah said he was there on vacation and decided to come talk to them.  He went on his mission to England, so he loves it there. Jonah said he talked about how everyone in their family would be blessed because they are serving a mission.  They asked him how to find people. He said the most successful missionaries talk to everyone and don't hesitate to take them to church.  He said the Spirit will do the converting.  They sang a song with Sister Cook at the end. They sang her favorite song, Hark All Ye Nations.  He said she had them harmonize and it sounded great.  Jonah went thirty minutes early to get the front row. He said he felt the Spirit so strong and loved being that close to him.  When he was finished he stayed and shook everyone's hand. Jonah said it was amazing!

We have been waiting for over a month to find out if Keith got a job at Tesla.  He has had four interviews and the waiting has been brutal. The day Jonah left for England Jonah told us to make sure and let him know because Keith had what we thought was the last interview the next day.  He's been anxiously waiting to hear, we all have! We found out yesterday that he got it!  I immediately messaged Jonah, he was so excited.  Today he told us that he announced it to the MTC and they all celebrated, he said, "we basically had a rave." That's so sweet that they have all been praying for Keith.

We loved talking to Jonah today! Grandpa showed me an email Jonah sent him in response to his email.  It was so great.  He thanked grandpa for his advice said he uses it every day.  He asked about grandma and said he feels the Spirit so strong every time he thinks of her. I love that we can call and email and that he can stay so connected to all of us.   

Jonah has so many pictures of his companion sleeping.  He says they are making a book! 

At the end of his PDay Jonah sent out an email. It was so powerful and beautiful.  

The subject was: All good is of God

I know what you guys are thinking. 2 weeks in a row Elder Loosli? If you had told me a couple days ago that I would find so many answers to my prayers, and have one of the most spiritually filled days on my pday, I would have called you CRAZY. 

God is ALWAYS doing a thing.

Today we were surpised with the visit of Elder Quentin L Cook here at the England MTC. Thanks to our small quantity of missionaries here, we were able to be right up close with him. We were able to shake his hand! But most importantly, we were able to hear the words of living apostle. 

His words were so simple, yet so powerful. That is a testament of God and his plan for us. It is so simple yet powerful. Satan tends to attempt to create confusion in both our everyday lives, and when we are seeking answers for revelation. That couldn't be more wrong! After review with my district, it was clear that his words were depicted in so many ways, depending on our situation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will administer to any need, at any time that is needed for it. 

Elder Cook spent a majority of his message addressing the hastening work that is being administered. As a missionary, it is a privilege to do the Lord's work. This doesnt only apply to missionaries. As disciples of Christ, it is a privilege to not only experience the joy that comes in the gospel, but to have a knowledge of who we are to be both here on this earth, and in heaven. 

Elder Cook then gave an undeniable testimony, bearing witness of the truth and joy of our gospel. He promised that our families and everyone we love, including our future families, will be blessed in ways beyond imagination. 

As a missionary, I am so grateful for the blessings that all of you guys have given me, and all of the blessings that all of you will get as you continue to know that ALL good in our lives is of our loving Heavenly Father. I know that my family, loved ones, and especially myself, are already blessed by my work. We are taken care of. The spirit has testified to me of the gentleness and kindness of our God.

I testify that if you will seek to connect God and his son to ALL the good in your lives, you will find joy. You will be grateful. You will find the good in what seems to be rock bottom. You will have a newfound desire to serve God and grow your testimony. You will be grateful for all of these little miracles. You will FEEL God's love!

As you do this, you will also find answers to your deepest questions. You will want to share this with everyone! 

I'm so grateful for you all! Im so grateful for the words of the living apostle who spoke with us missionaries today. Im so grateful for all of the good in my life, and all of the ways God has chosen to bless me for my work. Find the good in everything! Be grateful!

Sorry for the absolute essay, but I wanted to share! I'll send an update on everything else soon!

Love, 

Elder Loosli

Week 2 in England

 Jonah sent an email this week titled Halfway through the MTC:

YOOOOOOOOOOO!!! What the FREAK is up email squad. Elder Loosli is here. 

Since I went in with the mindset of being a lazy emailer (I am), and so I've made the decision to send an email out 3 weeks in (which is now), and then at the end of the MTC which will be at the 6 weeks mark. Once I get out to the field, ABSOLUTELY no plan is set and no promises are made. I am excited to be emailing now though!

The England MTC is HYPE! Name another MTC where you can go into town and walk around on Pday? I didn't think so. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with a hype district. I feel like I've clicked with every one of them, and it's been refreshing to see that everyone is in the same boat as me when it comes to the nerves and the uncertainty going into the mish. Yeah we still do stupid stuff but we are learning and growing SO fast together. Since the MTC is so small, there is only like 60 of us here total. It's NUTS, and I already know everyone here so well. There are so many chillers. Our schedule is super super repetitive but it's filled with lots of good stuff. We have 6 hours of class time, a couple hours of study time, and more. Our MTC presidents are amazing and have been so good to us. Our teachers are also absolute gems. They all have British accents here and it's so fun to tease them. My companion is an absolute dog. His name is Elder Blaylock and he's from Texas. He is a great accountability buddy and is an absolute party, but has a weird thing for spilling stuff on his shirts. He's gone through like 5 white shirts. It's quite sad honestly. 

French is coming along so freaking well. We didn't start officially learning that until this week, but boy am I hyped. It is such a cool language. The stupid conjugations are making me crash out, and sometimes the way the language is structured makes me want to rage. If you are a French person or speak French and you are on this email, your verbs and ESPECIALLY your irregular verbs are the WORST. Don't even worry though, I'm gonna get it down quick. 

The food here is actually nuts. The British food has absolutely no flavor, but they serve a lot of American dishes. It's so good. I'm sad to say that I'm gaining pounds by the day. I have at least two cups of pineapple per meal which is crazy now that I'm typing it out. The beans on toast rumors are true. Some people here eat it on the daily and I just watch in awe. There have been a couple weird meals but overall I just grub and grub and grub. 

A random thing that happened is that I put all my trust and faith in an Elder here to give me a good haircut. It's a borderline haircut, and I'm actually a big fan. I think it looks quite amazing. Shoutout to my boy Elder Bettridge. 

The spirit felt here is so strong. We are right on the temple grounds for the Preston Temple, and it's so beautiful. As much as we can all goof around, we all know when to lock in, and to hear the words of leaders, and apostles who have spoken to us in devotionals. I have learned SO much here, and have been able to strengthen my testimony so much! I love Jesus Christ, I love my mission, and I love you guys! This is the right and only true church here on the earth. I testify that God is our loving Heavenly Father, who knows and loves us more than we can comprehend! I also testify that because of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice for us, we have a best friend, older brother, and advocate for LIFE! I love this gospel, and the joy that it brings me. 

You are ALL in my prayers every single day! I hope you guys are enjoying your summer and living it to the max! I'll talk to you guys soon!

Je vous aime tous! -Elder Loosli

We talked to Jonah at 6 AM our time on Friday.  I talked to him while I got ready for work.  Wyatt wanted to be woken up too, so it was me, Wyatt and Keith.  It's always so good to see his smiling face.

He had already been into town and posted these pictures. 

It's fun for him to explore Chorley.

He was asked to speak at one of the devotionals.  He said he talked about how God wants to work with us and He will work alongside us if we will allow Him.

He included a picture of his dinner with the two cups of pineapple.

I'm sure they are all exhausted being in classes all day.

Looks like a little nap time on the lawn.

This is Elder Pravnan.  Jonah told us about him.  He said he is a really cool guy.  There were only three members in his branch and his family disowned him for coming on a mission, so sad! He is learning English in the MTC.  He commented on my post about Jonah and said, "My best brother in MTC, and very perfect missionary."  

The MTC grounds look beautiful.  Jonah said the Claritin he bought is helping with his allergies.

Jonah said his companion falls asleep a lot in classes. There are so many pictures in Jonah's photos of him sleeping.

I love these pictures.

Sawyer and I have talked about how Jonah is probably the life of the party there.

He is so much fun to be around and it looks like he helps everyone have a good time.

Another one of Jonah and Elder Zeedik.

You can see eggs in this picture.

I looks like they have a good time.

Elder Loosli and Elder Zeedik ready for some exercise. 

Ha! I'm glad they have some fun in their classes.

I love seeing all the pictures he posts. My goal is to ask him about the pictures each week on our call and then write things down on here so I can print up a book for him when he gets home.