"¡Vuelvo a Londres!"

Brighton Beach!

I'm with you, conference was fantastic. We still haven't gotten to watch the last session, but hopefully we'll get time soon. I would watch it on the way to my new area, but there's not really any way to do that yet... I was really impressed by Quentin L. Cook's talk in Priesthood Session about focusing on the most important things, and ensuring that we are living our lives in the little ways that will bring the Spirit and accomplish the important things in our lives. It seemed to be a common theme throughout the entire conference that we need to stop messing around and realize what truly matters. It very obviously applies a ton here on my mission, and especially with the new things that I'm called to do.

Last picture of the Crawley Zone.

So, I am moving. President kind of told me about a week or so ago when Elder Palmer first came in. He and I sat down to talk about a few of the things that were a struggle in the District at the time, and at the end, he looked up at me and said, "Elder Green, I've spent a lot of time on my knees this morning praying about the moves calls, and I think that the Lord has something more in store for you." Then he looked at me for a moment really seriously and said, "But, that's all I'm going to say right now." And he started laughing, and I was like, "C'mon President! Hahahah, why do you do this to me?" But as we were walking out, he said, "I'll tell you this, you'll be using your language."

I was so stoked thinking I was off to Kennington, and going to get so fat on tons of South American food, and worrying about how I was going to keep in shape... But I pushed it out of my head so I could focus on the work here. And then, President called Saturday morning, and said, "Elder Green! I would like you to go to Clapham!" and I was like, "That's great! Are you sure...?" And in fact, his earlier hints were completely true as well. Though it is part of Wandsworth Stake, and Kennington isn't that far away, he mentioned that there are a number of Spanish-speakers in Clapham, and that they could really use a Spanish-speaking missionary to work there. So, my current goal is to establish a Clapham-Spanish branch there, and I'm using a lot of General Conference as fuel to push that into being. My companion is Elder Lika, and he's from Albania, which is cool.

So, this last week's been awfully eventful, as week fives usually are... We went to Brighton on Monday, which felt like coming home almost... I swear, it's like Venice Beach, but with actual history. It was kind of crazy at first, because we had like, a million missionaries together on the pier (the four of us, plus the Office Elders, plus the VC Sisters, plus the Brighton Sisters, plus the Brighton Elders, plus their ward mission leader), and I felt kind of uncomfortable. Plus, whenever I'm in a group of that many people trying to figure out what to do, it seems nothing gets done. So, the four of us slipped away... And it proved to be quite a miracle! We went and got delicious kebabs, and ate them outside this beautiful fountain, and then we wandered up towards the Royal Pavilion, and got a little lost... All of the sudden, this guy in his twenties walks up to us and says, "Hey, are you guys for Jesus Christ?" He really wanted to come to church, and was really excited to hear more about the Gospel. We passed him along to the Brighton Sisters, and I hope all goes well with him from there!

Our week in the area was crazy as well! We picked up four new baptismal dates between the four of us... Which is such a blessing, and something I can only attribute to the Lord. We already have David, who looks like Dad, but now we've also got a man named Garreth (who Elder Barney, Elder Blair and I met a while back), Aaron (who Elder Palmer and Elder Gunnell met while Elder Barney, Elder Nunnally and I were doing online work), and Ivo and Iwino, a father and son that I've been trying to get an appointment with since I got here. They all seem really devoted too. Aaron has had a number of really powerful spiritual experiences in his life, that have really reinforced his faith in God, and Ivo and Iwino are both just super faithful, and wanting to follow God with everything they've got! So, I'm really happy to leave this area in a good state.

Last but not least, Elder Nunnally Turned 21 this week!! Elder Barney and I arranged for Sister Goldthorpe in the ward to make a cake, and it looked amazing. I was thoroughly impressed. And it tasted fantastic, too. Normally I'm not a fan of fondant, but this actually tasted really nice. I'll include some pictures.

How great is this cake?

The Birthday Boy!

Making quick work of the delicious cake.

Love you guys!

- Elder Green