God comes first

Is it P-day again already?? Lucky me! I just wrote you all a few days ago, but because Sister Wai and Sister Lung are going home at the end of the transfer they wanted to go to "Wicked" together before they go home. So we have 2 P-day's this week, and no P-day's next week... kind of crazy!

Not too much has happened in the last few days. Sister Wai actually hasn't been feeling very well, and so we've taken it pretty easy.

One exciting thing that happened on Tuesday-Wednesday was going on exchanges with the STL's! It's always fun to go out of your area, and learn from the other sisters. :) This time I was with Sister Swann from Australia. She's absolutely hilarious, but also such a spiritual powerhouse. I love her! One of the biggest miracles that we saw together happened on Wednesday morning. We were walking out of the tube station and we bumped into someone that Sister Swann and I had actually found together back in March. When we originally met B-- on the street he had so many questions, and was sincerely interested in reading the Book of Mormon to see if he could find some answers to his questions. He had met with the sisters a few times, but then disappeared off the map for a long time. Wednesday morning was the first time Sister Swann had seen him in months, so it was a pretty big miracle! We talked for a really long time, and we were both able to bare testimony of how the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped us in our lives. By the end of the conversation he looked very thoughtful, and he just said "It's a pretty big coincidence that we ran into each other again on the only day you were in town after months." Or not a coincidence at all. If there is something that I've learned on my mission, it's that if Heavenly Father wants his children to learn about the gospel it will happen one way or another. :) He's very aware of each and every one of us! B-- said that he would come to church, so we'll see what happens next. 

I also learned that asking someone to explain how "Interstellar" ends is a very good finding question. We got a whole group of people in the tube talking about it, and then somehow transferred it into our purpose as missionaries! It was so hilarious, and Sister Swann and I were dying laughing by the end, but it also really worked and we invited a whole tube car full of people to church. 

While we were on exchange we also did "tim tam slams." haha Just to explain... in Australia they have these delicious chocolate covered biscuits. A tim tam slam is when you take the chocolate biscuit and use it as a straw for hot chocolate. Right before the whole biscuit dissolves into the drink you shove the whole thing into your mouth and it just melts in your mouth! It's pretty darn delicious if I do say so myself! ;) 

The last thing I wanted to talk about is this quote. It's something thats been on my mind the whole week. "Put God first, regardless of the trials you face." -Elder Aoyogi. This quote couldn't be more true. I've seen this time and time again in my own life, that when I put God and His will first everything turns out for the best! Believe it or not, our Heavenly Father really does want the best for us. He loves us more than anything we can comprehend, and He sees the full picture while we only see a few steps ahead. So this week remember to put Him first in everything! He always puts us first. 

Family and friends, I love you SO much!! Thanks for being incredible and constantly filling my life with more light. Have a wonderful week! I'll talk to you all in 10 days.

Much Love,

Sister Rebekah Croft  

I've been begging Rebekah for months to take a P-Day and go see the Tower Bridge. She kept telling me she'd get around to it eventually, but that on P-Days, sometimes naps were more important. ;) Apparently today while their companions were at "Wicked" these three went to see the Tower Bridge. I seriously did a little yelp of glee when I saw the pictures. Yes, living vicariously...what can I say? 

 The England London Mission all together for Elder Oaks' visit earlier this month.

When Rebekah sent this picture a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was so cute I shared it on the Missionary Momma's Facebook page. I don't post there very often, but I thought the other missionary moms would get a kick out of it. The administrator of the page saw it and asked if she could turn it into a meme. I told her she could. She then reposted the picture all memed up onto the Missionary Momma's page (with over 10,000 members). I sent it to Rebekah in an email, but apparently that wasn't the first time she'd heard about it. She responded with this:
"Oh my goodness yes!!! haha Kasper (her friend from London who came to visit us a few weeks ago) actually called us in the middle of the day on Wednesday and told us that one of his Danish friends had posted it, and thought we would like to know that we were made into a meme. We just didn't know the story behind it, so it's good to hear what actually happened. Apparently it's been going about though. You've made us into an internet sensation. ;) 

Cute cute picture though. Elder Neeley is very talented!"

Are you in the painting?

Hi sweet family and friends! I hope that you've all had a wonderful week, and that you are enjoying this beautiful summer. :) Also, I hope that everyone had a fantastic Fathers Day on Sunday! I just want to say thank you to all Dads out there! I love my Dad so much, and couldn't be more blessed to have him in my life. He is amazing! 

I've had a really good week here in the hustle and bustle of London. Now that it's really into the summer season there are SO many tourists here! The tourists are a bad thing for our area, because we end up stopping loads of tourists when we go finding.. it's a good thing for the VC though, because a ton more people come in and want to learn more! 

On Thursday we saw our investigator E------. She's the Filipino women we've been teaching for the past little while, and the very first person I ever taught on my mission! She's really progressing in the gospel, and every time we teach her the spirit is so obvious and strong! This week we taught her about keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, and she just wouldn't commit to come to church... :( She just kept saying "I'll try, yes I'll try sisters" but it wasn't until after both Sister Wai and I bore our testimonies about coming to church that she said "I will." It reminded me a lot of Sister Kearon's talk last week. "What if the Saviour said, I'll try?" There is a HUGE difference! 

I ate something new this week. Ox Tail. Yep, an Ox's tail! ... what?! It was quite tasty though! Santa (pronounced Saunta) made us a big Ugandan style feast on Friday night, and it was delicious! 

Also on Thursday President Stevens and Elder Hulet pulled me aside into the chapel to talk. They told me that after much prayer, they had received revelation that I needed to be a VC trainer. It's kind of like STL (sister training leader) for the visitors centre. Oh my goodness!! My first thoughts were of how unqualified and inadequate I would be to train and help these sisters in the visitors centre...I mean, I've never even trained before! But at the same time I'm excited to help in any way that I can, and love these sisters even more than I did before! :) I'm just beyond thankful that I have my Saviour to give me strength, and help me along the way. Sister Griffeth is the other VC trainer. It figures. She just can't get away from me! ;) haha I love that girl! 

Friday and Saturday morning we had training by Mark Lusvardi. Brother Lusvardi is the head director of all the Vistors Centers. He even helped write Preach My Gospel, and so it was incredible to be trained by him! He's an amazing teacher! One of the biggest things I learned was from a picture he talked about painted by Carl Bloch. In the middle of his training Friday morning he led us all to this picture hanging at the front of the visitors centre. It's behind the security desk, and so I've never given it much attention, although it's a beautiful picture. He gathered us all around this painting and then he started to ask us one by one who we were in the picture. Elder Hulet offered that he saw himself as the man on the wall watching Christ intently. Sister Lung said that she hoped that she would be the blind man touching the robes of Christ, and having the faith to be healed. He asked me as well, and I told him that I saw myself as the little girl peaking around the wall. Childlike, curious, and wanting to be close to the Saviour to feel his love. It was a powerful lesson to me of a few things. First, pictures can be used for a lot more than I thought they could. Woah! And second, every single person has an individual relationship with the Saviour. Everyone is different, but Christ has felt it all, and He knows us ALL perfectly! :) So who are you in the painting? Are you the man in the back, or the skeptical group in the left corner, or are you the blind man longing to be healed, or the mother with her eyes fixed on the Saviour? Who ever you are, the Lord knows you, and He loves you! 

Just a heads up, I'll have another P-Day this Saturday and then not another for 10 days. Sister Wai is going to "Wicked" before she goes home in 5 weeks and so we had to switch P-Days. So I'll talk to you all really soon! 

Love you all! Have a beautiful week in the sun. 

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft 

An Apostle Visits & Transfer Calls

Hello sweet family and friends! I hope that the last 7 days have treated you well. I hear that it's getting super warm in most places around the world. It's super humid here lately! Sheesh, I miss the dry heat of good ole Utah. Summer is treating Sister Wai and I well though. :) 

To start off this email, we had an APOSTLE come and visit!!! I feel so blessed to have heard Elder Holland last June, and Elder Oaks this June. They are both incredible men, clearly called of God to be witnesses of Him and His son. We all arrived early Tuesday morning to be seated in the Hyde Park Chapel. With the England London Mission, and South Mission combined there were about 400 missionaries at this conference, and Elder Oaks wanted to shake all of our hands when he arrived. Sister Wai and I were on the front row, so we were actually among the first missionaries to meet him. Can I just say that there is something very special about shaking an apostles hand. To look into an apostles eyes, and see the smile on his face as he shakes your hand and says your name. I know he truly is a special witness of Christ, and His restored church. I could feel it. I got to watch almost all 400 missionaries shake his hand, and I couldn't shake the feeling, nor would I want to, that that man is a true representative of the Lord. What a cool experience!  :) The first thing he said when he got up to speak is "Wow. I'm just an ordinary man, but I recognize that I have a mantle put upon me." He is so humble. Along with Elder Oaks, we also got to hear from Elder and Sister Kearon of the European Area Presidency. They are so passionate about this work, and so in tune with the spirit! I loved every single minute of the conference! It was incredible!

Some of my favorite thoughts:

President Stevens "Trials are evidence that the Lord sees you are prepared to grow more."

Sister Kearon "There is a huge difference between 'I'll try' and 'I will'. What if the Saviour said 'I'll try'..."

Elder Kearon "We thrive in opposition"

Sister Oaks "Share the truth, It's an act of love."

Elder Oaks "Candidacy for eternal life happens when we take the sacrament. When we take the name of Jesus Christ."

In other biggish news, this was a 5 week transfer and so we got move calls on Monday night! The results are I'll be staying in Hyde Park 1 with Sister Wai. Which means I'll at least be here for another two, because this is Sister Wai's last transfer. Sad day! 

On Thursday Sister Wai and I had a super cool experience! We gave a tour to a guy from Iowa named L---. He was super receptive to everything we talked about, and we could tell he was genuinely searching for the truth. We showed him around a bit, and he had some concerns about how Jesus Christ could actually help him in his life. We showed him Elder Oaks' talk from the past October general conference called "The Healer" and talked about how Jesus Christ is there to help us if we ask. By the end of the tour, he turned to us and said, "If I could say I've taken anything from this whole experience, it's that I've decided to give Jesus Christ a chance." That's all I could ever ask for in a given day. That I helped someone come closer to Christ! 

Our district leader called us for call-ins at the end of the night one day, and because we were late home he left us a voice message to the song "Nephi's Courage" from the primary song book. The next call-ins night, he was late and so we decided to sing him a song too. :) haha

The Lord commanded Elder Auras to have call-ins with us

But he won't pick up, and he's left us in the dust.

Sitting and waiting we have already tried,

But the phone's just ringing and he has not replied.

Elder Auras call us back!

It's time for call-ins now.

We want to be obedient,

But we can't if you don't.

Elder Auras call us back!

It is the Lord's command.

We know the Lord provides a way,

He wants you to obey.

That's about it for this week. Although there was so much more that happened! It would be impossible to write down everything... You are all amazing! I love you all, and I couldn't be more blessed to know you all. 

Have a wonderful week! Keep smiling! :) And read a talk by Elder Oaks. You won't regret it. That man is inspired.

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft 

Because Sister Lung and Sister Wai are leaving soon they asked Elder Neeley to come with us to Abbey Road/Studios and take pictures of us. haha. :) We had so much fun, and Elder Neeley is incredible!! Also, Sister Lung walked so fast across the road! I had to run after her to keep up.

 Lunch with some of the Filipino ladies in our ward. Love em!!  :)

The Chinese couple I was talking about last week. They are going back to China now, but they will be traveling to Hong Kong to get baptised!! :) They are the absolute sweetest, and so prepared. I'll always remember them walking through the doors of the VC. "My wife and I want to be Mormon as soon as possible. We want to be baptismed."

"Built Upon the Rock of our Redeemer"

Hia family and friends! :) I just wanted to give a big shout out to my 2 incredible sisters. One, Julianne graduated High School on Friday! Congrats sister!! You are a genius. Second, Lilian is officially 9 years old! Happy Birthday little sis!! Side note: She was 7 when I left.. craziness. I couldn't be more blessed to have these two girls as my little sisters. They are absolutely incredible! Love you both!

This was a really wonderful week here in the big city of London! I can't even remember half of the things that happened, but I'll share a few that I remember.

Last Monday Sister Wai and I had an incredible experience at the very end of our night. As we were walking down the road to our flat we saw a women coming down the road the opposite way. We didn't pay much attention, because we were already late coming home, but as she got closer we both had the impression that we needed to stop her. As we did we saw that her eyes were red from crying, and she was visibly shaking. She looked shocked that we had stopped her and then she asked us between tears if she could tell us what had happened that night even though "we were just strangers." She sobbed and sobbed right there on the street as she told us about her night. At the end of the story I asked her if I could give her a hug, and she thankfully hugged me for a good couple of minutes. Poor girl! As she stepped back she saw my name badge and she said "Oh! Jesus Christ! Thank you so much." Turns out that she had been praying as she was walking down the street, and that we were the answer to her prayer. We were able to help her calm down enough to get home, and then we gave her a Book of Mormon which she took gratefully. Wow. What a humbling experience! We are still in touch with her, and she wants to learn more about the message we have to share. :) I am amazed at how aware Heavenly Father is of every single one of his children. He loves us ALL!

 A small miracle of Tuesday was when a random number called in the early morning while Sister Wai was sleeping (she wasn't feeling well.. poor girl). I answers the phone and Gerald was on he other end. He said "Sisters, sisters, I would like to meet with you as soon as possible. I've been reading the Book of Mormon and I know it's true!" Umm, yes we would love to meet with you! :) haha We meet with him the next day at the visitors centre- this crazy old man originally from Trinidad. Oh my goodness but he was so sweet! Turns out that he is actually a less active member of the church, but hey we found one of the lost sheep!

Friday was a really busy day at the visitors center! We were giving a tour to a recent convert, and investigator from Canterbury, while in the middle of the tour a group of 3 Chinese came in. I went to go talk with them and one of them told me that he had lived with Mormons a few years earlier in California. He was so impressed with the example that they gave, and the happiness that they had. He told me that him, his wife, and friend all wanted to join the church as soon as possible, and learn everything that they could! they would only be in the country for 2 weeks and then they would be going back to China.. Woah. "Ni hao ma! Wo shi Ke jie mei" That's about all I know in Mandarin. Maybe it's just because I have a Mandarin speaking companion, but we keep meeting the most prepared Chinese people! :) We gave them a tour of the entire place, and when Sister Lung (from Hong Kong) got to the chapel, she and Sister Wai went and had a lesson upstairs. They've had two more lessons since then to help them prepare for baptism!

Something I've been thinking a lot about recently is my testimony. I read something in studies the other day that said "you can't visually tell the difference between a strand of cobweb and a strand of powerful cable- until stress in put on the strand." Our testimonies are kind of like this. Until we have opposition, and challenges we won't be able to see how strong our testimonies are, and we won't be able to strengthen them! We need to have a strong testimony "built upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, ...that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, ...and his mighty strong shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you..." I know this is true! :) And I love my Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ!!

Have a swell week all! I love you loads! :) Oh, and enjoy the SUMMER!

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft

 The S-------- family from Italy! Caio!

 The Hyde Park Zone as of June 2016. :) Portuguese, Spanish, Ukranians, British, Chinese and American. These people are wonderful!

 Sister Wai on the way back to the chapel. I love the Mews here!