World Wide Teaching

Wow. This week flew by! I know I've said this before but, "the weeks feel like days, and the days feel like weeks." Time is a weird thing on a mission...

But oh how amazing this week was! :) I was looking back on my week yesterday and realizing just how many different people we taught in the last 7 days. On Tuesday we taught our friend from Angola Africa. Wednesday we taught L-- X--- M- from China, M--- from England, and visited a member family from Brazil and Ecuador. Thursday we taught E------ from the Philippines, and then I taught a lesson over the phone to someone from Romania. Friday we had a dinner appointment with a group of people from Denmark and Japan, and shared a spiritual thought with them. Then on Saturday we taught our good friend in Alberta Canada online at the visitors center, and gave a tour to someone from Chile. Sunday we had some of our investigators come to church! :) They are originally from Pakistan, Poland, and China. Then later in the day we heard all about J------'s baptism in Canada. We've been teaching her for a few months now over facebook and messenger, so it was a happy moment to hear all about her baptism. She is incredible, and will be an amazing missionary as well! Tonight we'll be visiting the S--------- family from Italy, and then teaching our investigator and her family from India.  

This is a typical week serving here in London, and I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity I have to experience so many cultures, and meet and share the gospel with so many people from all over the world. It's incredible! :) The gospel really is for everyone. I've come to understand that as I've seen it change peoples lives from all over this beautiful planet. We are ALL children of a loving Heavenly Father. Every single one of us! 

I just wanted to share a quick experience with you all. I mentioned that Sister Wai and I gave a tour to someone from Chile earlier. This young man just walked into the visitors center, and as we started talking both Sister Wai and I got the impression that he was either not a member, or very less active. As we gave him a tour he opened up about his life, and how he hadn't gone to church or prayed for the last 8 years. We showed him the video "Because He Lives" in the cinema room, and the Spirit was strong. This young man started to share what stood out to him in the video and as he did his voice cracked, and he started to cry. He told us how he had walked by the visitors center, and halfway down the street felt like he need to come back, and come inside. I don't remember exactly what Sister Wai and I said, but God knew what he needed to hear. A reminder of God's love for him, and the reality of a Saviour. Experiences like these are how I know there is a living, loving Heavenly Father above. He knows me, he knows you, and he knew this man. This knowledge gives me so much happiness every single day! :) 

Family and friends, you are great! I love you all so much, and it travels across the ocean. Have a fantastic week ok? 

Much Love, 

Sister Rebekah Croft

The crazy Camden Marketplace. This place is so interesting, and you can find absolutely anything there! So fun! :)

 At the pub. Don't worry, it was family friendly!

 Weekly planning!

1 Year Mark

...Can I just take a moment...

Oh dear. I can't believe that it's been a whole 1 year since I was first set apart as a full time missionary to represent the Saviour here in England, London. My mind hasn't even completely comprehended that fact yet... the time has absolutely flown by! What an adventure it's been so far though! :) A crazy, incredible, spiritual, beautiful, adventure. I honestly couldn't be more grateful for the people that I've met, and the experiences I've had in these last 12 months. They made me more of who I am today!

48 weeks. 4 areas. 6 companions. And more memories than I can count! :) I can't wait to see what the next 6 months hold for me here in London.

This week was good. :) Granted it did start out a bit rough because I got a nasty cold, and Sister Wai wasn't feeling very well either. We did a lot of finding recently because some of our most solid investigators have been to busy to see us. We weren't seeing much success at the beginning of the week, and by the middle we were really starting to get frustrated. In nightly planning one night we got to the point where we set goals for the next day, and the goal of new investigators we were going to find for that next day. We looked at each other and both said "3!" For our mission that's a lot of new finds for one day, but we had some serious faith that we could find those prepared people. The next day right after shift a man in our area came into the visitors center, and the other sisters gave him a tour. Afterwards we met with him, and we will be seeing him next week too! That left 2 more.

After this, we went to visit a less active member family in our area. We had never met them, but when we got there the mom opened the door and said we could come in. She told us to come and sit down in the kitchen, and as she was on the phone she called her son to come and talk to us. But... he wouldn't come into the room... He just popped his head around the door and talked to us from there. Then a few minutes later we heard his mother yell "R---, go and put some trousers on, and sit down and talk with them!" What?! Sister Wai and I were laughing so hard until he came back into the room so that we could teach him. It was a very weird, but also absolutely hilarious experience! He also became a new investigator, although the Elders will most likely start teaching him. Then on our way home another man stopped us on the street and we ended up talking with him for a good 45 minutes! The whole day was full of small miracles so that we could hit this goal, and find these people who are prepared to hear the gospel! The Lord is definitely in charge of this work.

On Tuesday we had a specialized training with President and Sister Stevens. We talked about a lot of things, including the culture in the England London Mission, and the power that the Book of Mormon has in teaching and finding. The training that stood out to me the most however, was one called "My Soul Was Filled With Love." It was all about the first vision of Joseph Smith and how we could gain a stronger testimony of it so that we could teach it more effectively. It was powerful, and I can say without a doubt that I DO know that this event actually happened. I know that that humble boy did see God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and this knowledge has taught me so much!

On Saturday we went on exchanges to London North Area, so I got to spend the day with none other then Sister Mussman! :) It was so fantastic to be with her again, and to laugh through the entire day while seeing so many miracles. We met so many amazing people while getting lost, and making our way towards appointments.. I learn so much from that girl, and couldn't be happier that she is my STL.

On Sunday we got to go to a Filipino party with all the Filipino members of the ward. Oh how I've missed those!

So there was my week in a nutshell. I hope that you all have an amazing week sweet family and friends! Love you all!

Love, Sister Croft

Weeping Angels in the Brompton cemetery!!! Dr Who references in London happen often. :)

Visitor's Centre staff photo

Greenie Deja Vu in Hyde Park 1

Hello friend and family! I hope that you all had a wonderful week. 

This whole week was a huge dose of deja vu for me! There were times these last few days that I felt like I'd never even left Hyde Park 1 area. It was absolutely bizarre to go to places that I haven't been since I first got here a year ago, and teach people that I did when I was a brand new missionary. One thing is for sure, I can teach a lot better now! So that's a relief. It's good to be back though, officially. :) I love these people! 

This email won't be the longest, because I don't have much time, but I'll just share some of the highlights. 

On Wednesday morning I moved all of my stuff to Hyde Park 1 area. The good news is that I only had to move rooms in our flat. Thank goodness! There are perks to having all the areas so close together in London! Then Sister Wai and I went onto shift at the visitors center where we had to control the crazy crowds of missionaries coming and going. Wow, there were a lot of new missionaries this time! After shift we taught our investigator M---. He is probably the happiest, nicest British person I have ever met. He's progressing in the gospel and is looking forward to his baptism coming up in early June. :) I love teaching him, because he just keeps saying how right it feels when he is coming to church, or reading the Book of Mormon. It's my favorite thing to hear about when others feel the Spirit! So cool. 

Another amazing lesson we had this week was with E------! This is where the major deja vu comes in. E------ is actually the very first person I ever taught when I arrived in London. But wait, it gets even better. E------ hadn't met with the missionaries for a very long time, and so we taught her the exact same lesson that I had almost one year ago to the day. It was CRAZY! This time however, instead of tripping over my words and casually extending a baptismal date because my trainer told me I had to, I could actually teach her the restoration of the gospel boldly, and invite her to be baptized without hesitation! I think Heavenly Father was trying to help me see the growth that I've made on my mission so far. Although, I still have a long way to go! 

In other exciting news, we have a new Senior couple here at the visitors center now! The Ashby's left a couple of weeks ago which was super sad... I love Elder & Sister Ashby SO much, so it was really hard to say goodbye... :( I am excited to get to know the Mullens though. They are from California, and seem like some of the sweetest people! Elder Mullen is actually a convert to the church because he went to a visitors center, so that was cool to hear! Also, Sister Von-Niederhausern arrived on Wednesday! Although, we all just call her Sister Von now. :) It's exciting to start to see new visitors center sisters coming. We haven't had any new sisters for a long while now.

It's also turning into Spring/Summer here! The last week has been beyond humid, and so sunny! :) It's a lot easier to talk to people about the gospel of Jesus Christ when it's sunny outside, because people are night and day happier. Vitamin D is real people! No, but really it's been absolutely beautiful here in London! I fall in love with this city daily. Today for P-Day we went for our weekly Dutch pancakes, then walked down Oxford street and through China Town, and then climbed to the top of Suffrages to see the view. It was a good day! 

I love you ALL! Have a wonderful week, and enjoy the sun and the reality of a loving Heavenly Father. 

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft

D&C 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." (my favorite scripture of the week) 

Saying goodbye to Brother and Sister Ashby.

(Photo credit for all these pictures goes to Brother Neeley who serves in the Visitor's Centre. I totally swiped them from the Neeley's blog.)

Baptisms, Birthdays and Bugs...oh my!

Happy Mums Day everyone!! :)

Technically it's not really Mothers Day here in the UK, but my heart goes out to all the incredible women that I know. Not to mention my amazing Mother, because she is one of the biggest lights of my entire life! She is my best friend, role model, and biggest supporter. I couldn't be luckier!

This week was absolutely nuts! So much happened, and I can't believe that it all happened within the last 7 days.. First things first. I'm being transferred once again! I'll be headed back to Hyde Park 1st ward (my greenie area), and be companions with Sister Wai (my favourite Asian) again! Didn't see that one coming... Wow! I'm excited to be going back, because I love the area and all the people, but I'm also heartbroken because I love the people here in Hyde Park 2. I'm just thankful that the Lord is in charge of this work, otherwise I would be a mess every single transfer. It's comforting to know that wherever I go, I'm needed there. For now, I'm needed back in Hyde Park 1st ward. :) More to come next week...

Earlier in the week we visited one of out recent converts C---- and her little daughter A----. They had had a long weekend full of sickness, and thought it was due to a horrible case of food poisoning.. Turns out it was actually the stomach bug, and Sister Griffeth came down with it the very next day. Poor girl! We spent a day in the flat where I had my own war against the "bugs". I poured myself a bowl of cheerios that morning, and had eaten almost half the bowl when I spotted a small, black ant on the tip of my spoon. I was horrified as I looked down at the bowl to see dozens of ants swimming in my cereal... So our week started with Sister Griffeth having a bug, and me EATING bugs... haha

We had a neat tour at the VC Thursday morning. It was a member from California who turned out to be someone who played Jesus in some early church movies. He also played John the Beloved in The Testaments! Also, Jen Blosil came into the visitors center this week too. I don't know her, but apparently she was in the top 24 of American Idol this last season? She was very nice!

It was also stake conference in the Hyde Park stake this week so we had some special visitors. Our stake president, President Stevens Phillips was called to be a member of the area of the Seventy, so the whole presidency was rearranged. Elder Dryden, and Elder Dyches spoke, and the entire conference was super inspirational, and spiritual. Sunday's are the best as a missionary!

Sunday was also C------'s baptism! :) We taught her a few times throughout the week, and then she passed her baptism interview with flying colours. At one of the lessons she turned to us and said "Sisters, do you think I am ready to make this step?" Yes C------! You are amazing! The actual service was completely in Spanish, and although I didn't understand a thing I could feel the sweet spirit throughout. After she was baptised Sister Griffeth and I ran back to the changing room so we were ready to hand her a towel after she came up out of the water. We found C------ coming through the door completely overwhelmed with emotion. There were tears streaming down her face, as she fell to the wet, tile floor and started to pray in Spanish. We put our arms around her, and just sat there for a good 5 minutes as she prayed, and wept. I've never experienced anything quite like that before. It was so right, so special, and so perfect. When we all came out to join the rest of the service my skirt was absolutely drenched! Sister Griffeth and I sang "I am a Child of God" in Spanish to end the baptismal service, and there was an undeniable and unforgettable feeling in that room. It's an experience I'll never ever forget!

I just want to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes, emails, and letters! I appreciate it more than you know, and love you all so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We had a wonderful day of finding in the rain yesterday to celebrate. And yes, we did find a new investigator. So hurray! :) Thanks again! You are all wonderful!

Much Love,

Sister Rebekah Croft

 Birthday celebrations!

--------------------------------------

We had our Mothers Day skype on Sunday. Because of Rebekah's crazy schedule with stake conference and C------'s baptism, and then our late church block here in Utah, we had a small window to fit in a skype call. Luckily it worked! Rebekah called us at 6:40 PM her time, 11:40 AM our time and we were able to chat for a little over an hour. (We were a bit late for our own Sacrament Meeting...but I wasn't about to cut her off!)

*We had her open her birthday package from us and we sang the Happy Birthday song to her. 
*We talked about her guesses about the upcoming transfers (which happened today) and she shared all sorts of details about stake conference and the baptism she had just come from. 
*We laughed about her lack of a British accent. (She had more of one in Canterbury when she was surrounded by solely British people, whereas London is more of a melting pot where she hears multiple accents daily.) 
*We talked a bit about what I needed to do to get college ready for her when she heads back to USU in January. 
*She asked a lot of questions of home in Kaysville specifically and America in general, and what we were all involved in. I wish I got a screen shot of her face palm when we mentioned briefly the presidential election that looks like it will be between Trump and Clinton. "How about we stick with Queen Elizabeth, " she said, "She's a classy lady!" 
*And then she shared a lot of information about where she lives and what it's like to travel around London. Rebekah said that they take the tube to the visitor's centre each morning right in the middle of rush hour. She says she often uses that time in the morning to get in more study time so she rides the tube packed in like sardines with Book of Mormon in hand, reading as she goes. :)  
*She says that there are 5 new visitor center sisters set to arrive sometime in the next few months and she figures she'll likely be training one at some point. 
*She talked about the difference between sharing the gospel and defending her beliefs, and just how much she LOVES being a missionary and the people that she serves. 

It was wonderful to talk to her....and when she said our family prayer, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. This was only our second, but last skype. The next time we talk to her will be at the airport. Which brings me to one final bit of news, she just found out her release date! She's coming home on November 30th! We'll be welcoming this girl home in about 6 1/2 months! 

We told her to step back a bit so we could see her whole body...Julianne specifically wanted to check out her cute skirt. ;) She also opened the window and put her iPad out so we could see the view of the Mews. (She was on an upper floor in the Hyde Park Chapel VC.) She also took us to the classroom next door to let us meet Sister Griffeth and Sister Wai.  

Bryan snuck this picture while we were saying our family prayer right before we said our goodbyes. Feels a little strange to have a picture of a prayer, and yet at the same time, it is kind of neat to see Rebekah with her eyes closed and arms folded...and then us in the little view box at the bottom doing the same.

Technology is such a blessing, isn't it?

"I am a Child of God..."

Wow. Another week has flown by! I swear time on a mission goes faster and faster each day.. Anyways, this week was swell. :) It was definitely a challenging week to say the least, but Sister Griffeth and I still smiled, and laughed through it. It's amazing how you can always see the Lords hand, and feel the enabling power of the atonement in those tougher moments. This last week was one of those. However, even though there were some very mean people who yelled at us, lots of cancellations, and sheer exhaustion, we also had many many incredible of flecks of gold! 

One of those flecks of gold was seeing the Child family in London!! They are my "adopted British family" here in England, and so it was wonderful to see them again! It made my entire P-Day. Oh, how I love them! They hold a special place in my heart.

Another fleck of gold that might seem small to many, but was huge to me happened on Monday. I learned that C-------- got baptised in China!! :) For those of you who don't know who in the world I'm talking about I'll do a quick recap. C-------- was someone I was teaching in Britannia that came over to London from China specifically to be baptised. She had been taught before about a year earlier, but could only be in England for a total of 5 days. She came. We retaught her everything in two very, very long cram lessons, and then she was interviewed by President Stevens. The end result was that although she was prepared to be baptised, President felt it was better if she went to her own ward in China 3 more times. The rest is history! I couldn't be happier for her! :) Also, I find it incredible that the gospel of Jesus Christ is breaking boundaries, and is finally reaching those prepared Chinese!  

Another sweet moment of this week happened as we taught C------. She's been doing really well, and she's keeping her commitments to a T. Last week when we taught her we asked her how she was doing with the word of wisdom, and she told us that she had some wine in the fridge from a party a while ago. We again testified of the importance of the word of wisdom, and the Spirit was strong! She stood up, opened up the fridge and said "Seesters, see this? Diablo! (devil in spanish), Diablo is bad, and it's going down the seeenk!" She literally had a wine called Diablo in her fridge, and she poured the entire contents of the bottle down the drain. haha She is the best! 

At the end of her lesson this week I felt like we needed to sing "I Am a Child of God" for some reason..? It's interesting how random the Spirit can be sometimes, and then again, not random at all. As we sang, and she read the words in Spanish she started to cry. Then the crying turned into sobbing, and we worried that we had done something wrong. We stopped, and she looked at us through tear filled eyes and said in her broken English "I know God sent you to me, you are my angels." I am a firm believer that we do in fact have a Father up above, and He knows us individually. He loves each and every one of us perfectly, and infinitely. If you are reading this, then you should know that too! Heavenly Father loves YOU!

The rest of the week was a blur of emotions. Good, terrible, wonderful, and hilarious. I love this work, and I know without a doubt that this is the Lords, work and that it is in His hands! Love you all! Thank you for all you do for me.

Much love, 

Sister Rebekah Croft

The Good Life

What a week! Can I just say how blessed I feel to be serving here in London. :)  I'm amazed daily at the dozens of different cultures surrounding me, the architecture, the history, and the delicious food of this wonderful city. Not to mention the real reason I'm here- for these incredible people I get to serve and the miracles I see around every corner! Awe, it's a good life.

This was a good week in the Hyde Park 2nd ward, and although the work was a bit slow at the beginning of the week, it sped up towards the end. We started out the week with an exchange to North London. I got to be with Sister Pan from Spain, and we had a lot of fun! It's always an adventure to be placed in a completely different area for 24 hours. We taught some incredible people and put one of their investigators on date for the beginning of May. She's excited to be baptised!

The highlight of Wednesday was seeing C------. She always insists on feeding us after we teach her, and tells us again and again if we need a hug she can be our Spanish mother here in London. She's honestly the best, and is very peaceful about her baptism coming up in early May. :)

Saturday we had some big miracles at the visitors center. We were online picking up chats, and phone calls from Mormon.org when I got a message from someone I have been teaching since the beginning of my mission. His message said that he and his twin brother were outside the Hyde Park Chapel and wondered if they could come in and have a tour. Umm YES! It was such a cool experience to finally meet him after teaching him the gospel online for so long. He and his brother had been meeting with missionaries in Colchester, but only recently stopped because they went back to Lithuania for a holiday. The whole time we were giving a tour the spirit was very powerful, as if to say "this is the right place for you." It was an amazing experience! Then, a few minutes later while we were still on shift a man from Turkey Sister Griffeth talked with on the tube the day before came into the visitors center. He also brought his friend along! We taught them for a good hour and a half. They had so many questions!

On Sunday we went to go and visit a less active member in the ward with the ward clerk, but he got stuck in traffic and the lady we were going to visit wasn't home. We decided to walk down a few blocks to a man who was baptised a little over a year ago, but no one has seen him in quite a while. We rang the flat quite a few times before we decided to walk away.. just before we turned the corner however, I looked up at the window and saw a man poking his head out the window. We asked if V---- was home and turns out he was! He came out and we went and sat on a bench across the street and talked for a good hour. He told us that because of his background he has had to be very careful of sharing his new beliefs with his flat mates as to not have it get back to his family in Romania before he has the chance to tell them. He told us that he knows he needs to come back to church though, and that he'll try and come this Sunday. The Lord sure works in mysterious ways! 

On Saturday we had a dinner appointment with one of the less active members in the ward- O----- and her baby! As we walked up the stairs to her place we heard lots and lots of kids running around. Sister Griffeth and I just looked at each other and smiled. She had invited her friend over for dinner too, and had actually already invited her to come to church! We got to teach her and her 3 kids. What a sweet miracle. :) O----- rocks at missionary work!!

Sorry if this email is a bit scattered, and makes no sense... we went to Camden Town (a crazy, but very fun market place in the center of London), and I had to write most of this email on the tube. Fun, fun. I hope that everyone is happy and healthy back home though! I love you all SO much! 

-Sister Rebekah Croft

"I believe in Christ, so come what may." 

This picture was sent to me on Facebook this morning by a member in London...who will actually be traveling to Utah next month and has plans to come visit us and bring us a little package from our sweet Rebekah. The packages Rebekah is holding apparently arrived today and are birthday gifts that my parents and I both sent from Amazon UK last week. She asked for hints as to what they contain...because I told her she had to wait two weeks till her birthday on May 9th. ;) Since we will be skyping with her the day before for Mothers Day, maybe we'll let her open them then and have a bit of a birthday party over the computer. 

God's the Perfect Builder

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful week and weekend wherever you may be in this great big world. :) My week was pretty good, although it wasn't nearly as exciting and miraculous as last week. As Elder Holland put it in General Conference "...we all have to come down from peak experiences to deal with the regular vicissitudes of life.." Don't get me wrong, it was still a fantastic week, but just not as great as last week and all the miracles we experienced.

Let me share some of the highlights. :)

First on Tuesday we had a really sweet experience with C------ and her family. We went over to teach about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then we went upstairs to watch the Restoration film in Espanol. C------'s son G---- watched the 20 minute video with us. I've never watched it in a different language before, but it was just as powerful! After it ended G--- turned to us and expressed how peaceful he felt while watching it. Prompted by the spirit we asked him if he had ever thought about being baptised, and even on the same day as his mother to which he replied "Yes, I actually have thought about it." Oh wow! I'm honestly so thankful for the prophet Joseph Smith and the restoration of Christ's original church. I'm amazed every day at the truth of this! 

Also this week we had interviews with President Stevens. I always look forward to these, so it was a great day! Just a quote that I want to share with you all: "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself." Sorry that was so long, but I just LOVE it! I've experienced this quite a bit on my mission, and it's taken a while to understand that Heavenly Father has far greater plans for me than I can even imagine. He does for all of us! :)

Another tender mercy this week is that Sister Griffeth and I got to teach Primary on Sunday. We got to teach all about when Alma and Amulek went to Ammonihah to preach repentance and the people tried to bribe them with money to deny the existence of God. (Alma 8) When this part of the story came up I turned to these kids and asked them if they would ever say there was no God if they were given money. They all looked at me confused and said things like "Never!", "Why would I do that, of course there is a God." I absolutely adore kids and how strong their faith is! 

Other than that the week was pretty normal. Normal for missionary work at least. The weather is getting sunnier, and so we did quite a bit of finding. We met a lot of cool people- one by the name of Bubbles! How cool is that?! 

I hope that everyone has a great week! Love you all!

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft

 Singing at St. Teresa's care home. SO CUTE!! :)

28 Miracles in 28 Hours

God is good to us! That's all I have to say. Oh my goodness, this week was incredible! Just fair warning... this email is ridiculously long. Prepare yourself.

At the very beginning of the week during weekly planning, Sister Griffeth and I determined that we would only have 2 full working days in our area this week. Between VC shifts, and various meetings we would have approximately 28 hours in our proselyting area (hence the title of this email). Needless to say, we were pretty stressed when we saw that. The good news is that it was also very humbling. We KNEW that the only way we were going to be able to do everything was with the Lords help. He sure helped us, and we saw so many miracles! Many, many more than 28. :)

So first I should mention that I had a visitor this week in London. The one and only Casey Lucas, who popped into the visitors centre on Tuesday. It was so good to see a familiar face from home! We were able to go out and eat some waffles/ ice cream, and then she came out finding with us. We talked with some really amazing people in that short 30 minutes of finding.

Also on Tuesday we saw C------ again. She's doing really well! We taught her the Plan of Salvation, and she had lots of questions. She's still very excited for her baptism coming up on the 7th of May. On the way home as we were coming off the tube we spotted a Jewish man who was struggling to pull 4 huge suitcases up a few flights of stairs at once. We stopped him and asked if he needed help to which he replied in his broken English that he would really appreciate it. On the way up we learned that he just got off the plane from Israel. This man was a genuine Jew- Sister Griffeth and I think he might have even been a Rabbi. We helped him all the way to the ticket stand, and bought his ticket for him. It's just more evidence to me that Heavenly Father really is aware of His children! :) I love being in the right spot at the right time to be an instrument in God's hands.

Wednesday as we were on shift one of our security guards observed a women who walked past the building three or four times looking inside, and then started to walk away. He told us, and we decided to run out (in the rain without coats by the way), and talk to her. We caught her at the Science Museum, and she said "Hello Sisters" as we ran up to her. She turned out to be a less active member from the Philippines who couldn't muster enough courage to come inside the visitors centre. She told us that she would be there on Sunday, and thanked us for running after her. Once again, God knows His children! 

Another miracle at the visitors centre happened on Thursday. It was pretty busy by the doors at the time, but I saw 4 teenage boys walk up the stairs towards the Christus, and then turn back and start to walk away. Prompted by the Spirit I excused myself from a conversation and went outside to invite them in. They turned around with smiles on their faces and said they would love to come in. These 4 boys were from Hertfordshire, and were just in London for the day. Coincidence? I think not. ;) We gave them a tour, and they were all so receptive to the spirit. After showing them the new Easter video in the cinema, and testifying of the Savior one of the boys responded "So, what's our next step if we want to learn more about this?" We showed them the baptismal font, and 3 of the 4 boys said that if they came to know the gospel was true they would be baptised!! They all left us with their information and now 2 of them are in contact with missionaries in their area as well. Amazing!

Friday we had Zone Training Meeting which is always a pump up for the week, but that also meant we didn't have any time in our area. The good news is that at the visitors centre we had tour after amazing tour. We sang hymns on the steps and one man stopped to listen for a good 20 minutes. One of the YSA members went and talked with him, and when we stopped singing he came in for a tour. He was there for a good 2 hours asking all sorts of questions, and then even played the organ for us while we sang. We'll be teaching him via Skype until he gets home from holiday to Scotland!

Also, a man from Florida came in and brought his non-member friend. They are both pilots and so they had the night here in London. At first the member didn't say much and let us show him around, and teach him more about the gospel. At the very end however, he bore one of the strongest testimonies of the restoration of the gospel I've ever heard. You've gotta love the members. :)

We went to visit a less active member named B------ on Saturday. She's a young single mother with a brand new baby. Sister Griffeth had been to see her a few times before, but she'd never really opened up to why she wasn't coming to church. Turned out that she forgot we were coming over, and so she had invited her friend over. This was the biggest miracle! C--------- was also a less active member of the church, and she and B------ had actually met at girls camp years and years before. We showed the new Easter video and asked them how they felt their relationship with Christ was to which B------ answered "well quite rubbish actually..." They both talked about how they had fallen out of habit of reading scriptures, and praying, and then both expressed the desire to come back! It was a huge miracle, and I know it was nothing that I did! God has been preparing his two daughters to come back to church for a long time now.

Last miracle I'll share was on Sunday. Sister Griffeth has been calling a woman named C---- for many weeks now. C---- is a member who moved here from Nicaragua about 4 months ago. We received her number, but never met her. On Sunday morning however, we received an out-of-the-blue phone call from her asking us what time church started! We didn't see her in Sacrament meeting and were pretty disappointed, but Elder Neeley was on shift at the time and told us of this family who walked in and told him that the 11 year old son wanted missionaries to teach him. They were in the YSA Sacrament meeting, so we decided to stay around the chapel to work until they got done. They ended up walking out right then! C---- told us that her husband is also not a member, and they're staying with their mother-in-law who is Buddhist and won't allow missionaries into her home. Swiss Cottage is where T-- and C------ live, and they were ecstatic to find out that this family lives so close!  They said they would be happy to have lessons in their homes. :)

I honestly stand all amazed at everything that happened this week. I couldn't feel more privileged to be part of this incredible work that the Lord so apparently leads. I love my Father in Heaven and I love the Saviour. I love you all as well! Thanks for all the prayers, and support. You are the best!

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft

Wise Words & Conference in General

Well, hello dear ones! Another week has passed here in England, and it's good to talk with you all again. :) This week went by in a blur of sun, hard work, wonderful spiritual experiences, and craziness with transfers.

C------'s lesson this week went really well. We planned to start teaching her about the plan of salvation and word of wisdom, but it turned out that we spent the whole time talking about the word of wisdom. During the lesson, she went to her cupboard to pull out some drinks and said, "Would Jesus say eet's ok?" in her strong Spanish accent. She also memorized the five things she's not allowed. We read the scripture in D&C 89:18-20 and she loved it! We did have to explain to her, though, that "health in the navel" does not mean that obeying the word of wisdom would result in her tummy magically flattening once she stopped drinking coffee. ;) Oh, how I love her. She's the best!

We also had a lesson with F---- this week- the man we met last week in "Little Venice." He was more interested in converting us to Buddhism instead of listening to our message about Christ though, so we aren't teaching him anymore.. Oh, F----.

We also had many, many miracles happen in the visitors center this week! I'm always amazed at how many non-members come through, and want to learn more. :) There was a less-active member from Italy who came in this week with her boyfriend. She speaks English really well, but he couldn't understand hardly anything. She said she decided to move to England after she became less-active because she wanted to get away from it all. Ever since moving here, she said she has spotted missionaries everywhere, and has felt the need to come into the chapel. She stayed for about 30 minutes as we showed them a couple of the General Conference talks we have in Italian and watched the Easter initiative. She said she really felt like God was telling her to go back to church and knew how to get her there despite her stubbornness. We got her contact information and sent it to the missionaries in her ward, then she came to general conference a few days later. She seems to be doing great!

Speaking of general conference.. wasn't it incredible!! :) I was super excited that this time I was able to attend all of the sessions, and really concentrate on all the talks. Last time I was on shift for most of the sessions... the Lords work still goes on. I just wanted to share some of my favourite talks and quotes really quickly.

*The Prophet's short but powerful testimony about agency and choices. "We need to choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong." I love and sustain that man as a living prophet of God! And my prayers go with Him.

*President Uchdorfs expert talk on obedience and the loving shepherd. "Obedience is the life blood of faith." Also his cheeky comment about the "celestial language." (My german district leader appreciated that one.)

*Elder Gongs talk about 6 ways that we can remember Jesus Christ in our day to day lives. "Jesus Christ knows everything we don't want people to know about us, and He still loves us."

*My area president Elder Kearon's powerful, and moving talk about the refugees. "The Saviour knows how it feels to be a refugee, he was one."

*Also, Elder Holland's bold testimony of relying on the Saviour in the not so stable tomorrow. "If we give our heart to God, and love the Lord, tomorrow can be magnificent." And the dinosaur picture was also a highlight. :)

I'm so thankful for these inspired men who lead and guide the church. I know that they are truly called by God, and that they receive revelation for the entire church in the crazy world that we live in.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! If you missed general conference, stop. Go watch it! It's amazing, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a missionary. ;)

Much love, Sister Rebekah Croft

A very Christ centered Easter and "Little Venice" miracles

Happy Easter everyone! Easter is honestly one of my favourite times of the year, but I've never experienced an Easter quite like the one I had this year. I did go on an annual Easter egg hunt thanks to Sister Hulet (the Visitors Centre director's wife), but other than that, this whole Easter season was completely Christ centered. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. :) Take away all the commercial blues, yellows, and pinks, the Easter eggs, and the chocolate bunnies, and you find the real reason we celebrate Easter. It's because we have a Saviour who lovingly took all of my mistakes, shortcomings, and pains upon himself. In Jesus Christ I really have found new life daily. The atonement is not only enabling, it is REAL. I've felt it, and I've felt my Saviours love for me again and again this Easter season! I love Him, and I'm beyond thankful for what he's done for not only me, but everyone in the entire world. That truly is amazing!

In other news- Transfers have come and went.

The word is in and I'll be staying in Hyde Park 2nd with Sister Griffeth! I'm super excited because I love these people to death, and Sister Griffeth and I have been seeing a ton of miracles together especially this last week. We are both ready to work hard next transfer, and find more of Heavenly Fathers "elect." Should be a good transfer! 

As for this week in general, it started out a bit weird.. with the bombings in Brussles everyone was paranoid for a few days and the security here in London skyrocketed! It's absolutely devastating to think of all the people who lost their lives or were injured in Belgium... :( My heart hurts for them! But, not to make this email super depressing because really this week was grand!

Just to mention a few of the incredible things that happened this week- on Thursday we stopped by a part member family who Sister Griffeth had taught before. The previous sisters dropped them in the past because neither the less active husband or the wife were progressing in the gospel, but we felt prompted to go by and share a short Easter message. Only C------ was there, so we talked with her for a long while and then asked if we could share a short spiritual thought. After the opening prayer, we both felt prompted to simply ask her about baptism. Umm what?! We followed the Spirits promptings though, and she completely opened up saying what her concerns were and what obstacles she felt were blocking her path towards baptism. Then after we talked through it, she opened up even more saying that in the past when the sisters mentioned baptism she didn't see the point because she's been baptised in another Christian church before. After they didn't come around for a while she started thinking more and more about it. She asked God what she should do and she got the answer that baptism was in His plan for her!! After the lesson T-- walked in and she was able to tell him. The spirit was undeniably strong and he started to tear up. It was so precious, and so special. I feel very blessed to be part of it.

Another miracle happened on Tuesday when we went to a place called Warwick Avenue a.k.a. Little Venice. When we came out of the tube station we went to the side of the road to pray and ask Heavenly Father to put someone prepared in our path as we were finding. We said "amen" and started walking down the road. Literally the first person we talked to was very interested in the gospel, and we had a step in lesson with him on the road for a good 45 minutes! He is from near Thailand, and he also wants to bring his Christian girlfriend to our first lesson this next week. It was amazing! :) Also in Little Venice another day a younger guy stopped US (that doesn't happen much in England). He said that he was very open to meeting, and learning more about Jesus Christ and His gospel! We referred him to the Britannia ward, but they should be meeting with him soon.

A cool experience I had in the VC this week was on Wednesday. The public affairs office is on the third floor of the Visitors Centre with the mission office. The Burke's are the senior couple who work there, and they told us that there would be a man from the Iraqi embassy coming while we were on shift. Elder Burke gave us a bit of notice because of how nervous he was to bring him in. Poor Sister Burke was very nervous! We were asked to give part of the tour and to keep it more informational than a spiritual. Talk about intimidating! This man was pretty high up in the ranks of the embassy! Everything went well though, and he turned out to be nice.

Well, there is my week in a few paragraphs. I'm always amazed at what I don't have time to write about.. but there you go. All in all it was a fantastic week, and I couldn't be happier! :) Hope that you all are safe, and had a special Easter weekend!

Love, Sister Rebekah Croft

I'll let you guess this one. "Here comes the son, do do do do. Here comes the son. And I say, it's alright."  Abbey Road!!!

 "Little Venice"

With C------! She's amazing! :)

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These two....  :) Seriously, they already look so much alike that sometimes in their pictures you'd swear they were twins. Here they have braided their hair together! 

This picture was for Brandon. He's a big Beatles fan so apparently Rebekah thought it would be fun to take a picture holding the Happy Birthday banner in the middle of Abbey Road. But it was too crowded with tourists to get any more pictures than just the one of the four of them walking across. So they took this picture on the sidewalk.

Also...

It’s been a bit of a strange week. The Brussels attacks hit a little too close to home for a couple of reasons. One of course, being that Belgium is directly across the channel from England….and London itself is obviously a big target for terrorists. Rebekah is literally smack in the middle of London…just a few blocks from both Buckingham Palace and the Parliament Buildings, etc. She takes the “tube” (the Metro or England’s version of the subway) nearly every day. 

But also there were 4 missionaries injured in the bombing at the Brussels airport, as you all probably know by now. And one of those missionaries, Elder Empey, is a friend of Rebekah’s. He and his family lived in our ward before they moved to St. George and we moved to Kaysville. Rebekah and Joe (or Dresden, as we called him back then) used to play together back when they were in elementary school. They are still in contact through instagram and Facebook. So when I first heard the reports about the missionaries being injured in the bombings, the news was of course very sobering and sad. But then I came across the names of the missionaries and my heart dropped to my toes when I realized that one of the elders was Dresden. I sent Rebekah a couple of emails through the week with updates on Dresden from his parents Facebook page, and of the other missionaries from the news. It’s been just really way too awful that within just a few weeks of each other I've had to send Rebekah such sad news about friends….first the death of Sadie Wells on her mission in Pennsylvania due to a car accident, and then Dresden’s horrible injuries from a terrorist bombing on his mission in Brussels. 

Rebekah had this to say in her personal email to me:

"London is dealing with the Brussles attack alright.. there is definitely a lot more security around especially in the tube stations, and the day it happened was really eerie…. :( Thank you so much for sending me the updates on Elder Empey! I actually did know quite a bit about it mostly because of facebook. There were a lot of things that I saw there, that I put two and two together. It's SO SAD though! The world is really messed up... signs of the times I suppose. The second coming is closer and closer everyday which is scary, and also happy news! But back to how people are acting, they are pretty paranoid. It kind of makes sense that London would be next so that freaks people out, but I don't want you to worry about me. I've honestly never felt safer than I do now. The Lord protects His missionaries! :) So I'll be just fine. Terrorist attack or not."