So you know you're in Europe when you spend $2.50 on a water bottle that is warm because there are no drinking fountains.
Whoa crazy week. The two major highlights were Julia's baptism and transfer calls. I have been so excited to tell you all my next area!!!!
So on Wednesday and Thursday I got to go down to Manchester to the YSA building for some meetings and activities. There are SO MANY Chinese people there. I did a little contacting in the Mandarin language, which was fun, and found out on Saturday that that is my next area. So tomorrow I will go down to Manchester to work with the young single adult ward. I imagine I will be there for six months and probably train the new Chinese missionaries coming in next transfer. Time to do some work with the student population I have dreamed of for the last six months of my life! But my next companion is from Coventry, England, and is Indian (Elder Anoop Sidew). He's not a Chinese speaker either. I met him down at the YSA building, he is really kind and really stylish. I am excited to work with him. I am not sure how everything will go without having a companion that speaks fluent Chinese, so I'll have to learn Mandarin fast!
So Elder Debenham goes home on Thursday, hopefully you get the chance to meet him. He has been an amazing example of hard work and obedience and I have loved my time with him. Usually new missionaries dislike their trainers by the end, but having two of them made it pretty easy to get along. Chorley was an amazing place to work in and a great transition into mission life.
My favorite experiences from Chorley were working with Lee and Julia. It's funny to me how none of you know these people and it's all I've had to think about for the last four weeks. Julia is going to have a roughish adjustment from her Catholic background to the church, but I think she developed humility and obedience long before we met her.
Lee has been so amazing to work with. His baptism is in two weeks and I hope I can come up for it. He told us he knows for a fact that he will go on a mission and he asked if he can come teaching with us soon. We had a fireside with all these converts sharing their stories and it finally hit me how amazing it is to see people's lives change through Christ. Lee has given up all these parts of his life simply because the Gospel makes sense to him and he is going against his parents and friends and everything else because he told us that God has a path for everyone, and they just need to take it. I really love this kid so much.
I think I am beginning to understand why a mission is so revered by those who have served one. It is the most difficult thing and the most rewarding thing. There is a special joy and feeling that only is experienced in ministering God's will to His children. It is this deep-rooted, solemn recognition of what life really is about. Sometimes I worry that my letters make it sound like I know what I'm doing, but the simple principle is that God works miracles through very small means and the weak things of the world.
I know with all my heart that Jesus Christ lives. We have a great responsibility to carry His message to everyone and steady those around us. To do so we must sanctify ourselves and develop the character of our Savior. How privileged we are to know Him and help others with the same.
I love you all and can't wait to see how Manchester hits me. It's like a medium if Salt Lake is mild and New York is hot sauce. So I'm a little freaked out, but the answer is always the same and it lies in Christ.
Mom, we teach like 20 lessons a week. That means a variety of things, though. That sounds so fun to go up to Idaho. Our lessons last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. I am stilll in 1 Nephi in the Book of Mormon hahaha. I ate a traditional pasty the other day, it was really good. You can buy them at lots of places. I don't really have any requests for my package... Pop tarts?
Not much more to say.
-Elder Webb
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