BridTASTIC!

Hey lads and lasses how art thine doing! It was another super decent week here in Brid. I saw a funky fresh blues band outside, spent the day in Harrogate, Scarborough and York, did some service for a fellow Beatles lover, and Rory came to church.

     

The start of this week was very go go go and I was shattered once we got back to Brid on Wednesday. Last P-Day, we spent the day at Fort Manwith Hill in Harrogate. It was ace being with the entire zone doing normal people stuff like bowling and playing basketball. On Tuesday, we had an exchange in Scarborough again, but this time I was in a trio. I was with Elder Black and Barff. I can see why, as missionaries, we do this work in twos, because it felt pretty awkward switching off with all three of us.. haha. Then on Wednesday we had interviews in York. It was already a pretty busy week right off the bat.

     

As you can see by the video of the guy rocking out on the saxophone, the weather is getting pretty nice here. As it's getting closer to summer, more and more tourists are making their way to Brid. I've stopped and talked to a lot of people that are from London and are on Holiday here and their accents are so much more posh than the people here in Yorkshire...haha!

     

On Friday, we were going by to teach a less active member and we saw a man struggling to take things out of his home for spring cleaning. We offered him some help and he let us into his flat. After he helped him he asked us, "So are you going to give me a sermon now?" We laughed and sat down in his room that was filled with Beatles and Liverpool football club posters. He's had a pretty rough life and we were doing our best to explain to him how much the church can help him in his life. We'll be seeing him again on Tuesday.

     

On Sunday, Rory came to church!! It's been a while since we've had an investigator come to church and it was so rewarding to see him enjoying sacrament meeting. We've got some other people that we're trying to get come to church in the future. But what if there is no future for me here in Brid? Transfer calls are this Sunday, my birthday, and we will see if I'm staying or going. I'm wondering if I'll go to a new zone, because I've been in the kingdom of York for about 10 months now. We'll see what happens. 

Next P-Day our branch mission leader is taking us to the Whitby Abbey. It's another resort town just north of Scarborough. I've heard British people going bonkers over it and telling me to go there since I entered the mission, so it should be pretty good! 

I hope that all y'all have a good one again. Cheers! P.S. Enjoy this video of Jamie Akroyd (the legend of the branch) jam out!

-Elder Holyoak 

Enjoying an American dinner in our flat

Opening some of my birthday packages from home.

Music on the street

Jamie Akroyd (legend of our branch)

Mummy's Day

Happy Mother's Day peeps! I already FaceTimed my family yesterday, but I'll give a little update still on what's going on this week. A lot of fun P-Day activities have been taking place, a massive less active reach out, Costco pizza, people at church and cows!

     

Hiyuh everyone, sorry for the rushed letter. I'm on my way to Harrogate today to see a big American Army base with the missionaries in the zone, so I don't have a whole lot of time. It should be fun, although I don't know a lot of what to expect other than we are getting a personal tour ourselves of the base. It's been another good week over here in Brid. It's crazy that I've been living here for almost 4 months! 

     

Like I was saying before, we had a big less active member reach out on Tuesday. During Priesthood on Sunday, we organized 4 of the members to meet with us to visit with 12 less active members. It was a huge success! We found most of them in and taught a lot of them. I went with Brother Horwell, who is a successful business man and is a super get it done go go go kind of guy. That was a really good start for the week.

     

One evening, us 4 beach bum missionaries, were just sitting in our flat and we got knock on the door. We were thinking that it was just going to be an annoying drunk person, but it was Brother McLean the Young Mens President. He told us that when he was in Leeds during the day, and Leeds has one of the only Costco's in the mission, he decided to buy us a pizza! We took a hilarious video of it too.(watch below)

     

The work is defiantly picking up lately. We'll be getting our Branch President's permission to schedule a baptism for the excommunication member that we've been teaching. It will most likely the next couple of weeks. There's been other less actives making there way back to church on Sundays. Also, we were knocking doors this week and we saw loads of cows haha! Anyways I gotta go hope y'all have a good one. Cheers!

-Elder Holyoak

My screenshot of FaceTiming with my Family

My family's selfie of us all FaceTiming.

Cows for Grandpa Sandberg

Bowling on P-Day

Pizza delivery

                                                               

Fun on the beach

May in Brid

Hello, hello again! Here's another update from the heart of the Yorkshire coast. Zone Conference happened again and of course and I got to see a lot of familiar faces, I saw some colorful suits, the Meat Man, a car boot sale and Dave from York again!

     

How's it going family and friends. On Tuesday, we made a trek over to Billingham to have some proper mint Zone training. As a mission, we're really focused on working with members better and more effectively. As President Turvey says in his British accent, "Missionaries and members work together in Harmony." We learned a lot of good stuff to apply to our area. I saw Elder Peña again too! It's always good to bump into him and catch up. Our neighbor in Brid was selling an acoustic guitar in his garden for £10, so I bought it and then brought it over to Peña, because he wants to learn guitar. He's serving by the coast too, but more north by Durham. 

     

Saturday night is, of course, the big party night here. Elder Mills saw two guys in colorful suits and he said, "Alright we need to talk to these guys." They weren't interested in the gospel, but we got a picture with them haha. Also, throughout the week we went by something called a "Car boot sale." Basically, all it is, is a big get together where people sell stuff out of the trunks of their cars. Or as the Brits call them, the boots of their cars. There was also a man bidding off meat called the Meat Man. We were hoping to be able to talk to some people over there, but it was a bit too crowded. 

     

My highlight of this week was definitely seeing Dave, the man that I baptized back in January. After Zone P-day last week, I decided to pop by Dave to visit him. He originally though that we were the Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on his door haha. He was really excited to see how I was doing and what Bridlington was like. He told me, "I've only missed one Sunday since you've been gone, because I was feeling poorly." The other missionaries serving in York right now, are helping him do his family history work, so he can go to the Preston Temple to do baptisms for some of his ancestors. Seeing him was a good reminder of why I'm out here on my mission and it increased my love and desire to serve the people over here in the England Leeds mission.

     

Not much else to update on. I'll be seeing the best mum in the world next week, I'm buzzing for that! Hope you kids have a good week, luv yuh cheers!

-Elder Holyoak 

Colorful fellas 

Elder Peña at Zone conference

My main man Dave

                                                           

The Meat Man - take a listen to him selling his wares 

April 2017 Update

Hey again people! Here's an update of what's been going on over here. We started teaching a new man, we saw a castle in Scarborough, and I went to another Stake a Conference in York.

     

This week was the Tour De Yorkshire. It was a pretty popular race going on in Bridlington, because that's where the race started. It was televised nationally too, so it really was a pretty big deal. I didn't get any pictures because one of the AP's and Zone leaders called us up and wanted to do a blitz. I went with Elder Buckoff one of the Zone leaders in the mission from Atlanta, Georgia and Elder Mills went with Elder Klingler one of the AP's. He's Mills' granddad in the mission (his trainer's trainer). It was a good good day.

     

We started teaching an older man that our Branch President told us to go by and see. His wife recently passed away a couple of months ago and she was a less active member. He isn't a member, but used to come down to the good old Mormon church over on Quay road here a while back. We met with him and he is really interested in coming back and taking the lessons again! We'll be seeing him again this Wednesday.

     

We spent the last weeks P-day in Scarborough. I didn't have time to send pictures of it, but I saw a castle!! Yes, my first castle to see in England! We went as a big group of missionaries to see the Scarborough castle. Also, I went on another exchange with Elder Barber, the park city bloke, and we went to a mint burger place called Mojos Munchies and they have hilariously named burgers. This P-Day, today,  we are going back to York for another Zone P-Day. We're going to a buffet while we are there. We also have another Zone Conference in Billingham again this Tuesday.  It feels like I was just barely taking a coach over there, but it'll be good. I'll make sure to sit behind Elder Peña to bug him during the meeting.

     

Stake Conference was this Sunday. We got a car ride from one of the YSA's in the branch and he drove us there Sunday morning. It was awesome to see some of the York 1 members again for a little and to hear from the Stake President and President Turvey. Remember that teenage girl that I was teaching with Elder Peña? She got baptized last Wednesday!! Freya was baptized by her boyfriend and it was so cool to see them again!

     

So yeah that was my week. Another one that's flown by. I'm excited to see what's in store for May! 

Peace out I'll talk to you next week, cheers!

-Elder Holyoak

Scarborough Castle with my Bro's

Scarborough Castle

                                                        

Baptisms

Whateth is up thine dudes. It was a smashing week over here in Brid. I learned some tae kwon do, spent a week with 2 new lads and JOE AND DAISY GOT BAPTIZED!!

     

On Tuesday of this week, we picked up Elder Black and Lewis at the train station. We had some hot, fresh and spicy curry and then hit the pavement for the week. It's been fun/stressful adjusting them into the area, but they've met most of the members and know their way around the area now. 

     

Elder Lewis has been out for 18 months and just came from serving in North Shields up in the Jordie land. He's a funny and awkward ginger, that is ready to work. Elder Black is on his last stretch in the mission (5 more weeks... shh don't tell him). He just came from Dewbury near Leeds. He's a good video game loving chap, that I've been jamming out with on the guitar at night. They're a good edition and breath of fresh air to the area, so it'll be a good transfer with them. 

     

One evening Elder Mills and I were walking past the chapel to use the bathroom and we came across one of the YSA of the branch, Jacob Maclean. We're both 19 years old, so it's always fun talking to him. He showed me how to do a little bit of self defense if someone is holding me against the wall. So yeah, that was a treat.

     

The baptism happened this week! We held it right after church on Sunday. Everything went as planned, well almost everything. The Branch President thought he had turned the boiler on to warm the water, but once they started getting in they realized it was freezing! Joe didn't all the way under the first time, because he was moving around from the cold. But the second attempt worked. Other than that hiccup, it was amazing to have the opportunity to help this family to be more united in the church and to see their 10 year old son and 8 year old daughter make such a good decision that will bless them throughout their lives. At the start of church, I could see that their whole family was stressed out and their kids were being naughty. But after the service, they were calm and smiling and their less active grandparent came too!!

     

I don't have much else to say other than we are still grinding and searching for the next person that we can help join and experience this amazing gospel in their lives. Oh, the Tour de Yorkshire is happening this Friday and I'll make sure to give one of the bikers a high five. 

Hope you all have a good day as always, cheerio cheers!

-Elder Holyoak

Joe and Daisies Baptism

                                                        

Jacob Maclean teaching me tae kwon do 

Happy Easteroony

Hey up my lovely fellow Americans! 

This week was transfer calls and... I'm staying in Bridlington with Elder Mills. But there's something different, they're adding 2 Elders back into the area. It's going to be to a 4 man flat again. This week we helped a member build a shed, I went on an exchange with an Elder from Tahiti, we had some Easter fun and a Super Hero is about to be baptized.

     

So yes, I'm staying here another 6 weeks. The new Elders are Black and Lewis. Elder Black is from Spanish Fork and Elder Lewis is from Draper (I've talked to him a couple of times and he's a good lad). Adding 2 Elders back in the area again will probably be good in the long run, with the transition of the branch becoming a ward in the next couple of months.

     

On Friday we met with Brother Needham, from the branch, who is a super cool coast guard/fire fighter who it a young RM that served in Scotland. We helped him build the foundation of his shed in his back garden. It was fun! We mixed the cement in an electric mixer and wheelbarrowed it over. It reminded me of when I was doing humanitarian work over in Fiji 3 years ago building an outhouse.

    

This week, I went on another exchange over in Scarborough. This time I spent the day with Elder Barf from Tahiti. It was nice going around the beautiful beach of Scarborough and learning random French words from Elder Barf. We tried visiting a less active member with the last name Hollyoak (one extra L than mine). He sadly wasn't in, but I'm hoping that one day on my mission, I'll make a random ancestor connection.

     

Easter was yesterday, of course. We've been passing out Easter pass along cards and sharing the church's Easter video with people when we've gotten the chance. Easter doesn't seem to be a very popular holiday over here. There are, of course, Cadbury Egg advertisements galore. Elder Mills and I were treated with the visitation of the Easter bunny. (Watch the video below.) We had a nice Easter service on Sunday, as well. It was cool seeing the other churches around town being so active on a Sunday too. Someone explained to me what the "C of E" stands for in the Church of England. They jokingly told me that it stands for "Christmas and Easter" the 2 days in the year that people go to church. Hahahah!

     

A Super Hero is getting baptized next Sunday! Josiah, the 10 year old boy that we've been teaching for a while, is for sure getting baptized this Sunday the 23rd. We helped him with some last minute things for the baptism a couple of days ago, including fitting him into his baptismal clothes. I asked him, "Could you try on your Super Hero suit for me?" And he came back into the room kicking in the air jumping around like a Super Hero, and yes it fit him!

     

I'm really glad that I'm staying in Brid for at least another 6 weeks. There is definitely a lot to be done here and many funny Branch members to talk to. Hope y'all have a dandy week. Ta!

-Elder Holyoak

"The grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." Mosiah 16:8

Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny found us.

                                             

Conversation opened. 1 read message.

2 weeks in one blog post

April 3, 2007

Hey again! This week as a missionary I experienced an Evangelical Preacher telling me there was no Apostasy, an American lover who showed off his guns to us, General Conference of course and we gave an entire family a chapel tour.

Not much has changed this week. Elder Mills and I are getting pretty close to knocking about every door in Bridlington. We just laugh at each other when we see someone that we've already talked to before... haha. So I'll start off with our experience of meeting a Lebanon man who is a devout Evangelical sort of Preacher. He let us in for some juice and kept telling us that we didn't need the Book of Mormon because we already have the Bible. He was a respectful man and he shared some really strange experiences with us. We gave up trying to teach him and before we left him he prayed for us in his way.

Another funny experience was a man that we met who was obsessed with Americans! He insisted that he show us his rifles and we got a quick picture with them. We bumped into him again later in the week and he photoshopped a super model next to us in the picture. Elder Mills and I were laughing about that for the rest of the day. We're going to do some service for that man in a couple of weeks.

This coming Sunday is, of course, Joe the now 10-year-old boy that we've been teaching's, baptism!! During P-day today, we've been organizing all of that jazz. The service will be right after church this week. There's been a lot of planning going into this and we're doing our best to make sure everything goes as planned. So.... it's exciting!

Another highlight this week was that we gave an entire family a chapel tour. The spirit was so strong during it. We haven't been able to get in contact with them for the past 5 days so we are really hoping to see them again.

General conference was good, as always. My favorite talks were the ones given by Elder Rasband and Yoon Hwan Chow of the 70. We watched Conference with the faithful members that came to the church to watch it instead of in their homes...haha. I hope that you all have a great week as always!! Cheerio!

-Elder Holyoak

American rifles in the UK

General Conference in the chapel

April 10, 2017

Hiyuh you alright! It's been another great week over here in Brid. As the summer is rolling in we met a couple of teenagers that wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon, we had an Easter reach out to every member in the area, a new pound coin has come and our Mission President is using hashtags!

The weather has been superb this week. Easter Break started this weekend, so the beaches were loaded with people. Elder Mills and I have been beating the heat by drinking this Gatorade kind of drink called Lucozade. The flowers and trees are blossoming like crazy as well.

As we were walking back to our flat one day we talked to an 18-year-old girl and her friend. We shared with her about how Joseph Smith's prayer was answered and she told us, "I wish that I could get answers to my prayers!" Then we explained to her that she could just by simply reading a bit of the Book of Mormon and praying about it. We are seeing her again this Wednesday and we're super excited.

On Tuesday, we had an Easter reach out. The Branch President made a hand out with an Easter message and had people share the new "Prince of Peach" video produced by the church. We got some help from the senior couple serving in York and Elder Peña and his new companion who previously served in Brid. Elder Peña and I were with the Branch President and we drove around in his car for a while. It was a really good experience just getting to know President Gregory better and to visit so many less active members all in one day.

With the planned baptism of Joe last Sunday, the family decided to move it back a couple of weeks. There were a number of reasons, but we are still visiting that little drummer boy and he'll get baptized on the 23rd of this month. Our mission President has been changing a lot of ways that we do missionary work lately and I'll let you know more about it next week. One thing that I've noticed is that he's been using hashtags in his weekly emails.... haha. He's such a great man and the entire mission looks up to him. His council has definitely been inspiring lately, especially for me and to help other missionaries.

Other than that, there isn't much else to update on. Transfer calls are on Easter this next Sunday. I'm thinking/hoping to stay a bit longer in Bridlington, we will see. I hope all y'all have a good Juan, Cheers!

-Elder Holyoak

Sunset at the pier

Spring time in Bridlington

Britain's Gatorade

New pound coin