Northwich, Middlewich, Nantwich...CREWE!

Hello everyone! The secret is out!! My first area on the mission is....CREWE!!

So I live in crewe but my area covers middlewich, nantwich, northwich, whitchurch, and another town I forgot the name of but I could probably guess it has a "wich" in it haha So let me just give everyone a run down of my first 5 days in the field!!

So wednesday was transfer day, the day we enter the mission field, find out who our first companions are, and where in england we will be serving! So on transfer days all of the missionaries gather in a chapel that's somewhat in the middle of the mission so everyone has decently average travel times. When the greenies (new missionaries) get to this chapel we wait for President Preston and his wife to arrive and then we group together outside. I was SO nervous but excited too. There was an entrance and the doors were being held open and I could see a bunch of missionaries faces looking out at us haha But then President got there and we began to walk towards the doors in a single file line. And all of the sudden we could hear all of the missionaries singing "Called to |Serve" as they smailed and waved at us coming in. They lined the walls and formed this sort of tunnel that led to the chapel all the while singing loudly the hymn. It was incredibly the spirit we felt. At the end of the line it led into the chapel where the sisters and elders who would be our trainers were standing and we gave them each a hug (except for the elders, we shook their hands) haha And then everyone else filed in after us and took their seats. Then President made his announcements and began to call out who our trainers and companions would be! EEEK!!

*drum roll please*

My first companion and trainer is SISTER NELSON! She is from Long-Beach California and has been out since August so almost 8 months now. And she is amazing! She knows what she is doing and works so hard! And she is so nice and its so great!! well, there was no time for small talk and chit chat. We're missionaries now! So it's time to get to work!So our first area is crewe... umm how do we get there? So long to responsible adults who monitered my every move at the MTC and hello to sister nelson and I trying to catch a train with all of my bags and luggage for 18 months haha So we start going. And of course I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing so I just follow her haha But after we get off the train we start walking. For ever it feels like. Down little cobblestone streets passing buses and little homes, and little cars too I might add haha Werll it was a little chilly and of course it was raining. Nice warm welcome for me eh?

Embarrassing Story Time

So we get into town and we pause for a second to see where we are. We stopped right in front of the town's grocery store and it's got these big huge windows for the front of the store where you see everyone there standing in the lines. And what do I decide to do? Well, it was obviously the perfect time for a closer inspection for the street that I was walking on. so I did a face plant. Right there. In front of the store . I just felt flat on my face haha it was fabulous. So I just jumped up and grabbed my suitcases and started running off. That was just the first of three times I fell on my way to our flat.

But anyways, we got to our flat!! And it's flat number 37. Which is pretty significant for anyone who knows that that just so happens to be my favorite number since I was a kid. So it was a good sign, even if the falliing wasn't so great.. haha

Miracle Moments

Miracles happen on a daily basis in the life of a missionary. You just have to look for them.

So after we drop all of my luggage off at the flat we start to do some street contaccting. We head off in a direction towards a the home of a less-active member planning to call-by. We were looking at the map and coouldn't figure out where we were or which way was the best to go. This man was walking his dog and he noticed that we obviously were lost so he called out and asked if we needed help! so we crossed the little street and hve us the best directions to where we were heading. Which led to us explaining that we were'n't from Crewe and who we were and what we do as Missionaries for the Church of jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We taught him a few things right on the spot and asked him if he would be interested in learning more. he just looked at us all exccited and said "Now this, this right here is sign from God!" I just wanted to jump up give him a high five and exclaim "You bet it's a sign from God!" But I stayed dignified and calmly asked when we could meet him again and we exchanged numbers. But on the inside I was freaking out haha So his name is James and I can't wait to share with him everything I know about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it acn change his life!

Alright my computer just froze for the last 20 of my 30 minutes so I don't get to finish what I was going to say :( I will have to include it in next weeks email and hopefully I get a computer that's a little more reliable.

Anyways, I love you all and I love reading your emails!!

I can't wait to hear back from y'all next week and to share more of my experience :)

Lots of love from England,

Sister Reed