Haggis Neeps Tatties

So this last week has been pretty uneventful. I would tell you about how many steps I took this week but I am afraid you would fall asleep from exhaustion by me telling you. It has been a good week though.

I was able to go on exchanges with my old Zone leader and talk to him about a lot of stuff. Elder Beckstrand is a beast I am happy I was able to learn from him, he has taught me a ton.

Saturday night the ward celebrated something that they call burns night. It is where they read poetry, eat Haggis (sheep stomach) Neeps (Turnips) and Tatties (potatoes). It was really fun because we were able to see traditional scottish dancing. 

My mom is probably going to kill me for not saying much but I want to leave this one with my testimony. I have been studying really hard and working really hard. I have been receiving answers to prayers lately. Revelation is something huge on the mission and you need to be guided by it. Sometimes it is hard to understand if you are receiving revelation or if it is just you. It is a question I have dealt with most of my life. As I have been out here I have been able to find out how the Holy Spirit talk to me. It is something that everyone is entitled to. Missionaries are not the only ones that have the opportunity to receive answers to prayers. Everyone can have an experience where God communicates back to them. This testimony has really been strengthened these past couple weeks because it is the most I have ever prayed. I need Gods strength while out here. 

I love my mission. It is the best thing I have ever done. I would not trade this for the world. I am grateful for my companion. I am just happy to be here. Love you all. Keep it real.

Elder Thayne

This was at the Burns Night.

The guy wearing a blue kilt is an olymic gold medalist for the 400 yard sprint. 

haha he is super cool.

Council, Cakes and Coughs‏

So we had a zone interview training and we were able to see the new mission plan for 2016. It looks super good. I am excited to be part of it. We will also be having a world wide Missionary broadcast (missionaries ONLY) pretty serious stuff. Probably just telling us that the second coming is going to come in a couple weeks. 

While we were at the training Elder Powell and I gave instruction on how to teach people not lessons. It turned out pretty good. I am glad the spirit helped us out with it because I was pretty nervous. We started out talking about one of Boyd K Packers Analogies he used when he was a mission president. He was in a zone conference with a beautiful cake and he asked some elders if they wanted some. They readily accepted his offer. President Packer went up to the cake, grabbed a big piece with his bare hands and dropped into the elders hand. He then taught how we might have the greatest message ever but if we don't present it in a good way people won't be interested and they will lose their appetite. Elder Packer is a master teacher so we didn't come close to how well he explained it, but we did our best and I hope someone got something out of it.

It was kind of a hard week. Elder Powell and I have been pretty sick and we have been coughing like it is nobodies business. We had 3 people with a baptismal date drop us so we are pretty low. We can see that the adversary is trying to stop us from this work because it is the most important thing ever. He is so mad when he see's us get out of bed on time and it's just a pain him to see us keep trying. The more we keep trying the more worried he gets. He knows that sooner or later we will be able to help more people. So I am not the one worried when things aren't going my way because I know soon enough blessing will get poured out on us for our diligence. Satan should be the one who is worried because the blessings will be coming soon :]

I spoke in sacrament on sunday about how we feel the spirit. It was fun to be able to go through my journal and see some of the stories of when I have had the spirit tell me something. I would Highly encourage everyone to write down their experience every time they receive revelation. From my journal I can see how I have seen how I feel the spirit. It is the coolest thing ever to see. 

I hope you all know I love you. I have loved this mission. I have loved the good times and I love the lessons from the bad times. I hope that we can all see the hope that comes from this gospel. I will see yous later :] 

Elder Thayne

Me, Peter Martini Yates, Elder Powell. Peter is a guy who runs a charity shop (thrift shop) and he loves missionaries. He is a good guy.

I found the Dunfermline Abbey and it was around during the same time as Robert the Bruce. I will try to get daytime pictures of it. :]

Found an Elder Place

 This is the street right outside my flat.

Not Bored, Just Tired

I am so tired. it is crazy. I have never been so tired. We get light around 10 and the we lose it at 4. it is crazy. we are just in a rut right now. we have nothing to do

Psych basically the opposite is happening right now. The District is growing so much. We are seeing miracles happening. 2 weeks ago as a Zone we had no one with a date now we have 18. people are coming up out of the wood works right now so we are hoping we can take advantage of God's miracles that he is sending us and work hard. 

I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Reeder who is from Johannesburg. He a great missionary when it comes to finding because he is so relaxed people just stop for some reason and talk to him. He has been able to teach me a ton about how every missionary is different and how that is such a great thing about the missionary program. It doesn't turn you into a Robot it helps you develop your personality. Out on the mission you need to be yourself. You should't ever try to base your missionary work off of someone else or you will just become a cheap imitation of someones shadow. When you use the gospel of Jesus Christ it refines you and turns you into the best missionary you can be. You feel so much happier as you become more and more yourself. And when you find out who you are you will be shocked at how much you love yourself. It is the second greatest commandment to love others as you love yourself, so you need to love yourself. Man the more I think about it the more I love it. Lets all be ourselves.

Sorry wee lad's and lassies I don't have much to share with you this week, but I am sure you will be hearing about miracles next week. Hey I will tell you what, I will show you how people here talk.

Scottish......................................English

Ge' on wi' yet...................Get on with it.

Fit ba.......................................Foot ball.

Waya fre.....................where are you from.

Denny Ken, Paul..................I don't know, Pal.

Hope you enjoy. Well I love you all. Keep it real.

Elder Thayne

Us Just Being Weird, Sorry for the Lame Pictures

This is my church here in Dunfermline.  It is pretty nice. ;)

What To Do With the Time I Have

This new year I want to be the best year of my life. I am going to jump in nose first :] but let me tell you what has happened the last 2 or so weeks.

First off Kaitlyn got Baptized. It was an amazing experience. I will let you hear it in her own words though.

Sorry I don't have much to say about what we did over the Holidays. This is what we did. We sang carols, visited tons of people, and shared the christmas message with as many people as we could. I love Christmas. This Christmas I really focused on the savior. this is the coolest message we can share with people. I love my savior and I know he lives to bring hope and love into the world. Over all it was just a great Christmas :]

Man this is hard trying to remember what has happened over the passed 3 weeks. So after Kaitlyn we officially had no one to teach so we just hit the pavement. Cool things are happening though. We have found several sweet people to teach including a family from south Africa! Elder Powell and I got done with church and he had the feeling we needed to travel pretty far to see an investigator we lost contact with. The Investigator wasn't there so we decided to chap out there. We both felt good about this one street so we were going down the row. We needed to get back soon because I had to prepare for District meeting, but then we chapped into this family. They let us in and we gave them the first discussion. The spirit was so strong I started to cry. The first time I have cried in a lesson on my mission. The Mother, from Scotland, and Father, from South Africa, Both said that they would be baptized when they found it was true.

I just want you all to know that this mission is being led by an inspired President. God has chosen President Donaldson to lead this mission to be a baptizing mission like somewhere in south america. haha I know you are probably laughing at me now but I am telling you it will happen and everyone will wish they could go to this mission :] I am so excited. I am just happy to be part of it.

Elder Thayne

New Year's Day with the MacDonald's and Grants from the 

Dunfermline Ward, playing Ticket to Ride.

Christmas fun

Looks like Breakfast Burritos?

My Conversion Story 

by Kaitlyn

The story of how I was converted is a long, yet short one. It took less than four weeks for me to convert. I was never religious, I never believed in God. I believed in science; I believed that science explained everything, science proved everything and if there was no scientific answer/explanation then it wasn't real. Very quickly my mind changed. I always understood that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and I never judged that, I just didn't care for the beliefs of others. 

I never considered becoming religious, being completely honest I never gave religion a thought at all. Then one day, two missionaries were going door to door and thankfully for me, they came and knocked on my door. My younger brother, Aarron, answered the door to them. He felt awkward talking to the elders and walked away laughing, leaving the front door open. To this day I have only one explanation for what happened next. I went to the front door and started talking with the two missionaries, elder Powell and elder Reeder. I believe that, despite my knowledge or lack of, God intended for me to speak to the elders which opened my mind to the thought of God. I will admit that after speaking with them I was intrigued and agreed for them to come back the next day. That night I didn't give much thought to what the elders said I just assumed that they would come back and try to preach their beliefs to me in a cliche way.

The next day, when the missionaries came back, I had been called to work; although I'm sure they thought I was trying to get rid of them. Later that night, elder Powell came back with a different companion, elder Thayne. My goal for them coming back was to question and contradict everything they said but it didn't go to plan. I was told of the plan of Salvation. Elder Thayne told me the story of the prophet Joseph Smith. While listening to this story, I was completely engrossed in every word; I barely blinked, it was like I thought that if I blinked I would miss a part of the story. I felt so warm, calm and peaceful when I heard this. These words don't do justice to how amazing it was to feel the spirit. It was truely one of the best feelings and times of my life. 

 The next time elder Powell came back, he brought a different companion for the day, elder Beckstrand. I'm not quite sure how this happened, but we got onto the subject of marriage. I shared my thoughts on marriage and children, as did elder Beckstrand. I never admitted this to the elders, but after hearing elder Beckstrand's views on marriage i decided to keep the law of chastity which is difficult when you work in a nightclub. I kept this law even before I decided to be baptised. I kept this law even thoug, I lost a close friend because of it and I have seen so many blessings because of it. Towards the end of the lesson, elder Beckstrand challenged me to stop smoking, and I accepted. Since then I have not smoked since. 

I continued to meet with elder Powell and his companion elder Thayne. The elders taught me about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I did not, at this point, think I would be converted......but the more I met with the elders, the more I began to believe in God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I began reading the Book of Mormon and praying, alot. Through prayer I found answers to the gospel, as well as beginning to see bad things in my life with a fresh pair of eyes and I started seeing the positive out of every situation and learning from mistakes. 

I took a leap and attended church for the first time, despite being terrified. I thought I would burst into flames entering the church because of all of the sins I had committed or that everyone would hate me because I was a bad person and had done pretty much everything Mormon's are against. There were a few moments I wanted to cancel, but I didn't. I went to church and surprisingly it was great. Everyone was really nice and friendly, the church is so laid back and everyone is there to worship God and not judge anyone else. 

The more I learned, the more questions I had, so I prayed for answers and I got them. I made the decision to be baptised. I continued to meet with the elderes and learn about God. I started living the word of wisdom and the commandments. 

Keeping these laws and changing my entire lifestyle was challenging. It was truely difficult, but it also happened to be the best decision I ever made. It was most challenging when I was tempted because of the situations I was in at work. But I "stuck to my guns" and prayed. When this happened, I knew I had faith in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father because in the past if I was tempted I would use the excuse that I had already done it and may as well give in. But this time I didn't, and when I didn't I knew something had changed in my life. The more I learned and prayed, the stronger my faith got. 

After attending church only three times and having only been learning with the elders for three weeks and two days, I was baptised. I never imagined that happening, but I couldn't deny that I believed. I had complete love, trust and faith in Christ and God. I noticed the changes in my life; I was happier, more calm, less rude and violent, more polite, more confident and over all just more positive. I stopped the things I always knew were wrong and removed myself from all the things that were dangerous and stupid and  removed people from my life who couldn't accept that.

Before being baptized there is a process to go through, it sounds scary and intimidating but all of the elders are harmless. I met a spanish elder, elder Salinas who conducted my baptismal interview. I thought because it was an interview, and you would be asked about all you have learned it would be kind of daunting but again, all of the elders are super nice. Elder Salinas and I got through the interview easily and even exchanged stories about working in nigtclubs. Elder Salinas and his companion were extremely nice and I'm greatful that he was the one to interview me and allow me to pass because being baptized was definately the best thing that has ever and probably will ever happen to me.

I am forever greatful for Elder Powell, Elder Thayne, Elder Salinas and Elder Beckstrand; they are amazing teachers and even more amazing people. Finding the church is not something I thought would happen to me, but words can't describe how glad I am that I did. It really is the greatest gift and I feel so lucky to have faith and love in our Savior and Heavenly Father; and I know they love all of us so much more than we can comprehend. 

Brother I will follow you‏

So a ton of stuff has happened this week haha... where do I start? We have been teaching Kaitlyn a ton and she is so ready. We give her things to read and she zooms through them. She is ordering Some books about Gordon B Hinckley. She is watching all of these church videos. She takes notes better than anyone else I know. The insights that she has are incredible. I am so blessed to have been able to find her and work with her. She is living the 13th article of faith. She has given up everything bad and is constantly seeking for everything good and virtuous. During one of the lessons Elder Powell asked her, "Why are you giving up all of this?" She said, "I want to have the spirit with me. I want to be Baptized. Even if I can only feel the spirit occasionally it is so much better than smoking, drinking, tattoos or anything else." She has been bearing her testimony to us and it has been powerful to see how much she has grown. She is going to be baptized on the 19th.

On the other hand though, Daniel Paterson has been dodging our calls. One time we caught him in he answered the phone and we asked if we could come over. He said he didn't want to waste our time then he hung up. We were so shocked. He loves us coming over and he always asks us to come back. We don't know what is going on but I hope he can feel our love for him. I hope he is doing ok. We pray for him every night, hopefully the Lord will touch his heart.

We were able to have an all Ireland conference. President Kieron, the president of the church in this part of the world was doing a training for us. He was so amazing and powerfull. He talked about giving it our all and to stop worrying so much. He told us that when we worry so much we won't get very much done. I needed this so much because I worry about everything. There is a Winston Churchill Quote that says, "Lets turn our advance worrying into advance thinking and planning." I am really going to start taking that council to heart. I felt like this conference was for me.

So I just want you all to know that my big Brother, Mitchell Ryan Thayne (slick mint), is home. He has been an amazing missionary down in the Cape town South Africa Mission. He is remembered down there for his love for everyone that he comes in contact with. I hope I can follow my brother and serve the Lord with the same diligence that he has. He has been an amazing example to me and I wouldn't be where I am today without him and I love him so much for it.

I will be staying in Dunfermline for at least the next 7 weeks with Elder Powell. He has been a great companion. I am loving it here. We want to get our teaching pool a little more filled and I am excited to be part of that process :]

I love this work and I am so glad I am in Scotland. I am pretty blessed. I love you. talk to yous next week.

Elder Thayne

One of my jumpers shrunk

Elder V....(brother), Elder Walters (father) Elder Thayne (father's son)

Elder Powell and I going out for the day

OH I'm 20‏

So this is my Birthday meal :] 

So this last week has been so amazing. it was a miraculous week and on top of that I turned 20 on friday :]

I don't have much time and I have already written most everything in my journal and I am feeling lazy and don't want to write it out 2 times. I will just tell you the best day of the week :]

Friday, my birthday, came around and it just felt like a good day. We got a text from Kaitlyn asking if we could meet with her earlier in the day because something came up. So we got there and we asked her how her reading was going. She said she starts off her reading with a prayer and ends with a prayer. She has so many questions but when she reads the book of Mormon the spirit comes and answers all of her questions. She is receiving answers to prayers it is amazing. He handed me her notebook that she is taking notes in and the spirit hit me so strong. Reading what she wrote you could see her testimony develop right in front of you. She has already sacrificed so much to find out if this is true and today there was a real big test. One of her really good friends isn't the biggest fan of Mormons and he said if she becomes a Mormon than he wont ever talk to her again. She told him. Well it looks like we aren't going to be friends. She is so awesome. Kaitlyn has so much faith. She is so excited to be baptized. Looking at her wonder and her amazement and seeing how she has changed so much just from 2 weeks ago is amazing and it really makes me so grateful for this gospel. This gospel really does change lives for the better :] 

later we went over to Daniels. He really likes us coming over. He told us that he read the chapter we left with him and he didn't feel anything. He was disappointed and you could tell he was sad we were disappointed. We told him that it doesn't just come all at once but it is a process. He Said he will continue to read a pray. I am sure he will grow in his faith and see the the greatness of Gods plan for him. We have so much love for him. I am so excited to see how he grows in his faith. I will keep you in the loop with that. 

We then went home and ordered pizza. It was a great Birthday. The gospel is true. There is no denying it. I love you all. Hope you have a great week. Oh yeah it is Pearl harbor day just so you all know.

Elder Thayne

This is how I feel at the end of the day..... 

Exchange Miracles

I found my street.  A little different spelling but who cares. 

They always called me Elder Tayne in Ireland anway. 

So this last week I have gone on 4 exchanges it is crazy but it needs to be done haha. On our exchanges we seem to have found a ton of success. I was in the Glenrothes area and we found a ton of people and were able to get some new investigators. it was a great day for Elder Powell and Elder Reeder in Dunfermline as well. They found a girl named Kaitlyn who is really into learning about religion. Thursday we were able to teach her about the Restoration and she felt the spirit so strong she said she felt a drilling. it was weird but it made her want to be a better person. She said she will do everything she needs to to know if it is true. She has been reading, praying, she came to church and she has quit smoking. it is amazing to see how prepared she is.

We were also able to have 2 thanksgiving meals on thanksgiving so we were more stuffed than the turkey's that we ate. Man everyone suddenly looks so thin it is weird. 

I then went on an exchange with Elder Tulip on Friday. Elder Tulip is from England and he had to change missions from the London south mission to the Scotland Ireland mission because he kept accidentally seeing his family haha. He is a great Elder and he works with so much love. I learned a lot about telling people how important they are to God. If you think about it he sees us as the most important thing ever. He would do anything for us. He has sent us missionaries out to tell people how much he loves them. Love will break down the walls of hate and misunderstanding. I often think about the great examples of love that I have had in my life and it is hard to think of someone who loves me more than they do. I just hope I can help people see how much they really are loved.

On Saturday I went on an exchange with Elder Neideck. He is our Zone leader and he is from Germany. He use to be the Assistant to the president. He is one of the best missionaries ever. He is so obedient. We went over to Daniel's house and we were able to talk to him about God. As we talked about Gods love and his plan for him the spirit was so strong. Daniel has rejected our offer to read the Book of Mormon 2 times but this time there was no doubt that he felt the spirit. He told us he envied us for our faith. I then told him that it was not a coincidence that we knocked on his door the same day he had a stroke and we came back the day he came back from the hospital. He knew that there was something there. It was one of the greatest experiences I have had on my mission. He took the Book of Mormon and told us he would read it and pray to come to know if it is true. I love Daniel so much. It is amazing how God has blessed us to meet this amazing man. I just hope that he accepts this great Gospel.

I know that what we are doing is true and I am so happy to be part of it. I just hope I can help people. Just so you all know, my brother, Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne, has finished his great mission in South Africa cape town mission. He has been a great missionary and a great example to me. I would not be where I am today without him. He will be home for his first Christmas in 2 years in Lehi Utah. I hope that all of you have had a great week. I love you.

Elder Thayne

So I have had my first snow in Scotland. 

Check out my kilt.

Elder Powell and I have gotten pretty good at throwing cards at each other.