Well, the week has gone by so fast again! We were kept extremely busy with appointments and meetings this week and so the time flew by. As busy as we are, I still manage to find many funny moments to break up the rhythm. Many of these happened yesterday, which made for a good end to the week.
To start it off, I woke up around 5:30 yesterday. Normally I would be kind of frustrated at losing an hour of sleep (missionaries all should be waking up at 6:30) because there isn't time to make up for the sleep lost in the form of a nap. When I woke up, I noticed some faint yelling coming from outside. I stumbled down the hallway into the study room, where I could look out the window to the street below. I could still hear the yelling, then all the sudden I saw some guy (probably drunk) run down the street, up a driveway, and behind a wall. I then saw three cops run the same course and a whole lot of yelling ensued this hilarious scene. They were out of view by now, but I could still see the street. A minute later a Metropolitan Police van pulled up, the officer driving jumped out, opened the back doors, and rushed to the aid of the other officers. After a few more minutes of yelling, the four officers walked into the street with the suspect in handcuffs, emptied his pockets, and escorted him to his mobile prison cell in the back of the police van. They drove off, and there was no way I could fall back asleep after this. At least it made waking up early worth it.
I was also reflecting on how many different nationalities of people I have met while here. To name a few, I have met people from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Portugal, Angola, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Albania, Romania, Italy, Hungary, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Japan, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, America, Jamaica, Barbados, and more. Even with all these cultures, I still haven't found anything to eat I didn't like.
This week I learned an important lesson from a member here. We were invited over to this members home for dinner, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This members home was a single bedroom in a house. I could tell this member didn't have a lot, but I could still sense they were happy. All possessions fit into one bedroom, but they were still happy. This member had figured out what really brings him happiness, and it's not tied to anything earthly. Sometimes, as a missionary, I get frustrated because I wish other people would pay more attention to our message that can bring other people this kind of happiness. I'm not saying everyone needs to sell all their stuff and live in one bedroom, but it's possible, and longer lasting, to find happiness in family and truth that we can take with us beyond this life.
This upcoming week will be a crazy one for us. Tuesday to Wednesday I will be in Watford on an exchange, Wednesday to Thursday another set of Elders are coming to our area for an exchange, Friday is a zone conference in South Kensington, Saturday is football and another exchange, and back to Sunday again.
Cheers!
Elder Spencer Ammermon
England London Mission
64-68 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road
South Kensington
London
England SW7 2PA