1/16/11 - part 1

Dear Mom, Mary, Nana and Pappy, Patrick, Tyler, and Lindsey, and I suppose if anyone else wants to read this you can, but honestly, you are kind of free loading... ha ha Jk Jk..... But
seriously.
This week was Great! Here are some photos (only could 5 here - will put up more on part 2). This is Sam and Elder Bullman and I my last week in Gateshead, at Sam's Baptism! He was/is such a good guy....and I think he is homeless now. But I don't here much from there.....yet anyway. Next pic, that is me feeding our ward mission leader's grandson. He is such a good kid and he is really quiet too, which is good for meetings. And here are my goodbye pics from Gateshead that is Sister Ives, Sophie, and the other is Tracy, the muslim-who-doesn't-believe-in-Islam-but-dosn't-want-to-come-to-church-or-God-would-send-her-to-hell-for-rejecting-Islam. She was great and she fed us really good food so that was nice. Next up- goodbye Elder Bullman and hello Elder Ah Mu. Woot followed closely by this weekends big event.... Joan! Woot! She is a really good cook as well :) And she is a health nut. She is down like 8 stone I believe, and her healthy food is SO tasty! She makes like this yogurt/fruit/something else breakfast that she sent us home with one day that was to die for! But anyway, I think that is about it from me. Oh also look at this car lot. It is ford if you can't tell and there is not a single truck.
Anywho g2g,
Elder Tombs

1/9/12

Dear family and friends (props to David, Tyler, Mom, Nana and Pappy, Dad and Lindsey [and a double serving of props to Lindsey for written post]),

So this week this week... Well Pontefract might just be creeping up on Gateshead for my favorite area. However, I might need to experience some actually difficult days here before I can make that call; but the work here is great! We have been teaching up a storm and are REALLY hopeful for this weekend! Oh and bad news, I forgot my camera cord again - so next week I will send TONS of pictures. Elder Ah Mu has this picture of the day system and I have recently adopted it, so you should be getting more photos from me in the future. But I gots to go....

Love,

Elder Tombs

1/3/12

Dear family (with props to Mom, Dad, Mary, Nana and Pappy, and Lindsey:)

So this week has been kind of crazy. Good, but crazy. So first off, I am now in Ponty as I have hitherto mentioned, and this area is wonderful. :) Oh no! Oops, I forgot to bring my camera again :P But next week for sure y'all will get some photos. Anyway, I was going to send pics from last last Friday's baptism but I suppose not. Anyway, Pontefract is good and our area really is two towns Pontefract and Castletown (or Ponty carlo and Cas Vegas). :) And Elder Ah Mu and I are tearing it up! :) Also, now I am further south than I was in Gateshead and there is a completely different accent! This one is understandable!!! Woot! (it only took a few min for me to understand people clearly whereas in Grodie-land it was a week or 2 for thick Grodies and I still can't understand Allen (a less active member). But here the word the does not exist! It turns out, that society can still function easily without the. Who knew? So do you know what the primary reason people go to church is here in England? I have been studying this out for a while now just by surveying random people that I meet and so far 90% of church goers and 99% of those who answered my question (not actual statistics) have said that they go to the church that they do because that's how they were brought up. It is crazy! So few people have actually had spiritual experiences! I think that is why England is so Atheist. Anyway, ta for now.

Love,

Elder W. W. Tombs

12/27/11

Dear Family,

So not much new news and I am e-mailing from a mac store so not too much time. But I got the call last night, I am getting transfered to some place called Pontefract! So that will be exiting and I am sure that I will have tons of news for next week. Oh and yup, all of my Christmas packages arrived on time. :) And now I have music to listen to and candy to get fat on (although for my own safety I am leaving that in Gateshead). Oh and David thank you so much for filling up my iPod! :) I just have a few questions for you..... What made you think Jesus Christ Supperstar was approved???????!!!?!?!?!?!?! I can understand Sons of Provo (also slightly dodgy) but really that music is apostate by anybody's standards. Haha anyway g2g

Love ya's,Elder W. W. Tombs

1219/11

Dear Family (Special thanks to Patrick, Mom, Dad, Nana and Pappy, and Lindsey for the emails and another big shout out to Nana and Pappy for written post (and a wonderful Christmas card. :)))

So as to my phone call in a few days, I am planning on calling at 4pm my time so around 10 y'alls time right? As to anything else, I have no idea. Pretty much I will be calling from my ward mission leaders house but I think we will initiate the call or else we will just call or txt real quick and send y'all the number. But guess what today is? Not P-day! We get an hour of email time today because tomorrow we are having a mission Christmas party!!!!! The ENTIRE mission is heading down to the base at Harogate tomorrow for the most epic Pday ever!!! I will be sure to send loads of pictures. :) I am so pumped! Elder Bullman and I are staying in New Castle tonight and then tomorrow they will drive us down to Sunderland where the entire zone will take a bus down into the base. Oh and it finally snowed this week :) It was so fun! Elder Bullman and I were pegging each other with snowballs and sliding down massive hills (while talking to everyone of course) :) Then it rained. Snow+rain+cold=less fun. But that is England for you. Man Micheal and Kyle are already getting back! :O that is crazy, and I remember extremely clearly Heath and Micheal McAuley's leaving! Time flies so fast on your mission! Speaking of time, it's time to get back to work.

Love ya'll and speak to you in just a few,

Elder W.W. Tombs

12/12/11

Dear family and friends (namely Dad, David, Patrick, Nana and Pappy, and Lindsey for e-mails and Brittany for written post),

So life here in England carries on as usual..... Except that it is getting pretty cold! It isn't really that bad most days, in fact, hearing that El Paso has had snow really makes me count my blessings.

It normally stays close to 0 degrees C most nights and is a bit warmer in the day. I haven't even had to break out the inlining for my jacket yet.:) But nights, after it rains, the roads get SO slick! And.. Gateshead has tons of hills, so I am glad that we don't have a car here. :)

Just as a side note I love sliding down hills! :) I went almost 30-40 yards the other night (on my feet) with one push. (Sort of the same way we always did in the driveway when we were younger, jumping on to ice patches. :)) Oh and Dad you told me to invite/challenge people to be baptised earlier. Well, here in the Leeds, England mission we invite people to be baptised no later than the first appointment :) It is the best gift we have to offer, why wait any longer than that?

Well G2g peeps, talk to ya in 13:)

Love,

Elder W. W. Tombs

12/5/11

Dear family+friends+random strangers (with special shout outs to Patrick, Mom, Tyler, and Lindsey for emails this week and a BIG round of applause for Lindsey for written post and my favorite Christmas gift I have received on my mission! :))

This week was SO good! I am just so pumped to write y'all about a few of the people here, but I know as soon as I write they disappear. So I will just have to wait for the 17th!!!!!!!! (hint hint) :) Every team in the mission here has set a goal to baptize at least one convert by the end of the year, and so far it looks like it is going to happen! :) North Shields (one of the teams in my zone) was looking really good to baptize a girl named Barbara. But then her mother got really sick and she had to go down to London to care for her. Then, this Sunday they fasted that she would be able to be baptized and 15min after they broke their fast they got a call from
Barbara saying that her mother died and that she would be able to be baptised. Miracles are happening here in England even if they do include sadness.

But yup - g2g till next week,
Love Elder Tombs
(Ha.. when I put it like that, it sounds like a command.)

P.S. Could somone send me a good/ easy pancake recipe (from scratch). We have tons of syrup in the flat.