Welcome Home, Marcus!

We welcomed Marcus home on the 29th of February! 
After a loooong wait at the airport, due to heavy snow in Salt Lake City, he finally arrived in the evening. We were and are so happy to have him home again!!!!

Family (some of us)

Friends and family

The blessings of having a full time missionary has heightened the spirit in our home. We have been greatly blessed through Elder Steeds service and have a keener understanding of the love that our Heavenly Father truly has for each of His children, whether they understand or accept Him or not. We each are so grateful for Marcus and have been so thankful to share in his experiences.
Cheers! 

Feb 20

I literally have no time. Thanks for the emails and the support for the past 2 years!! I love you guys!!! I have a testimony of the divinity of this work. I bear my witness that Jesus is the Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. There is no other way nor name given whereby we may be saved! I testify that God is our Father, that He loves us and I know that the Atonement is real because I have felt and applied it in my life and I've seen it work in the lives of countless others. God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and the keys to the Priesthood of God have been restored to the earth. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, a new world testament of our Saviour. My love for Him and my family has grown with each passing day of the mission. God bless the saints in UK and Wales, and may God be with you till we meet again.

Love,

- Elder Steed

Feb 13

Good times with the J5. I can't believe he's back. I hope desert hills does well in their games, man it seems like just yesterday I was in high school loving life.

I can't really think of anything to tell you guys either.... what do you do?

I love being back in Harborne ward, birmingham is awesome and the ward is just fantastic. There aren't many wards that could handle 3 sets of missionaries! We are having weekly split nights, and we've had DAs and been teaching with our bishop and stake president! Our stake president invited us over to his house for a DA and we then went teaching with him for the rest of the night!! Good times!!!

We had this lady invite us over to her house because her nonmember boyfriend wanted a blessing. We went over and met with them.  He is from Cameroon. He was very nice and asked about the church, we got to teach him the restoration and the spirit was very strong! Afterwards he accepted the invitation to come to our invitational sunday on the 26th and we gave him a blessing! I gave him the blessing and felt very guided, it's strange giving people blessings when you don't know them!!! But it was a wonderful experience and hopefully he will investigate the church!!

Then in the evening of the same day, we went to see the De La Fosse family for a DA. It was so nice being with them and brother De La Fosse asked if we could give his wife a blessing! So we gave her a blessing, Elder Frimpong anointed and I sealed. I used to really have trouble giving blessings, and still it's not the easiest thing, but I really felt the Spirit just putting me at ease. They were so grateful!!!

What on earth? the people next to me are on family search.... I'd better talk to them!

Anyways love ya!!

Feb 6

Wow kolby is saved by the grace of god!!!! I find it strange you are studying light, I had someone give me a talk or something on light but I never read it... oops. But I find it interesting how there are different types of light and different kinds of equipment required to detect them. Like UV light or even xrays or infrared light. Just because we can't see it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Who knows what I'm getting at. Get me some addresses!!!

Ya we got snow!!!!! We were at a DA at the wards, got there a bit early so we tracted in the freezing snow! it was coming down!!! But it was fun!!! Brother Ward drove us home, at 1st it was to the chapel, but then he saw the chaos and then decided to take us to the city, but then just figured he'd drop us off by bishops which is basically way close to us. 10 miles of driving in the snow!!! This week was way fun though, I went on exchange with elder Choi and we did a ton of finding - this guy let us in!! He is a christadelphian guy and I was getting ready for a bash, but he was way humble and genuinely curious about our message!!! He was just way cool!! Not sure how good he'll be, he's pretty involved in the Christadelphian church, but at least we were able to invite him to check it out. It's so weird being back in harborne and finding where I used to find.

I told you before about the Cardenas', they have been really supportive and good to us! It's good to be home in Birmingham!!! I am a bit torn between my favorite area. Who knows? I had a ton of fun in all of them!!! I was thinking about the baptisms (the lucky few) I've seen and about the different ways of finding people. There's tracting, contacting, talking to people on bikes, member referrals, investigator referrals, less active work, service, former investigators, etc. Sounds like the family are doing great, tell everyone hi back for me!!!

Jan 30

The friends updates were great, I was reading through them and I realized that it was dawson's last one. How strange. We had some cool spiritual experiences just as we were finding - we spoke with this lady who said it was very unusual for us to find her here because she is usually out and about. She gave us her address and mentioned that her husband recently passed away and had the missionaries around before. How strange? So I checked her name and address on the ward list, her husband was a less active member!!! What on earth!! and the guy that lives across from us used to have the Elders over at his house as well, we kinda suspect that he may be a less active but we aren't sure!!!

And family history is an interesting subject to take to all of the sudden. Actually it is a subject that they want us to study a bit to use in finding. I've always found it tough to use because the resources of the church here just aren't what they are in america - but we can always give them a website to refer to.

This past week has just been nuts! Whitewashing + training is just another way of President Ogden saying "you will be finding all day, everyday!" It's tough because I really want to see success, my comp has been tossed in a tough situation and I feel bad for the guy. We literally have no one to teach - besides a couple less actives. We have been just finding and finding, I enjoy it actually, I could do it all day, but it's tough for a missionary who just is getting into the swing of things. And we keep on finding people who are way good - we've found a few families even - and they end up flogging us, so we'll continue to find around them and find more people!! I wish we could cut the cycle and just go from finding to teaching!!!!! But that's ok!

Another challenge is that we are stuck on buses until we can get a bike for my comp. We are working on it so we'll see. I really thought the pic of sharon and her family was great!! I saw her at church last week and have tried calling her for the past few days but just haven't gotten the chance to talk with her. I'll see if I can at least get a pic with her before I leave! I've been thinking of who else I could look up for you or get pictures with, I have no idea about Graham Lomas. I'll ask around though..... I heard from the coventry Elders that there is still a brother and sister Dunn there

My emails keep getting deleted!!! How frustrating!! I type up a long paragraph and then this version of windows will just clear it!! stupid windows 98!!! E. Brooke is in Cardiff, in Rhiwbina still, having lots of success which is great!! My studies have been focused on our responsibility as members and missionaries. In D&C 123 I like the verse that says we are to waste and wear out our lives in the service of others and God. I think that stands out to me because as a missionary there is always more to be done. There are always people to find and teach and help. It is never "finished". So our success is measured by our committment.

Thanks for the emails and letters by the way!!!! Love ya!!

.

Jan 23

Ok guess what? I am in the same ward!! They asked me to re-introduce myself in church and there were a lot of  faces I recognized, but a lot I didn't either!! This ward is always changing and shifting!! It's crazy! It was great to be back though!! I saw Sharon at church, I didn't get a chance to speak to her though.

We are in the boonies and have no one to teach. That will change this week though. I think that we can get some things rolling here. We had a meeting w/ Pete Lavendar at his house, it was good to see them again. They gave us a few families to start working with, so we'll see how it goes.

We went by the De La Fosse's - I have never been so warmly received in my life. They welcomed us in and sat us down + fed us What on earth? There are so many amazing people in this ward, I wish I had more time.

I suggest you have one last look through your journals . . . . . or for your journals . . . .

I just think it's crazy that you finished your mission in Birmingham - literally the same area - and I'm going to finish in Birmingham. What on earth? Pete Lavendar mentioned me trying to see some people - I might give it a go.

Thanks for all the love and support that you give me, I know I have been protected many times by your prayers!!!! I love you very much!!!

I had a DA at the Millers, it was great to see them!!!

It's great to be back in Harborne - Jared Linekar passed me in the halls and just said he felt like they went back in time. Funny stuff!!!

Jan 18

ok this is going to be another quick one!! Sorry!!!

But I just transferred!!! I am now going to open up a new area in ..... Harborne!!!!! and my companion is elder Frimpong - a convert at 14, and his family is originally from Ghana, but he is from London!! What a great guy!! Just like E. Amuah's situation!!!!!

Sorry I haven't made it to coventry - or warwick castle,  possibly stratford upon avon.

Hey I love you all take care!!!!

We are opening up the new area so we have no area book, no phone, no furnishings in our flat.... Oh boy!!!!

oh and can you reply to andy for me???? give him our address, and tell him I'll be home in a couple months. Love ya!