more pictures

Kevin email some pictures home!!!

weekly update 7/19 /2011

Hello Family and Friends

These last few days have been pretty good. It has been nice and wet. Despite the wet weather the finding has been alright we managed to set up some good appointments with people. They seem pretty solid.

This week and last weeks "weekly focus" was on committing and recommitting investigators to sacrament meeting, at the beginning of every lesson. I have seen the fruits of this weekly focus. We were able to get two investigators to church and one non member who we are not teaching at the moment. That non member has expressed that she would like to be taught the lessons. I know that each of the weekly focuses we have are inspired, and that as we diligently follow them, the lord will bless us with great abundance

Something I learnt this week was that we need to try early in the week to get investigators a lift for church. I learnt it the hard way. This week Sunday came around and we had forgotten to get mike a lift to church. So in the morning we were stressing out trying to get a lift on such short notice, unfortunately we were unable to get him to church and he miss out this week. I am quite positive that it was because we waited to long to get a lift for him. If we would have tried earlier am sure we would have been able to get someone.
Thanks for everything!

--
With Love,
Elder Ballantyne

Meeting New Mission Presidents

I found these pictures on Elder and Sister Blain's blog www.blainmission.blogspot.com/2011/07/our-last-zone-conference-accelerate.html.

They are meeting the new mission president's.

Elder Ballantyne and Elder Cofone. ( Yes they are wear the same tie.)

weekly update 7/13/2011

HELLO!!!!!!

This was great week. Mike is doing great! He has decided to go cold turkey with his smoking. Something that I have noticed in Mike is his determination. He keeps telling us it is really hard to give up smoking, but despite how hard it gets he says,"I will not smoke." I think back to Elder Oaks Talk on Desires. Mike's determination to get baptized overrules his desire to smoke.

I have really gained a testimony of Investigators gaining a testimony at church. Not only with Mike many other investigator's have completely changed because of the feelings they have at church. Mike's Girl friend, Naomi, had no interest in the church, but when she went with mike to church she felt something and wants to be taught. There is power in getting investigator's to church!

Things are going great here in Preston. Elder Cofone and I get to enjoy six more weeks together here. We are looking forward to a fresh new transfer together. We are expecting great miracles as we put forth our faith.

Thanks for the support! I appreciate the prayers and the comfort each of you give me!
--
With Love,
Elder Ballantyne

weekly update 6/20/2011

> Hello Family!!!!!
>
> First of, We were tracting last night and we came accross a fellow
> Ballantyne. She said it was spelled the same way and everthing. She
> was probably the first Ballantyne that i have found since I've been
> here. We set up an appointment with her. I thought that was pretty
> exciting!
>
> Something hilarious happened on wednesday. In the evening after we had
> gotten back from a meeting in chorley, we went to the flat and drop a
> few things off and headed back out to tract. We have a door that locks
> itself as soon as you shut it. and we had forgotten the key. So that
> night we were calling the land lord and anyone that could possibly
> help us. No one could so we ended up staying at the zone leaders flat
> for the night. First thing in the morning we ended up having to pay a
> lock smith £42 to pick the lock. And now we don't want that to happen
> again. So we each have a key plus we each carry a back up key. It
> shouldn't happen again with 4 keys coming out with us each day.
>
> Along with locking the key in the flat this whole week was pretty
> trying. There were a few things that just didn't seem to go right.
> Both, Elder Cofone and I agree that this week will be a lot better. We
> discussed the process that preceeds something great. It's noticable
> from the start of this dispensation, when Joseph Smith is ceased upon
> while he was praying just before the first vision. So were looking
> forward to a good week.
>
> This week wasn't all to bad. Early in the week we saw the miracle of
> teaching Matt and Compton, an on the spot lesson. They actually
> grabbed our attention and started asking us questions. We asked if
> they had time for us to share a message, and they agreed. They were
> very good we were able to answer a lot of their questions. But because
> they are busy salesman they said we wouldn't beable to catch them in
> and wouldn't give us their information except for a phone number. We
> will call them and make arrangements. I was greatful for the
> opportunity to answer their questions about the church and also about
> religion as a whole.
>
> We had another round of trainings this week. It was great! This was
> president Bullock's last training. There was so much to take in. It's
> a good thing we got sheets of some of the things that were discussed.
> We have been keeping the commitments we made by doing the role plays.
> Elder Cofone and I both like the questions role play that the
> assistants left us. It is very challanging and helps us to think of
> effective questions.
>
> Thanks again for everything!
>
> --
> With Love,
> Elder Ballantyne
>

weekly update 6/13/2011

Hello Family!
>
> First off, things in preston are going great. The weather has been a
> bit 50-50 lately. Sometimes it can be pretty sunny but still be cold.
> Atleast this week there hasn't been a great deal of rain, until
> yesterday. Today looks a bit wet too.
>
> This has been a great week, again we have taught a few on the spot
> lessons. So we have been blessed with a few new investigators.
> Unfortunately the people we teach on the spot don't progress. That
> could either be the effect of not effectively following up, or it
> could just be the agency of the people. Either way we are in a sifting
> process to find the gold nuggets.
>
> Elder Cofone is doing great! He is a very obedient missionary. He is
> not only confident in himself but much more importantly he is
> confident in the lord and his message. Some other strengths are; he is
> personable. When he plans for the investigator, he plans specifically
> to teach to their needs, and he truly applies what he learns in his
> personal study.
>
> Things are going great here in Preston; again it truly is a blessed
> land. Thanks for everything each of you do. I just want to say I can
> feel each of your prayers pushing me forward and I greatly appreciate
> each one. Also know that I pray for each of you everynight before I go
> to bed.

>
>
> --
> With Love,
> Elder Ballantyne

weekly update 6/6/2011

> Hello Everyone!!!!
>
> Preston is truly a blessed land! People here are so receptive! The
> Spirit has truly softened the hearts of the people here! Since I've
> been here I have seen some church history places. We went street
> contacting in Avenham park. And I remember going there for the MTC
> church history tour. We saw the place where the trees were planted in
> honor of those that were baptised in the river ribble. Just today we
> walked past the monument where the first missionaries preached from.
> Preston is such a great place.
>
> In the past few days we have been blessed abundantly! We had 3 on the
> spot lessons with people in the space of two days! Not to mention they
> were all on the same road! I think faith was the reason. Despite the empty
> teaching pool at first we decided that we are going to see great
> miracles this transfer. We have already seen multiple!
>
> Elder Cofone is a great missionary. He understands the law of
> consecration really well. He understands that sacrifice brings forth
> the blessings of heaven, when is comes to time at lunch and tea.
>
> By the way for those who care my new adress is:
>
> Elder Ballantyne
> 171 Kent St.
> Preston, England
> PR1 1PH
> --

> With Love,
> Elder Ballantyne

Lots of new pictures

Time for a bath

Elder Sanders and

Elder Ballantyne's dinner

P-day Baptism
Jordana Baptism

The food

HINT HINT!!!
Elder Mecham

Elder Ballantyne

Weekly update 6/1/2011

Kevin has a new Adress.

Elder Kevin James Ballantyne
171 Kent Street,
Preston, England
PR1 1PH



Hello from Preston!!!!
>
> As you can tell I got transferred to Preston, England! And I’m serving
> with Elder Cofone (Ka-phone-ay), from Trinidad and Tobago. It's going
> to be a good transfer!
>
> This has been a great week! The members have really replied to the
> "Call of Duty." We were able to get a lot of the members out teaching
> with us. I have been out teaching with some of these members until
> this week. I think after building the relationship with them, they
> were more comfortable coming out with us.
>
> This week I went on exchanges with Elder Misbach. A strength I saw in
> him was he was always smiling, he is exactly obedient and, along with
> smiling, he was very personable. We saw great miracles while on
> exchange. One of those was when we were street contacting, we saw a
> man carrying a package of some sort. We went over and offered our
> services and he accepted and as we were carrying this package we were
> speaking to him and he told us that he doesn't usually speak to people
> like us, he then said, “The spirit told me to listen to you." He then
> told us that our message was better than gold. From that we were able
> to set up an appointment with him.
>
> I’m really excited to be serving in Preston. What a blessing to be in
> a place that has so much church history! It's a Chinese speaking area.
> (no i don't know Chinese) The Chinese students are all going home for
> the summer. With all the Chinese going home we have an mostly empty
> teaching pool. We got some work cut out for us to replenish the
> teaching pool. Elder Cofone is a great companion we are going to see a
> great transfer here in Preston.
>
> With love,
> Elder Ballantyne