A Good Name

Welllll this week was awesome blossom! We had some awesome experiences!! So we've been going around trying to meet everyone on the Ward List.... but the Ward List is pretty out of date so we go visit Less Active people and they'll turn out to actually be active hahah vice versa. We actually had  an exerience like that.... but it was pretty miracle!! We were trying to find this family, the N's, the ward list said they were active but we never saw them and we could never find them... so we were intending to find this other L.A. family ... and we met them and they were super cold and didn't talk to us hahaha, but then out of the same house comes this guy and is like "Hey Elders come in!" And we've never met this guy but we were like... welp... yeah lets go! haha. And we didn't want to be rude like... "so who are you?" So we start visiting with them as if we knew them hahaha and he started talking about his mission etc... and he showed us his badge.... "Elder N" and in my mind I was like... (WHAAAAAT?!?!?!) Hahaha and we had a SUPER good visit with them and they said they haven't been to church in a while but they were planning to come back next week and they told us we inspired them to stay strong in the gospel! It was sooooo coool!!! The Lord knows his children and we were able to cross paths by his mercy! 

 

I was on trade offs with the AP, Elder R, he and I set the goal of getting 2 new investigators and so we started at 10am and were finishing at 6pm.... so we worked hard the whole day.. talking to everyone visiting less actives and members trying to find referrals and it came to 5pm and we prayed to find 2 more souls to teach.... so we go to our last teaching appointment and lo and behold.... our prayers were answered! Our investigator brought 2 of his friends to sit in on the discussion with us!! And there was a super favorite of mine.... his name..... get this.... right.. get this... his name... was.... Caleb.... ^_^.... So I was like "I like you... that's a good name... you know what else is a good name? Jesus Christ... now take upon yourself his name and be baptized..." Hahaha and so MIRACLESSS we added 2 more precious souls to teach.... Twas swell.... Faith can do anything.

 

Another insight I've found this week.... Before my mission I remember always hearing RM's share an experience and say "This was 'THEE' reason why I was sent here".... And it always seems like there's that 'one' reason.... that 'one' person waiting for you..... But something I've greatly realized.... It may sound harsh... but it's true.... If you can only find that 'one' reason why you were sent on your mission.... you didn't work hard enough... Now I'm not saying I've worked the hardest compared to other beast missionaries... but as I've been giving my best effort and my heart to the Lord.... He's revealed to me countless reasons of why I'm here on a mission... Like when I first came out the question I constantly pondered was "What is 'THEE' reason that I'm here for?... Why Sydney?".... And as I seeked for it everyday.... I realized I was asking the wrong question.... The correct question was.... "what are the 'REASONS' that I'm here for?" After asking that..... countless reasons and experiences were given to me... All you have to do is give your best and keep your eyes open.... Something I've been doing is what President Henry B. Eyring suggested.... write in your journal everyday.... and ask yourself the question... "How have I seen the hand of God in my life today?".... And in result.... I'm no longer searching for security of why I'm on my mission.... I've already had many.... and know there are only many more to come! I thought that was something interesting so I thought I'd share it with you.

Missionary Work is the Absolute Best!

Nowwww for this week! This week included all phases of missionary work, tracting/member work/service/rejection.... but most importantly.... MIRACLES!!! WOOOO!

First miracle.... so we have this Less Active named Sister T. she has been less active most of her life and her son is less active AND has a non-member girlfriend. We went to see the girlfriend this past week ... she looked down as! And she told us she barely just got back from work and was so tired.... so we just had a good casual chat on how she was doing, then we started to share a message... and we felt impressed to share Alma 58:9-13.... And the moral of the story is.... in times of fear and need.... Pray! We shared that with her and she started crying and opened up to us saying she's been having this guy at work hassle her and being very threatening to her safety and she said, the last thing I thought to do was pray..... and she said... quote... "I know for a fact that this message was for me.... whenever I need help in life... you know what Heavenly Father does?.... He sends the Elders to always knock on my door when I need His help! The Elders are always there for me!"...... I was so humbled when she said that.... It just brought a huge realization of the sacred power of our calling... to be an instrument in the Lord's hands... being guided to the right people in the right time.... And what is even cooler!!! We had dinner at their house last night! And Sis.T has been exposing her son's girlfriend to the gospel this past week... and she asked us HEAPS of questions at dinner and so we set up a return appointment to have the discussions with her! Now here's what the crazy part of the story is.... She's met missionaries in this ward from Me (current).... to Elder Menzie (served here 2 years ago)... And they all have planted seeds... but now finally after so long... she's been prepared... and we're the lucky ones that are able to harvest! WOOOOOO!

Soo this week... for the first time.... I taught...... CHILDREN!!!! WOOOO!!!! Oh.my.goodness. They are SO EASY to teach! Compared to like bashy evangelists and stubborn english people (no offense mum)... But they are just so precious and absorb everything so easy! This Less Active lady, Sis. E.. she has two kids ages 9 and 10. She wants both of them baptized... so we taught them and as we did so... their mum sat in on the lesson and we could tell she was feeling the spirit big time! So it was a double whammy! It was just super humbling though being able to teach children! Their childlike mind is so funny! I was teaching about the priesthood... comparing the authority the prophet has like the authority of a drivers license... without the drivers license.... the person can't drive.... it's like the prophet... without the priesthood... he can't speak to god and guide the church! Then one of the kids goes "So the cops uniform gives them authority to shoot people?" Hahahaha, I was like..... yes.... yes it does... hahha jk. So they are super cool! And we did heaps of service.... just to give you an idea of what went down... shoveled like 1,000lbs  of compost across this garden...Set up a billion games and tents for this country fair at a public school... and last but not least.... went to a sketch house and mowed half a lawn before we had to leave due to domestic violence and cops showing up... how lovely... But this week was legit! As every week is! Missionary work is the absolute best! There's nothing better anyone could ever be doing, not school, their dream career or anything...

Tender Mercies

We had so many tender mercies of the Lord this week! We're really striving to do our best in this area and we've been seeing some results now! I'll give you some examples... This guy  has been coming to church and we had a lesson with him and it turns out... he actually knows this is true... but he just doesn't know it yet... he came to church by himself... and is real into everything! He's reading the Book of Mormon and even one of the members invited him over for dinner with us on Wednesday... and he was like "nah I cant... I'm going to Institute" hahaha. So we're going to have dinner with him on Thursday instead... And this other kid is preparing for a mission... he brought his brother who's a nonmember to church! And his brother hasn't been to church in 1.5 years since his brother was baptized! So that was a huge miracle! And this lady  pulled us aside and wanted us to teach this 10 year old who wants to be baptized!! ANDDDDDDDDDDD to top it off..... We had one of the biggest miracles since I've been here.... mabye even in my whole mission.... We were tracting and tracted into this elderly lady and we didn't get to know her a lot while we talked but surprisingly she invited us back!! So we went back just on Saturday and we asked her why she invited us back.... And she told us "I had a dream that I was talking to 2 young men and I yelled at them.... then God told me to talk to them and I yelled at Him to go away.  Ever since that dream I feel like God hasn't been near me or loves me... and when I saw you 2 young men... and I saw your bright smiling faces, I knew that I couldn't turn you away.. and I knew God was trying to speak to me!" Take in mind she told us this as she was crying... and the spirit was just so strong and we assured her that God loves her and this was not a coincidence that we knocked on her door that day! And then she went on to say she had never shared that dream she had with ANYONE... so we asked why share it with us... and she said again crying "Because you two are so pure.... you're the truth!!!" ....... o.O ..... :O ..... We were seriously so shocked..... when we got into the car after the lesson we just drove back to our flat just smiling and didn't even say a word to each other.... It was..... ridonkulous...! This increased my testimony of Doctrine and Covenants 123, the last verse..... It says "... let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God and for his arm to be revealed".... If we do all we can... which isn't much... God will grant us miracles.... just because we are trying, means everything to him.
I went on another trade-off with my zone leader Elder A... my same zone leader from the city... so it was awesome! We went from going on trade-offs in the city teaching in this building and street contacting to tracting and teaching in people's homes! We taught this awesome guy (we found him a couple weeks ago) and he's so good! He'll get baptized... he told me "You have no idea what you've done to me 'all'! <-- (he cant pronounce my name right so he calls me "all") Ever since you've knocked on my door, I've been searching high and low in my garage for that Book of Mormon I owned! I've been dying to read it!!" And so we gave him one and asked if he would read it and hahahaha he looks at us stern -_- "Are you joking!? Will I read it?! you think I wouldn't read it?!" then he goes on sarcastically - "Yeah just searched my garage for 2 weeks... YES I'LL READ IT!" Hahaha, he's so cool! 
 So this week.... yup... it was insane!

Firebird...BOOM!

My companion was sick most the week... so I just studied... But the 2 days we did work, it was pretty sweet! We ran out of K's in our car so we walked like 10 miles the whole day I think... we just walked around visiting people, tracting etc. OOOOOOOO!!!!! GET THIS!.... (and tell chantry!) we were walking down the street and I saw a FIREBIRD (chantry's car) in this driveway! And I was like NICEEEEE!!! So I went and knocked on the door.... we knocked like 3 times and no one answered.... So as we were walking away this older lady answered the door... And so I explained her the situation "Heyy how are you! So... we were walking down the street and I saw your Firebird... and I haven't seen one since I was in Arizona, my best friend owns one! So I thought I should come and talk to you!" Hahah, then we started talking and she has even met missionaries before! And she says she prayed every night but hated religion or didn't really know who she was praying to etc. Then as we got talking she opened up that she didn't know if God was real because her mom died of breast cancer and she got cancer and broke her collarbone and she couldn't bare all this pain that happened just in 6 months and so she gave up... And as we reassured her God loved her and explained why bad things do happen etc. she warmed up to us and invited us back over! And so we're going to visit her tomorrow! We shallst see how it goes! But thanks to Chantry... if he never had a Firebird I probably wouldn't of knocked on her door. BOOM! Chantry <3