Good, Better, Best!

This week was pretty swell, we went to teach Seminary and we're about to teach and they are doing a review of what they learned yesterday and turns out.... the lesson we were given to teach that day... was given the day before hahaha. But it's algood, we put a missionary spice on it and made it a little different. But here's one of my fav. sayings I heard this past week . "Good, better, best... Never let me rest until my good is better and my better is best."... Diligence is the key to success... But with that being said.. always keep in mind Mosiah 4:27.. it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.. You don't have to be 100% awesomeness all the time... there's the parable of the saw... this man is sawing a tree down and a bystander says... 'You should probably take some time to sharpen your saw'.. but instead he replies 'No I gotta get it down now, fast, fast, fast!' And finally after a long time he finishes... but if he took some time out to stop... sharpen his saw... he would've finished LONG BEFORE he ever would've if he just kept working... Likewise with us... amidst our work we have... we need to take some time out to sharpen ourselves... So that we may become more effective tools in the Lord's hands ;) there's something to think about =D

We got to teach that Part Member family I've been talking about.. the K's... We had a super good lesson with them and invited them to pray individually and as a family about what we taught that night (the restoration).. So we're hoping to see some progress with them!

And this less active we've been trying to see... I met him my first week here (5 months ago now)... And he rocked up to church yesterday out of nowhere! And he was sitting down.. and one of his good friends came over and hugged him.. and he just started crying hardcore... It made me happy to see reunions like that... and the misconception less active's have that when they go back to church they'll be judged.. but in reality.. it's just like the prodigal son... it's nothing but rejoicing... everyone in the ward is getting more open and being more member missionaries! Tis an awesome thing to witness! So do the same in Ashburton! Keep it up with fellowshipping and SWAG- Sanctification Will Allow Godliness....#yolo.

Instruments in His Hands

We had a super legit experience this week! So Elder C and I were on trade-offs that day and had only 40 minutes left to do tracting before we finished our trade-off... So we prayed and asked the Lord to lead us to those who have been prepared... The prompting came to us to go to a certain street... And we had never tracted the suburb before either so we went excited! The first door.... no answer.... second door... bunch of drunk party guys all screaming.... but the third door.... this mother answered the door with her 3 year old daughter... and it turns out her friend gave her a Book of Mormon almost 2 years ago... and from what she read.. she really liked it! So we talked on her doorstep for about 30 minutes... and she said jokingly... "Why on earth did you come to Kariong?!<-- (the suburb we never go to)... And then she added... "Obviously someone knew we were looking for something more.".... At that instant I knew that prompting to tract there was to find this family... who, little did they know, had been searching for this restored gospel!.. And as she said that, her sister with her own kids came walking up... and at first I was thinking... "Oh no... they're gonna start bashing and tell us to go away now".. But instead they were all SUPER friendly and joined in our conversation! Even as we set the appointment to come back... all her kids protested- "NO! NO! Make it a time when we'll be home... we want to be here when they come!!"... At that time it was just another reassurance that God is mindful of ALL his children.. and we were able to be used as instruments in His hands that evening.

We've been working with this YSA (Z) in our ward, preparing for his mission! And we planned to take him out to teach a member to get him some teaching experience.. and the members cancelled 2 hours before... so we called quickly to find someone to teach... and then this other member told us to come to her work.... so we get there and she goes... Elders... meet J... she's a non-member... teach her... and basically left... hahaha, so we got to teach her the restoration with Z... and at the very end Z bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon and she hardcore felt the spirit... she even looked like she was going to cry at one point! Then afterwards... the member gave us these HUGE family boxes of cereal, BEST. DAY. EVER! Hahaha. Twas pretty sweet! 

Spiritual Uppercut

Miracle #1- On September 4th, 2012... I met this small Japanese woman .. it was the 2nd transfer of my mission in the City... We had just finished finding and were heading back to the Teaching Center and we were like 10feet from going in when I saw one last lady walking past... So something told me to go and talk to her (obviously it was the Spirit).. So I stopped her to talk, she didn't have much english so I gave her a free english flyer and got her contact information.... over the course of her coming it was just for activities... But after a long time she finally started learning about the gospel... but had no progression whatsoever....I taught her for a little bit and shame on me... I didn't see much hope to be honest. And then I was transferred so I never knew what happened to her.... But let me ask... do miracles cease?....I just received a call just this past weekend to let me know... June 15, 2013... she was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! No effort is wasted! I never would've thought she would be baptized, let alone progress in the gospel learning.... I add my voice to Ammon's in which he says-"Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."

 It was such a crazy miracle... That strengthened my testimony... That all the people we've ever invited... all the ones we never thought would've joined the church... could indeed be members at this very moment... I would not know she is a member if it wasn't for the mission being so small and all the missionaries knowing each other somewhat... So my message is to never lose faith in anyone! There is always hope! :D

Miracle #2.  This last week I had an experience which is very unlike me... we approached the door of this Less Active and immediately you could see she was not impressed by seeing us at her doorstep... she politely declined and tried to shut the door... but for some reason... which I don't usually do... I stopped her and kept being persistent asking her questions like how long she had been a member... when she had last seen missionaries?? Why she isn't interested anymore?... she then opened up and shared her dad passed away 6 months ago and she was meeting with Jehovah witnesses.... I shared her a scripture of where her dad is and taught her right there on her doorstep... Right there on her front door it seemed like time just stood still and you could see the spirit working on her.... After much silence she said she was busy now but we could come back and share a message!... In my mind I was like.... (WOOOOOOO! SPIRITUAL UPPERCUT!).... And the next time we went round she even said to us she told the Jehovah witnesses to stop coming around! Relying on the Spirit works wonders!!

 

Miracle #3. We went and taught this Part-Member family... The wife is inactive... and the rest of the family is non-members... So we had a super good visit with them and then we asked to share a message just before we left... So we read this scripture to them and instantly.... waterworks.... The mum started crying hard out... We were kinda taken back by surprise but... hey... It does hurt when the spirit punches people so many times so you cant help but cry hahaha. They then agreed for us to come back as well! And from both of those experience this week... it reminded me of the power of teaching from the scriptures! Just as it says in Alma 31:5- "therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."

 

The Bike Story

So it was pretty late in the evening... Around 7-8pm... And it was dark as and we were biking to see this Part-Member family just before we went home and had dinner... So we were coming close to their house and my companion was in front of me... and we were cookin it down this hill... no joke I was in full speeding stance.. got my head down my butt off the seat... I was goin at least 30k's... And I come cruising by.. right about to overtake my companion... at that instant... he turns and we smash into each other... So he flips and eats it on the gravel... meanwhile... morelike... conveniently... there was this huge ditch next to me with all this muddy water... and so my companion described my fall as... my bike flew out from under me and if you have ever seen someone jump out of an airplane with their feet behind their head... that was me... and I eat it into all this muddy water... my bike smashed against the hill and my bent vertical handlebar jammed right into my thigh.... And after all this... my helmet was covering me like a mask with all this water running down it and I just got up and starting running and screaming out of pure pain like "GAHHHHHHHHHAHDFHGHFGDFHVDAFJC" And then this was the result when I got home... I just laid down dead and some elders came over and took pictures#famous.... Amen to my bike as well.

Pumped and Excited!

So this whole week was pretty normal... It was the average week of missionary work... Taught some people... went tracting... did some service... Didn't have too much excitement going on... But due to our hard work we were able to see a tender mercy of the Lord yesterday on the Sabbath! So if you recall... the story of how we met the Less Active Filipino on a bike who approached us on the street.... so we went to visit her once this week and she wasn't home... so we tried later in the week and we caught her home and she told us not this Sunday but next Sunday they would come to church! So we were pretty pumped and excited! Then late Saturday night when we were about to finish planning we got a call from her... And she asked when church started cause she wanted to come tomorrow! WOOOOOOOOO! And so they came to church and she brought her non-member husband... And he is LEGIT!... He loved Sacrament, Gospel Essentials class and even in Elders Quorum we were discussing the blessings of the Temple... And he stops the whole class and says "I just wanted to say... this is my first time ever coming to a church... but don't think for a second I don't believe in God... I do very much... and I want to experience this feeling you all have when you go to the Temple... my wife has been telling me we need to get re-married in the Temple and during this learning process if something happened to me... It's comforting to know that she won't be punished... that through the Temple we can still be sealed forever as a family.."..... My companion and I looked at each other like..... WHAT?!?!?!?! Hahaha it was so insane... and that was the first time in AGES a new family came to the ward so the whole ward got excited as and fellowshipped them hardcore.. and it was just a really good Sunday! So we're going to be having dinner with them this Tuesday... so everything is looking up! Tender Mercies of the Lord... they happen.
 *(To add a little note as well in the story.... The night we were going to visit them... The husband stopped at Woolworths and was putting groceries in his car and saw us ride past... and he felt the impression to stop us... but didn't know what to say and by the time he thought of something we rode past.... and then when he got home he fell asleep and when he woke up his wife told him the Elders came by... and he got a shock of realization that we were biking to his house to see him hahah, so then he felt the need to come to church! Pretty awesome!) 

Oh and you remember "Pedophile van"?... P.... He told us to come around and see him... well my 2nd week we tried finding him and couldn't... then we had the incident of him stopping us in his van... then we tried finding him AGAIN!.... but couldn't... he lives 94a... but all we could find was 94.... but this morning... he stopped us AGAIN!... and he gave us his phone number and gave directions... his house is actually around the back down this side street... but he is keen as to learn!! MIRACLE!

Training

This week was super awesome though!!! So as you know I worked in the city from Monday-Wednesday which was HEAVEN!... Then we went to Carlingford Wednesday to meet all the new missionaries... We walked in and there were 6 elders and 11 sisters and we had orientation and got to know them.... We then sat in a circle... and they started assigning companions one by one.... then it came down to 2 last people.... and 1 got assigned and so me being the last I obviously knew who it was... So I ran across and hugged him hahaha, then President Howes was like... "Now now... don't jump to conlcusions...."... So I went and sat back down.... "Elder Ball... You will be training.... wait for it...... Elder O!".... Then we went and reenacted scene 1 hahaha. It was such a cool experience going through the new missionary meetings... It's gross though thinking about 10 1/2 months ago I was sitting in their shoes.... (throwup). So after we got our new companions we went to a random families house in Baulkham Hills Stake to have dinner and have the new missionary teach them! Twas really nice! Then after some more meetings for all of Thursday we finally got back to our area about 9pm haha. But here's where the miracles come in... There's this special assignment we got from our Ward Mission Leader... this Part Member family.... They had been Less Active for about 3 years... and the 3 months I've been in this area we met them only twice and the mum was never home... and so we took a member to go visit them after I felt a prompting to go.... lo and behold... THEY WERE HOME!... And we hit it off really well and she said to us... "You know it's funny you came by... Just on Monday I was thinking we needed to go back to church"... And she has 2 un-baptized children... one of them that wants to serve a mission...and so she finally committed to let them go to church and then we're going over next week to have FHE with them and teach the kids! It was indeed a tender mercy from the Lord! There's a lot of progress going on so we'll see what happens in the future!

Life is Good Indeed

 But I will tell you one really awesome story... So Elder U and I were having dinner at this Less Actives house.. and one of our investigators lives with them so we were hoping to see her there but she was hanging out with friends... but her Less Active boyfriend was there and he had really shown no interest in coming back... he was just.... very less active as haha. But we taught them a message after (using the mormon messages you sent, WOOP!) And he was like "Awh I love these videos ae... They make you feel good and uplifted!"... And so we left them the DVD so him and out investigator are going to watch them... And he even wanted to come to some YSA activities! So from out of nowhere he's just been creeping out of less activity so it was miracle as!

 

But twill be exciting to talk to you on Sunday! You'll get to talk to my son as well ^_^... I got called to train a new missionary (<-- the story of how I got called to train is the funny part) so we go to the mission home tomorrow to meet all the new missionaries and then we'll be assigned companions! It's exciting as but it's nerve racking too.
This week has been AWESOME so far!!... So when I got to transfer meeting I was told Elder D was training as well... so guess what that meansss.... I'M IN THE CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I get to work with him til' Wednesday.... It's so awesome/sad being here... cause I just have to say bye again to people... But it was so cool seeing people.. they made me feel special... I walked in the Teaching Center and some people were like "ELDER BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".. #sweethearts.... But life is good indeed... a lot of exciting things ahead.... except one thing.... I don't know if I told you this?.. I feel like I have.. but I'll tell you anyways.. because of the mission splitting we lose 2 weeks... and this transfer basically decided the split.. so I'm in the North... And so this means I'm coming home June instead of July </3... They jipped me 3 weeks off my mission.... :'(