Fair Dinkum

As for this week! WooooooWeeeeeeeeeeee! We had a fair dinkum miraculous week in Coffs Harbour... So we kicked off the week with that FHE with the Mexican family! In that tiny room in Australia.. I felt like I was in Arizona haha... MEXICANS!!! The goal of the FHE was to establish a relationship with them, not necessarily teaching them continually.. And so we hardcore achieved that.. They really felt comfortable with us and we taught a short lesson and sung mexican songs the whole evening and had mexican food.. And I commited them to make some Horchata and Jamaica... best drinks ever haha. So in September we have an acitivity called Surf Fest and they'll be coming to that so.. step by step =D 

Next... this week we had interviews with our Mission President... and he called us a couple days before and was like I'm going to come out teaching with you afterwards.. Find someone at 4pm to teach... So we were stressing out who we were going to teach haha, but we taught our golden as investigator B... my goodness... I can't even convey the magnitude of his legitness... He. is. the. most sincere/humble investigator I have ever met/taught! He said to us after dinner and after we taught the Plan of Salvation... "Ya know I was just thinking today... When I left for work, my daughter was yelling out 'I want my daddy!'.. And I was thinking if I passed away... and when she's 12 or 35.. she's still going to want her father.. And I want her to be brought up with this belief... that she'll see me again.. Like.. I know when you come over it's not about the pizza or drinking fizzy.. yous are here to impact my life.".... Like no joke he's one of the biggest miracles I've seen on my mission... We started out not even teaching.. just loving and serving him and then we became friends discussing religion.. we've grown with him these past months and it puts in perspective what missionary work should be like.. It shouldn't be.. Alright. You're the investigator. I'm the missionary. But it's just that we're friends... and he recognizes us as representatives of Jesus Christ.. GAHHH it's too awesome to put into words! And to add onto that... his whole family came to church this sunday!!! His wife who's less active... I asked other members the last time she came to church and they couldn't remember... AND SHE CAME... Things are looking up heaps! All I can say... is fair dinkum.... 

 

So we were just out teaching having a normal missionary day... And we had a few more people we planned to see but I just felt a strong impression to go tracting.. So I told my companion and we prayed about a street... I had 3 streets in my mind after... one of them being Aston... I waited and asked my companion and one of his possibilities was Aston as well.. so BOOM! We went there.... When we got close we realized it was just around the corner from the chapel... so it had prob been tracted on heaps.. So we were a little hesitant but I was like nah let's do it! The first door that opened was a single mum who just moved in weeks ago!! And we had a legit conversation and she invited us to come back!! WOO! So we'e going back today so we'll see how it goes! But fair dinkum.. it was awesome just getting that impression out of the blue and then boom! Someone that's interested from tracting! That doesn't happen that often!... 

Another miracle is just this area alone... When I got here there was absolutely NOTHING to do in the evenings... not many member feeds, the town basically goes dead... So we've been trying hard to change that... and we've seen it these past weeks... this week alone was a testimony to me that any area can change with some hard work... We had double member feeds just in one evening and people inviting us over without us even asking and even just last night, we organized a fireside.... a Member Missionary fireside ;)... Because as I thought back before my mission.. I was not taught anything whatsoever... on how to do missionary work.. So we had some speakers and gave a presentation... it was SO GOOD! And the members got pumped as! And so now instead of going to their houses and sharing 'spiritual thoughts' or a gospel message... pfftt... WE'RE GONNA BE ROLE PLAYING! They're excited for it too! So It's going to awesome! And no joke.. right after we finished the fireside... a 16 yr old young man came up to me and gave us a referral and wants us to visit his friend... WOOO! Twas a very very.... inspiring week.

No Greater Joy

We had an awesome as week! I'll tell you 2 experiences!

 

#1- We were teaching the 1st counselor of the Branch Presidency in his home one evening and we were discussing their missionary efforts and how we could help them... They then said they wanted to have a Family Home Evening with us and a MEXICAN FAMILY! WOOOOOOO!!! (I've never taught a single mexican on my mission).. They're catholics but are willing to come over.. And so we were stoked as and were thanking them for this opportunity.. and they then gave us one of the best compliments I've received on my mission... they said "We want to thank you for your dedication! We have met a lot of missionaries and we can tell you are dedicated! That's why we trust you with our friends.. Otherwise we would wait for better missionaries... but no.. we trust you!".... I was just speechless after that... I couldn't stop smiling haha. That just goes to show.. if you do your best and work hard.. people will recognize it! And so this evening we're going to be teaching that Mexican family! This is like the 1st referral this area has received in AGES! Miracles indeed!

 

#2- We were teaching our investigator B and we just finished sharing with him the First Vision and after I bore my testimony to him.. I asked "How do you feel about what we've shared with you?".. And he responded.. "What yous are tellin me now... I wouldn't of believed it a couple years ago.. But I believe you guys! It's just little things that are makin me believe.. Like just the other night I was stressed out of my mind and woke up in the middle of the night and started watching tv and I thought... This isn't going to help me... so I knelt down and prayed and I just felt this immediate calmness! I was even at this funeral and every one was crying.. But I just remembered what you guys have been teaching me and I was just calm..".... Me and my companion just looked at each other and were like FAIRDINKUM!! He's been so prepared it's unreal.. And it makes it that much more miraculous when we're in an area that's not particularly referred to as the "garden spot" of the mission.. yet we've been smashing it..

 

I've experienced no greater joy than sharing the gospel and feeling the spirit that comes with it.. And especially seeing strong and faithful members live the gospel! It's like what Joseph Smith once said- "Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and it will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness and keeping the commandments.".. All the things listed there... all points to the fact that the path that leads to happiness... is the gospel!

Missionary Work at its Finest

As for this week.. It's been a pretty crazy one! The Lord has poured out like countless tender mercies on us though! We've been having like some of the best weeks this area has seen in ages and finally the adversary is trying to shut us down.. we had like 15 lessons cancel like all in perfect harmony.. as if Satan told them all to do it at once hahah. But as we know.. the good always wins if we put in the hard work.. so we kept working.. And in one day when 7 lessons cancelled.. we were able to make up for 4 of those lessons unexpectedly... 2 of them being on the doorstep! And as we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon on this Less actives doorstep.. She began to weep and committed to start reading it again! And that same evening we felt prompted to visit this other family right before we went home... and it was SMASH AS!!!... Like no joke.. I've come to realize I'm an addict.. It's become the best problem that any one could ever have haha. I'm always looking for my next 'fix' as to when I can feel the spirit next... And constantly wanting that... you find yourself doing and saying things you could never think of on your own... and this particular lesson this father of this family was expressing this concern... and after he talked for ages... I was like.. "How would you feel... if I told you... every thing you said just now... can be resolved in the scriptures?"... And he didn't believe me one bit... And I was like.. (open scriptures...) BOOM!... And he was dumbfounded... He read it over and over like 10 times and was like... #mindblown... The spirit was so strong for real... and I was able to walk out there with my companion feeling the essence of missionary work at it's finest.. teaching with power and authority... resolving concerns... feeling the spirit... it doesn't get much better than that... So it was a really good week indeed!

A Place of Refuge

 So this week was AWESOME! We got this mormon.org referral which are usually dodgy as... and we were talking to our District President (dropping off some buckeyes...nbd..).. And we told him about it.. and where this referral lived... he said "Well... that's the richest neighborhood in all of Coffs Harbour"... So we were like... well fair dinkum... that's not good haha, that means they're prideful as haha. But we still kept some hope and knocked on their mansion vault door... no joke.. biggest door I've seen in my life... and this lady answers and goes 'MORMONS!!!'..... 'COME IN =D'.... We were just like o.O.... Whaaaa?.... But she didn't have a male inside so we just talked on the doorstep and long story short... she's interested!... WOO!! And we took our District President to go teach with us and we taught in her back porch... it was legit... I felt like I was on MTV Cribs.. I was just waiting for Lil Jon' or Will Smith to walk out any time... she had this legit pool and crystals every where and this ridiculous mansion landscaped backyard and her daughter was bringing us out muffins and cookies the whole time... WOOO!! hahhaha. Any ways they are keen as and we're excited for them! The members are just doing so much good here... we had this rapid increase of enthusiasm from them and so everything is pumping! Which is unusual for Coffs Harbour... every one thinks of it as slow.... but Nay... tis ballin!!

 

Here's an update on our Investigator B... So the same lesson we gave him a blessing... we watched the mormon message "Mountains to Climb"... The next time we saw him he just opened up to us like "Hey you know that video you showed me?.. I've watched that thing like 45 times!.. And that would be an understatement!... I just had it on replay the whole time.. every thing that man was saying I just felt was true! I cried like 3 times listening to it.. And I looked it up the whole talk and read it and sent it to my mum (who belongs to Church of England).. And she hung up the phone on me... then I called her back later and she answered crying... and she was saying how true it was as well!"..... MIRACLE!! Hahaha it was so cool.. Me and my companion just looked at each other and we were both thinking... 'he's getting baptized'... Then we had this super powerful lesson with him.. he never knew he could be forgiven and thought there weren't any good enough people on the earth anymore to be prophets... So we taught the Restoration mixed in with the Atonement... and after explaining the Savior's Earthly Ministry and everything he performed (baptism, atonement etc.)... We invited him to be baptized.... AND HE AGREED!!!!!!!! WOOOO!!!... This area hasn't seen a baptism in at least 18-24 months.. It's been such a miracle! The Lord has been pouring out His tender mercies upon us! 

 

 We taught this lesson in at this Less Active members home.. and their neighbors were partying and were rioting hardcore (one of our cars actually got dented in a result of it).. But as we were teaching this lesson amongst these circumstances... Time seemed to just stand still for a moment... As we taught this family... just for a moment... all the loud ruckus that was going on.. The screaming.. the swearing.. the sound of bottles breaking..... just seemed to disappear... and the Spirit filled the room... and it was just perfect.... The less active woman then started to bear her testimony to all of us and it was SO POWERFUL!!!... And from this experience I actually received revelation!.. Usually I used to think of church or your home as a place of refuge.. just distinct places..... But I realized... it's where the spirit is... when the spirit is present... whatever location you're at... can be your place of refuge... And in that strangers home... in between those walls... inside from the worldly immorality... was my momentary place of refuge!

Leave it to the Lord

Let me share with you some of the miracles... MY GOODNESS!

Miracle #1. We had this lesson with this lady in her 50's named R.. She's had a pretty tough life and has been Less Active for AGESSSS.... she hadn't even seen missionaries for about 30 years until we knocked on her door... We then taught her a lesson and she felt like she was worthless and unworthy of receiving blessings... and we felt prompted to share 3Ne 9:14 "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. " And she just began to weep and committed to come back to church for the first time in forever! It was miracle as! 

Miracle #2. My trainer Elder A found this Thai guy named 'N' on the train like 3 weeks before I came into the mission... When I was with Elder A for about 2 weeks.. N came for the first time to meet with us... we taught him as long as I was in the City.. so like 7 1/2 months.. And he was going super good, baptismal date and every thing.. then he had struggles with commandments and decided it wasn't for him.. it was truly heartbreaking because he was so keen and sensitive to the spirit!....And I never knew what happened to him.. I thought he just got dropped and moved on with life.... but... Just today!.... I found out on July 20th, 2013... almost 1 year later from his beginning of learning with us.... N GOT BAPTIZED!!!!  WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! My old Zone Leader called me up and told me and I was completely speechless! This just adds even stronger to the strength of my testimony before hahah, that NO. EFFORT. IS. WASTED!... And we just have to trust God with His timing... these are HIS children.. He knows what they need and when they need it...

Miracle #3. We have this Part Member family here.. The wife is Less Active and the Husband is a non-member... They are like the most awesome, sweetest family I've met! They have the cutest little kids as well! So we started teaching the husband super recently and he's been warming up to us... we were asked to help them move and right before we got there like an hour earlier.. he dropped this lifting dock from the moving truck onto his foot and broke his toes! It looked disgusting as! So we went over to see how he was doing a day later and as we were sitting there we asked if there's anything we can do... And he goes "Yeah I don't know if you can cause I'm not a member.. but could you give me a blessing?"... And so we were happy as, we were like "Yeah of course we can give you one!!" So we first shared with them this powerful message and then gave him the blessing.. My companion anointed and I sealed.. And as I was giving the blessing.. The words just flowed out of my mouth like nothing I'd experienced before... And at the end of the blessing when we said 'Amen'... He was just in the chair weeping... And I was shocked as first... cause he looks like this pretty tough guy... but the spirit was so strong in that room it just went to show that no matter how macho-guy you are.. the spirit softens peoples hearts! And it was just a crazy powerful experience!! And right after we left their house both my companion and I just looked at each other and said "He's gonna get baptized"... 

Miracle #4. There was this Thai guy named 'P' in the city... He was a referral from one of our golden investigators. We lost contact with her in Thailand so we never knew what happened to her.. but P stayed in Australia and we kept teaching him... as long as N.. like 7 1/2 months.. and he just wasn't progressing and kept dodging appointments.. and he was just that type of guy who was wasting life away doing stupid things... sleeping, video games, drinking.. and I even remember getting angry at him one time for cancelling like the 7th time in a row for a lesson and I yelled at him on the phone (which I shouldn't have).. Then we dropped him as an investigator afterwards... I just found out today as well.... HE'S GETTING BAPTIZED IN 2 WEEKS!!!! This experience especially impacted me because you care so much about your investigators and you want them to progress so much and sometimes on your own time and you get frustrated in that sense.... But once again... if you leave it to the Lord and just love the people... something's bound to happen..

So there's some spiritually uplifting experiences for you!

Good Stuff

Well well well... The Lord blessed me with correct revelation haha. So the transfer calls didn't come for agessss.. So we were freaking out a bit.. It was like almost 6pm and we were doing a Preach My Gospel study at this park with one of our YSA when we got the call.. And obviously I was getting transferred... So we went and had dinner at their house when my pocket started buzzing... and I look at the caller ID: Pres. Howes :O.... I already knew what was gonna happen so I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Hahaha... So yeah I got called to be a Zone Leader... And the crazy thing is.. When I got to transfer meeting they said... Elder Ball... You're going to Coffs Harbour... Your companion is..... ELDER O!!!! WOOOOOOO!!!! He was my companion in the City! hahaha, so I'm excited as! And my dream is slowly coming true.. I wanted to baptize someone in a river/beach and Coffs is the only area that it's possible! hahah. But we're the furthest north in the mission... just an hour ahead of us is the borders of the Brisbane mission haha. Exciting stuff happening.  We got asked to teach Elders Quorum last minute and our topic: RELIEF SOCIETY!... I thought I was prepared to teach absolutely any lesson... until I received this one hahaha. But anyways.. I was so so so happy though... I left Gosford Ward the best way I could have imagined.. I got to give a talk and thank every one in the ward. Good stuff.

Hit the Year Mark!

But that's really true about the bad days... I've already come to learn what "success" is as a missionary though... your commitment... not your increase... such as baptisms etc. So the only bad days that I'm usually prone to is when I'm not committed... and if that's the case... it's my own darn fault I'm having a bad day... so I toughen up and put on a smile haha. But anywhooooo

This week was legen wait for it..... and I hope you're not lactose intolerant cause the next part of that word is DARY!!!!! So #1.. Hit the year mark... it really wasn't that big of a deal to be honest haha... It was kinda scary cause of how fast it went... but we had a little celebration of MadMex (the best mexican in the Central Coast for Australia... doesn't compare with Taco Bell though -_-)... It was sweet too cause 2 other Elders in my district.. we came in together.. so we had that... And we didn't burn anything, that's banned in our misison haha. And then to top off my year mark day... We taught a Seventh Day Adventist preacher... like this guy was no joke.. He's preached in Phoenix to Fiji... So we went into the Lion's Den.. The only reason I wanted to go back there is because he was baptized LDS when he was 18... then changed religions... so I wanted to know why... And during the lesson he was being super condescending and trying to rip our religion apart... But I just smiled and told him "I'll tell you one thing you can't criticize or deny... And that's my testimony...".. Then bore my testimony and then we left haha. It was pretty dang legit. 

Another legitamusness... this member in our ward... GAVE US A REFERRAL!!!!! No joke that's like rare as here... the members are all so great and want to do missionary work but very few turn into referrals... so we went to the members house for lunch on Saturday and the investigator was there and we taught them a lesson using an object lesson... so I'll try to explain... so first we got legos and constructed 2 bridges over lava..  then we told a story of how you want to go to disneyland but theres 2 roads washed out... luckily you have a bridgebuilder... and he builds them for you etc..... And each pitfall where the bridge covered represented something... so the first pitfall represented physical death... but Jesus Christ overcame that through his death and resurrection... the second pitfall was sin... and Jesus Christ overcame that through his Atonement and providing us the 5 steps the gospel of Jesus Christ... so then we had the 5 steps of legos... and at the very end we had the gatorade bottle inside a lego temple... and we did the egg thing... where you put rubbing alcohol and a match and it sucks the egg in... well we did that and the egg went BOOM!!! Hahah, it splattered like all over the table... and our little lego God got thrusted across the table as well.... And the egg going in the bottle was to represent us going into heaven and this one guy was like.. "you can get into heaven but you'll lose your skin and a couple arms" hahaha.