The Miracle Always Comes After The Trial

We had the exciting experience to have a mini-missionary with us for the weekend.. He got his mission call to Japan and leaves in 1 month.. but he was with us Friday-Sunday.. and my goodness... The Lord blessed us so that he could have a good experience.. because if you think about it.. that could make or break someones excitement to serve a mission.. if he comes and we have a bad day... thats the only experience he's going to remember as he goes to the MTC... so we were praying that he would have a good experience.. and as we were waiting for him to come... We had about 5-10 mins so we went out finding... Then his mum came and talked to us and said he's waiting in the Chapel for us!.. So we go up and meet him.. every thing was sweet as.. We were just about to take his stuff to our flat to get him settled in.. When this Brazilian lady just saw the church from the street and walked in and wanted to learn!... We were like.. o.O ... (Mental WOOOOOOO)... So we gave her a chapel tour and taught her a lesson and she said she was going to come to church every week now! And she did come!!!... What a way to start off someones mission experience! The Lord was definitely listening to our prayers! 

We even had a random text referral from mission headquarters... No information but a name: C and his number... so we gave him a call and he's from Taiwan.. he agreed to meet with us.. So we meet up with him and we come to find out... HE'S BEEN TAUGHT BY THE MISSIONARIES FOR 2 YEARS IN TAIWAN!...So we asked him straight up.. "So why haven't you been baptized?".. He replied simply by saying... 'Because they couldn't answer my question.. Why do we have to pray in the name of Jesus Christ?.."... I first looked at my companion like... what the... is there a hidden camera in here?.. Like for real... why would that keep someone from baptism haha. So we then answered it and he goes... "Oh.. okay"... Then we invited him to be baptized and he readily agreed!... But here's the punchline... "Alright... we're holding a baptismal service next weekend.. will you prepare yourself to be baptized on that day?"... He then says... "I go home this Friday... I've been here for a year"... I just paused and was like... (Mental NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO) hahaha. But it was such a great experience to be apart of... so we got his contact details and commited him to be baptized in Taiwan and he accepted.. But it was miracle as that his last week in Australia... he got referred to us and it was just the perfect time for him to accept this commitment before returning home... The Lord know His sheep. 

Here's the last 2 miracles I'll share this week... So the first one... S!! The investigator I've talked about a few times in Coffs! HE GOT BAPTIZED!!!! That's the 2nd baptism they've had in a billion years!!! WOOO!!! So I was super excited when I heard he went through with his date.. He actually got baptized a week after I left -_- hahah. But it's good nonetheless!

Okay... brace yourself for the craziest of crazies... So there's this Japanese guy K who's a Part Member family.. his parents were baptized but they went Less Active before he was baptized at the age of 8... But he recently started learning with the missionaries! He goes home in a couple weeks so we had his baptismal service scheduled for January 18th.. And his interview didn't go through until the morning of his baptism for various reasons... but he was scheduled to be interviewed at 11am... times passes... 11:30..11:50... 12....2... he wasn't answering... so every one was like dodgyyy as!! So meanwhile.. every one was calling me off the hook "Is the baptism happening? Is the baptism happening? Is the baptism happening?"... And each time.. I was like.. 'It's happening, don't worry".. But really inside I was thinking.. OhhmygoodnesssHebettercomeee! Hahah. 

It comes 3:30... and HE CALLS!!!... He said he just woke up and was on his way... so he gets to the chapel at 4pm.. his baptism is at 6pm... so my companion conducted the interview... and meanwhile I was teaching on trade-offs and we just invited our investigator to the baptismal service and he really wanted to come!.. so we finished and we go upstairs and then my companion comes out of the interview and says to me.. "I cannot authorize him to be baptized...".. So the sisters taught him in English.. and there was a little language barrier.. so when they taught him tithing and the law of chastity... he didn't fully understand.. so my companion taught it in Japanese and asked him to live it.. and he wasn't willing to live them!... So every one was devastated as!.. It was 4:50pm and every one was preparing to leave and we now don't have a baptism... so we called President and asked him what we should do... and he said to the Japanese Elders... you take him back in the room and teach him.. and invite him to live it again!... 

So when I first heard that.. I will be honest.. I was thinking like.. What on earth is going to change?... But I knew that thought wasn't coming from Heavenly Father so I quickly changed my mindset and said.. 'This can happen.'... So as they went to teach him... I gathered the Zone and some members to kneel in prayer... and when I offered the prayer.. it was simple... nothing extremely eloquent... but the faith and desire we all had... is what made that one of the most powerful experiences... when I said 'Amen'... We all looked at each other... and knew... the baptism wasn't cancelled... 

We waited another 30mins.. and I had members calling me saying they were leaving... 3 minutes after one member said they were all going home... the  Elders  said K wanted to be baptized! SO I quickly called them back and told them to stay there and we then hurried to catch the train and every thing... and 1 hour later... K was baptized!... It brought me the utmost assurance that the Spirit can soften ANY ONE'S heart... my companion said he went into that lesson feeling discouraged from the previous encounter he had with him of just 10 mins ago... yet when he sat down with him.. he said immediately he felt a change in K's countenance... and he was understanding more clearly and accepted to live them! This is a testimony that God lives and answers our prayers. He wants the best for all of His children. We just need faith to follow that inkling of knowing that every thing will be okay... For then... The miracle comes... The miracle always comes after the trial.. When we learn the art of surrender... to put our trust in Him.. Such spiritual experiences will happen... And that is how we maintain excitement within our gospel lives... by having spiritual experiences continually.

Excitement and Charity

So I'll fill you in a bit of what's been happeninnnn.... So when I got transferred back to the City 2 weeks ago.. President and the AP's told me they're sending me there to help bring back the member unity with missionaries and to spark the work back into the legendary city status.... NO PRESSURE.... Haha. So we've been contemplating on how to exactly accomplish this task... And it was indeed heaven sent that we got to speak with an RM that served in the City about 2 years ago when it was in it's legendary status.. He gave us some advice.. One in which taught me a huge lesson.. It's to be the example of excitement and charity... So the first time I had the chance to use this advice came when I was on Trade-Offs with our District Leader.. My goal for that exchange was to merely pump him up so he could convey that excitement to his district.. So I was praying so hard so that we could see miracles that morning.. and the first miracle started off in my personal study... I was reading 3 Nephi 28:1.. and Jesus asked this penetrating question to His disciples... "What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?" I pondered that morning and asked myself... What do I desire from God today?.... and the thought came to me... I want to build excitement in the Zone.. well... how do I do that?.... Then I thought... 'I want to pull 2 people off the street... give them a chapel tour and add them as investigators!'... So we finished our studies and started out 10am on the streets in the City to go GQ'ing... Within the first 5 minutes I started talking to this Chinese guy named W.. He was heading in the direction of the Chapel.. so we were just walking and chatting about what I do as a missionary.. and then he stops EXACTLY AT THE CORNER of the Chapel and says.. "I need to go now to a job appointment actually... bye!"... then I thought... "My desire is to pull 2 people off... so I'm doing just that!".. I went and stopped him and just said.. "Awh just before you go.. this is actually our chapel!.. Come and check it out.."And I started motioning towards the door... AND HE FOLLOWED!... Then I waved down my companion down the street and he ran over and we gave him a chapel tour and taught him... and ADDED HIM AS AN INVESTIGATOR!... And he said during our lesson "I haven't learned about God before.. but I think if I did I would believe!"... And he accepted to come to church and continue learning! Sooo legit!... 

Now.. as we were walking out... to continue our finding.. we were pumped!...And at that moment I was pondering the counsel from the RM  to be the example of excitement and charity to your Zone.. so I stopped right there before we went out finding and gave him W's contact details and said... "Here... He's yours to take care of now... take care of him!"... And the Elder looked at me with so much excitement and was like THANK YOUUUU!!!!..... So if we were pumped before... now we were extraX1000 hahah. 

We went out and continued finding... And AGAIN... within the first.. maybe 3 minutes... I talked to a girl not even 5 feet away from where I met W.. and she seemed super interested... And obviously taking note of my desire this morning.. I said.. "Would you like to come and see our Church? It's just right down the road!"... She readily agreed... And once again.. we gave her a tour, lesson and she then said "My grandparents who never believed in God... Became Christian their last few years of life.. and I always wondered why that was... and where they are...I would like to find out.." she agreed to come to church as well... That then ADDING OUR 2ND INVESTIGATOR... within the first 30 minutes of our trade-off hahaha.... I then did the same thing... I gave K's contact details to the Elder and said.. "Take good care of her".... 

We then went to teach heaps of lessons after this great start to our day.. even setting a baptismal date with one of their investigators..

The lesson I learned from this experience is not only that of desire.... but how much excitement and charity can effect others for good.. The word Enthusiasm.. comes from the Greek word.. "Entheos" When the Greeks were asked to describe the way they lived... It was 'Entheos'.. Which meant-Having God be with you.. or Spirit be with you... So we should be Enthusiastic in every sense of the word...