Happy Fourth of July!!!!
Hi everybody Haha it's kind of weird to be over in another country and then trying to celebrate a Holiday that is only in your country back home but we are definitely celebrating our American Pride!!!!:) Haha this morning for our flat hymn we sang The Star Spangled Banner haha and it was funny cuz there is 3 Americans and then Elder Ferreira is from Brazil. He was just sitting there laughing cuz I'm sure he thought we were weird.:) Haha and also Elder Ghanadan is wearing an American flag tie!!!!:) Hopefully nobody beats him up today. Ya Dad Australia has a day like the 4th of July. It's called Australia Day and they celebrate it in January. It's just like the 4th with fireworks and BBQ's and all that stuff. Haha so light some fireworks for me and have an American Hamburger for me. Haha oh man that sounds so good. I think that is one of the biggest things I miss is just a good American Cheese Burger with Fries (not chips) and a big Soda Pop (not fizzie).
Do I Have an Accent?
Haha it's so weird ever since we skyped for Mother's Day and you guys told me that I have an Aussie Accent everybody else has been saying the same. Like we will run into other missionaries or members and they will ask where I am from and I say Utah and they say I would have never guessed. Haha they all say I sound like I am from Australia or New Zealand or something like that. Haha I don't know how true that is but lately I have been paying attention to what I say and haha when i talk I say words the way Aussies say words not like American's. Haha that's okay hopefully I can keep my accent forever.:)
Well mum I am feeling a lot better!!!!:)
Since it's been so cold everybody has been getting sick. I was the first to get it and now I'm over it I pretty much got over it during the middle of the week last week but then Elder Ferreira got it in the flat and he's just starting to get over it and now we think Elder Delahunty might be getting sick which we hope not. It's kind of just been going around but it's the cold mostly so nothing like the flu or anything so that's good. :)
Well this week has been another good
one!!!!:)
Haha I
don't think I have ever had a bad week on my mission and I don't think I ever
will have a bad week on my mission the only bad thing about each week is that
they go by to stinking fast!!! What the heck!!! It's July this year
is half over!!! This is the last week of the transfer and I have been out
for 10 months!!!!! Haha this is the only thing I think about on my
mission that makes me really upset is how fast it is going. But I really
like the quote mum you shared a little while ago about the river that we just
have to make the most of over moment cuz we only have the moment once and then
we just move on. Ya transfers I do have mixed feeling and I have no idea
what is going to happen. Haha the hardest part is I have been receiving
mixed feelings from President Back. I told President a while ago that I
would really like to go back to the country because I really enjoyed it out
there. I mean I love it here in MacArthur but if I had the chance to go
back to the bush I would like to. He told me a couple of weeks ago that I
deserve to go back to the bush and since I have been here in MacArthur for 7
months I thought I was going to get transferred and that's what everybody else
thinks but last week in my email from President he told me you never know there
might be work for you still to do here in MacArthur and then this week today he
told me that he doesn't know what is going to happen. He doesn't know if
I am going to stay or if I am going to go. But I do know that whatever
happens and whatever I am told this Saturday that is what the Lord wants
and that is the plan He has in store for me. I will be happy if I stay
and I will be happy if I go because I know that is what the Lord wants and
needs. This is not my work it is the Lord's work. I love when
Christ comes to Peter, James, and John when they are on the fisherman's boat
and he says "Come Follow Me" He has asked me the same thing and
by coming out on a mission I have accepted that invitation. I follow my
Savior Jesus Christ wherever He leads me and wherever He wants me to
serve. I love Him and I trust Him and I will follow Him. Haha sorry
I just kept going but if I do have to pick about transfers I would have to say
I would like to go somewhere new for a new adventure but we will have to see
what happens! :)
Best part about the week I got my
package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey!!!!:) And man oh man thank you guys so much it was awesome!!!!!! That was one of the best packages I have received. I mean every package I have gotten have been awesome but this one had so many things in it that were so useful haha especially the candy!!!:) Haha the lollies (haha there i go an Aussie word) were gone pretty much right when I opened it and man thanks heaps for the In-N-Out hats they were the best. I gave one to each of us in the flat so I'll have to send you guys a picture. Also Elder Delahunty says thanks for the things you got him and thanks for those sweet pins there awesome!!! I put mine on my bag so i always have to with me.:) Man also thank you so much for what you guys got J_____. The dumb shipper guys opened up the letters and destroyed the envelopes so I put it in a new envelope and I read your guys testimonies which I hope is okay but man thank you so much it will help him so much!!! Man mom and dad you guys are the best you guys are helping the Lord and your son with his missionary work half-way around the world your the best!!! J___ also says thank you so much. Thanks for all of the other things inside of it especially your guys letters they were awesome!!! John mate I loved your picture it was the best!!!!:) Thank you also Dani and Caleb for the sweet socks!! Me and Elder Delahunty have sock contests everyday to see who wears the coolest socks but those socks can't be beaten!!!!:) Thank you guys so much for the package I know it costs a lot but it surely does mean a lot so thanks!!!:)
So ya this week has been great!!! :)
Monday was P-Day and then did some visits to some members Monday night.
Tuesday was good we saw some Less-Actives in the morning and in the afternoon we had an awesome lesson with J____ and we talked about all of the scriptures we have in the church and did some finding and then Tuesday night we had a lesson with the J________'s which was way good. They are doing good and they came to church yesterday!!!!:)
Wednesday we had tradeoffs so I was in a different area for the day. Haha I was actually in a Samoan Ward. With and Elder Kitiona Tuli from Samoa. It was really fun haha except for when we had a lesson with a member I just sat there and smiled cuz I had no idea what they were saying.:) I just ate there food and smiled.:) Dad your question about an interesting food I ate well it was probably Wednesday night when I was on trade offs. Islanders make some interesting food sometimes but I have grown to love it haha and every time I just smash it and eat heaps but on Wednesday they had this soup with a whole bunch of other stuff but in the soup it was just like a whole chicken like they got the chicken from the farm took all the feathers out and chucked it in the pot. It wasn't to bad haha but it didn't look the best.:) But ya trade offs were really good and we found somebody hopefully for them to start teaching which is good cuz they kind of have been struggling for work lately.
Thursday we did a little bit of service we mowed a lawn and did some de-junking for a member and then that afternoon we had our weekly planning session and did some finding and we had some meeting that night.
Friday we had our DTM in the morning and that afternoon we did some finding and we found this awesome family!!!! We hope and I fasted yesterday that we can start teaching them this week. We only got the mom's name T____ and she answered the door and we talked for a minute and she said that she is Catholic but we showed her a Restoration pamphlet and she took it and said she would read it and then her daughter came to the door who was like around 14ish and then her husband and 10ish year old son pulled in the driveway and they said they were going so we left but we hope to go back this week and see what happens.:) After that we had a great lesson with J___ and now were starting to plan his baptism and the program and everything which is always super fun!!!:) Friday night we had a massive feed and the M_______'s house a member in our ward. She made all of our islander favorites (mine is chop sui) and it was a real treat. The M_______'s is one of the families in the ward we are really close to.
Saturday was good but it was kind of slow cuz Elder Delahunty was feeling the best but we saw some Less-Actives and tried to help as many people as we could.
Sunday was awesome like always except for sadly J____ didn't make
it to church. We don't know what happened but I'm sure it will all work
out. Haha it always does in the Lord's work. But ya Sunday was good
I always love going to church I am so glad that I have as a missionary 2 years
where I don't have an excuse to miss church and I am going to try my hardest to
keep that when I get home as well because the church and temples and the home
are the 3 closest places we can get to Heaven here on Earth. It has been
a great week and we expect the same for this week as it being the last week of
the transfer we will be running around busy which is good I love being
busy!!! We also have a another
mission
conference this Wednesday!!! We don't know a whole lot about this one cuz
it was just like all of a sudden but we are excited we think it's a church
psychiatrist from New Zealand but we are excited!!!! Yep great week
though and we will have to see what happens with transfers.
Ether 12:27
"And
if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men
weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that
humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have
faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
This is one of the most well-known scriptures in the Book of Mormon and I love
this verse. The reason I share this is because we all have weaknesses
even us missionaries. I think sometimes because I know I did before I was
a missionary that all missionaries are perfect and don't mess up at all.
Haha but that is not true because that is not the way life is suppose to
be. We all have weaknesses in this life and Ether tells us that is to
humble ourselves. I have weaknesses to. Maybe you guys have some
tips for me because I have tried a lot of things to overcome my weaknesses and
the Spirit has told me to ask you guys so anything you guys have to say it will
help. So lately just over especially this transfer I have had a hard time
getting up in the morning on time at 6:30. It's hard cuz it's so cold in
the morning and it's so nice and warm in my bed.:) So far my whole
mission I haven't really struggled with it I have been pretty good I mean of
course every once in a while i do but lately I have been struggling getting out
of bed. So any tips would be awesome. Dad, Caleb what would you
guys do when you had a hard time getting out of bed? Another weakness I
have is just trying to stay focused all of the time especially my
thoughts. The devil uses our thoughts all of time to try to take us away
from what is important. I try to always keep good thoughts and focused
thoughts on the work and not back home or anything or girls or sports or stuff
like that but any tips from you guys. Thanks you guys I know that
whatever you guys say will help me so whatever comes to mind let me know.
Thanks heaps.
We Asked, He Answered
Our friend asked how big the ward is that he is serving in.
Mum so for Genia our ward has about 100-115
people attend each week our ward is pretty small cuz a lot of people have been
moving out lately and we have 6 missionaries in our ward. 2 sets of
Elders and a set of Sisters.
Do you have to pay for any of your utility bills?
Nope we don't have to take care of any bills or
anything which is so nice!!! Just at the beginning of every month we get
our $ and the church takes care of the rest. But if we purposely break
anything we have to pay to fix it. Haha some of the islanders
missionaries have a short temper.:)
How is doing laundry and do you have to iron your white shirts?
Our laundry is bad right now. Haha our
washer broke last week so we have had to take our clothes to another Elders
flat to wash them but we are getting a new washer today!!!:) Haha I have
the best shirt's ever. Everybody is jealous of mine cuz I don't have to iron
them most times and everybody is sick of ironing.:)
What's a funny driving experience?
Um...let's see funny driving experience none
really haha except for Elder Ghanadan is kind of a scary driver but no
accidents yet.:)
What do you do for service projects?
For service we usually do mowing lawns, yard
work, de-junking garages, and stuff like that but when I was out in Mudgee I
did some pretty cool things!!!:) Like we did concrete, we helped make a
pool, we built some sheds, help make a studio, and some other cool
things.
Until Next Week....
Man thanks you guys for your awesome emails and for always taking the time to write me. Well I gotta get going but I love you guys to the 2 pictures are of me and Elder Delahunty and the other is a picture of the us in the flat. I love you guys yous are the best have an awesome week cuz I already know I am going to!!!! Attitude is everything!!!! Love you all we'll have to see what transfers brings!!! :)
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| Elder Delahunty (Draper , UT) , Elder Stott, Elder Fierra (Brazil), Elder Ghanadan (Washington DC) | MacArthur Flatmates |
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