Sunday, August 24, 2014

For the Love of Motorbikes!!!

Hey so you havent sent the package yet? You dont need to send the backpack or really anything anymore. I thought a backpack would be expensive but I got one for 25 bucks so no big deal:)

Oh and Elder Duffus's mum tried sending you an email to the address that you sent her and it didnt work? So I will just give you this one that is hers so you can email back and forth, it is sjduffus1@tpg.com.au

Ok this week has been great and I finally feel like I am connecting with investigators and not just sitting there like a zombie and making Elder Duffus do all the work. Today is the end of the FIRST TRANSFER!! Can you believe it?! I was hoping and praying that I would stay in my same area with Elder Duffus because we work so well together and we are becoming really good friends and I got my wish! We are staying in the same area together for this next transfer and he might become zone leader, we will find out more tomorrow:) Im so mad that he goes home so much earlier than me because he is someone I would want to come back here and visit with and he really wants to come and stay in Utah with us and buy a motorcycle with me:p

 I cant believe how happy I actually am, without having all the comforts of home. Even though this is by far the hardest thing Ive ever done, it has been so rewarding and so much fun! Being able to meet these families and grow so close with them and develop such a strong love for them is absolutely incredible. I wish you all of you were here so I could have you meet these people that I consider my Aussie family:)

Oh also I was on trade off with my zone leader and I was leading my area without Elder Duffus! I was with Elder Flintoft and we went to go teach George, who is 61 and wants to join a religion but he wants to make sure it is the right one before he joins. He has researched heaps of different religions and thinks that ours makes the most sense.

I believe George is one of the people I was called to this area to teach because, of course, he has a love for motorbikes! I am able to relate everything to bikes and it helps him understand and he gets really involved with the lessons. Anyways we were teaching him and the spirit kept prompting me to invite him to baptism, but I was scared and tried to just keep teaching and then I felt it again. I stopped talking and just waited for a little and then asked him. He looked right into my eyes and smiled and said YES! I didnt know what to say! So I just jumped up and hugged him hahaha It was such a humbling experience to know that I was able to be that tool that Heavenly Father needed to bring his son back to him.



 **** Hey Daddy! I will see If I can get another computer but I think we will be leaving to go do shopping and play some sport. I miss you so much and hope you are having fun in Cali! Its amazing that so much of Australia reminds me of Cali cause of the big palm trees. If I dont get to respond to your email that you're writing,  just know I love you and I hope you know how happy I am and I know that serving this mission was the best decision I have ever made. Im so happy I am able to have a father that is a great example to me:)

 Love your son

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Its All About the Details and Pics!

WOW this has been an amazing week and it is so crazy how fast the days go by here!! Ok really quick to answer some of the questions you have that I havent answered haha... Ok yes we do have a car and I will be driving after my training is finished which is 2 transfers and I cant believe my first transfer is almost over!!! The sausages are just beef sausages that you can get at any supermarket and they come in a big pack and they are only like 7 bucks:) ummm I will be sending heaps of pictures and I took a picture of Elder Duffus and I in the car on the way over to the library so now you will know what I look like today  :p

About the emailing back and forth, it is completely fine and yes all the other missionaries from the states do the same thing. BTW my district leaders name is Elder Christensen and he is neighbors to Sams Peyton and knows everyone including Jim and Issac Beckett! 

About the package that I need. The Burton backpack is totally fine and I cant think of anything else I really need. The sweater would be nice but it really doesnt matter all that much. My cologne here is almost out so I just was wondering if you could send that cause the prices here are nuts... I can buy stamps here and I will do that today when we go shopping. I wish there was another way for me to get pictures to you because its so hard  trying to send them over the internet because I can only send 2 at a time and they take ages to send!

I am going to buy a little USB port and download all of my pics on there so my camera doesnt get backed up with pictures but I know my SD card can hold heaps of photos.


Im going to read through your email again and see if I missed any other questions lol- feel free to ask me anymore that you have!! Ya I can look at my past emails but I dont have time!! I barely have enough time to read the emails I get this week! I had 17 today!

Hhahaha ok a normal day consists of getting up at 6:30 and then working out for 30 min, then getting ready from 7 till 8 and then personal study from 8 till 9 and then comp study from 9 to 10 then extra hour of study since im new from 10 till 11 and then lunch from 11 till 12 then we have appointments with recent converts or less active members throughout the day and then mix in some finding here and there and then dinner at 6 to 7 and then more appointments and then be home by 9 and plan for the next day and get ready for bed and write in your journal and do whatever till 10:30.

Yes I went on trade off with Elder Christensen and it was eye opening to see how diligent he was with finding and talking to everyone we rode past. we were on bikes that day and we would stop and talk to people at the bus or wherever. Its really freaky and i dont like it at all but the only way to get better is by throwing yourself in those uncomfortable situations and sometimes failing and then realizing what to do better next time.

Yes we had a baptism for Brother Singh on the 10th! A member in the ward that he became friends with baptised him but is was still a great experience. He is so converted and its incredible to see someone change their entire way of living and go against not only their existing faith but also their family! His father in law was very against him joining the church but he said there is only one person that he needs to please and that is Heavenly Father!! What a STUD!

Best story... um not really anything too crazy but the picture I sent you last week of Elder Duffus and I with that big family, they are the Tueli family and completely remind me of our family. I love them to death and they are some of the kindest and most humble people ive ever seen. Plus their son Kerwin is the really buff Samoan kid in the front and he is probably the best looking guy Ive ever seen. Girls just drop for him not because of his looks but because of his humility and willingness to serve others and always be a friend. The mom totally reminds me of you and is the nicest lady ever! I have to go grab another computer cause my times up so It might take a few minutes and then I will send you all of the pictures I can!

Gotta go mum! We got some shopping to do and then we are gonna go play sport and kick the footy around! Love you and I hope those photos satisfy your for this week;) haha

 STAY STRONG!

Love your son

                                       












Sunday, August 10, 2014

Lava Lava! Check it off the Bucket List

So this weeks email is really choppy.  We heard the sound of Nate's email coming in and it was the following 2 lines:  
Nate:  Hey Mom are you on the computer?!! You said its like 8 or 9 at night on Sunday so hopefully you see this while im writing the long email!!
Me:  Yes, we are ALL HERE reading this from you!!! 
Nate: oh my gosh!!! I have the biggest smile on my face! im in the middle of the email im writing and it says new emails!!Cmon guys type faster!! hahahaha im dying over here!!

So with Allie and Payton over for Sunday dinner, we all got on our phones and the computer and bombarded him with emails!!!  He actually got to write immediate responses back and forth a little bit as if texting!  What an incredible feeling knowing that he is sitting in a library in Adelaide Australia at noon on MONDAY morning, typing back and forth to us in Utah at 8:00 Sunday night!  Technology is insane!  We've gotta get the kinks worked out with his ability to send pictures...but for now, the following will have to do.  All I know that for me and the family tonight,  it's been so awesome knowing that he was just a few keystrokes away!!!
Ok so this has been an incredible week here and I have never been more happy in my life! Its funny how I can be happy doing something I dont really like (tracting) and sharing something I know almost nothing about, plus not having the luxuries of home and I am still so happy!!! These emails from you and dad are incredible.... I cant believe what is happening at home... Ok so I will try to email everyone back but i mostly focus on just emailing you everything and then you just telling people or updating the blog. Its so hard cause I only have a limited time and for half of the time im in the library im reading the long emails! lol but the whole thing with dads hand is crazy and all of the Elders are scared of him just from hearing that story hahaha but I hope he is doing well and Im happy he doesnt have to have a cast! Im glad I wasnt there to see him get that angry because that really doesnt happen anymore.

(We kept sending him email after email that he was responding to, so he said, Ok so this is what I have so far that I was typing!! hahahaha ahhhh im not even going to be able to type fast enough!!!!)

Sam the MTC is a hard place with an insane schedule. It is full of people that know more than you and it seems like everyone knows more than you. It was so hard for me to stay postitve while I was there because I always felt inadaquite...don't know how to spell that word... but i knew that what I was doing was right and that as long as I was trying my hardest that the Lord would make up for my short comings. After getting out to the mission field I realized how different it is from the MTC. The hard thing about the MTC is the schedule and the insane amount of info they want you to memorize. In the field you get discouraged and depressed much quicker because no one wants to hear what you have prepared and studied to share. You realize how much you need to rely on the Lord and this gospel.

 Luckily I haven't had anyone that has been extremely rude to me or cussed me out. But every single door you meet such great people and see how much the gospel could help them with their struggles and addictions or help them come closer to their family but they want nothing to do with any church and they are content living their life in darkness. Most people will act very weird when you start talking to them because its not normal for someone on a bike to stop and talk with you if you are sitting at a bus stop. Then when you bring up church it gets even weirder... I absolutely hate it and hate talking to people about the church but I love just talking and getting to know people. Once I break down their defense a little and they start talking to me I know that the second I bring up church they are going to rebuke me and want nothing to do with me. They act like I have a disease they could catch and will do everything to get away from me. It doesnt really get easier but when you meet that one person who actually wants to speak with you it makes up for everything.  
SAMMY im doing soooo good!! I miss you like crazy and I have a shrine that i made in the Flat of your picture with a bowl of coffee beans and candles in it!!!! I will send you a picture! Hold on let me grab the camera! I sent Drew his own email tell him to check it!

Ok the cord to upload pics isnt working but Elder Empey has a SD card reader that i can borrow when he is done sending his pics

Im at the library right by the huge-as mall but today we are going to go downtown and walk around with the whole district!! I cant wait to get some pictures and some food!! Ok everyone is waiting on me so we can go..... It takes so long to send pictures I hate it!! Im sorry I cant send more but I love all of you and I will start writing real letters so I can send them whenever.

Love you!!


Elder B, Rockin the Lava Lava! (check that off his bucket list!)


Elder Barnett with Companion Elder Duffus ("Duff Us" :)