Wolly the Adopted Vietnamese Wombat

Hello, everyone! I love you! This week was a fantastic week, full of crazy things and wonderful surprises, as well as miracles that have helped shape me into a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

To start off with, last week, I was given a stuffed wombat from a less active. She was just showing us around her house, showing off her collections of various things, and out of the blue, she gave me this wombat! Isn't he cute? I also made him a little Vietnamese hat so that he can feel right at home in the Vietnamese program. I think he is a great mascot for the area.

This week, I got to go on exchanges with Elder Marshall, my original MTC companion. I haven't been able to see him around much for about 4 or 5 months because of the different areas, so it was interesting to work with him again. We've really changed so much, and it was fascinating to see how the differences that our missions are making for us. We worked with more unity than even in the MTC although we've been separated for so long. He's a good missionary, and I'm glad to be able to serve with him and serve in the district/ward with him.,

This week, we've really made a bigger push to work with members and recent converts as per direction of our Area Presidency and Mission president. We've been working with a recent convert to help him invite people whom he knows to hear about the gospel, and to prayerfully prepare to share it with them/invite them. As a result, I've felt closer to him and even his friends whom I haven't met before. I have a stronger testimony about the power of praying for people by name, specifically asking Heavenly Father to bless them according to the needs that I'm aware of. If nothing else, it really develops my charity for others and my desire to serve them and help them. It's been exciting to develop and feel that this week.

I've been blessed this week to really see and feel my progress as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Although I am far from perfect, I'm seeing that as I make little changes in my day-to-day routines to be more deliberate and more aware of God, I am in turn more aware of myself and what I need to do and be to reach my full potential. I'm grateful for the chance to share this message with everyone that I can, especially the Vietnamese people for whom I'm developing a greater and greater love.

I hope you've all had the chance to see the new Easter videos from the church! They're fantastic. I quite enjoy them, anyway, and I know that they are inspired by the brethren to help move His great work forward. May you find peace and light this week as you seek it from the Lord. I love you all, and I'm praying for you! Thank you for all that you have done, do, and will do for me! I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that He loves us very much, and that He conquered death and sin so that, through Him, we can too.

Have a great week! :)

An Adventure in Exchanges

Hello, everyone! I love you! This week was an excellent adventure, but I didn't spend a lot of it with my companion... we had a couple of exchanges this week, so I got to work with Elder Vo (the elder from Vietnam) and Elder Banner.

The exchanges were superb! The other elders really helped me focus on some important aspects of my character on the mission, and they helped me re-realize the fun and the joy that comes from serving the Lord in such a capacity. I'm incredibly blessed to be working with these elders in my district. They're both very humble and very powerful examples of testimony and truth. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but I'll be better about that with this week's exchanges! 

I got to borrow a Lava Lava this week during the exchange on Friday. Other cultures are exciting. :) 

This week, we also had stake conference and zone meeting. There is a huge emphasis on working with the members more, and plans are being put into place on the mission and stake levels to be able to do that more. I'm excited for the future with the plans, but I'm concerned about the lack of Vietnamese members that we have to work with. A lot of them are recent converts, and we're still trying to strengthen their testimonies. The others are not very active, so we're going to be working with them more to help inspire them to come to church. :) 

Something I've been really grateful for this week has been the opportunity to learn from others around me. I've been able to learn from a new family we're teaching about the importance of being teachable and the value of, well, values, especially Christ-centered values. I've learned from other missionaries how to be diligent, fun, caring, and genuine. I've learned a lot from the scriptures about who I can be, and who I can only become if I learn to rely and trust on God. This week, my ponderize scripture was Mosiah 8:18, which talks about how prophets and seers can help out mankind through their faith, but I'm sure it reaches farther than that; God provides a way for all the faithful to be able to benefit mankind. I'm grateful for the faithful examples in all of you that are really benefiting me, and turning me towards more Christ-like service to others.

I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the very Son of God. He came to live, die, and atone for us that we may live with Them again. Everyone has access to His great and infinite Atonement, and one of the greatest reminders of that is how we can remember and learn of Him through other people.

I love you all so much, and I hope you have a great week! :) 

Easter time is fun, and missionaries love letters! :) Seriously, letters lift up my spirits a ridiculous amount. I'm not begging or anything, though... :) 

New Investigators!

Hello again, everyone! I love you all so much! This week has been really full of things. Fortunately, it's also been full of a couple of teaching appointments. :)

This week, we started teaching 2 new Vietnamese investigators, our first in the area. It's interesting how we ran into them, actually. One is a Vietnamese girl who originally planned to go to Germany, so she and Elder Mahendran can talk bilingually. She speaks about as much German as I do, so we can all understand each other pretty well. She helps us with our Vietnamese, we help her with her English and teach her the gospel. It's a good deal!

The other investigator was an absolute miracle. Someone we contacted the other day gave us the wrong number, but we didn't know that. When we called the number, it was a Vietnamese person who confused us with another church group whom he had met, and he agreed to meet. The lesson was funny, awkward, and a little frustrating at times. We weren't sure we would meet him again. However, by the end, he really felt the spirit as we bore testimony and asked him questions that made him really think about his perspective of God and life. We're going to meet him again sometime this week! :)

Other than that, it's been really good to be in the new flat. It already feels like home, and the other elders are quite diligent and obedient, which helps to keep us motivated and working hard. We're going back to Footscray ward now, but it's a 40 minute drive and 1.5 hours by train, so Sundays involve a lot of travel, and we're hoping to help our investigators be converted to the gospel enough to make the long trek each week. I have faith that Heavenly Father will bless us and bless them as we do. 

This week, I did a lot better about reading General Conference talks, and as I did, I gained greater spiritual focus and strength. I've been trying to focus lately on getting to know Jesus Christ, focusing on His life and the things that He has done for me and for all of us. I know that an essential, inseparable part of that is coming to know His true appointed servants, the prophets. Conference is coming up again, so I invite you all to redouble your efforts to keep reading October's General Conference talks until then! Also, don't forget to ponderize if that's gotten a little low. :) I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and strength! I know that our Savior lives, Jesus is the Christ, and that through Him, we can all be made perfect. :) Until next week! :) 

Ps. I got a free hat this last week from someone random. I tried to start a conversation by complimenting their hat, and they asked, "Do you want it? I have 2." It really boosted my spirit even though it may be a little silly. :) 

28 Feb 2016

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a fantastic week full of blessings from the Lord! This week was rather crazy down here; we found out on Tuesday that we were actually getting transferred! We are no longer in the city, and we are no longer English speaking. We moved about 30 minutes outside of the city by car, got a new car (which I get to drive... oi, Australian roads are crazy), and are starting over with a brand new, Vietnamese only area. So far, we have no investigators and a lot of hope. :)

The car was stuffed! Elder Mahendran and I were buried! :) 

We had some of our last lessons with investigators this week; it was really bitter-sweet to say goodbye to them. We're really excited for our new area, and we know that they'll continue to grow and progress with the city sisters, but it's hard to leave someone after growing attached to them by imparting the great gift of the gospel. We're excited to continue to hear how they're doing as we follow up with the sisters whenever the zone is together. :) 

This week, amidst all the confusion and stress of starting a new area (again), I really focused on my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Being able to teach the Restoration to members and investigators has really helped me to appreciate the prophet and seer called to open this, the last dispensation. I know that he is a prophet of God. The revelations he received that we know as the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith History and incredibly eloquent and certainly inspired writings. His translation of the Book of Mormon has blessed my life in innumerable ways, and I'm so grateful to have been born in a time and a place where I can have this knowledge and share it with others. 

For P-Day this week, we took a mini road trip with a member! He took us to a place called "12 Apostles" and we stopped at many beautiful Australian sites. It was really cool to see, and I have a lot of pictures to share later on. :) 

I hope you have a fantastic week! I love you, and I'm praying for you! Until next week! :) 

21 Feb 2016

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a great week and were able to see the hand of the Lord. :) I know that He is always guiding and aiding us, and I'm grateful for the plethora of opportunities I had this week to see His hand and appreciate His help in the work.

We received Transfer news last night, and we'll be staying together in the city for the next 8 weeks! I'm still about 80% an English elder, but I think I can also teach Vietnamese... it's a bit confusing since the branch isn't meant for Vietnamese people, but they can come if they're students. We'll work that out with President in the coming weeks, though.

​We went to the Shrine of Remembrance for P-day, and it had some great views of the city!

This week, I've been especially sensitive to the knowledge that Heavenly Father puts people in our path in order to help us, help them, and so that He can show us a sign that He is real and wants to help us. Talking with random people is difficult and scary a lot of the time, but Heavenly Father has often sent some of His children my way to help brighten up my day, whether they are members or non-members, He's sent people my way to help me feel more confident and capable in sharing the gospel. 

The investigators we've been working with are doing well. The main issue is that school is starting up for them soon, so they have a hard time balancing school, work, and going to church, so we haven't seen very many of them come on Sundays. However, as we meet with them more, I'm sure they'll begin to see the significance of going to church. I know that I'm especially grateful each week to be able to partake of the sacrament each week and to ponder about the Savior and His Atonement.

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This week, I'm especially grateful for modern prophets, seers, and revelators. We read in Mosiah 8 that seership is among the greatest of the gifts of God, and it's amazing to step back and remember that we sustain the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve apostles as "prophets, seers, and revelators." They have so much power and direction given from God for our benefit and to help us. It's amazing how often the Lord reaches out to us through other people, like His servants. I know that they are really His representatives on the earth, and by heeding their counsel, we will draw closer to God. That's why continuing to study General Conference is so important, and I hope I can redouble my efforts to do so before this coming April conference.

I love you all, and I hope you have another fantastic week! :) 

Happy birthday Mom & Katherine

Hello again! I love you all so much! :) I'm going to try and write a general email today, but I want to especially wish Mom and Katherine a happy birthday! I love you! :)

Hello, everyone! I love you all so much! :) I apologize for failing to send general emails for a long time, but I'm hoping to fix that today! I love you all, and I try to talk with you all, but sometimes that doesn't work... so, I'll try my best to share my week with you generally first. :) 

This week, we celebrated the Lunar new year! It's a big deal in Chinese and Vietnamese culture, and it was a lot of fun. The branch put on a big potluck and talent show, and we got to participate as singers and also wear traditional Vietnamese robes! It was very schnazzy, and a wonderful experience to see the diversity that we have around the world even though we are all children of God. Even the Vietnamese Elders from Springville (outside the city) were able to come!

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I got a haircut from a Vietnamese barber, but due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, he practically shaved my head... that's why my hair is so short. It's still approved by missionary standards, but I feel like I'm in the military. Fortunately, hair grows back. :)

This week, we've been blessed to be able to meet and teach new investigators. It's been a little rough because our initial investigators, who seemed to be doing so well just a few weeks ago, have dropped us or disappeared from all contact. However, Heavenly Father is merciful to us, and as we've been working hard to be worthy of his trust, He's given us some of His children to watch over and to guide to the truth. The people we are teaching now are very eager to know the truth, but it may take some quality time with them to help them recognize it. I'm grateful for the chance to be able to go slowly and help others understand the gospel, for it helps me understand the basic fundamentals better myself. We also have a lot of investigators from Japan (I'm temporarily an English elder since they're transitioning the Vietnamese members out of the branch I'm serving it, but it's fun!), so it's interesting to be able to try and communicate feelings of the spirit through the language barrier. :)

This week, I've been feeling really positive and really happy! It's been such a blessing to be able to feel all of your love and faith for me. Thank you for sustaining me in my good times and bad times, and for helping me become a better disciple of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. :)

My Ponderize scripture this week is from D&C 84:33-40, the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. Throughout the week, I've been able to see the power and blessings of the Priesthood in my life, and also how that power and promise is available to all covenant keepers and all the children of God. How merciful is our loving Heavenly Father in allowing all of His children to enjoy the blessings of the priesthood in callings, leadership, families, and ordinances. 

I love you all so much! I hope that you're all doing well. I love reading your letters and seeing your pictures, and I apologize if I can't respond individually, but please know that I pray for you, by name, every night. :) I love and appreciate your prayers and faith in my behalf as well. I hope you have a fantastic week! 

Ps. What kind of son would I be if I didn't wish my mom a happy birthday? I love you, ma! :)

Elder Xiao (not my current companion) is a Chinese elder called English speaking. He's awesome! :)

Good Sabbath

Hello again! I love you! :)

​Little Twilight (From a candy package Elder Mahendren got) and I say hi! :)