"It's almost like I can't remember not being a missionary haha." Week 53

G'day mates!

So this week was a nice week. We had some cool experiences and got some new investigators! 

So we were out tracting about a week ago and we had just stopped by a members home because one of their friends passed away unexpectedly. So we talked to her for a bit then went out finding. We were walking down the street knocking on the occasional door and were not seeing much success. But we kept on going. Then about a hour and a half later we decided we would knock one more and said a pray in our hearts we would be led to someone who needed to hear our message. We both felt to knock on number 24. So we walked down the street, found 24 and went up to it. We knocked on the door and they answered and said "come on in". Those 3 words make everything else worth it. So we went in and started chatting and she mentioned she was actually kinda mad right now because a friend of hers had not showed up for their lunch date thing yet and it'd been like an hour. Then she mentioned the name and my comp. and I just looked at each other and realized that it was the same person the member of our branch had talked to us about (their friend that passed away). So we told her the sad news and then were able to talk about the plan of salvation and left her with a pamphlet and a return appointment in a week. Friday this past week we went back and had another talk with her.  We talked about religion and different things for a while, but there was this wall she has thrown up against religion. We continued to talk and she expressed how she had been praying that day a week ago asking God to give her a sign if he was there and which church was right if any.  She said that 20 min later we knocked on her door, and that we knew about her friend and she said that she couldn't deny God was trying to tell her something, but that she just wasnt sure if she could accept it or how she could know.  (she also said she prayed for a black and white answer and then we showed up in black pants and white shirts she thought that was funny haha). Anyways we pulled out a Book of Mormon and taught her about it and said that this was they way to know. She said to give her some time and she would read it cover to cover. I know she will get her answer. 

We were able to meet a lot of different people this week and just have good conversations. We are meeting up with most of them again this week and will be able to teach them more. Port Macquarie is really starting to get rolling! I feel like I'm gonna get transfered on the 14 of December though:( 

I'm loving my mission. I feel like this year has been my whole life. It's almost like I can't remember not being a missionary haha. I feel happy each day to be out serving God and everyone around me. We have 2 baptisms coming up in the next 2 weeks so that will be awesome. But I have found a love for doing all of God's work.  Not just baptizing, but working with less active members. To me it's just as important and worthwhile to bring those who have fallen away from the rod back to it. 

I love you all heaps!

Elder White

"Seeing is not believing. It wasnt for Laman and Lemuel....." Week 52

G'day mates!

This has been a good week! Wednesday through Saturday we were in New Castle for a Zone Conference though, so not too much to report on! But we have a baptism on Dec 5th so that will be awesome! 

We had 5 investigators at church last week which was great. You feel so happy when you see the people you are teaching walk up to church. The mission is going great! This week we were really just going through the branch list trying to find people.  So far we have tried to see 28 families and so far 26 of them have moved somewhere and 2 of them didnt answer the door so thats not too good haha.

We knocked on one of them though and this Korean lady opened and she was holding her daughter and we started talking about families and I told her there was 11 kids in my family and she was like ooohhhhh ohhhh ohhhhh too much! I love my family haha. People think my parents are crazy though! Big families rock though! 

Our investigators are doing good! We are working so hard to find people to teach but not seeing too much success right now. It's all good though.   Elder Quienton L. Cook said that the success is in the invitation so we know the Lord is pleased with our work!

I have been going through the scriptures a lot on my mission and I love them so much. There is so much in them that is just so wonderful and I cant believe I didn't read them as much before. I look forward to the times I can read from the scriptures now. They are so precious to me. I know this church is true. And that our prophet speaks for God. And God will never lead us astray. He is all powerful and all knowing and this is His church with His Son Jesus Christ as the chief corner stone of it. 

I made a batch of cinnamon rolls and took them down to zone conference and gave one to President and Sister Checketts and everyone in my district, and then I opened it up to everyone in the zone, and they were devoured in seconds haha. Everyone was so amazed that I cooked them! They say I have to make more next time haha. Those things are good. 

I love feeling the Spirit in my life. As a missionary I am blessed to be doing things all day that bring the Spirit into my life. It's such a comfort to receive witnesses from the Spirit. Because that's where true knowledge and testimony come from. Seeing is not believing. It wasnt for Laman and Lemuel, it wasnt for the Nephites time and time again. It wasn't even for Alma the younger who did see an angel. He said so himself in Alma 5:46 i think. Where he said "and how do ye suppose I know of their surety?" and then he says "I have fasted and prayed many days to know the truth and the Spirit has manifested the truth of it unto me". He didn't say "I saw an angel and it shook the earth".  He says he prayed and received a spiritual witness that it was true. We can all have that. Like alma said in Alma 32:26, we just need to have the desire to know and then plant the seed, to exercise a particle of faith until we can make room in our hearts for more truth. 

I love you all! Have a smash week,

Elder White

"The spirit was so strong in the room as Elder Parkinson and I bore our testimonies. I love being a missionary".....week 51

It's crazy to think that a year ago today I was 10 days away from reporting to the MTC! It has all gone by so fast, It seems like just yesterday I was at home holding my new born twin brothers and watching Frozen with Bronwyn. I have seen a lot of change over this year though, I have seen a lot of hardship and trials in other's lives and in my own. But one thing I didnt expect to happen was the change of heart. In alma 32:28 at the end of the verse it talks about the word or Jesus Christ becoming delicious to us and enlarging our soul. The gospel has really become delicious to me, I love it. I love searching the scriptures and listening to conference talks all day as we drive and its just all so amazing to me. 

So this week was a fast one, they all just seem to go by so quickly! But some weird things that happened this week is we went on Thursday up to a members property in the mountains to build some fences. He lives way out in the bush and it was raining on us the whole time but we didnt really care. But the reason I'm telling this is because Saturday morning I woke up and my lower back had been feeling weird for a while so I was rubbing it and i felt something so I looked in the mirrior and I had a massive tick!  It was a paralysis tick according to the people here. But being a boy scout I thought that I could handle it no problem, so I grabbed a lighter and tried to burn it. And all that did was make it crawl deeper inside of me and I burned myself haha. Then we tried pouring some listerine mouth wash on it and that just burned and then I tried to pull it out like a dummy and squeezed it and pulled and I just got a bit of its body and the rest was left in me where i couldnt get it. Everyone said I was gonna be crazy sick and all that if i didnt get the head out but I didnt beleive them and was stubborn and refused to go to the hospital to have them get the head out. But im feeling totally fine so I guess im immune haha.  But then the crazy thing is that night I found a giant leech on my leg just sucking away! It was massive! So I yanked it off quickly- which I guess is another no no- cause I didnt stop bleeding and ended up just putting a bandaid on it and going to bed and it soaked through it! Everything just wants my blood I guess haha.

So this week we had a cool experience! We called around when we found the tick and one of investigators said -come over we will give you some stuff for it- so we drove over and they were having a house inspection because they were renting and the couple that was doing it started asking us some questions.  So we all sat at the table and started talking and then some of the investigators friends showed up and joined the conversation. It was kinda funny.  We had 2 jehovas witnesses there, 2 born again christians, 1 catholic, then us and then our investigator family who are looking for a church! And we were leading a discussion with all of them. It was really cool, everyone was really open and respectful to everyone else, and we just had such a great conversation. Eventually one of them asked us how we could leave everything for 2 years, they asked basically what our conversion story was, why did we beleive. I told them my testimony was one that grew over time. But I shared with them the experience of my mum and the car accident she had. And how through faith fasting and the power of the preisthood she was able to heal and my little brother Colton was protected. The spirit was so strong in the room as Elder Parkinson and I bore our testimonies. I love being a missionary.

It was a good week overall, we gotta see heaps of people and help them out. The weather has been nice and rainy or cloudy so that's good.  I'm dreading the heat of summer that's comming in. I'm gonna sweat soooo bad. But it will all be right. 

Love you all heaps!

Elder White

"...it is such a spiritual pick me up though, i LOVE it."......Week 50

G'day Everyone!

So this week was a slow and steady week! I am loving my mission so much. Its starting to really warm up down here as we head into summer though, so thats gonna be rough! Luckily though I am allowed to drive still, so we are back on the road! 

Lets see...... On monday we went out at 6 to start working and it started dumping rain and lightning and wind so we walked back to the flat haha. We still were not cleared to drive yet so we got trapped inside for the night. So we did some planning and had a movie night and watched Joseph Smith prophet of the restoration!

On tuesday we walked to heaps of less active members homes and tried to find some new investigators by knocking doors and talking to people on the street but it was a slow day. No one really even opened their door! So not too much to report on there! We did meet this one less active man and had a good conversation with him. We commited him to come to church and he came! So that was awesome. 

Wednsday we met with this sweet less active dude from Hungary, his accent is so cool haha. We helped resolve some of his concerns and had an awesome chat with him. We are gonna start seeing him weekly and hopefully get him back to church! Then that night we had dinner at Paul and Mels and man i love that family soooooooo much! i want them to be baptized more than anything! We see them like 2 times a week so that will be good. They are slowly but surely comming along! 

Thursday we got cleared to drive so we were back on the road! We went down to Comboyne and saw some people there and we went to Wachope and then to this member that lives on a couple hundred acres out in the bush and had dinner there. It was a good day. We worked with a part member family where only the husband is a member and I was playing with the kids while we were there .  We had a good discussion with the family and all that and they came to church for the first time in forever! It was great.

Friday was a good day too. We met with this lady who was intrerested in our church and had a great restoration discussion. She loved it all and she is super keen to learn. She texted us yesterday and said she had started reading the book of mormon and that it was the most beautiful book she has ever read. She was asking us for more chapters to read and said she was also gonna start from the beginning! Over the course of my mission so far the power of the book of mormon has been confirmed to me again and again. i know that it is true. The power and influence for good it has on people's lives is undeniable. It is such an incredible book of scripture.

Saturday we were all over the place but we had a good day! We helped a member put together their bed because they are ancient... i dont know why they bought a new bed but they did so we helped haha. Then we went up to Kempsey and saw some people up there, did more service lifting things and what not, and then we went trick or treating haha- we dressed up as missionaries and knocked on people's doors! 

Sunday was a great day! Fasting takes on a new meaning though when you have 5 hours of tracting in the hot sun before dinner time haha. it is such a spiritual pick me up though, i LOVE it. 

Well love you all heaps!

Elder White