Busy Week!
Good day everyone! I hope everyone is doing great! My week was insanely busy! Like I have literally been going a million miles per hour everyday! And I love it so much! My past companions were pretty lazy. Now that I am zone leader with Elder Gardner we are actually getting stuff done! We both love each other and are working so hard! We have a brand new area book so we have to start from scratch! Fun stuff!
Fun Australian things!
-When writing things Australians call “periods” full stops and “commas” half stops. I think it is a European thing or it could just be an Australian thing.
-Bread ties are like paper instead of plastic. So when you find a plastic bread tie it is like gold. I think paper is just more renewable or better for the environment…who knows. But they are way more annoying to use!
-Cupboards are really weird. When they close hard they have these things that bounce out of them prohibiting the cupboard from slamming shut. And then you have to push the cupboard shut. It is nice because no cupboards slam shut, but it is weird and annoying at the same time.
-Bathrooms have no outlet plugs…don't know how girls are supposed to do their hair and stuff…weird regulations in Australia with the outlets.
-They call a parking lot a car park here.
-Ok so here is the crazy one for this week. I even put a picture of the sign…I guess the birds are like dangerous haha. They will swoop and try to take off your head! They aim for your eyes or something. I actually was having to duck my head this week when they would swoop low at you. People riding bikes will put zip ties coming out of the helmet to deter the birds from attacking. It’s actually crazy! You will just be walking and then a bird just comes flying out of nowhere at your face…and for some reason these birds are all over Rundle mall and the city.
Updates on the week:
-This week, like I said, insane! We have been finding so much! We spent about 7 hours one day walking up and down Rundle mall finding people! It is cool because we will say prayers randomly and when we do we find a person shortly after! Really gained a testimony of keeping the Lord in our prayers and asking Him for help! Handed out so many copies of the Book of Mormon! That book is truly so impressive in helping convert people! It is undeniable evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet! No one can deny that we do have a book in our hands!
-We were so busy that most nights we didn't even get to eat dinner haha.
-We did have a couple member meals! And let’s just say that those are always interesting! One guy was very unsanitary, but I had to eat the food anyway haha. And his windows were covered in massive spider webs. The spiders just seem to get everywhere and the Australians have given up on cleaning their webs haha. Haven't seen any massive spiders yet, but I think my time will come. I do have a spider sitting above where I study everyday. I just haven't got the motivation to climb up on the desk and kill it. Maybe I will let it come to me haha.
-Had the most spiritual lesson with Robert! Both Elder Gardner and I walked out in shock! Robert is a Chinese friend we are teaching and he wants to be fully committed before being baptized! Love the Chinese mentality!
-One of my Chinese friends I used to teach got baptized this week! So big for the branch!
-Talked to so many Chinese people on the streets! My favorite was when I talked to a big group of about 5 Chinese guys. They had a lot of energy. They couldn't speak a lick of english. Once they saw I could speak Chinese they wanted a picture all together. So I got a picture with 5 Chinese guys in Rundle mall haha. It was pretty epic! It really makes a difference when you can speak their language!
-No super crazy stories this week! Just a usual week on the mission! Love my mission president! Love working hard! I love being able to work 24/7! I have no time to think about anything else but the work!
Spiritual thoughts:
Here are some spiritual thoughts on repentance! My mission president shared some of his thoughts on this topic this week!
Repentance needs to be tasty! We always tell people to feast on the scriptures or the words of Christ…but we also need to feast on repentance! There is sometimes a negative connotation with the word repentance. However, I feel like that has been done away with. People view repentance in a better light. However, we are not feasting on repentance the way we should be! We need to feast on repentance!!
-Repentance is about our personal journey to exaltation between us and our Savior. Repentance is not changing, but becoming! We can always change and then change back. However, when we become something it is a lot harder to change back to our old ways because we have become something!
-Our goal in life is to become like the Savior! We are created in the similitude of the Savior which means we are designed to be like Jesus and He wont stop changing us until we have become like Him! Think of repentance like a blood transfusion/infusion. As we repent, the Savior takes our sins, shortcomings, weaknesses, pains, sickness unto Him. And then we take His blood into us. When we slowly take His blood into us we naturally become like Him! We don't start to replicate the Savior…we become like the Savior! His blood starts to become our blood! We are not counterfeits! We have been made to become! Repentance is the way to salvation…
-Some people think repentance has negative side effects…what is the consequence of repentance? It is forgiveness!! Who doesn't want that consequence! It literally is the best consequence in the world! Plus there is no shame in forgiveness! The Savior is waiting with outstretched arms to forgive us! However, even He and our Heavenly Father are governed by laws. Heavenly laws. So we must obey those laws and repent. Then through the Savior we have the ability to be saved and live with God again! This is why the Savior is so important and at the head of this church and the foundation upon if you build you shall not fall!
-Repentance is also not just for people who have major sins! Mosiah 3:19 says that the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man (so this is the first step. We put off the natural man and stop sinning and start to yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit) and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, (this is the next step! You become!! Not change, but become! This is where you go from being a good person to a better person or in other words becoming a saint or becoming like the Savior. We yield to the spirit and change, then we becometh a saint by becoming someone new through the Atonement of Christ!) and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him. This shows the Christ-like attributes repentance can bring! We slowly become like Christ!
The Prophet has counseled us to do daily repentance! We aren't doing any major sins everyday. So we need to get past the idea that repentance is only for the people who have major sins! Repentance is for everyone! We need to daily repent of the small things like not being patient or judging unrighteously! As we come before the Lord each night, and make an accounting of our day, we can look back and see where we could have been more Christ-like! Then we repent and ask the Lord for strength in helping us do better the next day!
-I invite everyone to daily repent and think of repentance as becoming like the Savior! Repent of the small things! We must remember repentance is for the righteous people of God! Repentance is how we become a new person! That is one of the amazing joys of the gospel! We can become someone new! Someone who is better and more Christ-like! I challenge everyone to ponder repentance and how you can make it more a part of your life!
“For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ” -Mosiah
3:12
Well thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry the email is a little smaller this week! I literally have had no time! It is crazy! Lots and lots of responsibilities!
Soooo I have had less time to take pictures…so sad! I promise I will do better with taking pictures this coming week.
Here is the link to the couple pictures I have!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/
Hopefully everyone is watching conference! It is such a great opportunity to hear what the living prophet of God has to say to us! Since Australia is in the “future” we don't watch it until a week later! So sad! I will be excited for next week to listen/watch conference! Please no spoilers! But sadly if anything big happens it will be spoiled before I get to watch it haha.
I love everyone and pray that you all have a great week and have some fun!
I promise bigger and better stories next week - stay tuned!
-zhang zhanglao (Elder Jones)
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