Darth Vader Was In Rundle Mall

Good day everyone!! I hope everyone is doing just splendid! This week for me was awesome! We went a million miles per hour 24/7! We dropped into bed each night so exhausted, but so full of happiness! It was incredible! We were so busy I never ate dinner this week. So I was eating really big breakfasts and lunches haha. I am mega tired, but just so happy at how much work the Lord is allowing us to accomplish!

Australian things:

-I finally tried kangaroo meat! I can now say I have eaten a kangaroo haha. It was surprisingly good! Some people like it and some people don't…it was food so I loved it haha. Some people compare kangaroo meat to deer meat, but I couldn't do any comparisons because I haven't had deer meat before. 

-There is a bamboo forest outside my flat.

-I saw a royal Australian car or something. It had a flag on the front and then the license plate was a crown haha. Like no numbers just a built in crown! Kinda cool! Don't know what royalty was in the car, but they must have been important! 

-In some areas of the mission you have to sleep with your wallet next to you in case robbers break in at night haha.

-Australian lemonade is called “solo.” It tastes interesting, but good. It is also carbonated so that is kinda fun! 

-Australians love to eat schnitzels and they are really good. They also love their meat pies…I haven't had the guts to try the meat pies yet. They don't look that great. 

- Made a mistake and bought a mango…it was 6 dollars! I didn't realize that haha. Note to self…pick them off the trees and don't buy them at the store!

Alright, I promised good stories and pictures this week! Here they come! 

-Had a bbq on Monday night!

-Had zone conference! I had the opportunity to conduct so that was fun! I look forward to zone conference because of the food, but this time I didn't get much food…we ended up talking to our mission president about incredible things for so long so we ended up having 5 minutes for lunch. So we took a couple bites of some food then had to go train some missionaries.  We went back after and ate some more bites, and put it in the fridge only to have it thrown away by someone. Love zone conference and loved sharing my testimony and playing some piano!

-We had a lesson with one of our Chinese friends! He is progressing really well! But at the end of the lesson we asked him some questions and he opened up! And wow it was insane.  He is so smart! 

-Street contacting in Rundle Mall was crazy this week! I have countless stories that would take hours to tell, but here are some of the funniest ones: We started talking to someone and asked him where he was from and he said he was from the moon and was visiting earth then walked away. I turned to my companion and said, “Well haven't heard that one yet!” 

-We were walking past this big group of men and then all of a sudden one guy made a fart sound toward us. After they walked past, I just burst out laughing so hard. Like true laughing! And I am laughing right now thinking about it. Like who walks past someone and makes a fart sound at them haha. It sounds mean, but it made my day for some reason!

-We were talking to someone and then he said “Sorry there is kinda a distraction behind you.” I turn around and literally there is Darth Vader walking down the middle of Rundle Mall! He was probably 6’6 and wearing a head to toe costume that looked exactly like Darth Vader! It was crazy! After we finished our conversation, we caught up with him and me being me I got a picture with him haha! Rundle Mall is so crazy sometimes! There are so many street performers doing their crazy stuff and then there are always musicians playing for money! So there is always something going on! 

-I have never talked to girls while street finding for many different reasons. And here is a funny experience that reaffirms why I don't talk to girls street finding haha. My companion and I were walking and there was a group of 3 young Asian girls and 1 young guy taking a picture together. I said, “I will offer to take your picture.” They said no thank you, but I kept the conversation going. And then I started speaking some Chinese and they loved that. They said they weren't too interested so we said no worries thanks for talking and started walking away….they all start talking fast in Chinese then I hear “shuai ge” a couple times which means handsome boy in Chinese. I was probably 10 feet away at this point and I instinctively turn around for some reason and raise my eyebrow and say “shuai ge” with a questioning voice haha. They all freaked out in laughter and embarrassment because they had forgotten that I could understand Chinese haha. I walked away laughing so hard! A good reminder of why I don't talk to young girls street finding and I felt bad for the other guy who was with them…he probably hates me.

-Handed out so many copies of the Book of Mormon. Honestly, I am talking to more Chinese people on the streets than people who can talk English! I feel bad for my companion because once we start talking in Chinese he just stands there. The Chinese people love hearing their language! I even wrote eternal families in Chinese characters and gave it to a father and his kid and he was like “whoa you can write Chinese!?” It was funny! 

-Got to go basketball finding! We showed up at some random park and there were a ton of Asian guys playing basketball! So we joined in and it was so much fun! They were speaking Chinese so I could understand what they were going to do hehe. Then I spilled my secret of speaking Chinese and they were like “so you can understand what we are saying?” I was like yep haha. They were like “oh well we better not say anything bad about you!” I was in literal heaven. It was a beautiful day and weather, I was playing basketball and dominating, and speaking Chinese with Asians in Australia in a random park! Like it can’t get better than that!

-Felt prompted to talk to this one guy I saw, but we walked another way. I had the prompting again and again so I stopped and told my companion that we had to turn around and go talk to this guy. He was wearing a bright neon yellow shirt so it was like he was shouting “talk with me” haha. We start talking and then start talking in Chinese! His wife then shows up…and she was really interested! They started asking us questions and then she was like and I quote, “How do I join your church?” “Like what requirements are there?” I just stood there dumbfounded. Like no one has asked me that! We got their numbers and they will come back to learn more! Texted a lot in Chinese back and forth! It was a miracle! Sooooo many miracles this week! Too many to count! I hope everyone is doing their miracle jars ;)

-Taught the whole restoration lesson and the Book of Mormon in Chinese! It was powerful and there were so many miracles in that lesson! It was a Chinese couple! It would be a literal miracle if they can find faith in Jesus Christ and be converted! 

Well, sorry for the long stories! Those are some of the highlights! So many more! But sadly I don't have time! I was dead tired each night! My body ached from running all over, my mind from thinking all day, spiritually exhausted from teaching, and mentally dead from being at Rundle Mall for hours on end talking to people in Chinese, buttt I am heaps happy! So much joy working as hard as I can for the Lord! 

Here is a quick spiritual thought! 

I hope everyone watched and enjoyed conference! “Think Celestial” should be in our minds! We should be so grateful for a living prophet who has revelation from God for our day! We are the only church that has a living prophet on the earth! It really surprises people to find out there is a living prophet! Don't take the prophet and apostles for granted! If they ask us to do something, let's make sure we do it! Because “whether by mine own voice (God) or by the voice of my servants (prophets and apostles), it is the same.” 

-D/C 1:38

We must be going to the right sources for our questions! And I can testify that general conference is a correct source for answers to our deep soul questions! Go to the sources where the truth and light is! In 2 Nephi 25:26 it states, “to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of truth and light! He is the answer to all our questions! If we truly humble ourselves and turn to Him, He will lift us up and make our burdens light!

-We must all remember that we are a child of a loving Heavenly Father! We all chose His plan of happiness and came down to earth to receive a body! So we are all “somebody”. We all have a body! We should never feel less than a somebody because we all have chosen God's plan and have a body! SO never let a “nobody” tell you otherwise. Don't let the adversary and his followers who are “nobody’s” tell you lies about yourself because they don't even have a body! So they are the real nobody’s haha. You are somebody so don't let the nobodys deceive you! Think celestial and think positively about yourself! And don't let anyone or your thoughts or satan tell you otherwise!!

-Correction is the pathway to perfection! 

Correction is key to changing and becoming like the Savior! If someone corrects you, be humble enough to accept the correction and change and become a better person! Because correction is the pathway to perfection!! Correction allows us to repent! If we never were corrected by others or the Lord we would never become who He wants us to be! 

-Distraction is destruction! Please be aware of what may be distracting you from the Savior in your life! I invite you to take something out of your life that distracts you from the true source of light and happiness! 

-Exact obedience to God’s commandments brings miracles! Test it out! Then watch for the miracles! The commandments are the road to the Savior. It’s the tool to draw unto Him. Why is it not easy sometimes…it is because we need to become! So the commandments help us become like Him! Don't separate the commandments from the Lord! He wants our heart not our lips! 

One last thought…. A testimony is to know and feel. And to be converted is to do and become! 

Here are the photos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6XrmxdMQiEmxNuVRA

Love you all! Keep up the good work! 

Until next week!

-zhang zhanglao (Elder Jones) :)