Robert's Baptism!

-Lightbulbs in Australia are very convenient! I had to get up on a ladder this week to replace a light in our flat. It was a pleasant surprise when I found out that you don't screw lights in, but you plug the light bulbs in just like you put a plug in a wall. So much easier and faster than screwing a light bulb in. 

-Can I just say that wow peanut butter here is just insane! It is made different! I had to stop buying peanut butter because I was eating wayyyy to much! 

-Averaging like 10 hours a week on gospel library.

-Ok here is a fun fact about Chinese. There is a word called wen. And there are three different tones for this one word. So if you say the tone differently it means a completely different word! The funny thing about this word is that wen with the fourth tone means question. But wen with the second tone means kiss. So if you ask “so do you have any questions for me” and you mess up the tone you will be saying “so do you want to kiss me?” I always make sure I have my tone right when asking if anyone has a question haha.

-There is a crazy no go street in my area. It is across the street from Rundle mall. It is called Hindley street and if we go on it we immediately get sent home! So we are very cautious that we never step foot on that street because none of us want to get sent home for that silly reason! It is like looking into the great and spacious building. It looks really fun and crazy, but we are not allowed to go down that street because of what has happened in the past with missionaries…

-Odd bunch- This is at the grocery store. This is discounted fruits and veggies that don't meet the requirement to be a “perfect” fruit or veggie. It is a way for farmers to sell the fruit that didn't grow right, but still is fine to eat. Australians are just better at not wasting food! Americans want everything to be perfect, but Australians can handle fruits and veggies that aren't perfect haha.

Highlights from the week!

-I got called on to play the piano suddenly at Robert's baptism and at church the next day…so shout out to my piano teacher Jody for preparing me so well! So grateful for her and all her help over the years!

-Roberts baptism! It was a perfect baptism with the usual funny things that happen! Everything was done by the members so that was pretty awesome! Lots of hard work and effort went into planning the baptism! I made a flyer in Chinese for all the Chinese friends everyone has! One of the Chinese friends was shocked that I made the flyer and said that it was “flawless”! That made me happy! Elder Gardner and I got to the chapel at 7:00 in the morning and started to fill up the font while eating pancakes and ice cream haha. That is a fun memory! A very very Aussie thing to do haha. One of the talks was given in English and the other was in Chinese. After the Chinese talk the branch president got up and said “well that was a great talk. I felt the spirit even though I couldn't understand a thing being said. I saw all the eyes of the international people light up when she got up and started speaking in Chinese! No one else could understand anything except Elder Jones who was nodding his head the whole time.” And then everyone just burst out laughing. I felt pretty special to be included with the select Chinese people who could understand. 

Finally we get Robert and Wincent (a Chinese person who was baptized literally one month ago and just got the priesthood) in the water. Wincent says the prayer and dunks Robert in, but Robert didn't quite make it all the way in. We tell them he didn't go all the way under the water. Wincent and Robert look at each other and then Wincent dunks Robert back in. We were like no no no haha. You must say the prayer again. So Wincent says the prayer again and dunks Robert in for the 3rd time…Robert comes out of the water and looks at everyone and says “one more time?” and everyone just laughs and says “nope you are good to go!” 

Robert changes and comes out dressed in a full suit and tie! Pretty epic! We confirm him as a member of the church and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. After the blessing he opened his eyes and said “man, if that blessing went 2 more minutes, I would have fallen asleep…” Robert is literally a comedian and is such a fun person! He is probably the most high profile person that I will baptize on my mission! 

-Lots of Chinese speaking this week which was awesome! So much fun! I was called a 15 year old and a 27 year old by different people this week. I just don't know how I can look so old and so young haha!

-There was a nice lady this week at the bus stop that told me I looked like Tom Cruise! So that made me happy even though Tom Cruise is kinda old haha.  

-We had a long conversation with one guy, but got interrupted by another preacher dude. And the sad thing was we were about to get this guy's number, but this random preacher dude prevented us from getting it because after he interrupted us the guy we were talking to didn't want to give us his number after. And the worst thing was that this conversation we had was a “two cigarette conversation” he smoked two cigarettes while we talked to him…shows the length of that conversation haha.

-We are going all day everyday! I literally fall into bed dead at the end of each night! Like no down time whatsoever! I haven't had time to slow down since I started the mission. It is absolutely wild! 

Spiritual thought time!!

James 1: 12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Avoid worldly wickedness. Know that God is in control. In time, Satan will completely fail and be punished for his perverse evil. God has a specific plan for your life. He will reveal parts of that plan to you as you look for it with faith and consistent obedience. His Son has made you free—not from the consequences of your acts, but free to make choices. God’s eternal purpose is for you to be successful in this mortal life. No matter how wicked the world becomes, you can earn that blessing. Seek and be attentive to the personal guidance given to you through the Holy Spirit. Continue to be worthy to receive it. Reach out to others who stumble and are perplexed, not certain of what path to follow.” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 103–4, 106; or Ensign, May 2004, 100, 102).

Matthew 11:28-30

28-Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29-Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

30-For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Yoke is easy and burden is light! Light is not referring to weight. It is referring to light and truth! Have you ever thought about that? Burden is responsibility. In the Tongan language, burden means responsibility or that something is your destiny. It is our destiny to carry that burden (responsibility) and that responsibility is to bear the light and truth of Jesus Christ! In the temple it tells us that we will have a burden placed on our shoulders but we are endowed to bear that burden! We have been endowed from on high! Picture yourself yoked together with the Savior! It’s His yoke! We are pulling together! Just like a yoke binds two oxen together, a yoke today can be symbolic of the covenants and ordinances we make with the Savior. Take His yoke upon you! It's easy because He carries the load! Trust in Him! Next time you are having a hard time or trial, think of pushing through right alongside the Savior!

(Matthew 14)

All the challenges in life can be compared to the winds and waves of the sea that Peter walked through when he walked on water. 

Picture Peter and all the waves, winds, and the storm. This can be compared to all the things we go through in life. He sees Jesus and asks if he can come. Jesus says come. We all find Jesus and He invites us to come follow Him no matter our life circumstances. Peter gets out of the boat and walks to Him amidst the storms or trials. But when he lost focus on the Savior he began to sink. When we take our eyes off the Lord and our ultimate foundation, we will sink. Because Peter was yoked with Christ, when he began to sink he cried for help and Jesus pulled him up because Peter had accepted His call to come follow Him. When we begin to sink amidst all our trials and just the grind of daily life, we can rest assured that we are yoked with Jesus Christ and He will pull us up out of the depths of whatever we find ourselves in.

Lift where we stand! Raise your sights high! Don't look back or down! Look up to see Christ coming! The day shall come that "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God" (Mosiah 27:31) 

He will not come in a manger again, He will come in power and glory! 

We were born to worship a God that we know! Worship Jesus Christ because we know Him not about Him! He heals you and continues to heal you! Because of Him, He gives you power to go forward even with your weakness. He carries your weakness. Don't be afraid of weakness, we have them so we can be humble and come unto Him and then His grace is sufficient! (Ether 12:6) 

Jesus Christ gave each of us a powerful embrace before we were born. There is nothing left undone with the Savior! We looked deeply into His eyes and told Him "Lord I will follow thee" we came to earth to fulfill our promise that we said to the Lord! Will we follow Him? Get to know Him so personally that you weep for joy because we know Him! That is the sweetest gift we can have! To come to know and have a deep personal relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ! 

We don't need to impress anyone. Just need to impress the Savior! Give an accounting of each day and compare yourself with your past self and continue forward with your mind single to the glory of God. And then shall your body be filled with might, and there shall be no darkness in you. (D/C 88:67) You may not think you people can see the light in your eyes, but let me testify from personal experience that people can! I have had people ask me about it and then I explain what I believe or do or don't do and then they say "ahhh that is why your eyes are pure, they have light in them.” If you have the spirit or not can be seen by those around you! The light or darkness in your body can be seen in your eyes! Strive to have the light! The light of truth and love! The light that only Christ can bring! 

I want to testify that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our one and only way back to our Heavenly Father! This is His one and only true church on the earth with the necessary ordinances, covenants, power and authority to give us salvation and exaltation! If there was no one on the earth left that believed in Him, if my closest friends and family disbelieved, I would remain fast in my testimony and knowledge of Christ. I have had a personal witness from the Holy Ghost that was not in the form of lightning, thunder, earthquake, or a dramatic appearance, but a still small voice that struck me to my core, my heart, and my mind. There is no denying it. The Holy Ghost has testified to me that these things are the reality of our existence and life, even though they may seem unbelievable to the natural mind or science. I know that I know and feel these things, and I know that God knows that I feel and know these things. And I cannot deny them. I invite everyone to gain this special witness for yourselves! I say these things in the sacred name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Here are the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/P5AjEYXAToozjZNq9

Until next week! 

Cheers! 

-zhang zhanglao (Elder Jones) :)