Island Life On Kangaroo Island :) (pics)

Well, well, well, I finally found some time to write an email this week! Usually, I am so busy that I never have time to write an email. For the most part, P-day for me has just disappeared. The President always has things for us to accomplish, even if it is P-day. But today I have some time to collect myself and update everyone on what has happened in the last month!

Fun Australian things: 

-There are more Kangaroos than people in Australia

- The main sports are : footy, rugby, tennis, and cricket. 

- Australia only has a population of 26 million people. Australia has about 80% of its population living on the coast. And for comparison California has 39 million people…

-The king's birthday is today! So it is a national holiday. 

Updates:

-Well there has been an addition to the companionship! Elder Mitchell has joined and we are now a trio. It is myself and Elder Mitchell as APs and Elder Gardner who (leaves in 4 weeks) is on a special assignment to help with the transition of the new mission President! So it has been an interesting dynamic having all 3 of us together. Elder Mitchell is from Clinton Utah and is 6 foot 10! So for the first time in my whole mission I am having to “look up” to someone ;)

He was in my same intake. That means we were in the MTC together. Kinda fun to have someone I flew to Australia with as my new companion!

I am excited to go play some basketball with him when we find time! It will help me improve my basketball skills by having to shoot over a 6 foot 10 basketball player! 

-The new hymns were released and I have been so excited about all the new songs we get to start singing! “The song of a righteous is a prayer unto God.”

-A couple Sundays ago, we were in Whyalla for church. Whyalla is a small little beach town on the coast of Australia. We decided to drive the 5 hours down to Whyalla on Saturday and stay the night and attend church. It was a nice long, beautiful drive and we made it in time to see the end of a baptismal service which was special! We then were able to minister to some members on behalf of President and Sister Johansson. We spent some good time with the Elders helping them with their area. Immediately after we had partaken of the sacrament on Sunday we drove 2 hours to Port Pirie and attended another baptism and then finally made it back to Adelaide that night for an appointment we had. After my time in the city branch, victor harbor, Whyalla, Port Pirie, and other places I have really grown to love small little branches! They have the sweetest spirit in them! 

-We had another intake of missionaries and it was fun to be at the airport to watch them get off the plane and be the first missionary to shake their hand. It brings me back to when I first stumbled off the plane into wild Australia haha. We brought them to have lunch with President and then helped them get some sleep. The following morning we had to wake some of them at 4am to catch a plane in time! My mission is just crazy haha. That day was just insane for us…it was an 18 hour day of straight work and wow bed never felt so nice….:)

-We got to dedicate our friend Robert's house by the power of Jesus Christ and that was a special experience! 

-We had President Johansson's last zone conferences! We had 1 in Adelaide and it was 4 zones combined! There were about 100 missionaries! So that was a crazy day. Then the following morning we packed up and we flew with President and Sister Johansson up to Darwin and we had a combined zone conference with 2 zones! 

-After the Darwin combined zone conference was finished Elder Gardner and I drove to the airport and caught the 4 hour flight back down to Adelaide. We landed at 10:30pm. We then raced back and slept a little, but had to get up early to catch another flight to kangaroo island the next morning. The flight to kangaroo island was pretty fun because it was only 40 minutes! It was on a really small plane which was also fun. The mayor of the island was on the plane and we got to talk with him which was nice. 

-Kangaroo island was an experience! It is the third biggest island that is a part of Australia. We flew in and went straight to a service project which was helping the branch president butcher a cow. I had never done anything like that before so it was pretty crazy! Lots of bones, blood, meat, and fat. We cut the fat and meat off the bone and they minced it right in front of us! We took some of the meat we cut back to our flat and had it for dinner that night because besides rice that was all the food we had haha. So rice and the meat we had cut with our own hands was our dinner. I felt like a true farmer.

-We got to teach some lessons while on the island which was special. There was a beautiful sunset one night. We were driving back to our flat in the dark and a kangaroo jumped right in front of our car! We hit the brakes just before we would have smacked the kangaroo. It went jumping off into the trees. It sure got our adrenaline pumping. There were dead kangaroo roadkill all over the island! We saw a couple wallabies while driving. But the coolest animal was a peacock that was crossing the road. So we watched this really big peacock walk across the road! Never thought I would see a peacock in the wild. 

-Church was special on the island. It was amazing to see the members' faith in Jesus Christ on this small little island! We took a ferry back to the mainland. It was a massive boat and there was another beautiful sunset while we were in the middle of the ocean! Right before hopping on the ferry I looked and saw a school of dolphins! It was awesome! A couple of the dolphins did some amazing jumps out of the water for us! 

-Kangaroo island was rated in the top 52 places to visit in 2023! And it has this amazing treat called Melty Moments and it is one of the best desserts I have ever had. Just imagine what a melty moment would taste like haha. 

-My friend Alex that I taught in the city was baptized and that was so special to see him make that covenant with God! 

Well those are all the updates for now! Hopefully, I can be a little more consistent with my emails. We are receiving a new mission president so life will be very busy preparing for his arrival! Hope everyone is enjoying summer! I am enduring the Australian winter haha. 

Spiritual thought:

The new hymns came out! I am so excited! I invite everyone to take the time to listen carefully to the words of these hymns. They teach some powerful doctrine about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Allow these sacred hymns to be a part of the music you listen to. It is an easy way to bring the spirit into your home. Even though it may not be “popular music” or music that is entertaining to listen to, it is music that can fortify you and your family against the constant barrage of the world. The wickedness of the world is closing in. We must stand valiantly and stand separate from the world. It is our choice what influences we will let into our lives and homes. 

Joshua 24:15 “choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which [the world serve[s]….or the gods of the [celebrities]…but as for me and my house, [I] will serve the Lord.

I fear that many members of the church and many people are being lulled into carnal security. I fear for the welfare of souls. For each is precious in the sight of God. The world has blinded many people and it is time for everyone to wake up and open their eyes. The scales of darkness must fall from their eyes. 2 Nephi 30:6. 

The Book of Mormon warns us very clearly the tactics the devil will use. 2 Nephi 28:21-22

21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

Brothers and Sisters the adversary is very much real and God is very much real. We must remember who we are and what we want are eternal goal to be. Please don’t be passive and apathetic in your conversion to Jesus Christ. 

In D&C 84: there is a song called “The song of the Lamb”. It touched my mind and heart when I read it. 

99The Lord hath brought again Zion;

The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel,   

According to the election of grace,   

Which was brought to pass by the faith   

And covenant of their fathers.

100 The Lord hath redeemed his people;

And Satan is bound and time is no longer.

The Lord hath gathered all things in one.

The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.

The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.

101 The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength;

And truth is established in her bowels;

And the heavens have smiled upon her;

And she is clothed with the glory of her God;

For he stands in the midst of his people.

102 Glory, and honor, and power, and might,

Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy,

Justice, grace and truth, and peace,

Forever and ever, Amen.

The vision of the tree of life has come to my mind. The midst of darkness are gathering. Many are coming to Jesus Christ. However, not all will be able to stand the mocking and pointing fingers of the world. What do the scriptures teach us to do? 

There were two groups that came to the tree of life which can symbolize the love of God or Jesus Christ. One group partook of the fruit but fell away. The other group partook and stayed. They both did the exact same things. There is only one difference. 

What do you think the difference between the two groups is?

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. 1 Nephi 8:24

30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree. 1 Nephi 8:30

The second group in verse 30 was the one that remained faithful and didn't fall away. Did you catch the difference? The one difference was that the second group fell down and partook of the fruit. So they symbolically fell down at the feet of Jesus. They symbolically fell down before the love of God. This shows their conversion and commitment to the fruit that they had just partaken of. 

The question that naturally comes from this is: How can we fall down at the feet of Jesus. 

The Nephites did it when Jesus visited them. They cried out:

Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. 3rd Nephi 11:17 

I invite each of you to open up to 3rd Nephi 11 and read from verse 1 to verse 20 and picture yourself as if you were there. Insert your name for Nephi’s name. Close your eyes and picture yourself falling down at the feet of Jesus. What would you feel like? What would you say? What thoughts would be going across your mind? The spirit invited me to do this and it was powerful. So I re-extend the invitation the spirit gave to me to you. 

What is the right way?

29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out. 2 Nephi 25:29

Jesus Christ is the way and only way back to our Heavenly Parents. 

17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. Mosiah 3:17

The more and more I ponder it all keeps returning to one thing. Jesus Christ. It is our relationship and knowledge of Him that matters most. Jesus Christ should be our number 1! Jesus Christ should be where our priorities lie. From personal experience I have found that when my focus is on Jesus Christ, life is pleasant and durable. However, as soon as I lose my focus on Jesus Christ, I feel like my world is about to fall apart. Jesus Christ is what has enabled me to accomplish everything I have done on my mission so far and frankly my entire life. 

“No matter how difficult or confusing the challenges may be, you can always remember that the answer is simple: it is always Jesus.” -Elder Olsen

Let us all be covenant connected with Christ. Let us all have covenant confidence in Jesus Christ. Let us all be one in Jesus Christ as we covenant to take His sacred name upon us each and every week. Let us all fall down at His feet and worship Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Here are the photos. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wHZBRaAgCfXQpDXB7

Have a wonderful week! 

Cheers, 

-Elder Jones (zhang zhanglao) :)