Mayhem In The Office & Grinding Rundle Mall

Fun Australian things: 

I have been trying some fun Australian candy for the first time! 

Twirls are crumbly chocolate inside a bar. Interesting texture. 

Boost is a mix of a milky way and a twix…and they are probably my new favorite candy bar! 

Kitkat Aero is a mix of a york mint and a kitkat bar together! Very tasty! My second favorite candy bar now. 

I will update you on the other ones I try next week!

Weekly Highlights: 

-We have been busy with AP stuff and have seen many families come and pick up their missionaries! It is always a tender experience to see families embrace after 2 years of separation! 

-The last 2 weeks we have been able to spend a lot of time on exchanges and working our area in the city! It has been very successful and rewarding! I have seen the Lord magnify our diligent efforts! Here are the fun highlights from our city adventures: 

-We were talking to someone and a drunk lady came up to us with a hand pusher and said with dramatic hand motions, “Ah ah you caught a big fish, a great big fish.” I said, “what?!” And then she said, “Oh yes, a great big fish, a great big shark, big shark.” I then realized that she was taunting what we were doing by saying the person we stopped was a fish that we had caught. Thankfully we just started ignoring her so she went away and we ended up getting the number of the person we were talking to! 

-We were tired and it was an awkward time to go into the city to find. But we made the effort and had a tender experience. The first person we stopped was someone who had time to come to the branch and have a lesson right then and there! He was from India and didn't believe in God. We taught him about the Godhead and how to pray. At the end of the lesson he touched his heart and said, “Wow, I really feel something. I feel good. I feel different.” We taught him that it was the spirit he was feeling. I then looked inward and felt the spirit also. It is the most tender/special experience to teach someone and have them recognize the spirit on their own! The spirit is key to conversion and having a powerful witness of the divinity of God! 

-Fun random story time…we were doing personal study one day and then we got a knock on the door….Elder Mitchell looks out the window and says, “Oh no, it is the Jehovah Witnesses.”  I bounced out of my seat with excitement and was like oh good let me answer the door. I opened it and greeted them friendly because I know how annoying it is when people are rude to you on the doorstep. They are shocked to see a missionary haha. But they asked if they could read a bible verse really quickly. I agreed. While they are reading it to me…I then look over into the flat and see Elder Keller listening in a chair. I look at him and mouth “Book of Mormon.” He jumps up while I am still at the door and I nonchalantly stretch my hand out past the doorway and Elder Keller sneaks the Book of Mormon into my hand. Now I was armed and ready. I immediately felt my confidence boost way high because I had the Book of Mormon in my hand. They brought up revelations and then I flipped the conversation on them and I became the one trying to convert them haha. I explained the Book of Mormon and read 2 Nephi 29 about a bible a bible. I then testified that I knew that the Book of Mormon was true and everything and then wished them a great day! They didn't know what to do. It was a pretty epic interaction. Even funnier was that Elder and Sister Whiting the senior couple showed up to do our flat inspection and I welcomed them into our flat while in mid conversation with the JWs. We just continued on like nothing happened haha. It was just a funny interaction to be on the opposite side of the door. I am always the missionary talking to people and it was interesting to be the one to open the door. But then it ended up me trying to teach them about the Book of Mormon instead of them teaching me about their religion. 

-I was street contacting in the city and I stopped this one guy named Billy. He didn't believe in God and said he would only believe if he had evidence or a sign. I was like we can help you learn more and find out for yourself. He wasn't too keen on that. So I said, “Can I read something from this book with you?” He said sure. I explained and read Alma 30:24-30ish. I was like there is this guy named Korihor and I read what he said about wanting to have a sign and evidence. I was like “Is this you?” He was like “Yep, that is exactly me.” I said, “Okay here is what this prophet said in response.” I read to him what Alma said and then he was like “Okay give me the book and I will read it and we can meet up”….pretty funny story….the power of the BOM in action. I ran into him a couple days later and asked if he had read any of the book and he said he was 40 pages in and was seeing if it would change his thinking. 

-Had some beast exchanges with Elder Bennion and Elder Orr. On one of the days we handed out 7 Books of Mormon in the city! 

-Had lunch with Will Bennet and that went well because he is doing much better/focused. Had dinner with Raymond and that went amazing since he wants to return to church! Had a lesson with Brother Peachman and he now has a calling in church and a great spiritual action plan! I have enjoyed helping these members return to church and become spiritually self reliant! 

-We had dinner over at Wendys house! We invited our new Chinese friends who are a very cute couple! We made dumplings together and I was able to teach the restoration nonchalantly as we made dumplings. It was a great night and I ate wayyy too many dumplings haha. We made like 200! 

-Found and talked a lot with Chinese people in the city! I found so many Chinese people because of the Chinese speaking abilities I have been blessed with. They are always so shocked that I can speak Chinese! And they all love my name 杰瑞 because it is like “Tom and Jerry”. So it is always a fun laugh! 

-Leo is progressing well! His mother loves me teaching him which helps a lot! Adam is also progressing very well! He came to church and stayed for a baptism. After the baptism, he leaned over to us and said it was very “impressive” and that he would love to be baptized in the future once he learns more about the promise we make! He is so elect! He is also so smart! Probably one of the most intellectual people I have ever met! 

-I am having an absolute blast being a missionary! 

-Elder Mitchell and I are just finding so much joy as we serve the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength! 

-Mayhem in the office. Mission is....

I am so grateful for the mission! It has been truly life changing! All the good that I have accomplished, I attribute to God! I glory in my Jesus! I give Him all the credit! He magnifies my humble efforts! I give it my all and He makes up the rest! Truly I have many weaknesses, but His grace is sufficient for me to overcome them! He makes up for all my shortcomings. Sometimes I lay in bed in awe at what my Heavenly Father and Savior have done for me and what they have helped me accomplish! I am truly an instrument in their hands!

My thoughts are the thoughts of Alma as he exclaimed “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever…Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.” Alma 26:12-14

I am truly so grateful for all the Lord has done for me! I will continue to trust in Him! I am excited to change, grow, and become even more converted to Him! I desire to continually humble myself before Him and allow Him to make more out of me than I could ever make out of myself! 

I have grown to love the doctrine of Christ! President Packer said: “The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior.” I have seen this in my own life! As I have grown a love for the doctrine of Christ, my motivations, desires, and passions have changed. My opinions, viewpoints, and mindset have changed. My covenants have taken on new meaning. 

I have grown to love Jesus Christ in a way that motivates me to act in all diligence in His divine work! 

I have learned why Jesus Christ is important! I have learned for myself 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.  I have learned the “why” behind Jesus Christ. The doctrine has sunk deep into my soul. Jesus is the Christ. Once again, I speak the words of Alma when he says “O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!  Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.” Alma 29:1-2.

I love the sons of Mosiah as they declare that they are “desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.” Mosiah 28:3. 

It is amazing to watch the work of the Lord progress. In the words of Jospeh Smith “the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” D&C 128:22. 

I will end my email with this scripture and invitation: 

Moroni 10:32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

I invite you to come unto Jesus Christ and love Him in a way that motivates you to become like Him and to act in all diligence in helping others find His truth and love! I promise that as you do this, you will have joy and peace, sustaining power from God, and protection from temptation! 

I love you all so very much! Have a great week! 

Here are the pictures: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gjoehGjfnAsYFjLo6

Cheers,

Elder Jones (zhang zhanglao)