Australian Perrets meet Idaho Nelsons at Conference- Oct, 2018

Respond in like fashion! :)- Oct 15, 2018

Thanks for the letter yesterday! I appreciated everyone's contributions, so I thought I could 

Pace- I've always enjoyed listening to Elder Holland speak as well. He, President Oaks, and President Nelson all called down the fire (jk they were all pretty bold in rebuking the church). There was a line from Elder Holland that went something like "repent while you still have the chance." It caught my attention pretty quick hahaha :) but it reminded me of when President Leota would say "repent--fast and furious." :) It's a great quote to live by. I also really loved Elder Oak's talk. He was really bold in declaring some eternal truths, which is probably raising quite a stir for some people, but being on the mission has cemented a knowledge of the importance of family for me. When you get to see into so many different lives, it becomes obvious the blessings that living the gospel brings. And regardless of what people profess to believe, there are always set consequences for breaking God's commandments and blessings for keeping them...........any news on mission papers? So far we've knocked out 2 of the 6 continents, so you've got your pick of Europe, Asia, and North or South America.

Tad- (CONGRATULATIONS TO MOM AND DAD! that's huge!) I've actually been to the Hickory before on a failed homecoming date. I'm glad you've had better experiences there haha! It's fun to hear about Drew's undiscovered talent of navigating through the straw maze! (combined with his long distance ability, he could be a Maze Runner) If it makes Pace feel any better, the only time that I went, I got about 90% of the way through, but got so frustrated that I just backtracked out the entrance and pretended like I had beat everybody through. ;)

Sadie- You and Tad both sound SO much older, even through the emailing. I'm glad you enjoyed growing up with Isaac and I. At our Zone Conference yesterday, President Runia asked us to think of a favorite childhood memory. The first memory that came to mind was when we dug a trap in the driveway and caught the missionaries. Now that I'm a missionary I appreciate the humor of the whole situation a lot more! I would laugh so hard if that happened to my companion! It's pretty cool that you've got to meet the Perrets. Tad should ask him for some pro rugby tips. I guess I've just got used to hearing the accent over here. I don't really think about it much now.

Davis- You can only get another orange and white cat if you name him Hobbes III. or Hobbes 3.0 because short hair would definitely be an upgrade. 

Drew- I laughed so hard at your chewbacca sound story. The sisters next to me kept asking what was so funny, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't tell them. 

Dad- I honestly can't think of anything that I need. Being on the mission has turned me into a minimalist. Everything I don't need I just give away to other missionaries.

The announcement about 2 hour church is pretty cool. I think it's a great opportunity to reevaluate our commitment to the sabbath. The wards over here do a lot of linger longer activities which I love. At least once a month, everybody will bring food for after church and everybody stays around to eat and socialize. You could try a similar idea, but just start with a few families and grow it over time. I would be really excited about combining it with a gospel study group. If one Sunday a month, you could invite a la/pm/rc family to join you after church for snacks/meal and a gospel study, I think it would be a great idea! Also, while I was listening to conference, the way I saw it playing out with our family back home would be to move the home evening part of FHE to Sunday and turn it into a longer lesson/family study. Then Monday night would be reserved for a family activity (hike, scenic drive, ultimate, temple trip). I can really see this changing how our family studies the scriptures. I'm super excited for all the changes coming down the line.

Spiritual Insights:

Numbers 18:26

Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe.  

The historical definition of tithing was NOT 10% of our income. Rather, tithing is our offering to the Lord. I have taken it to mean that 100% of everything that we possess is tithing and we are commanded to give 10% of that tithing to Church. The other 90% of our tithing we are allowed to determine how best to build up the kingdom of God, and then use it accordingly. 

That was one that I have been pondering for a bit and I think it puts a lot of things in focus. Anyway, I'll probably rap up now!

Have a great week!

Elder Nelson

The Work is Hastening!- Oct. 7, 2018

I was super excited to get pictures of you with the Perrets! It's so crazy to think that the two worlds that I live in are crossing if only for a few minutes! And I'm glad you got all the souvenirs! I had people in mind for each of the gifts, but it looks like you figured it out pretty well! The shorts were actually originally intended for Pace because I thought they matched his style. Plus, I got them in a thrift shop in Compton, which would be a pretty fun story for whenever you get compliments. But they probably fit dad a little bit better anyway :) I happened across a little nativity scene for mom that was small enough to send, but it's not the highest quality. It was mostly just to let you know I'm still looking hahaha. The neon shirts are part of the traditional Aussie tradie (tradesmen) outfit. So I got two of them for Tad and Brigham (hopefully the sizes fit--I just guessed). I honestly can't remember much else of what I sent, but it's all for you guys. I have a couple key chains for Drew (special request), but unfortunately they didn't make it into the package. I'll figure out a way to get them there, though.

Yesterday we had a member invite us over for Lunch and a session of conference which was really good! We just watched the first session, so I'll have to wait till next week for the rest of it. With the bamboo floral arrangements in front, I thought for sure they were opening China for missionary work, but maybe that's just a hint for the next conference. hahaha All the New Zealanders over here are super stoked about a second temple in Auckland. The Church is really growing fast! With all the changes and upgrades happening in the church, it's easy to see how the work is hastening and it feels like everything is building to a climax. It's an exciting time to be a missionary! 

We went on tradeoffs this week in "the most bush area" of the mission. I honestly love the country feel so much, even though most of the other missionaries can's stand it. I'll include some pictures, but the countryside here is so beautiful. One of my favorite responsibilities as a District Leader is going on long drives through the country for miscellaneous reasons. 

While we were on tradeoffs, Elder Agavale and I had a really cool teaching opportunity where we were guided by the spirit to share some scriptures about depression with this nonmember. Turns out it was exactly what he needed at the time. Hopefully they can continue to make progress with him. 

I had an interesting experience this week where a member chastised me for not pausing long enough before saying amen in a prayer. I had to stop myself from laughing because it was kind of silly, but I realized that she was probably right and since then I have been giving more thought to the way and the sincerity with which I pray. I would like to invite each of you to do the same. I know that "whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth." If you want to avoid being chastened, it's better if you seek out and learn the principles on your own without having to be "commanded in all things." 

That's about all from this week!

Elder Nelson

1. Mittagong NSW

2. the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. I ended up taking a video of the whole thing because it was so intricate, so the one picture I have doesn't do it justice.

3. long drives in the country

4. we haven't had a spider pic in a while...

Extremely Short (sorry!)- Oct 1, 2018

Everything back home sounds like lots of fun! I laughed pretty hard at dad's quantum cilia joke :) 

We didn't have much happen this week, so mostly this is just to let you know that I'm still alive. ;) Wahoo! 

I'm getting excited for General Conference, but we get it a week later here (except for the few members who pull 2 all-nighters), so be sure to include any of the sneak previews in the email next week!

Our district competitions are going really well--I'm just running out of money quick! Hahahaha Normally the South Coast areas are dead (they still are, but at least we're finding!) but hopefully we can get the work moving here.

That's about all! Here's some pictures from the week!

Elder Nelson

1. This cup is dangerous. Talk about an effective marketing campaign...

2. Here's a funny picture Elder Falaniko sent me. I didn't ask how it happened 

3. South Coast district

4. Elder Lemafa and a member's massive dog

Basically Paradise- Sept 23, 2018

So much has happened since last week, so I'll try and condense it down so this doesn't drag on forever hahaha!

Transfer madness:

So we had transfers on Tuesday which were a mess. Everybody was supposed to train to their new area by 12, but the incoming missionaries got off at the wrong stop, so we all waited for an hour 1 station apart wondering where the other group was. They didn't have sim cards (because they were transferring), so we couldn't call them either. When we finally figured it out, we realized that we were 1 sister short and nobody knew where she was. 4 hours later she turned up in a car (she's supposed to be on the train), acting like nothing had happened. Apparently, there was a sister who had 6 suitcases of luggage (6!!!) that needed to be dropped off. So sister #1 decided to drop them off for her (without telling anyone) in a car that wasn't hers (!!!!) So at this point (4pm) we were left with 4 extra suitcases and a car that needed to go to the opposite end of the city. So Elder Lemafa and I did some juggling with the ZL's to make everything work out, which meant that we had to train to our area. Long story short, we ended up getting back at 10pm instead of at noon, and the sister in question is still oblivious to all the havoc that she caused. Hahaha we're working on the Christlike attribute of patience.

During the chaos of transfers, we went and got lunch at a kebab shop, only to get hounded by the local gang of cockatoos. After eating their fill of our food, one cokatoo left a parting gift on Elder Dunshee's head which was pretty funny/disgusting. 

New Area!

So I'm in Dapto now! Dapto is pretty much the middle of nowhere! Haha not really, it's just in the South coast area, but we're a few hours away from the rest of the mission, so it feels really isolated. I've been wanting to serve in a really bush area since the beginning of my mission, so this is a dream come true :) We have a lot of beautiful beaches, a large two man flat, and extra k's for the car. It's pretty much paradise hahaha. The ward is nice! We cover pretty much all of the suburbs around lake Illawarra (like I said, lots of beaches). My new companion (Elder Lemafa) is a little bit more relaxed, so we'll see how this transfer goes. 

Saturday Finding:

Since the South Coast district is known for being really slow moving, I was hoping to get everybody motivated with a district finding competition last Saturday. We assigned point values to lessons, book of mormons handed out, contacts, etc. Needless to say, Elder Lemafa and I totally smashed the work! Saturday was probably the most intense day of my mission I've had! Elder Lemafa brought his guitar and he played, sang, and I taught. We did some pretty crazy stuff to get points Hahaha! Nobody in the district believes me, but I got a video of Elder Lemafa running in between doors trying to find somebody to teach, which is pretty huge. On Sunday Elder Lemafa was pretty beat from how hard we went, so he just crashed right after church and didn't wake up till about 9pm. Hahaha. I just got in a lot of cleaning, plus I've started the Book of Mormon again. I'm taking a new approach this time. I've got a 4 colored pen and I've assigned different meanings to each color, so I can read through looking for particular ideas. The intent is that when I finish this copy, I'll be able to give it away to somebody. I really like this way of marking because I don't like accumulating copies of the Book of Mormon every time I try a new marking system hahaha. Plus it's really interesting to think about somebody reading each of my notes/markings at some future date. 

Spiritual Experiences from Saturday:

As we were leaving the flat Saturday morning, we decided to say a prayer that we could have some miracles throughout the day. Not less than 1 minute later, this lady pulled over on the side of the road and introduced herself to us. She asked if she could get our number so she could invite us over for dinner sometime. Out of curiosity, I asked if she was a member. She replied that she and her husband were Methodist, but she just wanted to have us over anyway. When does that ever happen??? hahahaha 

We were at the train station and I had just started talking to somebody when this man came over and asked if he could play Elder Lemafa's guitar. Elder Lemafa handed it over and the guy started playing. The playing attracted more people (extra bonus) and then we started a discussion on religion. It turns out he was on his way to a christian rehab retreat in Melbourne as a youth counselor. We got to teach a lesson and give away a copy of the Book of Mormon (extra points!) 

We were walking along through a rundown area of town and we saw a little Samoan girl playing outside. We said hi and made a couple of jokes and then asked if her parents were home. Anyway, we ended up with a return appointment and some new friends, which was pretty cool.

Stuff for Back Home:

Homecoming looked super fun! Pace's sense of style is getting better and better hahaha.

Congratulations to Drew on his baptism!

The magnetic marbles game looks suspiciously like a game Isaac and I came up with a few years ago....I think our idea was pirated hahahaha. 

If Tad and Brigham end up playing rugby, I'll definitely come back and play some footy with them! 

Here's a List of my companions and flatmates so far:

MTC - Elders Rowles and Clark (comps) & Elder Barnes (went home in MTC)

Orizaba (LA) - Elders Hiatt and Patrick (comps)

Camden (AUS) - Elder Simanungkalit (comp) & Elders Petchon and Rowles (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Falaniko (comp) & Elders Aiono and Olson (flatmates)

Sutherland - Elder Smith (comp) & Elders Bohne and Zimmerman (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Raab (comp)

Camden (different flat) - Elder Raab (comp) & Elders Mauigoa and Kama (flatmates)

Camden - Elder Chinsoi (comp) & Elders Raab and Bramford (flatmates)

Dapto - Elder Lemafa (comp) 

Elders here usually do something crazy for their year mark, but I don't really know what I'm doing. We'll see if anything memorable happens. 

That's about all from this week! Thanks for all the prayers and to Grandma Nikki for the spiritual thought!

Elder Nelson

1. Elder Lemafa after our miracle day

2. The gang of cockatoos that harassed us (and Elder Dunshee)

3. Elder Lemafa next the ocean (if you zoom in you can see America on the horizon jk)

4. More of my area

Picts- Sept 23, 2018

1. Kiama (part of my new area)

2,3. This crazy guy named Bernie diagramed a vision he had. He wanted us to interpret it. The only hint is that the girl at the bottom of the stairs in the center picture in #3 is Marie Osman. He wrote her a letter, but she hasn't responded yet.

To Dapto!- Sept 16, 2018

Hello family!

Life is good here in Australia! We got transfer details and it sounds like I'm headed to Dapto! I'm super excited because I've always wanted to serve in the south coast and Dapto is definitely the bush area! Plus we'll cover a lot of beaches (probably off-limits during the summer, but still cool).

I was excited to hear that you got tickets for everyone to go to conference in a couple weeks! When I tell people I'm from Idaho, they all ask how many times I've been to General Conference. I didn't even think about it before the mission, but I have to tell them that I've never been to a session. 

It's also exciting because both the Crofts and the Perrets are flying over, so hopefully you'll be able to meet them! I gave them Mom's number, so they'll probably call to set something up! Bishop Croft and his wife are just coming for the weekend, but the Perrets said that they are headed up to Yellowstone for the week after. I told them they could stop by Big Jud's for a real American hamburger. Sister Perret was really excited when I mentioned that Pace might be able to hook them up with free horse rides. (hopefully you can pull through hahaha)

I'll try and answer some questions from this week:

What is the mix of your ward (young, old, convert, Pacific Islander, active, less active, etc.)?

Camden is a pretty young ward. There's about 70 kids who come to Primary on a regular basis. Getting there parents to be as involved is a little harder hahaha. There's a lot of Maori and Samoan families in the ward, with a few Tongans in the mix. Compared to the wards around us though, we're pretty white.

What are your duties with Missionary Leadership on a Daily, Weekly, Monthly basis?

Right now I'm in a district with 12 missionaries. Mostly my responsibilities include ministering to them (fixing problems/random checkup visits to boost morale), but I also do bi-weekly call-ins, district training meetings every Friday, and regular meetings with the ZL's. I've also started calling 1 companionship per night to pray with them over their investigators. It helps keep me involved in the work. 

What is the best book you’ve read to prepare you doctrinally as a teacher (outside of preach my gospel)?

I don't know if there's just one book that I could point to (other than Jesus the Christ), but most of my new-found doctrinal knowledge has come from ensign articles from the 70s and 80s. Those are an undiscovered goldmine. Also, there are some pretty deep chapters in the Book of Mormon, and D. Todd Christofferson is one of my favourite speakers. When learning and teaching doctrine, I've found that I just need time to think and ponder about things. In a really defining conversation Elder Smith and I had, we reached the conclusion that most kids these days don't have any time to be alone with themselves. Some of the most pivotal introspective times in my life have come while mowing lawns or when somebody forgot to pick me up at the school for 3 hours and I just had long uninterrupted hours to ponder. (it also helps information to stick)

Anyway, thanks for the emails and support from home!

Elder Nelson

1. I developed a superior design for a card house. I'll have to patent it soon

2. The Book of Mormon is the "keystone" hahaha

3. Bishop Croft (so you can recognise him)

4. Yes, dad, Scishow was correct about the magpies

5. The Perrets