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
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