Whew, it has been a very busy week. I probably won't even have enough time to finish this email (I am starting it on the Thursday evening). I will probably write the rest of it tomorrow (being in the office does have its advantages).
Where did we leave off? Last Wednesday after P-day we had dinner at the home of a part member family, and Australian woman (the member) with a Australian-Born-Hong Kongese husband (the nonmember). It was exciting because on Sunday, the wife invited her mother-in-law to church, and she spoke Mandarin in addition to Cantonese.
That night, we were invited by the ward to help out at mutual: we went on splits with the young men to do rescue visits. We split three ways, one going with the priests, one with the teachers, one with the deacons. I went with the priests, and we went to visit a less active recent convert (of about a year). We sang a hymn for her and shared a short message, and we also got to talk to her nonmember brother a little bit as well.
On Thursday we went down to Coomera for our on-the-road interviews. In the evening we had the final "Cluster meeting" of the stake presidents and the ward councils in attendance, with Gold Coast stake and Coomera stake. On Friday, we concluded with Ipswich zone.
Over the weekend, something exciting happened... President called not one but two new assistants!
I will finish this tomorrow, sorry to leave you hanging mom... Transfers is keeping us busy ever night until late. I promise!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<later that night, or early the next morning in Australia, I guess>
Here is the rest:
As we were driving down the coast thursday morning, President began to quiz us on who we would be our top recommendations for new zone leaders or even (perhaps) assistants. We eventually stopped for lunch as we continued to discuss potential choices. Finally, President told us his plan: he wanted to called two specific elders as assistants before transfers so that they could have the opportunity to learn the transfer process so they can assist next transfer. On Saturday night, after a conference call with the Zone Leaders, President called the two elders, one by one, on the phone to tell them to come to the mission home Sunday afternoon. We listened on the conversation. Both elders had a similar reaction to when I was phoned the Sunday before transfers that I was going to be made an Assistant. Luckily, they didn't need to wait as long as I had to, haha.
They arrived Sunday Evening and we held a small testimony meeting just among ourselves where the two new assistants were called up to bear their testimonies for us. From there, we got straight into business that night as the two new assistants experiences their first numbers call-ins (A process which usually has us finishing and arrive back home after 11:00 PM at the earliest). They handled it very well, and even did some of the zones themselves. One of the assistants is an Australian with Korean heritage from Sydney, intelligent, dignified, witty, and humble. The other is an older half Samoan, half Tongan New Zealander rugby player, huge, intimidating, but mature and gentle.
Monday morning, we began the process of what is known as "Transfer Deliberations". Every day of the week, we would spend from 10 AM to at least 2 PM or later sitting in President's office, staring at the Transfer Board and discussing. We started by discussing the leadership. Some Zone Leaders wanted to be normal missionaries again to have more time to proselyte, and of course some zone leaders are now assistants, so we had to shift missionaries around and assign new zone leaders. I can't say much about specifics of course, maybe I can next week. We would then move to district leaders, then to trainers, then to normal missionaries. At each stage we would run into blocks which could only be solved by strokes of insight here and there as the week went on. The second to last day, we ran into such a great block that we had to return to step one, recieve new revelation on the Zone Leaders and change things that had been set in place from day 1. These small shifts at the base trickled down until every missionary fell into place, like a game of tetris. On Friday we went to the temple to seek confirmation on the decisions President had made, and it was finalized.
After deliberation, through out the week, having 5 assistants allowed us the priviledge of much more proselyting time. If some office things needed to be done, only two missionaries had to stay behind while the rest of us could go and work. We were able to get just able as much finding (tracting) time as the rest of the transfer put together, it was fantastic. We saw miracles -- here are just a few.
We approached a house behind a fence. Walking to the fence gate, we saw a young man about our age taking out trash. We started talking to him and he told us he recognized us -- he works at the restaurant just down the street from the office here in Ascot, where missionaries have gone and eaten before! He invited us inside and we shared a short message about our relationship with God, and invited him to pray and to read a pamphlet about the Restoration. The Spirit was strong. Unfortunately, are follow-up appointment fell through, and we haven't seen him since, but even if now isn't the right time for him, it was a wonderful miracle.
Just two days ago (Thursday afternoon) we knocked on a door and an older chinese lady with good english answered. She told us, in a voice that was almost a plea, to leave, because something terrible had just happened and so it wasn't a good time. Inspired by Jeffery R. Holland, through, we asked, why not? When we are experiencing great trials or challenges, it is the perfect time for a message. We persisted and she opened up -- she had just arrived back home from a doctor's appointment where she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. On top of that, her husband is also in terminal condition, and she is his caretaker -- if she dies, her husband will die slowly and painfully too because no one can take care of him. She has become depressed to the point that she can't sleep and has considered suicide. I had a long conversation with her where I was able to calm her down (and hopefully cheer her up). Even though she is Buddhist, she accepted our card and thanked us for caring when no one else seemed to care.
Later the same day, that principle Jeffery R. Holland talked about (It is in an excellent MTC talk called "Feed My Sheep" by the way) was reinforced. We knocked at a door. From inside, a voice answered "Who is it?" My companion introduced us, but the woman responded "Go away, I don't want to talk right now!"
We shrugged and continued to tract the other units in the complex. After we finished, we were walking to leave, but when we passed the same door, the woman called out to us "Come, I will let you in." For a second we kind of stood still and looked around, not knowing where the voice had come from. When it clicked, we went to the door, just as the woman opened it. Her eyes were full of tears. She told about how at the very minute that we had knocked on her door, she, too, had been on the verge of considering suicide. She had been out of work for weeks, and the bills weren't being paid. Things continued to add up, and she felt helpless. She hit rock bottom, and at that same instant we knocked on her door. Even after inviting us in, though, she hesitated . We recognized that she might not feel comfortable allowing three strangers into her home, so we got to know her more and set up a return appointment instead. When we left, she had a smile behind her tears and a witness that God is her loving Father in heaven, and He had heard her prayers.
This coming week will be pretty busy, so I'm not sure when I can email again -- On Monday the departing missionaries have some special activities with President (and also the missionaries who are transfering to or from North are dealt with), Tuesday is transfers, Wednesday is new missionary arrivals, and so it will probably be Thursday or later. I will probably give a notice first. Love you!
Elder J. Colton Ladd
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