After I last emailed -- we continued to have a awesome week!! At the end of the week we had NINETEEN member present lessons -- a total of 37 lessons overall!! That may be my personal best. (It helps that we essentially have two companionships working in the same area, of course...). On top of this, we had almost 20 hours of finding and gqing as well! The big "BUT" is that we still have no baptismal dates. Hopefully that will soon change.
We continued to see miracles. One miracle of the area was that our African recent convert ran into an inactive African member (baptized 4 years ago), who just moved into the area. This inactive member was baptized in Brisbane ward, but likely moved and fell off the radar. She has two little children, ages about 5 and 6, who are just hilarious. And later on, THIS inactive member (who is coming back to church now) referred us to ANOTHER inactive member baptized about 10 years ago!
On Monday we smashed out another day of deliberation. There are a few major issues that come up during deliberation, every time: drivers/non-drivers is a major one (sometimes we have last-minute changes because we realize that we put two non-drivers together in area which requires a car); leadership (following that order of Zone Leaders, District Leaders, then Trainers); and placing missionaries who may be harder to get along with.
This week marks the beginning of our preparation "Miracle May". Last Sunday, every missionary in the mission gathered on a conference call with President Henderson where he introduced to us a 5-point initiative to prepare the mission for the coming Mission Tour. Elder Hamula, who will soon be release as the President of the Pacific Area, will come in two weeks' time from May 12 to May 16. We will prepare ourselves for this tour so we can receive an outpouring of the Spirit and revelation necessary for ourselves and those in our stewardship. The five items are:
- Preach My Gospel Focus: This week we will study and complete all Personal and Companionship activities in Preach My Gospel Chapter 5 The Book of Mormon. Next week we will study and complete all Personal and Companionship activies in Preach My Gospel Chapter 6: Christlike Attributes.
- Goals for "Miracle May": Setting Zone Baptismal goals of either breaking the record or passing the baptismal goal necessary for the Stakes to reach their 2014 goal of convert baptisms.
- A special fast, to be held on May 11.
- Miracle Focus: Every day, Missionaries report a miracle they experienced that day to their district leaders. District Leaders select the miracle they feel best represents the District and sends it to the Zone Leaders. Zone Leaders select the miracle they feel best represents the Zone and forwards it to us. We create a daily record of 11 Miracles (1 per Zone). This will last until the end of the Tour.
- Book of Mormon reading: We focused on being caught up and unified as a Mission, from Mosiah 9 on May 1st we now read just a page and a half each day. This also unifies us with the ABM Book of Mormon reading blog set up by Sister Henderson at the beginning of the year, at the SMYC.
On Tuesday, we had the first ever Chinese Regional Meeting! Chinese missionaries from all over the mission (there are currently about 28) held a meeting together at Karawatha Chapel, centrally located. It went well. We were not able to stay for the whole meeting because we had to return to the Office to continue deliberation, but it was very good. At this meeting we can start to focus on skills like studying a language, teaching investigators without a Christian background, seeking gifts of the Spirit, and more. They will probably happen once every other transfer from now on.
Our Tuesday miracle was that one of our investigators, a great man, ex-military, going through a very tough time of his life, experienced a change of heart. With a protestant Christian background, it was hard for him to accept the Book of Mormon (he hadn't even tried reading it yet), but then his friend, the recent convert who referred him, watched the 20-minute Restoration DVD with him. It kind of all started to make sense for him, and he believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet!
On Wednesday, *I* felt like I was in the Chinese Program again, because we had 5 other lessons, no member presents... just like when I was a Chinese missionary (we didn't often use members for our lessons back then...). On Thursday, we went to the Temple with the departing missionaries. Normally, we go the Temple on Friday and the departing missionaries leave on the following Monday, but this time everything was somewhat skewed because this weekend is the Mission President's Seminar, so President Henderson will be out of town. With all of the departing events being held on Thursday, we had little time to proselyte, but still had miracles. Just before we returned to the final testimony meeting, we taught out Solomon Islander investigator (a miracle from the week before, when we had 5 potential investigators in a row--he was one of those 5) and invited him to be baptized -- HE SAID YES! We will work towards May 31st with him.
Friday was our P-day, although most of the day was actually spent working on transfer and mission tour items in the office (hence myself being unable to email). Sister Henderson's birthday will be on Sunday, but because of the Mission President's seminar, we celebrated it with her, President Henderson, and the Montagues, our office couple, at the Mission Tour. I helped make a polynesian drink called 'Otai, specifically a watermelon 'otai, with one of my companions. It's pretty good! I've only had it once before.
That's the week. Not sure when I will be emailing next... but talk to you when I do!! :D Take care!
Elder J. Colton Ladd
(followup email:)
Oh, I almost forgot, about the Cairns trip: One of my companions and I (the one who also didn't go to Mount Isa), will be flying up to Cairns/Atherton/Innisfail area from Friday morning next week to Monday afternoon. This is the first leg of Elder Hamula's Mission Tour. I am really excited!!!
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