Since last week was Mother's day, I spent my time skyping my family instead of writing a proper email (though I did manage to send a few ones off here and there). So this email will cover (in brief) the events of the last two weeks.
They've been the busiest weeks we've had yet in terms of teaching and finding. This week we got a good ratio of member present lessons to other lessons too. We have two dates; I think I mentioned this before but we had to drop one date with the Taiwanese girl. Not that she doesn't want to be baptized, she is just nervous about being baptized and so won't commit to a date anymore unfortunately. She returns to Taiwan soon, it was my hope that we would be able to baptize her before then but it may be that she gets baptized in Taiwan instead (although, she did mention she wants to come back to Australia, perhaps even later this year).
Of our two dates, one is for next saturday. It is the mother of the family we teach. It has been a long journey with them (and probably isn't over yet) but I will be much releaved when she gets baptized.
The other is a korean girl. Her main obstacle to baptism right now is that she smokes -- so last Thursday, we started the "15 Step program" with her. It's a program used in the mission (possibly used Church-wide in stop smoking programs, I'm not sure), where by following all 15 steps exactly the person can quit smoking in only 7 days. Steps include things like brushing teeth after every meal, drinking grapefruit joice, and using strong cinnamon-flavored mouthwash, as well as praying often and posting reminders of your commitment to stop smoking around your room. She's going well so far I believe, day 3 or 4 of the 7 days. One thing though -- Australia doesn't have any grapefruit juice! The only one we could find was the American brand Ocean Spray, which is only 30% juice so it's not very strong. Made with grapefruit imported from America. I guess grapefruit isn't very popular here? I don't know. I like grapefruit/grapefruit juice a lot.
Last saturday (as in the day before Mother's day) was an adventure. On that day the other set of elders had a baptism (really all the work was done by the elders the transfer before, but this happens a lot on your mission, you get transfered just before one of your investigators gets baptized). We were planning on attending with our Korean investigator. She finished work only 30 minutes before it was to start, at a place about 30 minutes away, so she asked her boss to give her a ride to the baptism, which he accepted.
The boss dropped her off at Woolloongabba bus stop (which is about a 10 minutes' walk away from Kangaroo Point Chapel, right up the road). Fair enough. But then, our investigator started walking the opposite direction from the chapel! At the time we weren't away, though. It was about 6:30, after the baptism had actually occured, when we called and learned that she had gone the wrong way. After the service concluded (I was conducting the music so I couldn't leave early) we got on our bikes and set off to find her. An hour or more later, we found her, in the middle of nowhere several suburbs away from Kangaroo Point, profoundly lost. It was just in time, our phone died shortly afterwards so we would have lost contact with her. I calculated afterwards, we had traveled at least 8 kilometers on our bicycles to find her, since we traveled in several directions ourselves before we finally located where she was. Whew.
After skyping my family last P-day we had heaps of fun activities. It was the full-day -pday that we got as a reward for achieving our finding-hour goal in April. After skyping, some of us (about 4 companionships) played laser tag -- that was awesome!! -- and then we went to the city for an "Amazing race" activity planned by the sisters. It was surprisingly good, although it lasted a while. I got plenty of running that day, we went from the Brisbane city library to the Anzac square to post office square, then to Albert street, then to queen street, then to the botanical gardens, then up and down edward street as we looked for the final clue. After the race, we went to the chapel, where we had dinner, then had the first ever Brisbane zone Family Home Evening.
On Wednesday we had interviews training with President Langeland. I believe it was the last one I'll have with him, since we're getting a new President soon. :( I'll miss President Langeland! (Although I'm sure the new Mission President will be just as good, haha). He set a bold new goal for the mission, just before he goes home: 100 baptisms in June! We'll send the Langelands home with the highest baptisms ever in the ABM.
Recently for language study in the morning we've been meeting with one of our investigators from Taiwan and he's been teaching us. I find it much more effective than language study alone. His story is pretty interesting. I talked to him on the street the saturday 4 weeks ago I believe, the very day he arrived from Taiwan, and he came to church the day after (and has come ever since). 2 years ago in Taiwan he started going to a Christian church on his own -- no friends or family invited him, he just went in one day I guess -- and was baptized there. Here he feels that he has found something even more. He's been reading the Book of Mormon every morning since the day I gave it to him (as of last night he was starting the Book of Enos). He has altered his plans and will be returning to Taiwan next month because he feels he has already achieved what he needed to achieve in Australia -- learning about Jesus Christ's true church on the earth! :) The only question in my mind is if he will be baptized here before he returns or if he will be baptized in Taiwan. :)
It's an exciting time to be a missionary. I believe that God is a God of Miracles, and miracles happen every day. I'm grateful to be serving in Brisbane, Australia, grateful to be studying Chinese, and most of all grateful to be spending this time devoting myself fully to the work of the Lord. Have a good week everyone, pay attention to the miracles in your own lives, I promise you that they are there!
Elder J. Colton Ladd
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