Jan 8 2013

Sorry my email this week is late! It is difficult to predict when my next email will be coming now that I am assigned as an Assistant. Every day is different. I'll start from the day of transfers.

Immediately following the transfer meeting, we sorted out the transportation back to everyone's area first. It was our biggest transfer ever, in terms of missionaries being transferred. We then met with the Zone Leaders, where they were given new Zone Leader information packets (6 new zone leaders were assigned -- the youngest has only been out 9 months!) and a pep talk from President Henderson.

The missionaries all returned to their flats by 5 pm, except for us, since we had the responsibility to run around with a few errands. We are in the process of moving flats, and so grabbing my companion's stuff was one of the first errands we ran. Formerly, the APs lived at a flat just a block away from the Mission office, but since there are now 3 APs, a new flat needs to be located to accommodate us all. The old flat, which is a 4-way, is occupied by the other missionaries working in Chermside. Our temporary residence is just a street away from the Temple on Kangaroo Point. It is kind of inconvenient, however, since it is about 15 minutes away from the office and even further away from our proselyting area.

Fortunately, President and Sister Henderson invited us to stay at in the basement of the mission home with them overnight to alleviate some of the work we had to do in moving. After finishing our errands, he invited us to have dinner with him. He ordered some pizzas, which we dined on with him, his wife, and his son (who was just in town visiting for a week, he served a mission 2 years or so ago in Finland). We spent the night discussing the progress the mission has made in the short 6 months since President Henderson arrived. Some 20+ specific initiatives had been accomplished, from behind-the-scenes revamping of the Mission office, to things we missionaries use on a daily basis, like the "Snap the Gravity" exercise program which was made for the missionaries based on one of President's catchphrases. When he first arrived, there were about 170 missionaries -- now there are about 270 missionaries. The baptism goal for 2013 was 428 -- we were projected to have 587 baptisms, smashing the goal completely.

After pizza, ginger beer, and a late night of discussing trainings that we might want to give at a leadership conference coming up in a few weeks' time, we called it a night.

On New Year's day we headed to the airport to pick up our new missionaries! Some came in our car and some went with President Henderson. We began ferrying the missionaries to the mission office (where they were engaged by the senior office couple in orientation, some mission rules and guidelines, and paperwork, then they were interviewed by President Henderson), and ferrying their luggage to the mission home. Eventually all of the new missionaries were taken to the mission home, and a small transfer meeting, just for new missionaries to be assigned trainers, was held. During lunch, we met with President Henderson and he told us how he felt inspired to assign the new missionaries. I didn't realize how last minute that sort of decision actually is. I was then asked to conduct the meeting. When we get to the part where the transfers are actually being announced (the trainers had arrived at the mission home by this point), President Henderson would invite the new missionary up, say a few things about them, then we Assistants would take turns describing their trainers. I described the chinese missionaries thusly, as best as I can recall:

Elder Williams: I have seen him be gentle at times, and bold at times. He one of the most humble missionaries. I love him, and he will love you.

Elder Johnson: No other missionary is so in love with Chinese culture. He will be hard to keep up with (especially as he "trains for the olympics" in the morning), but he will be a kind and loving trainer.

Elder Allan: You don't know the true meaning of "work" until you have served with him. He and I share a special bond, as we were companions together. Together with him, you will come to know the Savior.

I also introduced another trainer I know well, in the English program (Elder Thorpe), who has the brightest smile and the purest, most innocent spirit.

After the transfer meeting, we got them situated again, finished our move, met with president to discuss a few things, then I sent that email I did. Happy New Year!

Thursday morning, we split up -- the other two went to River Terrace District Meeting (my first trainee is now the district leader there!!!! He's awesome!) and I went to Brisbane District Meeting (another fairly new -- and hardworking -- district leader), just to see how the meetings are going). Afterwards we accomplished a little bit of finding, some office work, and a meeting with president. It seems, on average, we assistants probably only get a few hours a day to work in our own area.

The next day, we got a little bit more time (about 5 hours total? Combined with some splits for an extra hour or two), so we went tracting. Have mentioned how I love tracting? We had two miracles. One was meeting a inactive member at the right place and the right time. The second went something like this.

Elder Bingham and I approach the door, which is shut. We knock. We hear someone inside approaching. After a few seconds of silence, we hear a faint voice (an older lady) saying, "Who is it?"

Elder Bingham announces through the closed door. "It's the missionaries!"
A few more seconds of silence. Then, "Which church?"
"The Church of Jesus Christ!"
A few more seconds of silence. Then, "Who sent you?"
"...Jesus Christ!" Elder Bingham announced cheerily.

We heard her chuckle, and she opened the door. We had a great conversation. She new a Mormon who lived in her complex, who gave her a Book of Mormon. She read some, and she wanted to learn more! She also asked on our stance on Terett's syndrome, which I responded to with understanding and sympathy (thanks mom for watching that film about the teacher who has terett's syndrome!), and she was quite impressed.

On Saturday, we spent the day in Eight Mile Plains. Elder Fa'oa went with the zone leaders, Elder Bingham went with one of the districts, and I went with the chinese district! I got to know that missionary, Elder Wu, a little bit better. He is a very humble man. His mother's friend is a branch president in Shijiazhuang, a city just south of Beijing. He had to travel all the way to Hong Kong to be baptized (his mother wasn't). When he arrived, missionaries were supposed to meet him at the train station, but they mixed up the arrival time, and so he had to travel to the mission office in Hong Kong by himself. He walked in and told the office couple that he had arrived to be baptized! I'm sure that that would have taken them by surprise (they were expecting him, though, eventually). Every Sunday he wakes up at 5 to get to church at 9, 3 hours of travel each way.

On Sunday, we had church. William Hopoate was there with his family, visiting! We spent the afternoon proselyting. In the evening we had call-in reports. We gather them and type them up every Sunday, finishing at about 11 pm. It was a late night.

On Monday, we started off something that we will be doing many times this transfer: "On the Road Interviews." In the past, we had something called "Interviews training" every other transfer. Three or four zones would be scheduled for one day. We would meet at a central chapel, one zone every two or three hours. Every missionary would be allotted 5 or 6 minutes with President. This transfer, President is training something different: we spend a whole day where we go from flat to flat in a zone, spending just less than an hour at each flat, giving him much more time to interview and also time to inspect the flats, area books and planners, and do some training and role plays. We started with Brisbane Zone, and on Tuesday we went to Gold Coast (my first time there!!). Both went really really well.

This morning we went to SMYC (EFY here in Australia). The directors invited President Henderson to teach one of the classes, with the topic of PMG Chapter 5: the Role of the Book of Mormon in conversion. We were a part of his presentation. It was kind of weird to be there... many of the counselors were members of River Terrace YSA Ward, which I served in for quite some time ("You are an AP now?!" x a gajillion). I got a shirt though! I need to get pictures of these things to show you all another time. I also got a referral to give some other missionaries: a nonmember I talked to at lunch time.

After that we tried to accomplish all the necessary Pday things (I needed a haircut), then taught some lessons. And now here I am! Have a good week!

Elder J.Colton Ladd