Mar 31 2014

Transfers week is finished! The process went much, much, much more smoothly this time than last time. No more late nights trying to get everything finished, that was a big change. Additionally, if we need to wake up early, since we have 4 missionaries we rotate, one night 2 staying up late / waking up on time, and 2 going to bed on time / waking up early.

Some EXCITING things are happening with the Chinese!! We now have "Chinese Training Leaders"! It is a position similar to a Zone Leader or a Sister Training Leader. They will occasionally run "Chinese Region Meetings" with all of the Chinese missionaries; they will also be involved in performing exchanges with the Chinese missionaries, and they may correlate with the zone leaders and the Stake Presidents of Gold Coast, Eight Mile Plains, and Brisbane stakes. On top of their exciting new role as CTLs, they are also opening up a new ward for a Chinese Program: Brisbane Ward in Brisbane Stake! Here is the current organization of the Chinese missionaries:

(In Brisbane Zone) 
River Terrace District 
River Terrace 1 (DL) 
River Terrace 2 elders 
River Terrace 5 elders (Also opening)

Brisbane Chinese District 
Brisbane Chinese (CTLs) 
River Terrace 3 sisters 
River Terrace 4 sisters

(In Eight Mile Plains Zone) 
Eight Mile Plains District 
Eight Mile Plains 1 (DL) 
Eight Mile Plains 2 elders 
Eight Mile Plains 3 elders 
Eight Mile Plains 4 sisters (3-way)

(In Gold Coast Zone) 
Isle of Capri District 
Isle of Capri 1 (DL) 
Isle of Capri 2 elders 
Isle of Capri 3 elders

This brings us to a total of 28 Chinese missionaries! (Including myself) (1 new Chinese missionary arrived)

I am especially excited for the Chinese region meetings. I often tend to forget that, although I know and am familiar with all of the Chinese missionaries, the majority of the Chinese missionaries hardly know anyone beyond their zone.

In other news, two new areas opened up in the mission that we are excited about: A growing city called Jimboomba located in the far south-western tip of the city of Logan (a satellite city of Brisbane with a large number of Polynesians), and Bowen/the Whitsundays, a branch in North Queensland where church attendance has exploded from about 20 to over 50 in just a few months. The missionaries assigned to open these areas were all distinguished missionaries, 3 of them having been zone leaders previously.

On Wednesday, we got a smallish group of new missionaries -- about 12, causing a small net decrease. We were actually supposed to receive over 20, but due to visa delays and so forth we only got 12. It was very multinational: Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Australia, and America were all included (Kiribati and Vanuatu are new in the mission!). The intake was very smooth -- we had the trainers pick up bikes before the meeting, which eliminated a whole element of chaos that generally occurs afterwards.

On Friday we had Mission Leadership Council for the month. Since there were several zone leaders coming out of leadership to open up new areas, and one zone leader finishing his mission (my old companion!), there were several new faces at the meeting, which we are really excited about. Included among these were the new Chinese Training Leaders! At the Council we received training on setting baptismal dates under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and other aspects of the doctrine of the Holy Ghost.

On Saturday I went on Trade-offs in Manly, the Zone Leaders of the Australia Brisbane Cleveland stake. It was great! In the morning, we exercised near the waterfront overlooking the beautiful Moreton Bay. We had a great day of tracting -- or rather, "finding". President Henderson invited us to remove the word "tract" from our vocabulary, because "tracting" is robotic and Spirit-less while "finding" is under the direction of the Holy Ghost.

After church on Sunday, we felt impressed to visit one of the families we were teaching, all four of us at once (which we have never done before). We saw two of the members of the family at church, but not the others. Knowing we wouldn't have too much time (it was late and the time for call-in summary reports was approaching), we decided to sing a hymn for them. We decided on "I Need Thee Every Hour". We arrived at the perfect time -- they had just finished dinner and were actually discussing church, and the whole family was at home -- and we sang for them. The were crying as we finished, said a prayer, and left. The Spirit was strong.

This coming week, we have New Missionary Training meeting, although with 4 assistants we think we will now only have 2 at the meeting while 2 (hopefully myself and one other) can go work. I'm looking forward to this coming week, hopefully I will have many stories to tell.

Elder J. Colton Ladd