Being assigned as a leader in the mission is fun! You get all sorts of different opportunities. One of them this week was having comp study with Senior couples within the Zone. We got to drive to their apartments. They lived on the 8th floor or so. From it you could see the NZ MTC! I nabbed a picture of it real quick. It is crazy though because I remember looking out at those buildings when I was in the MTC, and now I was in them looking back. Boy have I come a long way on my mission.
We had a great companionship study with them and we talked about the work happening in our areas. Elder and Sister Martin certainly have a different mission style than us! They don't really proselyte like us and they work with the Less- Active ward members often. They can get sometimes get into homes that we missionaries simply would not be able to. They are more respected, and so people treat them differently. After getting to know them, having a companionship study, I walked out thinking to myself that I would love to serve a mission as a Senior Missionary. Elder Martin cracked a great joke, he said" I am the only one that is allowed to kiss my companion". I laughed so hard! They were even kind enough to make us a breakfast so we took lunch right after our studies. It was nice to have some good old American pancakes!
In our area though Elder Falatau and I have gotten very familiar with it. We know the people that have potential to be baptized, and we are looking forwards to this week because we are going to be giving investigators some specific dates! We have been teaching a Fijian Indian family. It is lead by a solo mum who has been through a lot. She has a Muslim background. She loves the church though because she has received a lot of help form the church and members. you have to teach things sooo simply. It is great though. She is progressing slowly! Her name is Pinky, it is a version of her real name!
I also got your B-day package it is awesome! I will save the cakes for my Birthday, and I think that that I will save the messages for then too. I love the water colour idea. I didn't get it at first though. I had to slow down and think a bit!
Thanks for the e-mails. Love you all and thanks so much!
Love,
Elder Ward
I will have to say that being assigned as a Zone Leader is quite fun. I love going on trade-offs with the Elders. Had some great ones this week! I have included pictures that I went on trade-offs with.
Investigator wise though we havn't seen a whole lot of action. We have some people that are certainly prepared for baptism, however though they all have their own concerns. Something that can be really frustrating as a missionary, is when people are simply not open with you. Sometimes they have you come and visit simply because they do not want to be you to be offended. Or you are with the member family with the investigator in their home (they will be partners with someone that is a member or married to) and the members love and interact with the lesson, but the investigator is relatively quite. We have some wonderful people who have certainly been prepared. We are planning to have someone ready by the end of October.
One little miracle that I noticed was visiting the home of our recent converts. The spirit in their home has changed! Their father who was Less-Active was very joyous and loved being around his kids. He was a more optimistic and full of life! He even got a Saturday project going for building a porch for him and his family. In between the conferences we went over to their home real quick to help move the wood real quick and zipped back to watch more conference! They did come for one of the Sunday sessions as well. They have little kids so it can be challenging at times for them. It was great though. We are working with the mother of the family. She is a non-member, but she has been sitting in on the lessons. We know that she loves the message and even has a desire to be baptized, however she is quiet and doesn't say too much. She will answer the questions we ask, however she doesn't seem to be self motivated in progressing towards baptism. I hope that makes sense.
I loved conference. It was so cool! I look forwards to ponderizing. Stuart is doing, so I figured I better do it! Should be great. I can never get enough of it. I was saddened that it was the last one for my mission, however though... I very much look forward to the next one.
This week I also had my last interview with President Balli. He is a great man! I look up to him a lot. He gave me some great counsel, and of course there will be one more before I go home... I look forwards to the time I still have left to serve. I see it as being so precious!
Love you all thanks for your e-mails and your help with applications Mother!
Love,
Elder Ward
This week it will be a bit brief. Still getting to know the area a bit. My goodness, I have gone from an area that can take's a 45 min to drive across to an area that takes 5 min. I am in the heart of the Auckland Suburbs as at the beginning of my mission. I to miss the beautiful landscapes up North for sure. However though, it is not about the area or the Geography, it is about the people. The people are different down here as well. They are mostly Samoan, so I get to repickup some Samoan again.
Needless to say there are A LOT of Less Active families here. Often times children will go Less Active, get partners, and then later in life come back, get married, and their partners, with the kids get baptized. That is an idea of how the work goes at times. The members love to go and visit people as well. They love to come out with us to teach. One big challenge can be trying to set appointments with investigators, and then have members come out with us as well. Always a fun challenge, that requires diligent communication.
For this weekend, I had the opportunity of Baptising Mya Aniterea, while another missionary Baptized Malachi Aniterea. This family has been worked with by missionaries for a while, and these kids are just awesome. Elder Falatau and I where transferred on and we continued where they left off on. Their mother as well is not a member. She has been sitting in on the lessons and we are seeking to help her become serous in investigating the church. you can see that she loves it, however she seems to have some kind of concern that makes her be a bit reserved and not as open as we would as missionaries like. Maybe it is just the way she is, we will keep visiting the family though. So once again another baptism as a result of the members being diligent and also the previous missionaries. What a blessing! Now a bit of a disappointment though is that I do not have a picture. It was taken with someone else's camera. I will get it form them soon. The non-members Family came as well and they seemed to be intrigued by the baptism. Hopefully they felt the spirit and may turn to learn more about the gospel in the future!
So that is a bit about the week. Oh I also got a chance to go on trade off with the Assistants as well. They are amazing missionaries. I loved it. learned so much form them for sure. It is very neat serving as a Zone Leader. It is different, but I love it. It can be stressing and challenging though as well.
Glad Dad got home safe!
Love you all, miss you to.
Love,
Elder Ward
You could probably tell that in my last e-mail that I was a bit disappointed in being transferred. Well I think that I would have done great work with Elder Hixon. Up in Whangarei I look forwards to hearing how things are going for him and Wards that I have in up there. The main reason as to why I was transferred, well I think it was because I would have simply not grown and reached my potential. I was getting quite comfortable in Whangarei. I knew the area that I was watching ovwer as a District Leader, and also many of the missionaries. We were all great friends and working hard. With anything that we are trying to improve in, once we become comfortable, that is when our progression beings to slow down. Needless to say, I am in a new Ward, new companion, and a new assignment form the mission President.... All evidence points to it I feel.
I am serving in the "Champion Ward" as some of the members put it. It is called the Favona Ward. It is located in South Auckland, where there is lots of people to talk to, teach, reactivate, and baptize. This is one of the highest baptizing zones in all the mission! Even New Zealand it has been said. I am quite nervous with those statements being made... However though I know that Heavenly Father has put me here because he knows that I through his help and my wonderful companion can do it! There is a potential of 18 people being baptized in the coming month, the previous missionaries have identified. Not that they are going to be baptized, but it is a goal, and it is good to keep in mind the potential that is here so we don't think for one minute that there is no one to prepare in the near future. I will be busy the next little while on my mission!
At the moment we all ready have to 2 children named Malachi and Mya, who are going to be baptized on the 3rd of October. You remember my previous companion Elder Rogers, he just went home and finished. He has finished in this very ward that I am serving now! So he was teaching these kids as well. It feels good, and an honour to carry on where he left off.
Over all I am excited. A bit busier now with another Assignment. But hey it is a lot of fun as well!
Sorry for no pictures this week. I will send a few home next week!
Love You all and thanks for the e-mails!
Love,
Elder Ward
