What a Week

This week has been so great! For the past couple of weeks, we've been teaching a lady named Lynn.  She always wants to feel the Holy Ghost and learn more about how she can always feel it.  This week, she has really been able to progress and it's been awesome. 

On Tuesday, we taught her at one of the members' houses and had a really great lesson about how she can receive answers through the Holy Ghost.  Thursday, we taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, focusing on the Sacrament, and why it is so important.  It was really cool to see how she is beginning to truly understand all that we've been teaching her.  

Friday night was our Ward Christmas Party and she loved it! The ward members have been super friendly in welcoming her in.  Lastly, we got to attend the temple lights with her on Saturday with our Ward Mission Leader.  The Spirit on the temple grounds is so strong, it's amazing.  Inside one of the buildings, there's about 40 paintings depicting the life of Christ along with a compilation video of His life as well, which seals the perfect Spirit felt there.  

This week, we also got to do a lot of tracting way up north in our area.  It's funny because pretty much all of our area has a beach nearby, so we knocked on doors up in Avalon and got to teach some pretty cool people! 

We look forward to the upcoming Christmas Week to sing more carols to those we meet and invite the Christmas Spirit into their homes! 

For all of you who haven't watched the new Christmas video that the Church has released, I invite you to head over to christmas.mormon.org as soon as you can to watch it!  

To all of you who are enjoying snow and cold weather at this time of the year, I invite you to share some with the people of Australia! Haha Merry Christmas everyone! 

Love you heaps,
Elder Muh 

Words/Phrases of the Week:
- Hectic, Aussie slang for awesome
- The whole lot, Aussie slang for everything 

Ponderize
- Mormon 9:21
"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ,doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth"

- Have faith.  The Lord can and will do all things if we ask in faith and it is His will.  He will always live up to that promise! 

Temple Lights with Lynn

Temple Lights

Elder Lamipeti and I

This is what a package of Oreo cookies loos like in Australia

The First Twelve Weeks

This week started off really great, our District got called to work at the temple lights, so we had the wonderful opportunity to be tour guides through a room of paintings, different scenes from the life of Christ and bear testimony about the truthfulness of the Gospel.  It was definitely a great experience, and we look forward to bringing one of our investigators this week to witness the incredible Spirit found on the temple grounds.  

Our Zone Training this week was on the purpose of missionary work and it was definitely a good reminder of our calling.  President Kimball speaks about what happens when we as missionaries are set apart. In that blessing, not only are we given the authority to preach the Gospel, but we are also set apart from the world.  However, it is up to you if you truly want to be set apart or not.  

Just like understanding the message of the Restoration or gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon, living up to that setting apart comes over time too.  In a way, you have to earn the blessings through diligent scripture study, sincere prayer, faith, and preparation.  

I think a common discouragement for missionaries, myself included is that you'll instantly become a great missionary over night.  I'll let you in on a little secret: nope, there's no special Wheaties cereal that missionaries eat every morning, their knowledge of the Gospel comes through diligent study, just like it does for any one in the world, member or non-member.  

When you acknowledge this simple fact, you begin to see progression.  In the past three months, my testimony of this Gospel has been strengthened in ways I couldn't even imagine being possible and I've truly been able to feel the love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for all of us.  Oh how great that love is.  

Yesterday, my second transfer in the field came to a close.  Today marks the beginning of my third transfer, and great potential lies ahead.  It's up to Elder Lamipeti and I to seize the potential and with that, miracles and blessings will come.  

The past couple of weeks, Elder Fields (some of you may know him as Kekoa) have been able to shoot a few emails back and forth.  While talking about our respective missions and areas, the scripture Dad shared with me came to mind.  

Alma 17:2 reads: "Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God."

Elder Fields and I have known each other since before we were even in Primary, so it has been very cool to see that over the years, we've still remained brothers in the Gospel, just like Alma and the sons of Mosiah.  

A very good week lies ahead.  All is well in the Harbord!

Love you heaps!

Elder Muh

Words of the Week:

- Globe, Lightbulb

- Torch, Flashlight

- Petrol, Gasoline 

Ponderize

- 3 Nephi 5:23

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."

- This is a great missionary scripture, our commission is to declare His word, that gospel to all nations.  We bring glad tidings to the people of North Sydney.  However, everyone is a disciple.  Especially during this Christmas season, I invite you to share the glad tidings, the good news with the people around you, and I promise that the blessings the Lord has in store for you will be so great, you shall not have room to receive them! 

District P-Day Fun

Sydney Temple, Christmas Lights Tours

The BIG Lizards are Coming Out (jk it's fake)

Week #12

This week flew by really fast, but I also have no clue what happened at the beginning of the week.  It's weird how everything works while you're out on the mission.  Days are very long, but somehow you get that second wind of extra strength to push through into the late afternoon and evening.

Yesterday marked three months since the Sunday that I was set apart as a missionary, and this week will make three months since I've entered the MTC.  It's crazy how time flies! 

We had another Joint Zone Conference this week, which was focused on the importance of planning and the power that the Book of Mormon has.  It was very inspirational to see how important the Book of Mormon is and how it applies to literally everybody on this earth.  

I'm short on time this week, so I'll bear my testimony (which has grown immensely over the last three months).  I KNOW that this church is true. Joseph Smith was a man called of God to be the prophet that would restore the very church Christ established when he walked the earth.  Through the power of God, Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, which is the greatest book of all time.  The book is so true, and is the greatest evidence that He was a prophet.  Like Elder Holland says, "no wicked man could write such a book, and no man could write it, unless he was called of God."  Like Elder Holland, I also testify of the truthfulness of that Book, of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the church.  I know, without a doubt, that all those things are true, and I do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.  

Love you heaps,

Elder Muh 

- Ponderize 

Alma 42:15 

"And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also."

- The Plan of Salvation is centered around the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It is a perfect plan, and shows the great love of our Heavenly Father, as well as His son, Jesus Christ.