Really kind couple from Ghana

Email #85
Area: Oaklands Park
Companion: Elder Turcotte

Excerpts from Mom's email:

Hey Mom!

Well this week went by way to fast! I'll be honest, this week is probably going to be a shorter email haha. So the first news is that transfers happened, but Elder Turcotte and I are both in Oaklands Park! The other crazy things is that our zone just got a lot bigger as well! I was really happy with transfers especially because I really love the missionaries we are going to be serving around including one of my last companions, Elder Malio! It should be a really fantastic transfer!

Besides that, we have finally figured out our area pretty dang well. We have learned the ins and outs which is hard to do sometimes with the different things that come up during the week that throw us off. We have cleared up some of our teaching pool because a lot of them just were not progressing at all, that is the main reason why I have not wrote a lot about them. We still have a few that I am looking forward to seeing there progression this transfer and that show great promise! Surly though we are going to have our work cut out for us because we have a lot more finding to do! To do that, we are going to try to be working a lot more with the members this transfer! We have a few things lined up to help us do that and it helps that we now have a good relationship with a lot of the families.

One highlight this week was with a couple from Ghana, Africa. L... and S..... are a really kind couple who have showed us a lot of kindness! We were reading this week with them to help S..... especially understand the Book of Mormon. She is really interested in that and to what it brings to the table for her. After reading a while she always asked interesting questions that I have never been asked before. She even said while reading the introduction where it says, "Moroni a resurrected being", she was like "wait, so others have been resurrected then just like Christ?" She is just so observant and just takes in every word! After the lesson this week, she surprised us with a prepared lunch. First off, this was right after we ate lunch at our flat so we were not very hungry haha. She fed us a special dish from Africa that I don't remember the name of, but it was goat meat and some other stuff with rice. Really interesting, but I liked it! My companion and Elder Peckipaki (an Elder who was with us for the day) didn't like it very much though haha. Elder Turcotte even had a hard time getting the goat down his through and was sweating like crazy in there haha!! Once we get outside, this huge piece of meat comes back up and he spits it out!

We have one of our missionaries going home and so while he was at the temple, his companion was with us. Always is a good time to have him with us and adds a lot to our day! One funny thing was we were riding down the sidewalk when all lof a sudden Elder Turcotte's bike seat just breaks! I pray for his future children!!! Haha he is okay though no worries, we just went to go get his bike seat replaced.

Love you and have a good week!


Excerpts from Dad's email:

Hey Dad!

So I will continue on from Mom's:)

The weather has been so weird this week! One day it is raining like crazy and then the next day it is super hot! We had day light savings so yesterday at like 6pm it is still super warm and light out! It is just so weird!

We had MLC this week as well and that was a lot of fun! I always really enjoy them and learn so much from them. We were counselling on a lot of things, especially a lot of the new mission rules and what needs changed. From that, just last night during the conference call, they announced a lot of the new rule changes and I am happy with them. We can now listen to music when at home in the flat and can listen to talks in the car! That was a huge topic because last transfer that was just so limited! That was one I was working for haha I will admit. There is just a lot of refining and trying to figure out what is best for the mission having to do with the rules. We now can go spend Pdays with other missionaries close by as well and now follow the official schedule change. A lot of this either does not make sense to you I am sure or you don't really care about, but we care a lot about this stuff!
We just got a new assistant again as well and I am so happy for who it is! He is one of my favorite missionaries and would be my top pick because I know it would not go to his head! He is also in my intake which is nice, however his original call was to the Philippians, so he spent the first half of his mission there until he got sick and had to return to Australia for care.

Not much else from this week. I am really hoping that this transfer will be a lot more fruitful teaching wise because this last one was a lot more just building the area and figuring it out. Now I hope that the building and refining will pay off and pray a miracle will be on the horizon! Adelaide zones are always pretty dang tough to baptize in, but I know someone is out there in our area! I think that one is Tumba! I think I talked about him last week but he is the man! He is one I see the most from!

Sorry that is all I really got for you at the top of my head. Usually I think about what I am going to write the night before but last night with transfers was just so crazy and the rest of today when the actual transferring will happen will be crazy to. That will be in about 4 hours.

Love you and have a good week!