6.19.2013

) HLALO

 

SORRY.... this is going to be short because we just barely got back from the temple and we're AGES away. We're in one of hte farthest areas in the mission. The Gladstone area (which is only 2hrs drive frome us).... yeah....... they have to take a plane to gladstone :) hahahahahahaha SOOOOOO FAR AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION! anyway... just went to the temple for the last time here in brisbane... it was strange. I don't htink it's hit me quite yet, cuz I'm still doing everything the same. My work is still the same.. I'm still talking to people that I feel like I'm going to help and stuff.. I don't think it has sunk in yet... I"ll let you know when it does though... :) hahahahahahaha

 

Though... We're all really tierd up here.... it's insanely exhausting how much work there is to do up here..... AND it's like a gaint retirement village. I tracted for 24 hrs last week, and everybody said they weren't interested.... it was an interesting experience... hard... funny... but hard. there are a lot of people interested in how I look chinese, sound American, but act like an islander :p hahahahahaha oh gosh.... One dude told m ethat we look healthy (my companion and I) and then asked us which pacific Island we're from :) hahahahahaha YES!!! I am get FAT and look like a fob!! :) hahaha

 

ANYWAY! One of hte funniest doors that we knocked on... I don't htink that the lady was too comfortable wit us at the door... but we tried it anyway and she keeped making htis awkward laugh-like thing where she would sound kinda like HEH HEH HEH HEEEEEEEEE. hahahahaha Elder Tito and I were trying to not laugh SOOOo hard it was ridiculous. :) hahahahaha oh my gosh.. :) hahahahaha and then she told us that she was anglican and she knew everything about the mormons and diddn't want to have anything to do with us... it was interesting... :) so we left. :)

 

People here are a lot more forward with their comments here as well.... so that was exciting hahahahahahahaha.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!! ANYWAY!

ALSO we were able to go to ward council for the first time in AGES!!!!!! The previous missionaries in this area seemed to have gotten absolutely nothing done. SO...... I'm going to try to set something up befor ehte next missionaries get to the area. It's really frustrating. At ward council... they were trying to implement a trade-offs system that the Area Presidency has had running this whole year..... so... they're on it 6 months late.... and they weren't sure about the logistics of it (I'm not sure that they needed to worry about that) so they were asking me what the program entitled and what we needed to do and wher ethe names came from.... OH MY GOSH!!!!! and then the relief society president wasn't cooperating at alll..... hahahahahaha. it was sooo funny. anyway. so while they were having their little disputes, I started doing work of my own bcause they weren't getting anywhere.... something about a reciept that the relief society president was supposed to cash in last year... but still hasn't even turned it in.... anyway. that's besides the point. the moral of the story is... while they were conversing in harsh tones, I was visiting with all of the members of the ward council one by one... discussing some of hte members of hteir quorums that may have been struggling and seeing who we could visit. Anybody that they thought were hard to find... and by the end o fhte night... I had compiled a rather decent list of people to visit and who to report to and what the call of action was.... I felt rahter productive and left happy. Then I talked to bishop and started discussing several of the other members of the ward with him. I actually don' know anybody... but It seems that previous missionaries had divided themselves away from the ward and hadn't actually interacted with the ward leaders... but that's all we can do here...... Australians are very stubborn and own't want to do anything however. they are VERY loyal people... so if you can get a way intotheir hearts.... :) BAM perfect. I think it'd be too easy to get into their homes if we had a member iviting us..... We have a really high rate of converting member referrals to baptisms because australians are so incredibly loyal. :) hahahaha it's perfect.

 

SO that was our week. lots of tracting..... and finding... I don't know that the missionaries here are a big fan of efficiency.  I was researching it to separate effectiveness and efficiency. the two are similar.... but they're also different. :) Tracting... yes it gives us finding time and we talk to people it is effective. the work is being done... but is it being done in an effecient manner? is every minute being used to its fullest ability? I realized that some people fill time with their plans.... but I've been trying to fill my plans with success.... it's out htere... you just gotta know where God wants you to be or what He wants you to do at a certain time....

 

anyway... the others want to go out and play some rugby... so sorry for the short email.... :) next pday will be in a bit... we havcne't had a monday pday for AGES. the first one because of transfers, then the queens birthday, then temple week, and next week, we havec special trianing on monday....... and a mid-transfer transfer meeting to prepare fo rhte new missio npresident :) hahahahaha

 

Love you all!!!!!!!

Elder Chen