Another Great Missionary Week!

Wow, I can’t believe its already been another week! I hope all is well in the 801! I love all of you so much!

Down Beat for the Week:

Monday (10/13/14)

What a great physical p-day. After the usual writing of weekly emails to the family, a bunch of missionaries from the zone got together and played some basketball and then one touch rugby! It was all way fun…. Especially the rugby! Who knows, maybe I’ll look into playing some rugby after my mission :)

Tuesday (10/14/14)

J, the young man I mentioned last week who had recently awoke from being in a coma for a month because of a car accident is being transferred to other elders. Apparently he lives out side our area so we are referring him to some elders who are closer to where he lives! 

We taught C again with a follow up to our Word of Wisdom lesson from last week. I’m happy to say he kept his commitment and didn't drink coffee ALL WEEK!!! What a HUGE answer to prayer! Now he just needs to get his parents permission so he can be baptized!!

L has also cut back on coffee and cigs! We gave him the stop smoking program and he said in time he really does want to stop! I know that with the help of the Lord, and a little sacrifice on L’s part, he can do it :) Sometimes we have to first show our willingness to sacrifice to the Lord in order for Him to pour his blessings out upon us :)

Later in the night we followed up with M from Kenya. Our first lessons with M went really well. Unfortunately, because he has been busy moving into a new home, Elder N and I haven’t been able to teach him the necessary lessons to prepare him for baptism; so we had to move his baptismal date back to the 8th of November. It’s sad, but it is what the Lord would want us, and M to do!

Wednesday (10/15/14)

All of our appointments canceled today... I was on an exchange with Elder P. He’s one of the Elders in the Vietnamese part of the Melbourne mission. It was fun going on an exchange but I LOVE talking with people and teaching them about the gospel and we didn’t do ANY of that today! Oh well, the Lord tests and tries our faith. I sometimes feel He does try us to see how we will react to a challenging situation! As long as we rely on the Lord, and really truly understand He tries and tests us for our own benefit, it is much easier to have a positive outlook on everything life throws at you! 

After Splits with Elder P (he's the missionary on the far right with the cucumber... I have no idea why he is holding a cucumber), we all had to try out the new elevator at the Branch... nothing beats a selfie in the elevator mirror.

Thursday (10/16/14)

There was NO WAY this day could be bad! NO MATTER WHAT! Why? Because I got a special privilege today… I got to go to the Melbourne Temple with my Zone! Man, the Melbourne Temple is such a beautiful temple!! I love The House of the Lord! Everyone reading this who is able to attend the temple, I encourage you to go as much as possible! Escape the world through temple attendance… it literally feels like Heaven on Earth!!

My first temple day in Melbourne... what a beautiful place here on this earth!

After the temple, our Zone all went to Domino's and got pizza. Temple and pizza, like I said, heaven on earth! :)

Elder N and I didn’t teach many lessons today because of the temple trip... But it was soooo worth it :)

Friday (10/17/14)

We taught C again today! He was supposed to ask his parents for permission to be baptized but he couldn’t get the courage to ask them; so we taught him about fasting, and how it is a powerful tool when we truly need the Lord's help! He said that he would fast and ask his parents! Now it’s just a waiting game! Unfourtunately, this pushed his baptismal date back to the 25th of November. He will be baptized soon! I can feel it :) haha! We taught D and her friend as well! D was the Jewish girl that we’ve been teaching since I arrived in Melbourne. D is so ready to be baptized BUT... She just has a hard time coming to church and is worried about asking her boss for Sundays off! Ughhhh! Satan is soooooo annoying! Oh well, just another hurdle we need to get over :) She will be baptized soon… I just know it.

Saturday (10/18/14)

Today looked super promising for teaching lots of lessons, but apparently the Lord had other plans for Elder N and I ! Most of our CONFIRMED appointments canceled… aghhhhhh! At first it was so frustrating, but then we got a call from P who’s from Tassie (short for Tasmania) and he needed help moving to a new government house! It’s amazing how the Lord cleared a path, by canceling our appointments, so we could help someone who was really in need! After helping P, we did however get to teach a new Investigator named C. He is from Malyasia, and is really nice! At the beginning of the lesson he acted like he did not believe in God whatsoever. However, by the end of the lesson you could see how his attitude towards God was slowly changing from disbelief to belief. I love seeing those tiny little miracles!

Sunday (10/19/14)

Sundays in the mission field are definitely not the same as Sundays back home... Now that I think about it, NO day is the same in the mission field as it is back home :) Take today for example. Church used to be so laid back. I’d bless the sacrament; hang out in Sunday School and Priesthood (listening and learning of course); and then home for a little R & R; but today, before church even started, one of the visitors to the branch had a seizure… talk about scary! I’m glad the guy is OK, but like I said, you truly never know what is going to happen from one day to the next! 

Overall, mission life is great, and I am great! I’ve definitely learned when you keep a good attitude about everything, you will never feel down or depressed! ALWAYS, no matter how hard it is, look at the glass half full, not half empty! Most importantly, trust in the Lord at all times, in all things, and in all places. He truly knows what each and everyone of us are going through! He knows how to help... we just need to ask for that help through prayer!

Love you All

Elder Steele