A week filled with joy.....Mason's baptism!

Monday (7.18.16)

We started the day with our office meeting and after we emailed we took off for our trip to Finley! It is located in New South Wales and it is about a four hour drive from Melbourne. However on the way up we were able to see a KOALA! It was a MASSIVE miracle because we were able to see it walking across the road and then climbing up a tree. This is unique because you hardly ever see koala’s moving around. They are usually stationery for 18 hours or more!  

Amazing to see a koala....I love Australia!

We enjoyed our drive to Finley and we got President Vidmar dropped off for his interview. Because Finley is a district, the mission president is the one who holds the keys over it. As we were waiting at the chapel for President to finish, a member noticed us  and kindly invited us over for dinner. It was really nice we were able to spend some time with them because they are a part member family. We had a great time and we were really able to connect with the kids and the dad who isn’t a member. After dinner, we headed back to the branch and waited for President Vidmar to do another interview. Finley’s population is 2,100 and I really love it because it truly is a bush town! They told us in Finley that the way you classify a “bush town” is if there is one stop light and either KFC, Maccas, or a Hungry Jacks. Finley definitely fit the bill!

The branch in Finley. It is a converted mortuary!

Tuesday (7.19.16)

We started the day by going for a run with President and Sister Vidmar this morning. It was a really great experience. We ran through a sort of nature reserve and we saw a kangaroo! I sometimes can’t even believe how blessed I am to serve in Australia! In just two days, I saw a koala and a kangaroo!!! After our run we participated in the Wangaratta Zone Interviews for most of the day.  On  Zone Interview days, while the missionaries are waiting for their turn to chat with President Vidmar, Elder Jensen and I talk withe them about the importance of setting inspired Weekly Goals and being able to achieve them by being mindful of them ALL WEEK LONG! As a mission we are struggling a bit to achieve our Goals. We also talked about how vital the Area Book is and how it is a tool we can use to gain ultimate trust with the Lord. We promised them as we keep it updated DAILY, the Lord will bless us with people He has prepared for us to teach. Following the missionary interviews, we held a the Finley Branch Question and Answer session with the Vidmars and Elder Jensen and me.  It really helped us connect with them and people mentioned they were becoming more confident with member missionary work in the branch.

The traditional hotel picture!

Wednesday (7.20.16)

We woke up a bit earlier today and headed back down to Melbourne for our interviews with the Chinese Zone! On the way down we stopped for some Maccas (McDonalds) and then we got right back to driving! We had a lot of ground to cover and we didn’t have any time to waste. 

Maccas (McDonald's) on the run!

The Interviews were great.  I love how diligent and obedient the Chinese Zone is. They are truly an amazing group! We got finished with interviews and left the city around 6:00 pm to drive the Vidmars home. After we dropped them off at the mission home, we raced to Mason’s home to teach him about the Law of Tithing and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is so ready to make the step of Baptism. Mason is amazingly faithful. He really understood the power behind why we pay tithing and the blessings that will come! Mason is really a massive miracle!! :) 

Thursday (7.21.16)

Today the Gippsland Zone Interviews today were scheduled from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. 

Incredible Zone Leaders from the Gippsland Zone!

I received a big miracle today because at the end of the Gippsland Zone interviews the Devon Meadows ward started to turn up for a correlation meeting with their missionaries. I was blessed to see some of the members from the ward that I love so much! It was so nice to see them and  catch up for a few minutes!

Devon Meadows Ward - Samoan Sister Missionaries!

I love how the Lord really does provide SO MANY tender mercies to us. He knows exactly what we need each and every day. After the we got back from Melbourne, we went to Mason's house again and gave him a Priesthood Blessing. He is working hard and has been smoke free but he started feeling a bit dizzy and sick. After the blessing, you could tangibly see his body calm and relax and he was ready to hear what he had to teach him. We finished our lesson by going went over the Baptismal Interview questions with him and and he did really well! I love asking these questions because it brings out their testimonies and it is inspiring to see the awesome faith these investigaors have! Mason is amazing and is he is VERY prepared!!! :) 

Friday (7.22.16)

Narre Warren Zone Interviews were on the docket for today! Sorry it is a lot of the same thing every day. Interview month can be pretty repetitive! But it is all good because it is a great time for us to be with the missionaries! And that is great for me because I absolutely LOVE being with Missionaries and hearing how the Lord is blessing their areas!  Following the interviews, Mason came in around 4:30 pm to have his Baptismal Interview with President Vidmar and HE PASSED!!! President was really impressed with Mason’s preparation for baptism. It made us happy to see Mason SO happy! After we finished with Mason, we had the sacred blessing to attend the Va’a's sealing in the temple. Elder Kim and I absolutely loved working with them in Cranbourne.

So happy for the Va'as! Another Forever Family!

Saturday (7.23.16)

We started the morning by playing some basketball with our Zone and I was just ON TOP THE WORLD!! The Lord is so good to me and I have NO IDEA WHY HE HAS BLESSED ME SOOO MUCH! After basketball, we went to the Chapel and prepared the font for MASON’S BAPTISM! It was a wonderful service! He was so happy and you could really tell he felt the spirit VERY STRONGLY after he was baptized!!! I love to see the instant change when a brand new member comes out of the waters of baptism. It is truly an amazing experience. Mason is so happy and proud to be a member of the Savior's Church! 

Mason's baptism! I just couldn't stop smiling!

After Mason’s baptism we rushed to Heidelberg to do the Heidelberg Zone Interviews! We skipped out of the interviews for a bit of the morning so that we could attend Mason's baptism! For lunch today, the Zone Leaders and Elder Jensen and I surprised the Vidmars with a special lunch because it was their anniversary! The Heidelberg interviews were fantastic and we all loved them! As we were driving back to  Dandenong around 8:00 pm we got a call to go to the hospital to give a blessing to a little child from another ward. That was a great experience. I always love to see the power of the Priesthood in action. We finished off the night at the Afghan restaurant.

Sunday (7.24.16)

Mason was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints today and it was awesome! He is going to be a GREAT member!  We spent the rest of the day going to various appointments with members! We had a fabulous meal with the McLeans and then got we got smashed with yummy food at another Spanish couple’s home. We finished up the night by going back over to the McCleans so we could share our message and they gave us leftovers and a yummy drink that they call Coco!  It was a really great day just being with the members. It is so gratifying to see how much they love and serve the missionaries. We are blessed beyond measure! It was fantastic too because we were able to get referrals of a couple of people that we can go and visit when we have a bit of time:)