18 months in the Outback!: Rain rain go away!‏

G'day everyone!

Just letting you know that I am staying in Golden Bay. I'll be here for another transfer to finish up Sister Tomaki's training. This has been a gloomy week in a few ways. Before I get to that I do have some funny things to share.

We visited our investigator Faith this week. She would be a member but her husband won't let her be baptized. We've been reteaching her all of the lessons and she shared a great story with us this week. We had just taught her about priesthood authority when she got a call from her husband. He was telling her about this guy at work that had the audacity to tell him what to do even though the guy wasn't certified to be helping him. He asked Faith if she would have listened to him and she said, "No because he doesn't have the right authority!" He agreed and kept going on about this situation while Faith was just sitting there smiling to herself and laughing that he agreed with her but she was relating it to the gospel. She just said, "I love having my own little Mormom joke!" We laughed so hard. We told her that some day his heart will soften and he will give you a funny look when he is taught about the priesthood authority. She loved it.

We had an amazing lesson with our investigator Kevin this week. We brought 2 members, Laurie and Molly. They are both recent converts. Molly was baptized about 5 years ago and Laurie (Lawrence) is coming up on his 1 year mark. They are being sealed in the temple in September. They are a powerhouse couple. We basically just sat back while they taught the lesson. It was incredible! It opened Kevin's heart more than anything else we could have done. I'm so grateful for the testimony of members.

It has done nothing this week except rain. I'm already sick of rain and winter just started. To quote Sister Tomaki, "I hate this weather. It makes people feel weak. No one really wants to do anything." Amen Sister! Rain just seems to put a damper on everyone's mood. And when it rains it doesn't just rain like a nice little shower. . . it pours. We got home one night to find a swimming pool in front of our house. I had to take pictures to prove it. Our normal 15 minute drive home from church turned into a 25 minute drive because we were only going about 40 kph on the highway. I just had to stay focused on the little white reflectors on the road so that I knew I was on the right path. It was terrifying. Indeed the lousy weather as brought lousy answers of doors, phone calls, appointments with investigators, less-actives, and members. I have been on my knees a lot this week. We visited a member that is struggling. We asked her how her prayers were going and she said they weren't. I said, "Can we start there?" She responded rather bitterly by saying, "Yous can start there." It was a really hard lesson to get through. She isn't ready to do anything. It is so hard to see people who know exactly what they need to do to be happy not doing any of it. The blessings are being withheld only because she won't accept them by acting. I just got in the car and cried.

We got to the flat for dinner and I again was on my knees. We had some members that have some problems with the church. They don't quite know why some things are the way they are. They do what they are supposed to because they know they will be blessed but it's only half hearted because they don't like this or that. I'm being vague for specific reasons. I just want everyone to know that the Lord doesn't do things just because it's going to bless one group of people or anything like that. He gives everyone the same commandments to bless everyone who willingly obeys them. It seemed like Heavenly Father was trying to get me to learn something this week. I got the picture loud and clear. I've felt really low because of many things. I've studied faith and repentance more than I thought ever possible. I've tried everything in my power to make things happen and for some reason they just weren't working. At Zone Meeting on Friday we talked about our purpose as missionaries. The whole meeting was like a spiritual slap in the face. I can't put it all to words because much of it was just things that I needed to hear.

I've felt kinda down because I haven't seen fruit from our investigators and our work with them. We've actually dropped nearly everyone that we had to teach in the last few weeks. We made a focus the other week to build the members and less-actives. We thought, "If we can help strengthen them then they will help strengthen us and our efforts." For the most part the last few weeks have brought success on that front. I was just continually praying that our leaders would see it that way as well.

While we were driving the other day we were listening to a General Conference talk and the speaker said, "Where there is faith there comes a trial of that faith. That trial will bring forth increased faith." I needed to hear that too. Heavenly Father will always find ways to help us and usually rebuke us in one way or another. That increase of faith came yesterday at church. On Saturday we went and visited the Fiti family. We found out that they didn't have rugby games on Sunday and would be able to come with us to church. We went home and started to make phone calls. We found fellowship for the older brother from the Driessen boys. We called the Primary president to tell her that she would have 3 extra kids in primary this week and found out that her daughter is Kaya's age! We texted Bishop and Brother Day and told them that the Fiti family would be coming. We did everything we could think of to make this family be welcomed and to feel at home. Sunday came and church started. No sign of the Fiti's. I was gutted. So much planning. So many prepared people to help. It was a hard sacrament meeting to sit through. I said a lot of prayers and did a lot of soul searching. At the end of sacrament Sister Tomaki stood up and turned around to see if they had snuck in without us knowing. Low and behold they were there! They had found people they know, the fellowship took their roles, and they all stayed for all 3 hours. Later Sister Tomaki during companionship study read this to me, "Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost. She said, "I just knew they would come. I didn't get discouraged. The Spirit knew that we had done our part." Another spiritual slap to the face. I definitely learned the teaching of turning the other cheek this week. Spiritual slap after slap. I learned what I needed to. Now I just need to act and apply what I've learned.

After church we joined Ward Council Meeting. Bishop took the time after we had given our reports to say, "Missionaries, I just want you to know how grateful I am for all of your hard work. We don't have a lot of baptisms coming up but the amount of returning members that I've seen the last two weeks makes me incredibly happy and grateful for your efforts." I could have cried. Bishop couldn't have said anything else that could have helped me more. It was another prayer answered.

Heavenly Father is always mindful of us. I'm so grateful for that. Keep faith in every footstep. Every time we go through the wilderness of life it is just preparing us to reach the promise land. I have a strong testimony of that. If you are going through a trial know that it is just testing the faith that you have. The faith is there, it's being tested, and it will be strengthened as long as we keep close to Him. This is the scripture that carried me through the rain this week and I hope it can help someone else. James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4: But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

I love you all and hope you have a great full first week of summer!

Much love,

Sister Shayne

Book of Mormon Week 2!

1 Nephi

17:45 Lamen and Lemuel give us a good example that you can have knowledge without having faith. Faith is necessary to be converted.

18:16 Do we complain after our trails?

21:14-16 God hath not forgotten thee

2 Nephi

2:13 This is one of my personal favorite. Everything happens for a reason.

3:15 How cool would it be to be Joseph Smith and to read about yourself!

4:15-16 Is that how we feel?