18 months in the Outback!: I Just Want To Work Hard.

Hey everyone!

Well what a week we've had here in Western Australia. As President Lindsay would say, "It's a great day to be a missionary in Western Australia!" He couldn't be more right. We had a crazy week of transfers. I am still in the Alexander Heights area like I mentioned last week. I love it here. It's probably been my favorite area so far. I have the best companion in the world. Sister Terry is from England. She has all brothers. Her older brother served a mission and her younger brother is currently serving in New Zealand! How cool is that!? She gets to serve the same time as him! Anyway, she is incredible. She's been on her mission for a year and is an incredible teacher. Her knowledge about the scriptures blows me away. She just knows everything about how to teach and what to share with people. I feel like I started leading and training so early that I missed a lot of learning the basics, so I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve with her now and just soak up everything I can from her. She says that she wants to master goal-setting before she ends her mission. We've figured out that that is why she is serving with me. I think setting goals for the last 8 years through swimming really made goal-setting in the mission field super easy. I love weekly planning and trying to set up an area with the help of the Spirit. She can't figure out why in the world I love it so much but I just do and she says that that is what she is going to learn from me :) It's going to be a dynamic companionship. The first thing she said to me was, "I just want to work hard." And that is exactly what we intend on doing.

We added 17 new missionaries to our mission last week and only lost 8. That means we were able to open 5 new areas in WA. One of which is in our ward. We split our 12 or so suburbs between the now 3 companionships and it's been the greatest blessing. The Elders took our "dodgey" areas so we don't have to worry being around there anymore. We have done tons of finding in those areas though so we had a lot of things to give them to work off of and to quickly get their new area up and running. Our district is on fire! We found 27 new investigators this week in our district alone. We fasted this week to help us in the work and set out in faith that we will succeed and the Lord has supported us through it all.

As Sister Training Leaders we are going to try really hard this transfer to train our sisters and help them grow in this work. One way we do that is by being able to go on exchanges with them. We planned them all out and then took each of the sisters' companionships a big bar of "Bubble" chocolate with a note that says, "We are 'bubbling' with excitement to do exchanges with you!" We thought it was funny :) One of the new sisters in our Zone is from Cottonwood Heights. Her name is Sister Brown. I'm excited to talk to her and see if she knows any of the swimmers that I know. I love being able to meet people from Utah here that know people I know. I just laugh and think, I had to go half way around the world to meet you and you know so and so." The world becomes very small as a missionary. Ya know, there are only 80,000+ of us now.

We are really putting a heavy focus these next 2 months on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After all that is why we are all here on earth. That is why I am in Australia. That is why I believe what I do. That's why I know I'll see loved ones again that have passed on. That is the reason for everything. I've been studying Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage and it just brings every bit of the Savior's life and sacrifice into a beautiful light. I feel like I'm growing closer to Him the more I read the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and this book Jesus the Christ. My testimony has grown so much. I wish I had the adequate words to explain it. I know my Savior lives. I know He died for me. I know that He is central to the things I share, preach about, and teach here in WA. I know that if I exercise my faith, repent fully and continually, and keep the covenants that I've made with Him that I will one day be able to once again be embraced by His loving merciful arms. That knowledge and hope is the greatest thing that I know. And nothing will ever shake me of that knowledge.

This week I have been yet again attacked by mosquitoes. As we met with the Elders on our back patio to divide this area for all of us I was slightly eaten alive. I have counted 14 new bites over the last 4 days. 9 of which are on my right leg between my knee and my toes. It's completely awful. I got some cream from Sister Lindsay for them and I'm buying bug spray today at the shops. Last night I told Sister Terry, "You know how in the millennium the lamb will lay down with the lion? Well, Sister Beckstrand is going to be able to chill with the mosquitoes."

That's it for this week! It's been pretty chaotic with transfers and meetings and such but the work is moving forward faster than ever and I am extremely humbled and blessed to be a part of it! I love and miss you all! Hope you have the most wicked Halloween ever! So proud of all of you for completing the Trick or Tri! I called over one of the sisters that loves triathlons and showed her all the pictures. Sister Bailey called Ben and David both Legends. It looks like you've had heaps of fun doing it. I will be showing those pictures to everyone I see :) Thanks for the pumpkin pictures too! It will help me show these Aussies how to celebrate this awesome holiday. :) Last Saturday sounds like you packed as much into a day as you possibly could! I'm glad you all get to have so much fun and enjoy every day. I love seeing the pictures of all of your smiling faces.

Love you all!!

Sister Shayne

Photo 1 - For all the Westlake people that will read this email :)