Here are all of Elder Kay's August emails. It's been a busy month for me with holidays and work so sorry it's taken me a while to update the blog
Monday, August 06, 2012
How’s it going all? My week has been pretty good; we got in contact with one of our investigators after an appointment fell through. They seem pretty keen and we also got a less active guy to church. We did a lot of service again this week and I GOT TO DRIVE A TRACTOR. The branch president is one of the managers of an aboriginal reserve and so we sometimes go help him cut the grass and stuff like that. I've been reading the Doctrine and Covenants and I'm really enjoying it, I love section 10. We are beginning to get the Branch excited about missionary work (heaps of thanks to the Branch President - he's awesome) Not a lot else has happened this week, I'll send some photos next week. Heaps of members are telling me England’s doing really well in the Olympics, gutted I can’t see it but I'm doing the Lords work. Man you learn a lot about dealing with people, sometimes it’s so hard to listen when they talk a lot. I've taken on a little project when I get time I'm drawing out the central Americas at the time of the Book of Mormon (about Mormon’s time) we had some training by Elder Matthews on it and he showed us one of the existing theories that makes sense the most to him and it's awesome, its mostly theoretical but he's been to the Americas and read theories and everything, he’s a scholar, I'm gonna make it more arty.
Give my love to everyone.
Love Elder John Kay
Love Elder John Kay
Monday, August 13, 2012
Hello
everybody,
This week has been a good week for us here in Townsville, we taught way more lessons, the Branch is progressing as well, some less actives are coming to church as a result of the letters that we sent out from President Ferguson, we are also getting acquainted with a whole load of Niueans through an Ex member soon to be re baptised, hopefully we shall have some Baptisms this month. Transfers came and went with no changes its still Elder Abel and I in the east and Elder Latu and Elder Fox in the west, I might well be up here for 7 and a half months, man it's crazy, when I go back down south I'll nearly be at my year mark. It's going so fast. Elder Richards (my ‘dad’ i.e. first mission companion) is also going home this transfer as well. This mission is a really young one (i.e. most of the missionaries haven’t been out long – this is due to hold-ups with visas over the past year) I'm gonna know hardly anyone when I go south... ah well, it makes my chances of training higher, I don’t particularly want to be in leadership, but I would like to train a new missionary.
This week there was an Elders quorum activity, it was well good we had a testimony in a park then Breakfast,
This week has been a good week for us here in Townsville, we taught way more lessons, the Branch is progressing as well, some less actives are coming to church as a result of the letters that we sent out from President Ferguson, we are also getting acquainted with a whole load of Niueans through an Ex member soon to be re baptised, hopefully we shall have some Baptisms this month. Transfers came and went with no changes its still Elder Abel and I in the east and Elder Latu and Elder Fox in the west, I might well be up here for 7 and a half months, man it's crazy, when I go back down south I'll nearly be at my year mark. It's going so fast. Elder Richards (my ‘dad’ i.e. first mission companion) is also going home this transfer as well. This mission is a really young one (i.e. most of the missionaries haven’t been out long – this is due to hold-ups with visas over the past year) I'm gonna know hardly anyone when I go south... ah well, it makes my chances of training higher, I don’t particularly want to be in leadership, but I would like to train a new missionary.
This week there was an Elders quorum activity, it was well good we had a testimony in a park then Breakfast,
I'll know
this area so well when I leave, I was surprised how quickly you get to know
areas.
I can see
how important companion study is, it's a great opportunity to get better at
teaching if you're not teaching that often. The church is true, I hope you are
all well
Much love Elder Kay
Much love Elder Kay
Monday, August 20, 2012
Hey,
How is everyone? I hope this email finds you well and happy :) I'm great!!! Last week was great, with some slightly crazy experiences, but at the minute we're excited as the people we are teaching are getting closer to Baptism, there is also an excommunicated member being re Baptized this week so we're excited, he’s the Niuean fella I talked about last week, he got us into the Townsville cultural Fest free :P so we saw their performance, it was Brilliant. Afterwards when I congratulated him and the others they joked about how they were savages until the Brits came. It was great to see them in all their costumes and painted faces, I tell you if I was attempting to invade Niue (see the History section of this link!) I wouldn't hang around long in those days. So yeah the work is progressing well, we came in contact with a less active who wants to come back to church, she's come two weeks in a row now and this week she brought a non-member friend who we started teaching last week :P it's awesome. Ok so the crazy experiences... we were delivering some of the last letters for less actives we have and we found out (from his wife) that this guy has been dead for three years and it shocked me that he had slipped so far off the radar, we felt really inadequate. Then another guy we asked if this woman lived at his address just ripped up the letter in front of us and slammed the door, sometimes it's difficult to remember they are all Heavenly Fathers children, but that’s where the spirit comes in, I guess it's part of being a missionary.
well I think that’s about it, OH no. I almost forgot, we went up the castle hill last week - a big mountainous hill in the middle of Townsville (it's probably about the size of cheviot) and the view was awesome
How is everyone? I hope this email finds you well and happy :) I'm great!!! Last week was great, with some slightly crazy experiences, but at the minute we're excited as the people we are teaching are getting closer to Baptism, there is also an excommunicated member being re Baptized this week so we're excited, he’s the Niuean fella I talked about last week, he got us into the Townsville cultural Fest free :P so we saw their performance, it was Brilliant. Afterwards when I congratulated him and the others they joked about how they were savages until the Brits came. It was great to see them in all their costumes and painted faces, I tell you if I was attempting to invade Niue (see the History section of this link!) I wouldn't hang around long in those days. So yeah the work is progressing well, we came in contact with a less active who wants to come back to church, she's come two weeks in a row now and this week she brought a non-member friend who we started teaching last week :P it's awesome. Ok so the crazy experiences... we were delivering some of the last letters for less actives we have and we found out (from his wife) that this guy has been dead for three years and it shocked me that he had slipped so far off the radar, we felt really inadequate. Then another guy we asked if this woman lived at his address just ripped up the letter in front of us and slammed the door, sometimes it's difficult to remember they are all Heavenly Fathers children, but that’s where the spirit comes in, I guess it's part of being a missionary.
well I think that’s about it, OH no. I almost forgot, we went up the castle hill last week - a big mountainous hill in the middle of Townsville (it's probably about the size of cheviot) and the view was awesome
Much love, Elder John Kay
Monday 27th August 2012
Hey all,
This week has been pretty good, we had District conference and we had a meeting with President Langeland afterward and had a training on the Doctrine of Christ (this month’s mission theme) basically he was sharing that if our investigators understand the doctrine truly then they will gain faith and want to change, obviously with the help of the Spirit etc. but it was a great training and it give me new drive for my studies. Sadly we haven't taught that many lessons this week as our main appointments fell through but we plod on. I think we need to find more people and look through our former investigators.
This week has been pretty good, we had District conference and we had a meeting with President Langeland afterward and had a training on the Doctrine of Christ (this month’s mission theme) basically he was sharing that if our investigators understand the doctrine truly then they will gain faith and want to change, obviously with the help of the Spirit etc. but it was a great training and it give me new drive for my studies. Sadly we haven't taught that many lessons this week as our main appointments fell through but we plod on. I think we need to find more people and look through our former investigators.
There’s a quote in preach my gospel by
Elder Packer saying that true doctrine understood changes attitudes and behaviour
better than a study of attitude and behaviour changes it.
I send my love and wish Heavenly Fathers choicest blessings on you all,
I send my love and wish Heavenly Fathers choicest blessings on you all,
Until next week.
Elder John Kay
