This week we had the awesome experience of going on exchanges with the Tamworth Elders! I was reunited with my MTC companion Elder Keefer, for a few days! ha, We cant seem to get away from each other... we are great friends though! great.WE aren't allowed to drive yet so we had to do some street contacting... Good thing the biggest Country Music Festival in Australia happens in Tamworth and started that day! ha. it was an adventure and there were MANY tourists in from out of town. However, in the Tamworth apartment there is a big book of names and pictures of missionaries who have previously served in the area. I began looking through the large photo book when I come across a whole page dedicated to "Elder Blake Andreason!" Oh, man! How cool is that!? One of my examples in choosing to serve a mission and a friend I was well fellow shipped with was right in front of me! It was so fun! What a guy.... Hope all is doing well for him and his whole family he has acquired since he wrote this page. ha so fun!
In my area, Port Macquarie, there are roughly 50 members at our small
branch building every week. It is not a chapel but 2 homes that the
church bought next to each other. We cover a large portion of land...
about 40 minutes south, an hour and a half north and about the same
amount of time inland! We are in a car most of the time but bike on
occasion. There are many large rivers we have to cross over on bridges. I
have never wanted to kayak and canoe so much in my life! They are jsut
HUGE rivers and I want to explore them so bad! haha. It is the boy scout
in me coming out I guess... In our zone we are at least an hour away
from other missionaries and have district meeting over the phone! We see
the other missionaries in our zone maybe once or twice a month...
However we will see ALL the mission and the whole south Sydney mission
in February as Elder Nelson from the quorum of the 12 comes to visit and
speak to us! we are very excited!
President Howes is making a website were people can write their
testimonies about the Book of Mormon and post them to it. he has asked
all his missionaries to submit a testamony. here is mine:
The Book of Mormon claims to be "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." I
believe every bit of that! When I was in my teenage years and
contemplating my religious beliefs and spirituality I often fell short. I
seemed to feel like that about all I did, even my recreational
pursuits, falling short. I knelt down in prayer one evening and began to
pray to my father in heaven. I expressed that I needed help! I was
trying my hardest to get better at things and be more obedient to his
commandments, I was putting so much pressure on my self to be the best I
could that I was starting to break. I promised him that I would serve
as faithfully as I could if he would bless me and help me in my worldly
desires and aspirations. I had never really received a big or strong
answer to any of my prayers before. Those seemed to just be nice stories
people told... However, as soon as I said the word "Amen" in closing my
prayer, the words "Ether 6:10" popped into my head. I had never before
read this scripture out of the Book of Mormon, or even much out of the
Book of Mormon. I quickly picked up my scriptures from the floor beside
me and found the passage. it reads. "And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither awhale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water."
Kind of a silly thing I know, but it gave me so much encouragement! I
knew that by being obedient to the Lords commandments I would always
have Gods help, that "no wave could break me," and that I would "have
light continually!" It is no mere coincidence that this happened.
heavenly Father answered my prayer using the Book of Mormon! To me, that
definitely must mean that it is TRUE SCRIPTURE, and ACCEPTED as his
word! There is no book that can bring you closer to god than the Book of
Mormon!"
I love you all and hope all is going well! I am doing fantastic thank you for all of your love and support!
Love,
Elder Ford
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