Elder Ford Down Under

 Culture shock is real... it is weird. But It is fun! I am enjoying my time. I have never had to turn on a light switch before.. but I have now! So one thing that is interesting is people say as after everything. example.  "That t-shirt is cool-as mate!" I hear the swear word that starts with an A almost every time I hear it! it throws me for a loop... but not as much of a loop as the driving on the left side of the road! it BLEW my mind! especially right and left turns. there are so many mental accidents it is crazy but fun! 

My new companion is Elder Tsai, from Maryland . He is very nice and has been out for 18 months. He does speak Chinese however he grew up speaking English at home. We are in an area called Port Macquarie! It is a cool little surf town that has a branch of near 50 active members! It is a beautiful place! and I am loving it! 

The flight was 14 hours on an A380 Airbus. so that was cool. it is incredible to think that such a massive thing can defy gravity and fly! I met a real nice couple named Sam and Beck! they were nice and told me all kinds of useful things and stuff about Australia! 

This is the 1st e-mail I have ever sent a mission president. I thought I would tell you all of my experience...

 My core experience with god this week was profound. I have NEVER received so much personal revelation as I have this past week. When I was on the plane flying into Sydney I was coming from a week of disobedience, and thought that I need to change my ways a bit.'I went to help Elder Gunderson (assistant) get carts for all of the luggage. I asked him to tell me about the mission, expecting something about the culture. He responded by saying "The more obedient you are, the Happier you will be." If that is not the Holy Ghost working through leadership to confirm my own feelings and revelation I don't know what is. Then you asked me what I would struggle most with I didn't even have time to think. I spoke instantly and told you with out even thinking about it, that I would struggle with obedience. It was almost as if someone had spoken the words for me... quite odd. But! Your words about "Free Obedience"moved me. I realized I indeed was in the wrong and needed to change and be better. The following car ride with you and Sister Howes proved to me that exactly as I felt like I kept answering the questions you asked wrongly. The next day we had several trainings on the mission rules and guidelines. Some of the rules were different from what I had been used to in Missouri, but with the revelation I had received the day prior I understood I needed to accept the new way and send a few items home. Gladly met that requirement. Then Sister Howes proceeded with her story about the "Joking Elder." I am sad to admit that I realized that in my loud and seemingly insensitive personality, that I had the same exact issue outlined in the story. I began to think of all the nice brothers and sisters I likely offended in St. Louis, as well as in my life at home. I began to feel very guilty... The training showing the gridiron coach learning the importance of always living righteously enough to give a priesthood blessing added onto the guilt as I had just 48 hours before come from the most disobedient time in my brief mission experience. I thought to myself that this mission was too much for me. I could not possibly live up the the great expectations President and Sister Howes have of me. It is NOT my personality and is not me. I am unfit to be what they need me to be...   The I thought what else did we learn today?" We were taught, I believe by Sister Howes, how we must change to circumstances. We must rise to occasions, you can only change yourself! You have to change so You can do what is expected of you. I was amazed. This was the climax of my experience with god this week. It continued as I had the opportunity to spend time with the Baukham hills(?) Elders however, The counciled me on how best to adapt to the land and stressed the importance and sanctity of Missionaries and missionary work. I had not told them all of my experiences, but they still reached into my soul and helped me. Leaders are certainly inspired and chosen. I am so grateful for the lesson I have learned and hope I can become adequate enough to meet your, and more importantly the Lords expectations.

Thank all of you for your support! the lord loves all of us!

Missionary Arrival

Your wonderful missionary has arrived.  He is so polite and kind.  Thank you for sharing him with us.  He will be a great help and strength to the mission.

Sister Feil

Australia Sydney North Mission

2010151@ldschurch.org

 

Guess Who Got their Visa!

  After a long 5 Month stay in Missouri Elder Keefer finally got his visa... hahaha Sorry I had to fool you guys! But yes Elder Keefer is going to Australia in a week! That is the reasoning for the Trio! It is fun though! Me, Elder Bowen (Coalville , UT 13 months), and elder Keefer are enjoying our brief trio-companionship!  We are doing well! Elder Keefer opened this area so it is still fairly new! and he has put together  solid area book and is ready to hand it off! We have about 10-12 investigators and 12 members in our small Linn branch! It is an adventure though! I am excited to serve here! We have a very good Branch Mission leader who loves us! He is a nice retired doctor who used to go an a lot of safaris when he was able bodied! ha He has shot everything from Lions to elephants to deer to gazelle and everything In between! he loves to tell us his hunting stories and show us his trophies! He is however very humble and grateful for the success the lord has allowed him to have in this life! I am doing well. The other night I was thinking to myself how grateful I am to be out here doing the lords will. I truly do love it! My testimony has been destroyed and built taller because of it! I never understood the metaphor of tearing something down to build it up stronger until now! I am so blessed! I am grateful for all that the lord allows me to have and do! Now..you are probably thinking this doesn't sound like the Chris I knew... he was always joking and playing around! Well, part of that is because this is a serious work and partly because I still do have fun! haha I lov eit! we see so many craxy things and just laugh! It is great, in fact for today we are going fishing and drinking mountain dew at our branch mission leaders 14 acre lake! I love to play pranks on my companions! The other night Elder Bowen was showering and me n' Elder Keefer turned off the hot water valve! haha it was so funny! Well I am doing fantastic and I hope n' pray you all are as well!

Love,

   Elder Ford

Elder Ford in Missouri

AH! HELLO my friends and Family!!!

I am doing well still. Missouri is fun still. No matter how used to a small town you think you are... you always see something that surprises you! haha The other day there was 2 old guys sitting by a fire they made on the grass on their front lawn, cooking hobo dinners for lunch, a big ol guy with no shirt and they had the door of the pick  up open listening to the most hick country music I have ever  heard! haha coming from me , you know that means a lot! hahaha it was funny! 

   I am not driving any more, my companion got his papers signed so now he is the driver! So I am back to standing behind the car backing him up and on the passenger side! ha. oh and carrying the phone, which my companion is happy about because he doesn't have to talk to people any more! ha but that is alright with me, because I like to text the other missionaries in our ward funny things randomly! haha.

   We are supposed to teach 20 lessons every week. it is our "Standard of Excellence" for teaching. It is mixed with Investigators, less-active members, recent converts, and member lessons. SO between those different ways we are supposed to teach 20 lessons a week. That is where 20 lessons came from in my last e-mail! This last week we taught 15 I think... so it was okay! 

   We set a baptismal date with Andrew, Oct. 29th! So that should work out well! We taught a man named Jeff last week with a member named Brother Glassford which was a great idea to bring him! He really helped Jeff understand the things w were teaching! Rita canceled on us this week.. she was feeling sick... so hopefully she feels better this week and we can teach her!! that would be good!  Other than that we have some potential-Investigators we are trying to start teaching, and a part member-less-active/active family we are trying to start working with! The father, Abdur, has been on and off investigating for many years. His wife (the member) and him stay home on Sundays to watch the sick kids, but the healthy ones come to church! ha He is a good example to his wife, or so she says, and seems very ready to accept the gospel, he pretty much just needs to be baptized an come to church more often! His oldest daughter is almost 8 and is REALLY excited to be baptized! She wants him to baptize her, and he very well could! So the circumstances are just perfect! We are going to try and start that up.. should work out! So that is the summary of the work here in Warrenton! we are trying to get the work going a bit faster! 

   Preparation Days here are a bit slow... We are out in the country, so we are pretty far from anything. We usually just shop for groceries, e-mail, and play basketball inside the carpeted gym in our church with ourselves or the other elders in our ward! other than that.. it is pretty slow! but that is alright! We get stuff done the rest of the week, and "P-days" are comparatively unimportant! Oh! A few weeks ago I bought "safety color green" hooded sweatshirt! So I am visible when I run in the morning! hahaha so that was fun! it is pretty cool! I enjoy it! All is well in Missouri! Have a great week! ;)

Elder Ford

All is well here in Warrenton!

All is well here in Warrenton! I am happy and teaching people (like I am called to do)! Me and my companion get along pretty well (happy are we)! We are contacted a former investigator to the church named Jeff. He is a nice guy, the reason the missionaries before stopped teaching him was because he went to jail! ha So that was fun... ha He doesn't have a job. SO it should be easier to meet with him. But, we will see. We teach him tomorrow! We are also teaching Rita again tomorrow, a nice old lady that works part time at Wendys! The closest person to being baptized is probably Andrew. He is dating a girl in the ward, so we are meeting with him to see if he really wants this or if it is just for the girl! Hopefully not  the latter! We are doing well though, we taught 20 lessons last week! So we met our "standard of excellence" set by our mission president! We are having fun and trying to do all we can to get this area going a bit faster! There is still no word on a Visa or anything of the sort. I will let you know when it comes! I do want it to come, but I do love the people and families in the ward! They are very nice, supportive, and love the missionaries! it is good to work with them! They try to help us, and guess what, it works! ha Funny how things work out when you do what the general authorities say! It is inspiring really... I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and does the lords work. He does nothing, save it were for the lord! All of the quorum of the 12 are indeed "Special Witnesses of Christ!" I love you all and hope you are continuing to do well back home!

Sincerely,

    Elder Christian Ford

Elder Ford updates

I am going to start responding to people individually, and then writing a message to go forth unto all! haha Work in Warrenton is well. A little slow but well. Our zone leaders giving us ways to help find so that is good! We are teaching a young kid named Andrew. I say young he is my age. he is dating a girl in the ward. He watched conference with bailey (his GF) and she said he loved it. we are planning on meeting with him this week to see if he really wants to meet with us and get baptized or if it is just for the girl. I think it is a real intent though! so that is good! He is closest to baptism. We were teaching a man named Donny, who lives next to a recent convert. He came to church last week and said he likes his baptist church more, we were kinda gonna drop him but we invited him and his neighbor to come to general conference at the church, they accepted. Conference came and neither showed. I think we are officially dropping him. kinda sad... but we need to move on! We are teaching a former investigator as well. His name is Micheal. He has a trachea pipe. because he smokes so much.. sad! we are slowly working with him! and lastly we are teaching a lady named Rita! she is nice and "wants to go back to church" and was formerly a baptist! so that is good! we have met with her once and she liked it! just need to find her a ride! Her boss at Wendys is a recent convert so that should be good!  We watched conference at the church! and for the Sunday afternoon session were the only people there! hahaha kinda funny, the bulb in the projector blew! haaha so Elder Taft ran and got a tv from the library and we finished watching on that! so that was good! I am glad people are looking to help in with missionary work, because that is how it will work, with the members and the missionaries together! I loved conference it was great to hear from these inspired, called of god, men that we so often bare testimony of! What a blessing we have to hear it and so frequently and speedily! All is well in Warrenton! I am loving life.

Visa-Trunky

Indeed transfers was last week! I am with Elder Taft. is 21 and from Fruit heights Utah! he has been serving for 10 months!  or ten and a half as he says. haha he is cool and LOVES the jazz! so that is good. we are doing good. taking over an area after 3 weeks can be a little tough... but it is what it is! I can do it. we are doing alright! it is getting darker earlier now so that is a challenge! but... we will figure something out! The weather here is amazing actually! the last few Saturdays have been incredible! like PERFECT weather! makes me wanna watch football! hahaha makes me think of waking up to the house smelling like hamburger hash and watching Saturday morning football with you and Andy! that was our "family time" right there! haha  I don't want you to send a Christmas package cause IDK if I will be Australia then or not! if I get there you can just give me some money to buy a GPS or something... don't worry about it mom it will be okay! cause for all I know I might still be here on December 25th. hopefully not so I CAN avoid that winter! haha I AM doing great! do not worry. you know me! haha  all is well. the lord takes care of his missionaries! that is true. I promise! ha I wont lie I am getting a little "visa-trunky" that is what I am callin' it. ha but I am not worrying about it! no need to worry about something I cant control, right?

That is really cool about your gospel doctrine lesson. something that I heard in the MTC a lot was that we are called, like you are called to be a gospel doctrines teacher. and who the lord calls, he qualifies. you are absolutely doing fine! everyone used to tell me about how much they enjoyed your lessons! they told ME. that tells me right there that they really do enjoy it! and when you are called you receive revelation for that calling that no one else can receive! because YOU are called to TEACH. it is pretty amazing really.

oh man.. no Utah game... it always feels a bit off when Utah has a bye! ha but at least Andy had fantasy football the next day right!? haha

I get jays and a few of Colemans emails. but no I haven't heard from Micheal! hope is doing well. I wouldn't imagine that his mail address would be different that is a pretty unique name! doesn't hurt to try! sounds like mays is doing fantastic! that is good to hear! is he dating Becca yet?? haha tell him I asked that! pretty cool that he is getting more job opportunities though! that is fun! glad alex is still around! i love that guy! he is cool. an awesome friend! and so fuuny! garret told me that frightmares has dueling guitars so that should be pretty cool!! wish i could see it but oh well!! no i havnt heard from the Rawling's or any other cousins! speaking of cousins can I get Dylans address. tell him thanks again, and hope didn't OFFEND HIM. BECAUSE i KNOW THAT FILM IS HIS PASSION AND I DIDN'T INTEND TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT WAS JUST A FLIMSY OH THINK i COULD DO THIS? IT IS SOMETHING i REALLY WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT AND i GOT MUCH MORE OUT OF THAT TRIP THAN SOME LAME CONCERT! HAHA oops... caps lock was on... didn't mean for it to be ! hahahahahaha oh man... embarrassing! almost as embarrassing as my spelling... but yea.. I am too lazy to go back and retype all that so ... yea. hahaha

I am doing good! I love you mom! don't worry about me! I am doing well. all is well! :)

your son
   Elder Ford