Week 60

Transfers! I got moved to Villa wood, which is a city area with a lot of islanders, so it’s going to be a bit different from Merimbula. The members are mostly ysa age rm's, so they are super keen for missionary work. I am excited to get back into things here. I have a lot of hope for this area.

My new comp is Elder Cook. He is great. We have a lot in common, and the members say that we look alike. I will let you be the judges of that. I think they only say that because we are both white, and we both wear glasses.

We will see what this new area holds in store and find out why I got sent here. I love you all. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Newman.

 

 
It’s an echidna, I think, and it was under our car at the flat.

This was a gift from the Shoobridges. They also gave me a builders pencil. I say it’s because I build testimonies, but it’s just to remember them.

Week 59

This week was great! Even though I got sick on Wednesday, but I recovered and we were able to get some teaching done as well as some service. We also got to play a little game of softball, which the Parker Family had, that the Shoobridges invited us to. It was a lot of fun.

We were able to catch up with Wendy this week. She had been sick as well, but she was able to come to church and we had a fantastic lesson with her. She is never scared to ask us questions which makes it a lot easier on us missionaries because then it is more of a discussion rather than us just throwing information at her, so that was great. Thanks to all that have been praying for her!

We were also contracted to do a little bit of cementing at Debbie P’s house on Saturday morning, which was great. We were able to finish that then quickly head over to the Shoobridges and finish the skirting along the floor and move the gym equipment into their gym room, which looks amazing!

Transfers are also this week. I have been here for 6 months, and that is usually how long President keeps people here in these far out areas, but I still don’t know if he will transfer me. I think he will keep me here for another one, but I don’t know.

I also want to tell you about a funny experience that me and Elder Stott had this week on Monday afternoon. We spend Monday afternoon doing activities with the Shoobridges, and this Monday we got dressed up. Me and Elder Stott went as missionaries as well as little Shoobridge. Also, Naomi wanted to paint Daniel’s face so he was Frankenstein. He looked good! So we got to the Halloween, to the trunk or treat, and I guess me and Elder Stott won the scariest costume contest, haha, because a lady came up to us (not knowing that we were actual missionaries), and said, “You two are hands down, by far, the creepiest ones here,” and we all started laughing. She found out later that night that we were "Actual Mormons” so she came up and apologized to us. She felt really bad about what she said, but to be honest I loved it. It made the night.

That’s all for this week. I love you all, have a great week!
Love, Elder Newman

Week 58

This week was a little slow. We didn't have a whole lot of teaching, but we did get some service done. The weeks here are starting to blur together.

This week on P-day we went on a hike with the Shoobridges again and had a great time. Me and Elder Stott on the way back decided to cut through the bush instead of stay on the trail, and we didn't get very far before we saw a python! This thing was huge! So we hurried back and got on the trail. We also worked on the gym room a little bit and got the base coat of paint on the walls. And we also got all the forms ready for pouring concrete at the Parker's. We had a meeting set up with Wendy, but it fell through. She wasn't there when we got there.

Friday we had a Branch BBQ/Game Night and that was a lot of fun. Sunday was great. We had a great discussion on being self reliant and the importance of education, and then we had Munch and Mingle afterwards. Then [we] took the sacrament to those who couldn't make it.

I have a testimony that the Gospel is simple, and we need to keep it simple for everyone to understand. It starts just like everything does with faith in Jesus Christ as the foundation, and faith in Jesus Christ includes faith in his wisdom and in his timing. Faith is not just a one-time event. It’s either growing or diminishing. It follows the law of nature just like everything around us, just like a muscle. Muscles grow or get weaker depending on if you use them. Even rocks either are forming or eroding. Nothing stays the same. That is why we need to be constantly using and testing our faith so that we don’t lose it.

Love you all,
Elder Newman

This is an echidna (like a spiny anteater).

 

 

Happy Halloween from Merimbula, NSW!

Week 57

This week is kinda hard to look back on and remember what we did, but I had a great time. Monday was good. It was another p-day. Tuesday we helped Michel and Brea move house which wasn't that hard because we didn't move any of the big stuff. Wednesday we helped out the Shoobridges put up some sheet rock in the gym room.

Thursday we were all over the place. We went to Pambula and helped out John and Dawn spread some wood chips. Then we went over to Mandeni to help out there, but they didn't have anything for us to do so we came back and changed and started to tract the street that we live on, and we got a couple potentials that lived right next door.

Friday we had DTM which we listened in on over the phone. Then we went up to the Shoobridges and finished the sheet rock, and then we went for a mountain bike ride in Tathra with Naomi which was way fun. I really enjoyed it. I really want to do that track again. While we were mountain bike riding we stopped for a little bit to catch our breath, and we looked out over the ocean and there were whales jumping and breaching the water which was way cool to see. Even though we were 5k's [approx 3 miles] away we could still hear them slap the water.

Saturday was a big day. We ran in the morning, and I got a 23 minute 5k run again. And then we got the chapel ready for the “Meet the Mormons” activity that we had planned, which turn out really great. We got a couple less actives there and had a really good time with all the members.

Sunday was Hailey's baptism which was at Bournda Lagoon. It was a cool experience to see someone get baptized in a river. I also gave a talk on Sunday as well. It was on Repentance and the Atonement. I think I did an alright job. I spoke for 20 minutes, which is probably one of the longest times I have ever spoken before. And for those of you that know me, I am not one for a lot of words.

That was my week. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder Newman!

Pambula Beach, John and Dawn’s house is in this picture they have beach front property.

My hat and my name badge, I left it on the floor when we were putting up sheet rock. We had to do a couple alterations to the sheet rock, and some of the plaster got on my hat.

“Meet the Mormons” activity that we did.

 Elder Newman and Elder Stott at Hailey's baptism.

My favorite biscuits (cookies) on the mission.

Week 56

Gotta love beach junk, I found a new pair of goggles.

This week wasn't as full as we would have liked, but we did get stuff done. Monday was P-day. Tuesday we helped out at the Parker's.

And then Wednesday our District leader came down for tradeoffs and to interview Daniel, and he passed! He was able to get baptized on Saturday which turned out great. The weather could not have been more perfect! We had a program, and it was in the house and the swimming pool and the yard. Bro. Shoobridge baptized and confirmed and gave a talk on Baptism; and President Wright gave a talk on the Holy Ghost; and me and Elder Stott said the prayers and witnessed. His mom was able to come, and I think she really enjoyed it. There is definitely a future missionary opportunity there.

[Elder Stott, Daniel, Bro. Shoobridge, Elder Newman]

Also, President and Sister Back came down for the Baptism and to interview us, which was great. We got a lot of positive feedback!

A downer of this week was that the flu has been going around, and Elder Stott caught it Friday morning in Canberra so he was up all night and didn't get to go to ZTM. We ended up staying in Canberra for another night for him to recover before we made the drive back home. Hopefully I avoided it. I feel fine, but everyone around here is getting it. Hopefully I stay healthy. But other than that it was a great week.

Love, Elder Newman

[Elder Newman finally got his Hump Day package!]

[Notes from Bear Lake hanging on his wall! Thanks everybody!!]

Also this is a stingray that has a baby with it.

Week 55

This week was a good week. There wasn't a whole lot of teaching though, but there was a heap of service. We tried to catch up with Wendy this week, but we just couldn't catch up with her. We also did a little bit of less active work, and then preparing Daniel for his baptism and planning that out.

We got the opportunity to watch conference on Saturday and Sunday. One thing cool about the Saturday afternoon session, Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita talked about being ambitious. He then talked about Elder Cowan. Elder Cowan was transferred to this mission. He trained Elder Iino, who then trained me. Elder Cowan was a great missionary. I didn’t get to serve around him for a very long time, but he was one of those missionaries that everyone wanted to be like. Everybody loved being around Elder Cowan because he just made everyone so happy [and] always made us laugh. He was always the members’ favorite missionary because of the way he served.

Something I noticed about conference this month was that they all taught the basics, which they might have always done, but I just noticed it a lot this conference, I watched the Priesthood Session first, and I loved Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk about home teaching and our duties that we are assigned. And I also loved Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s when he said that the lord didn’t just say Stand back I will handle this, he said come follow me. Then Eyring was great. I loved what he said about giving back to help the future Priesthood. I have set some goals for what I am going to do with that. I also noticed that they all talked a lot about when God calls, will I hear? We all pray pretty regularly, but are we in tune with the spirit and heeding the promptings the Lord gives us? Just like what happened [to] Juan A. Uceda, he didn't pay attention to the Lord’s prompting, but the Lord heard his prayer anyways and sent another prompting to the other boy that ended up saving his life. I also like when Elder Bednar was talking about the Joseph Smith translation that says, ”Ye know me not.” As we make the Savior our mark and as we become more like him by doing what he asks, we begin to know him personally. And that is a couple of my thoughts on this month’s General Conference.

I love you all, and I hope you have had a great week because I sure did. I will let you all know how Daniel does this week. Talk to yous next time!

Elder Newman

This is what a lot of the birds here look like.

This Kangaroo has a little joey in its pouch, and it also has an itch.

 

Week 54

Transfers were this week and I am staying in the area for another six weeks. I will be able to be here when Daniel gets baptized, which is something I am looking forward to. Also, Wendy came back from her trip to England. She got back Saturday, but she might have caught something on the flight back because she wasn't feeling too well so we missed her at church. But we are going to try to see her this week, which will be good to catch up with her and to see how she is going.

We have been pretty full on this past week with service. Monday was pretty normal except we didn't get around to going on a hike. Tuesday we helped move out a restaurant that one of the members owns. Wednesday we had a senior couple come down from Canberra and spend all day with us. They just wanted to visit and check out our flat. Then we started to teach Daniel from the Gospel Principles book which has been great. He probably knows more about the gospel than I do at this point, haha. It has been great being able to teach him.

Thursday we did some landscaping and visited the Shellshears again and had a really good time visiting their family. Friday morning we wheel-burrowed cement, had DTM, and helped a member’s friend move house.

Saturday we did the 5k run, and I did that in 23 minutes again. Elder Stott smashed his goal and got 29:06, his Personal Best up to this point was 30:05. His next goal is to beat 26:00. He is doing great! I am so glad that I get to spend another transfer with him as my companion. Then we had MCM and then helped clean windows with S. Parker.

Sunday was pretty normal. Next week we will be able to watch General Conference, which is something I have been looking forward to for a while. General Conference is so much different as a missionary. I am excited to hear what our Prophets and Apostles have to say.

I love you all and hope you have a great week.
Elder Newman