Letter #14

Merry Christmas from Perth!

This has been the longest crazy week!  We had sister Myers with us for the first part which is a difficult thing to teach with 3 missionaries but she went back to her area after a couple days. on Monday I saw a guy out side the library and then he came into the library with a bike wheel i guess he didnt want his bike stolen. I was tempted to talk to him but I didn't.  Later that day the Elders wanted food so we went to a Pizza shop and low and behold the guy walked in and I could not miss the 3rd opportunity. We chatted with him and found out he had just moved in and was open to listening to what we had to say. He doesnt believe in God but he says there isn't anything to disprove it either.  It was quite a conversation. It wasn't an accident we ran into him. 
We planned a Baptism for a 12 yr old girl Tu'ua which turned out beautifully and we had a woman text us that had been coming to church and said she wanted to be Baptized but we found out she in not in our area but she wants to be baptized in our ward and its a whole event of its own we are working out but she is set for this friday.  Her family is not accepting of her choice so it will be difficult for her but she has had the most amazing spiritual experiences with the book of mormon.  At an event a while back a woman tried to pay for a Book of Mormon but she wouldnt take her money back when they tried to give it to her. She didnt intend to read it but she promised she would take one. She felt impressed to read it that night and and ever since, every time she opens the book she recieves and answer and she has been getting answers to her prayers.  She is Golden. She is already living the Gospel. She is an inspiration and we are so happy she wants to be baptized for Christmas.

The Mission was preparing for the Carols to the King event by the Temple in a park.  It was a huge event and we had a lot of responsiblities placed on us. Sister Vos had to organize a kid's corner and I had to help and I thought I was playing the piano for the Mission Presidents Solo but it turned out they wante me to be Mary. so I sat in a manger with Elder Simon, who played Joseph, all night. People who came in could dress up and take pictures with us in the manger set. It was a bit strange for us being Mary and Joseph. He had to pose with his hand on my shoulder and he was the only elder in the room most of the time with a bunch of Sister Missionaries.  He is from New Zealand and just got out here.  We then Had to go on stage in front of everyone outside at the end of the night.  It was quite the event.  We were all dressed up nicely and they had a professional make up artist do my make up and someone did my hair. Hardly anyone recognized me. It was quite a shock to most I think since i dont wear much make up.  It was definetly an odd night being with an elder instead of my companion.  We will surely never live it down in our mission...we got teased by other missionaries and I still get called Mary.  Appearently I made a good Mary.  What a crazy night! 

Thank you for all the letters and cards! Its a different kind of christmas without my family and friends.  Miss you all! Have a Merry Christmas!

Love yous,

Sister Haney

Letter #13

Bonjour!

Its been a rough week!  Sis. Vos was sick and lost her voice but managed to have it just so we could sing and loose it completely after. Because she was sick we got a poor start for the week on our goals but we somehow managed it.  We even set a record for us of 7 lessons in one day. We are preparing a 12 yr old girl Tu'ua to be baptized next weekend!  We are so excited! We have a goal of 1 baptism a month per companionship in the whole mission and we are working hard to keep it. So far so good!
We got a temporary 3rd companion this week. Sister Myers, my companion in the MTC, had her appendix out a couple weeks ago and was staying at the mission home. Because her area is a couple hours away and they dont have a car they put her with us for a short time. That means we get the car and not a limit on our Ks or mileage.  Thats nice for us but its hard to have a 3rd companion. We have only had her a short time but we feel bad that she doesnt know anyone or what we are doing in our area so she may feel left out. she is also tired a lot from the surgery and 3 is kind of hard in teaching situations. It hasn't been too bad though.  I have my Trainer and my MTC companion at once. The only companions that I have had so far.  Thats cool.
There was a cool lunar eclipse on saturday night. The moon was a bit red! The Mission president and his wife dropped off Sis Myers that night and we watched and then President killed our spider Sherman. He lived outside right about our garage like thing. he only came out at night and was bit big.  We saw him everynight as we drove through his web, eventually he learned not to put his web that far down.  He was a good spider but probably dangerous so President killed him.  We love our Mission President!
I gave a talk at a christmas devotional on sunday, and we sang. I actually ended up not even saying what I had prepared. I was asked what christmas means to me. I realized that all my life christmas has been about things or family and of course Christ at the center but not quite as emphasized as it should be.  This christmas I have nothing familiar about christmas. Its Hot and I have no family here.  I have made many new friends and we have a small christmas tree in our flat.  It doesnt feel exactly like christmas but with the loss of everything familiar I found I know what christmas really means.  Its about remembering our savior which means we are doing what he asks and keeping all his commandments and serving others. I can think of nothing better than to be serving my savior Jesus Christ at christmas time! I miss you all but I am quite happy and its amazing the peace you feel on your mission. I am not worried about anything except making sure I am doing what the Lord wants.  Remember the real meaning of Christmas this year! I promise you will feel more peace and joy this season and a greater abundance of that spirit of Christ(mas). Love you all! Happy Holidays!

Love yours truly,

Sister Haney

Letter #12

Hello!

Its been a hard week but thats a good thing because it means the Lord feels we are ready to grow.  We had to bike a lot and it was hot! Its strange going throught the Christmas season in Summer! We had a friend drive us one day but her car battery kept dying so we kept having to get a jump start but it gave me the opportunity to talk to one lady but she wasn't interested. They are like that though.  Its an immediate no when they see us.  We don't get a chance to say much.  We get very rude responses most of the time but for every no there is a closer chance for a yes.  They just don't like talking about God here. Its an australian thing I guess.  I had an embarrased moment on Sunday when I someone asked where my badge was and I had left it at home. I didn't know it was missing so all of church I felt like a normal person... Good thing I have long hair to cover the spot where it would be (:  If you havent seen any mormon messages lately look up spirit of Christmas on mormon.org. Its a good one.  Remember the Spirit of Christmas is really the Spirit of Christ.  

Love you all,
Have a Wonderful Christmas Season!
Love,
Sister Haney

Letter #11

Hello From the Summer of Perth!

It is so Hot somedays and it is only going to get worse and stay hot. We are talking 110 for multiple days. We experienced biking in it and it wasn't fun.  We thought we were going to die. Good thing we have one of the few flats that have air conditioning (:
We went to the Temple this week and it was beautiful! I can officially say I have been through the Perth Temple! I can also admit that I must be doing something right because I am exhausted enough on my mission that it is hard to stay awake.  The Temple was still wonderful and peaceful!
Tim's Baptism was this weekend. He is 25 and has traveled the world and absolutely knows the church is true.  He was so excited and nervous. He says he is happier and we can see a difference in him especially after he recieved the Gift of the Holy Ghost. There was a glow about him.  What an amazing experience! We are so excited for him!  Its amazing the Joy you can feel helping one person make the steps to return to Heavenly Father. The spirit was very strong and Sister Vos and I sang and so now everyone knows how well we harmonize together so the members are starting to make plans to use our talents in firesides and church meetings.  We are happy to do it but both of us get nervous about singing solo parts.
Our Joy was even more fullfilling on Sunday as we had 12 of our investigators or people we teach make it to church. That is not including little children under 8 and the potentials that we are teaching soon.  This never happens. Everyone is super excited and the ward is starting to really trust us and so that might be why they keep coming and adding new people to our teaching list.  Its amazing and we are so excited to be apart of the growth here. Australia is a very very very hard mission and to get one baptism is really good but I think we are looking at more here very shortly.  One of the women we teach is indian and was Hindu all her life till a miracle saved her sons life and it was her first time on sunday coming to church. She hung on to every word and absolutely loved it and there was not the most interesting speakers in sacrament.  She is an amazing woman of faith who lost her father recently and is holding on tightly to her husband and 2 children. She has seen a lot of grief and has wrestled with God and yet still has incredible faith in Him.  The mormon messages have really touched her.  Showing the messages that the church puts out on the internet is an incredible resource to help people feel the spirit and understand things clearer. 
Wow. what a week. I am exhausted. We both are. I can't do this by myself, we know its not us. We humbly give the glory to God. He has blessed us and so many others.  I am so grateful to be apart of this Mission, I know it was inspired of God that I should be here, at this time in this place with these people.  I don't know when it happened but I honestly Love My Mission! Seeing so many different cultures and getting out in the world I have learned so many things and it has opened my eyes on how I view the world and other people of different cultures.  We forget sometimes that there is so much more to life and get stuck in our little bubble of where we live.  I will never be the same when I get back because I finally learned what is important in life.  I'm starting to forget myself and worry about others, its a far better work and in doing so I am learning more about myself. No more worrying about the silly things. I plan to be a missionary for the rest of my life.  I know what a member missionary should look like now.  Hold on to your faith and remember obedience brings blessings but exact obedience brings miracles.



With Loads of Love,
Sister Haney

Letter #10

Hello From Perth!

Happy Thanksgiving! They don't celebrate it here....but that obvious why not since its an american thing.  I do think I convinced a member to have a thanksgiving meal though and make pumpkin pie. they don't do a lot of pies here.  Its pretty warm and I am getting tanner and burning....The sun is vicious.  It only going to get hotter like way over 100 degrees and consistantly but right now we are lucky because it hasnt been hot and that is very unusual for Perth.  Perth is nothing like the rest of Australia! I love it this way though, laid back and multi cultural. I feel like I basically went to an Island only I hardly see the ocean even though it is 5 min away. My area is really big as I may have mentioned compared to other areas and there is a huge lake in the middle.  We biked all around it and back around it in one day last week, thats over 30 ks or 20 miles.  The area is really picking up. We are lucky to have the ward we do and being fed and even teaching for that matter.  Other Missionaries struggle to find or eat. Before I came in there were a lot of baptisms and then no one to teach so my companion worked hard to find people and now we have a lot of people who are progressing to baptism.  The key denominator is The Book of Mormon. This week we have met quite of few people who have not been accepting of our message and I have seen the truth and spirit of the things sister vos says when she bears testimony to them.  When we both testify they dont have much to say after that.  My testimony is strenthened as I testify and I am able to see more and more of how simple things really are in finding out truth.  Three basic things, read the scriptures, pray and ask. Thats all there is to it.  Its easier to disprove something then to prove it and the only way to prove something is to really want to, and work at it. You can't find truth if you are not looking for it. If you're looking for something you will find it, that means you'll find proof to disclaim something if thats what your looking for even if its true. If you're truely looking for proof you will find it.  There are millions of people in the world that are witnesses that the Book of Mormon is true because they really wanted to know so they did just as I described, read the Book of mormon and asked in prayer.  If you think they were all decieved then ask your self what they do that is so bad? What is wrong with feeling peace and joy and living with high standards?  If thats being decieved than the devil is doing a poor job of making us miserable.  Of course we will have hard times but because of what we know we feel the equal opposite of pain and sorrow. Don't look for why The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is wrong, look for why its right and you will find a witness for your self that This church is Christs church on the earth and not man made. No man could have made this up.  What you will discover in your search for truth is a happiness and joy you have never felt in your life and its worth working for! Nothing in life that is worth having was ever easy. Take the challenge. 

Love you all!
We have a baptism this weekend! He has experienced so many miracles! I am so excited for him!

PS: I know I sound like a missionary... I am. I will accept it.. (:

Letter #9

Hello from Perth!

I feel so blessed to not have to worry about anything in my life. I worry only for the welfare of others and what I can do to help them and making sure I am doing the best I can for the Lord.  It feels so peaceful to be free of worry and fear.  Its hard to think of ever being worried about any of the trivial things I once did.  I started thinking about that when I was reading letters from others back home and what they are having to decide in their lives. All I have to decide is how I am going to serve.  I didn't even think about that till this week. I now see the difference in the way I have been feeling the last 2 months. Free. Perhaps this is a little peace of what heaven feels like.  
This week has been crazy busy. We have had a lot of success. We had 2 baptisms set this week! We also had a community fete which is like a fair the church members put together. There was an auction, car boot(trunk) sale, games, tents selling food and a sausage sizzle and mauri bread and fairy floss( guess what lolli(candy) that is?), and blow up games like sumo suits, gladiator stuff and there was a performances. one performance which we were apart of is the polynesian dance group.  We danced a Hawaiian dance and a Samoan sasa. It was so cool!  I was was really sunburnt after though. The sun is brutal here even if it isnt cold. There is a big hole in the ozone layer here.  Its so strange to be going into summer in November!
I saw kangaroos for the first time since I have been here, just out in the field by the road. They are cool looking here. They use their tails to walk. So they call gas stations petrol stations and aluminum aluminium(there is an extra i so it sounds different) aparently the rest of the world spells it right says it right and we dont.
On Sunday I was asked for the first time to play piano and they gave me a piece to play for the youth right before they practiced it and I could not sight read for the life of me. I felt so bad for them. Hopefully this means they wont ever ask me to play again but now they know I can so could go either way. They don't have many pianists.  I forgot to tell my halloween story from last week. We got home that night and a light was on in the bathroom that we didnt remember leaving on. I had the keys and walked in first which is out of the normal but a good thing cuz when I walked in sister vos's jandals(flip flops) floated across the hall with her hat and a yellow smiley face ball bounced out of no where in front of me. The smiley face tipped me off but I still jumped and screamed a bit which caused sister Vos to scream. No joke, her scream sounded like it came straight from a horror film.  The elders who dropped us off came around smiling and told us to go inside. My companion wouldn't move so I went in, grabbing a broom and allowed myself to yet again be jumped out at by two other elders hidden inside wearing pillow cases over their heads. It was a trick but they did leave us a treat.
So another funny moment happened this week when my companion and I went with the Elders to a teaching appointment.  The 4 of us went up to this door and a lady we didn't know opened it. We had just joked about being at the wrong house and having to give a 4 person door approach and we all had a feeling it looked like the wrong door.  We couldn't help but laugh and appologize then we jumped into asking to sing a Child of God to her and so we did and talked to her a little bit about the Church. We found out she just had surgery and the Elders ended up giving her a Priesthood blessing. It was so powerful. It was not coincidence we ran into her. We were meant to go to that door. She was so greatful.  It was really hard not to laugh during the song in the begining, all of us died laughing after, amazed at what just happened. The Elders have a new investigator. The lord works miracles in the most amazing ways, even if we think we make mistakes, God uses them to work miracles.  God is there and He knows everything and everyone. He knows what they need and how he will use others to help them.  Look for the simple things in life. Next time you think you made a mistake, stop and think about all the ways the lord can use it to bless someone or bring about a great miracle.  "With thoughtless and impatient hands we tangle up the plans the Lord hath wrought, and when we cry out in pain He saith, Be quiet man while I untie the knots." -Unknown
Love you's!

Sister Haney

Letter #8

Hello everyone!

I had an amazing experience last week! I saw a clear blue ocean! never before have I seen anything like it! Wow. I need to come back here someday and really enjoy that, hopefully without sharks.  We have had a strong goal in the mission to find a family and we found 3 potential ones this week.  Our goal for the end of the year is reachable if we find families.  This gospel blesses families and helps to strengthen relationships and give spiritual strength.  The gospel of jesus christ is the only way by which we can be sealed together for eternity as families.  We are really excited to see these families see the growth and strength or their relationships as they learn more about the gospel.  One of these families is particularly meaningful to me because I found them.  They moved here a month ago from South africa and by the experiences he shared with me he was lead here by spirit and has been prepared for the message.  We were biking and I was a little behind following my companion and we were not were we were supposed to be at that time because an appointment fell through.  I had turned a corner and a man was getting out of his car, I usually don't initiate on my bike much but I decided to stop and talk, I was constrained by the spirit I think because I felt such joy in talking to him.  He didnt seem interested at first because he thought I was selling something but after I asked to answer some questions he had on religion his whole demeanor changed. He was impressed that I was out sharing the gospel because here in australia the people want nothing to do with religion and often get angry.  This man said he and his family were searching for a church and they had had a really good church they went to before.  He was really interested in the message we had for him and we are excited to teach him.  He is a spiritual man and recognizes truth.  He will know if it is true, he has been prepared and he knows there is something great in store for him before he even met us he was searching for it and knew it would come.  We have also touched another older couple in the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  This has been such an amazing time on my mission. It has also been really hard but when we endure through, the sun always rises. 

So the tea time I meantioned before means two fold either a brief snack like drinking tea with biscuits which are cookies or dinner time. Tomato Sauce is ketchup, so dont get confused when you eat chips which are fries and you want ketchup but get tomato sauce. Also dont ask for lemonade and expect that because it will come back sprite.  I miss lemonade... its 5 dollars here. A winge is a whinner and rubbish is obviously trash. I think bogan australian means a true aussie outbacker, doesnt care what they look like or what others think. The also call dinners feeds. like "that was a good feed"  fun terms eh? Im picking up on some accents now. just some words I say, not sure if they are new zealand or australian accented.  I really want to go to new zealand after this! 

Thanks for all your emails! keep me updated!  Enjoy the pics! love you all!

Love,

Sister Haney