Hey everybody!!! :)

 Well from last week I'm a completely different person! haha Glad things are going good with everyone! And those whose trials are seeming harder and harder of late just think of the promise in Ether 12 verse 6 and 12.  Remember that the miracles come 'After" the trial of our faith.  Keep that in mind! Everything is for our own good and benefit! The Supreme Creator of all knows what he's doing and trust me with that! :) Well it's good to be back here talking to you all again!! I've missed you all very much!! So this week has been one of the craziest but most beneficial times of my mission thus far! So I'll start from last Monday!

So last monday when we went to go get our convert, the man, Eddie to cut our hair Baraniko got back on the bike! yay! The first time of the transfer! We walked that whole transfer and there were definantly many trials! I learned so much how to serve others and have charity, Bman definantely had to learn to be humble with two broken arms! haha Crazy experience but it definantly happened for a reason!  I love elder Baraniko so much.. From the "island in the sun" Kiribati! So that was good to see him back and ready to go hard.  And that's exactly what we did our last week together! We just went crazy! Literally declaring repentance and baptism to everyone! But than we got transfer calls the day before transfers.. And originally i was to go down to the southern most part in our mission called Tekawiti in South Hamilton in a 3some! I wasn't all that excited about it and it just didn't feel right.. I wanted to stay in rough South Auckland.  I loved it there so much.  The people were so humble and loving.  And if you gave your all there you honestly could be baptizing weekly! Me and Baraniko saw that together! With the few months we were together we were able to see 7 souls saved and beginning their sojourn home.. I would be happy to serve in that area the rest of my mission I loved it there.. Except they feed you way too much!! But it was such an amazing area.  I've learned so much from my experiences and journey there.  Who I am today is a lot because of everything I learned there.  So I packed away my things.  Said last goodbyes to some of the people in the area and our sets.  And said the hardest goodbye with Eddie and his family.  I love that family so much and grew so close to them it was really hard.. They were crying and stuff and so was like the young girls it was really sad! I was surprised with how close we all really became!! I'm definantely going to miss them.. In the morning about to leave to transfers our zone leaders came and picked us up and literally 5 minutes before we left the flat we got a call and it was President.  So I talked to him.  And he's like Elder Devey what did they tell you about transfers?! I told him what I heard.  He's like that's false doctrine my friend, the Lord has something bigger in store for you.. So I got a little nervous not gonna lie! He's like first off you're gonna be Senior companion.  I already was like whoa that's fast! I've only been out 5 months! I just got out of my diapers how am I gonna be senior companion!? Than he's like you're gonna be double shifted into an area, or where we're both new to the area! I was like oh my! Than he said last and not least youre training!! I was just stunned! haha He was just laughing on the phone! He told me how he has a plan for me and I need to start accelerating quick.  Trainers in this mission don't usually train until they're about over a year! And I just told him how I'm ready and i will NOT let him or my lord down!! So change of plans we're going to Tauranga! Which is a beautiful area! :) So we went to transfers and heaps of missionaries at transfers heard the news about how basically  a greenie is training and getting double shifted so everyone was just excited! haha Atkin definantely was proud! He's training someone again, he's trained 4 i think.  And me his most recent brought him his first grandchild! haha it was funny he was just beaming with pride!  My new comp's name is Elder Espino and he's from gold coast Australia.  He's a good humble missionary.  Really tall and has lots of questions! When they had the new missionaries announce to everyone who their trainer was president turned to me and was like what are you doing?! haha :) So we're definantly excited! Things got funner too! When we got to our area the last missionaries thought that they were closing the area so they took all the food the area book all the info EVERYTHING out! So we got there had no food and had no clue who the people they've been teaching were! So I was like well lets just go out there and find and talk to everybody! Later the Sister missionaries brought a map and the old area book over so that helped.  But we had to go buy some essentials so we could survive.  Only a few sisters are semi close to us.  We're pretty far away from everyone. But it's a beautiful city here! Bays on both sides and Mt. Manganui, it's absolutely stunning here.  The drive over was incredible it looked just like Lord of the Rings! So now i finally know what everyone's talking about when they say how beautiful New Zealand is.  I didn't know cause I've been in south auckland the whole time basically! :) But I can testify to you all.. No matter how hard life gets or how difficult something may seem.. If you just have faith and trust in the Lord and his saving grace and in Jesus Christ and how he's already gone through it all.. Heavenly Father WILL raise you up to accomplish the thing in which is before you.. Just like in classic 1 nephi 3:7.  He prepares a way for us all to accomplish the things he's given us.. And I've seen that first hand.. I'm now doing things I never thought I could do.. I'm now being more bold and courageous than I ever have been.. I'm now working harder than I ever have in my life.. And it's not stressful.. I feel at peace and comforted.. The Lord is there for me and he's helping me every step of the way.. He really is carrying me.. Never have fear, just know the Lord will take care of everything.  Do the best you can and after that "trial of our faith" he'll do the rest.. one of my favorite scriptures Joshua 1:9 paints it perfectly! Know that I love you all and that if things are hard in your life just think of the Savior Jesus Christ.. That's what has been getting me through my trials.. Remember he's already paid the price, he knows how you feel.. And I know that with all my heart.. I love you all have a wonderful week!!!!! :) may God be with you til we meet again!!! :)

Jan 23, 2011

Hey everybody!!!! :) I'm sooo excited to talk to ya'll once again!! I can definitely say my heart is full this week!! It was a really good week!! :) I loved hearing from you all last week! Once again thank you for the support and the love and prayers! You all help me so much in ways you couldn't even imagine! So thank you!! I'm glad everyone's doing good! Hope it continues to be that way! My prayers are always with you all!! As I have been able to see the Lord truly does watch over those families of missionaries who are serving.. Sounds like everyone I love is just getting blessings poured down upon them! So I'll just work harder for you all!! ;)

My testimony this week has grown immensely.. Maybe one of the quickest and greatest growths of the mission thus far.  Not only does every day build your faith in Christ and strengthen your love for him and his incredible sacrifice.  But this week it just took leaps and bounds my friends! :)  So I'll start off with one of the single moments that I truly received revelation from the Lord.. And it was through one of the mouths of his beloved apostles, David A. Bednar.  One of my favs! So like I said last week he came this week!! We had a conference and it was just the missionaries in the city areas so I was very blessed and fortunate to be able to go! Feel bad for Elder Atkin and others that missed out! Haha Anyways so we had a usual mission conference with our mission president and his wife and all that good stuff! So Gordon B. Hinckley awhile back implored the world that "with concentrated effort we can double our baptisms." That's just what this mission did. What a miracle that is. To answer a prophet's call and to give it their all and actually double their baptisms! That's HUGE!! So to double the mission needed 1600.  We got 1730ish around there. I was just so blessed to be able to come in at the end of that success and effort.  But this year they're even raising the bar even higher as always.  Going from multiple souls a month now it's weekly!! So that's what's going on with this mission! And this 2011 will be my one full year in the field so it's going to be fun!!! :) Can't wait to just give it all I've got!!

The mission conference was amazing with Elder Bednar.  At the end Bednar came with a couple quorum of the seventies members. As he walked right by us you could just feel the spirit of the Lord. He then told us all we'd be receiving revelation this day. It's not a mission conference it's a revelatory experience.  How exciting does that sound! My heart was just pumping! So he didn't teach us anything, which is amazing.  He allowed the spirit to do it all just by asking us inspired questions.  So in preparation he had us read some talks he did previous about faith.  And after he outlined how we were going to do this he asked does anyone have something they want to share that they learned from reading and studying those talks.  My hand shot up. No one else’s did. I wasn't even ready for that; I had no clue what I was going to say!! It honestly just shot up by itself! He says Elder! Stand up! So I did, my hands were shaking a bit not going to lie! He's an apostle of the Lord and he was going to use me as his first victim! So I told him what I learned and what I enjoyed.  About in Alma where it talks about how we as missionaries take the message and the spirit unto the hearts of the lord's children.  Not into! That depends on their faith.  But I just discussed that with him for a second and then he just simply asked may i ask you a question?  (Letting me act and learn by faith) I was like of course!! So he asked me a question, i answered.  Than he asked another question.  This was all in front of tons of missionaries and it was frightening not going to lie but a lot of fun!! And in that single moment with his inspired questions I learned a very valuable lesson about learning by faith.  It was amazing!! The whole experience with him was just incredible that day! Probably one of the best learning experiences I may ever have.  To have an apostle in that personal of a setting was just so humbling and amazing! That was defiantly one of my favorite things this week!! :)

This week something happened that was really hard as well.  Because transfers are coming up this Thursday and it's defiantly possible I'll be leaving this area.  Who knows of course! But we've been trying so hard for miracle baptisms at the end of this month and Lavinia, Eddie's sister's daughter who we always hang around with.  She's been to church heaps and her Nan, this mean old lady has finally softened her heart and has allowed us to teach her as well.  So we taught her and set her for baptism.  Than we came later to talk to the Nan again and give a spiritual message and proceed to talk to her about Lavinia's baptism.  This would have just been the cherry on top for Eddie and his family! They would all be members!  This is one of the powerful moments on this mission that I have felt what charity feels like..  The mom refused.  And as the mom was talking I just looked at Luv and she looked so sad.  She's only 13 but this is her salvation! This lady doesn't understand!! I did all I could with the Lord's help to try to penetrate this hard heart.  But it came to nothing. She wouldn't budge. As I looked at Luv I just felt it tear at my heart. Since the day I've been here I've given everything to this family and the Lord has wrought such a powerful change on them all. Seen so many miracles with Eddie, Pa, Deija, Casarni, but we were stolen Lavinia's eternal progression. I can't tell you how bad this hurt.  I truly love this family like part of my own. I've been honored to share the gospel with them.  Before we left we sang some songs and I offered a prayer with the entire family which is the first time we've done that with them all and especially the Nan.  And I just broke down.. I felt like I gave my all for them and felt like this may be the last time I'd have a moment like this with them all and I just couldn't hold it together.  I truly felt that pure love from God.  I've really come to love the people here so much. But Eddie and his family are very special.  They've been the fruit of our efforts!! :) So that was a really hard experience but also I felt so close to the Lord.. But can't get discouraged! That's opposition to faith so must press on!! :) We're still praying for a miracle from there of course! 

A lady in our ward who has helped us out like no other and is such a sweet loving old lady had to go into the hospital this week for a heart surgery. We'd see her a lot and she'd have us over all the time.  How things are looking this may have been the last time we'd see her.. We had a really good talk with her, but it was so sad. Our prayers are defiantly with her, I know that the Lord will take care of everything.  We had training with a senior couple this week as well! That was really fun! Elder and Sister Brasheir.  I learned a lot from them it was great! 

Baraniko just has trial after trial I swear! Not only have we been walking this whole transfer because of his arms but now he's really sick and can barely talk!! There's always an opposition in all things!! Haha :) So ya this week was a great one!! Joy's been doing great! Her baptisms looking solid.  Jamaine and Disinda are looking good, we're looking to get them married and baptized soon as well! So things are going good! The Lord is so merciful, though I have many weaknesses and imperfections he is still providing for us and paving us the way and preparing his children for the message of the restored gospel!  This week had its up and downs!! But I figure rollercoasters are fun! So this is too!! Just as exciting and a huge adrenaline rush as well! This mission is honestly just the best thing that one can possibly be a part of! :) I've loved every moment of it all!! I'm so thankful for you all and your support and love!! I miss you all sooo much and wish you all the best!!!! :) Ofala Atu!! Arohanui!

With Love Elder Devey

Jan 17, 2011

I can't believe that it's January the 17th already! Feels like I just got my call yesterday! I can't believe how fast time goes here on the mission! It's unreal! Almost scary!! Well hello once again everybody!! :) Hope everyone had a wonderful week!! Mine was pretty good.  There were some big disappointments this week though.. But for the most part it all went great! I'm pretty down about our performance here in January.  We could have done so much better! The months not over yet so of course we're hoping for miracles! But so far projected for this month were not saving a soul. Not how I wanted to start out my one full year on the mission.  So I'm pretty disappointed with myself! A lot of repenting! Haha :) But it's all good! We pick up and keep moving forward! I know that with our faith the Lord will provide a way! But this week still brought forth many wonderful opportunities to serve! I got to be a part of some powerful blessings this week so that was incredible I saw blessings where some of the people truly had nowhere else to turn but to the lord.  So that was all a good experience and it built up my testimony a lot as well :)

We had one pretty funny situation.  So apparently this is one of the roughest parts of New Zealand.  And they have gangs and all that ridiculous stuff here.  Anyways one of our investigators Jamaine had a lot of problems apparently! He's actually set for baptism in February.  Great kid but he had this huge thing with gang violence and his older brother is some wanted criminal and guys came to his house and it's this whole story.  But Jamaine was gonna go to jail this week! Would have been an interesting drop on a set " Oh, he's in jail!" They were thinking like 8 years i guess so it was a pretty big deal what he did! But I guess he got bailed out and we went over there and saw he was still home! His crime they said was self-defense so he's good now.  So we're still teaching him but he's defiantly going to need the atonement in his life now.  So that was a pretty funny story, our set almost went to jail. haha We had some funny lessons this week.

  It was getting late one night and it was absolutely pouring.  So we said a prayer hoping we could get a walk in lesson somewhere.  All of the sudden this guy was yelling at us across the street to come inside.  So of course we did.  We got the answer to our prayer, kind of! They were just two completely drunk guys and we had a lesson with them.  It actually was really sad. Just seeing how some of the people in the world are living. Sharing with them and listening to these guys just made me realize even more how "literally" God wants us to save every SINGLE one of his children. He's not going to be satisfied until all his children return to home. I love this area though! This week made me realize it is a little rougher than I thought it was.  Still nothing to be worried about.  But the people here just need so much help.  So I'm willing to do all i can to keep the Lord's great and glorious work moving forward! It was a harder week than most. But still the most worthwhile thing I can possibly be doing.. I know the Lord needs me here now and I'll give every fiber of my being and every ounce of my heart to him and his children.. That's why I'm here!! I know without a shadow of a doubt that what I'm doing is truly the Lord's work.  This week and month I'm not going to lie had a lot of disappointments.. But all I can do is just become stronger and rise higher.  "You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is.  You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul." So that's what I got to do.  Focus on my own testimony and faith and strive to strengthen it more and more each day.  Then I'll be able to benefit and uplift others.  So we all press on!! Ever Onward!  There wasn't much to report this week! Just here in Aotearoa giving my all to the Lord!  Hope everyone back home is doing well!! I miss and love you sooo much!!! :) Elder Devey

Aloha!!

Hey everybody!!! :)

 Kia Ora as always family and friends! I just know how excited you all are to get this email! I know it's the highlight of everyone's week! haha not really!! But it's good to be back talkin to you all again! I hope everyone had a wonderful week! And once again thank you for the support and the prayers from all of you! So this week was pretty good! We worked hard.  Paora has been coming out with us all the time lately, it's so funny.  He's kind of a scary fellowship but he's willing so of course we accept! The other day he was with us for like 8 hours, and we had two dinner appointments so we had him help carry the load with us! But he's the man! Lately the ward has just been awesome with helping us out because of Baraniko's accident.  Maybe it happened for a purpose so we could get this ward excited about missionary work again.  They haven't been too good in the past but now they're contributing so that's wonderful! This wednesday was just amazing! We got to have our interviews with President Porter.  It's always so uplifting and inspiring.  I got all those letters from everyone in the ward, so thank you all! It's great to hear from everyone back home.  President and I had a great conversation.  It made me realize his expectations of me and where he wants me to go in this mission field and this part of the Lord's vineyard.  I just hope the Lord can raise me to the levels that President wants me to go.  I know he will, but by myself I have so much weaknesses and imperfections I don't know how I can accomplish these goals.  But I'm excited to give it the best I've got.. He told me that from the moment he met me he knew I would do great things in this mission so he says he's got plans for me in leadership roles.  He wants me to train and get all the fundamentals down as fast as possible so I can become a big role in this mission.  But he said the second i let my head get big God's gonna kick me! haha I'm not saying these things to be prideful or anything I'm just trying to relay how our interview went but it probably sounds pretty over confident so I'm sorry!! haha but he said that he's sad he's gonna be leaving halfway through my mission.  But he said I should become a superstar.. He said that if he doesn't hear about me when he's back home in Colorado he's gonna fly back out here and beat me up! haha :) He has high expectations of me and I know that the Lord does as well.. I don't know what that is, but the Lord will show me.  I might not even get any roles in the mission field, it may just be my efforts as a servant of the Lord I don't know!! But it was a humbling experience, because I don't feel worthy at all to be spoken about like that! But I'll do whatever the Lord wants me to do! So we'll see what he has in store! I'm excited! Just gotta have the faith and do all I can now with what I've got so I can prepare for the future.  So that was a lot of fun to be able to talk to President and also his wife as well.  She was asking all about the family and especially the new additions that are gonna be coming in the family and who have just arrived.  She's such a funny lady! But my mission mom is nothing compared to my real mom!! :) haha brownie points!!  Oh ya we found out on a conference call with our Zone Leaders that David A. Bednar is going to be coming soon and only the missionaries in Auckland area get to go!  How amazing is that gonna be?! He's already one of my favorites and he's gonna be with us in a personal setting training us!! I'm just absolutely pumped!! :) I'm tellin ya this truly is the best mission in the world!!!! Everyone is trying to raise to the next level with their faith and efforts so that we can answer President's call of baptizing weekly, or getting 4 a month.  That's where this mission is heading.  The new horizons are promising.  But it's gonna take so much hard work.  Baraniko and I have been doing that, we had 4 last month.  I've had 8 so far so we just gotta step up and keep rolling! The Lord has prepared these people.. I'm so blessed to be able to be out here and be serving here in New Zealand.  It truly is the promised land here in the Pacific.  So I'm just so excited for this year and being a part of the New Zealand Auckland Mission!  But Satan of course is trying to answer back to our efforts.. We've seen him intervening and using his tactics to withold our progress.  But we know whose strength is mightier and that's our Lord Almighty! So it's possible! Gotta just have that faith that it is and Go and Do! Just like Nephi!! If any trials seem to big or too difficult to overcome, there's one solution and that's faith..Have faith and trust in the Lord's hands and do everything in your power and he'll lift you and carry you the rest of the way.. And i know this will all my heart.. So I hope you all strive to have greater faith in your every day life and all the things your doing so you can overcome and be able to feel the Lord's peace and happiness he'll give us at the end of our "trial of faith".  The Lord is there.. I know this with every fiber in my being.. He loves you all and wants the best for you all!! So have faith and do what is right!! The Lord provides!! :) Like always I love and miss you all very very much!!!!!! I pray for you all constantly!! Have an amazing week!!!! :) I love you!!

With Love Elder Devey

Kia Ora everybody!!! :)


 Happy 2011! Hope the year has started off with a bang! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well!! I definantely miss you all very much!! Things have been good here! Nothing better than serving the Lord! So here's the stories of this week!! So me and Elder Baraniko have been struggling to keep the work moving along like we have been because of his two broken arms!! haha still can't beleive it! So it's been quite the trial of faith and patience that's for sure! We're usually so busy and now we struggle to cover our area and see all the people we need to.  So we're definantly learning a lot from this whole experience! But Monday night we had quite a miracle.  So with this new year the mission is trying to baptize on a weekly basis.  So that alone is gonna take so much more faith and hard work and with us not being able to get around that fast it's difficult!! But we get to show the extent of our faith! So we love it! But monday night we had a little time to spare before we had to go back to the flat.  So we offered a prayer on the side of the road for a miracle.. To find someone prepared for baptism.  We both had a strong prompting to go to a house a couple of doors down.  We started talking to the lady, her names Roxy.  She than just straight out told us that she has a 9 year old she wants baptized!! haha Ai a Wei!! :) She's a less active who was married in the temple.  But her son is 9 and when we met him she asked him why do you wanna meet the Elders? and he said so I can be baptized! So we asked why do you wanna be baptized and he said because I've waited for so long! Funny little guy! But how incredible is that?! The Lord will answer our prayers if we truly just have that faith that we'll receive an answer! The next days were pretty slow and hard.. But one day Pa came out with us for like 4 hours walking everywhere.  What a good man! Than i had some fun opportunities this week! On Thursday I had a trade off with the Zone Leaders with me running the area.  And I learned such a valuable lesson that day.  Lately I've just really focused on gratitude and thoughts of my Savior.  Because as a missionary we need the spirit with us at all times.  So just like in the sacrament prayers it says that if we always remember him we'll have his spirit to be with us.  So I've taken that literally and you can physically just feel the spirit's presence when you constantly turn your thoughts to the savior.  And if we constantly show gratitude for the things we receive he promises us that he'll return to us more a hundred fold! So those two things have been my focus lately!! and there's just been miracles everywhere! There wasn't much appointments set up on Thursday but we just went out, me and Aldridge, focusing on those two things.  We had like 7 lessons, talked to about 60 people and found 4 new investigators! We just tore it up! haha all thanks to the lord of course! But I learned such an important lesson that day and strengthened my testimony so much more! So it was a lot of fun!! I love being with trade offs or being with other missionaries! I feel like the true elder Devey comes out! and plus we gotta be back on our bikes so we just went crazy.  On Friday our District Leader also came into my area with me! That was a lot of fun as well!! So I had a lot of opportunities to grow this week, so it was really good!! :) New years eve some members gave us sparkling cider so we celebrated at 10!! Haha lame but that's as crazy as it gets!! The thing I loved so much about this week was just how my testimony of my Redeemer grew so much... I have such a deeper appreciation and love for him and all he did for me personally and the world.. It's really been amazing!! The mission's just the best thing ever!! :) I miss you all sooo much and love you all even more!! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember that you're never alone! The Lord is always there with you! I love hearing from you all and I'm so excited for you guys and all the amazing blessings the lord is pouring down upon you all!! All these new editions to the family i love it!! Can't wait to meet them all!! I love you all!!!! :)