Hey everybody!!! :) It's Elder Devey, and I am a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Oh sorry just used to saying that with my name all the time!! haha What a wonderful blessing and sacred privilege that it is though to state such a sentence!! How is everyone?! Better be muy fantastico!!! I know so!! Hope all is well and that everyone is doing very good!! I miss you all very much and pray for you often! Please do so for me because I need it that's for sure! ha It's great to be with you once again and I am so grateful for all your prayers, your love and support! So thank you all for all that you do!!!:)
Well first of all congratulations again to the Honeymooners Amber and Russell the Muscle! Miss ya guys and love ya!! Though I haven't met you Russell we're brothers now so love ya heaps! And Happy Birthday coming up here soon Ambie Bambie!!! Love ya!!!
Shall we? Let's get down to business before the Huns arrive aye?! :) So this week was AWESOME!!! In many ways... But very rough in others.. So we'll start with the beginning!!
Last pday was fun, kinda! We haven't really had much of a pday as of late! Had to clean our car and do many other errands for zone conference. This last week was the fastest of my life!!! It absolutely flew by!! We never sat down or anything I swear! Just moving constantly until bed time. I could say though as the great Sister Porter used to say "deserve your pillow" I feel as if we have been as of late! And that's a good feeling! I hope I can withold that feeling and satisfaction of "no regrets" throughout the remainder of my sojourn here in Aeotearoa!! :) So on Tues we had a trade off. And I was with a brand new Elder from Sri Lanka! ha that was fun!! Not much english yet but it was a fun experience being with him. Weds we had our Zone conference with a few other city zones. I'll send a pic of that. It was very very good!! Many things learned and much revelation given!!! :) I loved it!! Our zone meeting we had prior was fun! For "March Madness" we have a goal of 35 souls saved!!! We listened to President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on "Lift Where you Stand" a few conferences back. We than had this little elder try to pick up the piano by himself. That was funny! Than we did it as a zone and after we knelt as a zone and prayed regarding our goal! It was a fun little training and it's something I've come to love throughout my mission. Back home I would have never liked speaking in front of people or teaching but now I love it!! Oh how the mission does change! Not saying I'm good at it or anything, far from it! But it's fun so that's good:) And for lunch at the zone conference we had SUBWAY!!! :) Oh how it's been a long time! Felt like I was reunited with a dear friend!! Not island food for once! Even though island food is by far my fav now!!!!
Ya the conference was good and all else is for that matter!! Wednesday night as well we had 2 feeds from members!! One tongan and one samoan! So let the good times roll!! The gainage of the weight is once again increasing I feel!! The one commandment that New Zealander's DO NOT keep is the Word of Wisdom I swear!! haha overeating is the norm! But I"m not complaining!! :) "physical blessings" as I say!!
Thurs we got to go on splits with the MTC!!! The MTC is in our zone so once every intake they'll come to the field and work with us!! It's way fun! I was with an elder whose older brother is in this mission! It was way fun, funny guy! Terrified he was though! A bit shocked, as was I. to what REAL missionary work is like!! haha So that was fun!! Than as a zone we are running an activity every other week that we just started. Which is our Zone Cottage Evening! :) Every other Thurs night we get all the missionaries and all their investigators, especially sets and we have an activity with them. It was the trial run but it went SO good! We plan to make it even more legit, with members and refreshments and what have you. Our own fireside and the Manukau/Papatoetoe zone! So it's been fun what's been going on in the zone!! Things are looking really great!!
The rougher side of things... The zone was projected to baptize well over 25. But everyone's sets fell on the last weekend of February.. So due to many reasons there was a lot of what we call "bleeding" throughout the zone and many of those souls were pushed back or fell through.. It was very hard to see.. The zone and the whole mission for that matter has struggled this last month so we're all trying to consecrate ourselves more fully and get it rolling again!!
But on the brighter side!!! :) We were privileged to save a soul!! Nancy!! She's a Maori lady in her 30s and she is SO cool!!!! It was such a fun baptism and she is so sincere and committed towards the gospel we love it!!! Also my favorite thing about being a leader is going to everyone elses baptisms. We went to some in my old area Papatoetoe 1st Ward! Where some of my converts were there!! :) Got to see my favs Junior and Allison and Vincent!!!! :) Junior gave a talk and it blew me away... One of those moments that just makes it ALL worth it.. To see the changes that family has made and to keep in touch with them as they have their eyes set on the temple is such a blessing and a miracle.. So that was way fun!! A little pay day!! Which is awesome on the mission!!
On Sunday our Japanese investigator came to church:) He doesn't speak to much English! ha so he always brings his translator he's the man! We watched the Resto DVD in class and had it in Japanese with english subtitles! And he received an answer! After we knelt as a class and let him pray to ask God if it was true and he said he felt a calm, warm feeling and he knows it's from God!! :) We can't communicate to well with him but the spirit can!!
Nancy with her baptism and confirmation kept telling us of this amazing cleansing power she felt and how it felt like she had no more guilt or sorrow. That a great burden was lifted off her shoulders.. At the confirmation she said she felt a burning inside and just felt so happy!! Oh my goodness how my testimony has been strengthened so greatly on the mission that this divine work and church is what we say it is.. The only true and living church on the Earth.. Of this I testify! It is his church and we are so blessed to be a part of it!!
Some other funny stories happened this week! I don't like bible bashing too much but this reverand/minister of another church is a grandpa of an investigator of ours that wants to be baptized. When he heard the "mormons" were at his grandaughters house trying to "steal" his granddaughter and destroy the family he came with all thoughts and intentions to contend. We didn't know he was coming and he showed up... Moments like these throughout my mission have also strengthened my testimony so much.. He reaked of apostasy!! haha it was sad to see how blind this man was and to what extent he was going to to mock our faith.. From what I saw I would say he definantely isn't Christian whatsoever. Though he thinks he is.. But I"m not the one to judge!! We were as friendly as could be and he was very hateful and hostile! So to say the least we're not teaching her anymore, and I pray for mercy on this man cause that entire family was so sweet and keen! And now he'll have their blood stained upon his garments for holding them in "his church" against their will!!! Anywho that was interesting! I've gotten better with such situations! SO many churches in New Zealand it's not even funny!! I've met ministers who started their church just weeks prior!! It's getting crazy but we know whose side we're fighting on;)
We had a stake missionary fireside last night and so SO many miracles occured that will unfold tonight as well!! Ill speak of it later!! But gotta go!! I miss you all and love you so much and wish you all the best!!!! :)
Love Elder Devey
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