Youth Mini Mission

This week the youth in our stake went on a mini mission with all the Elders in the zone. There were two youth members with a companionship, so we each got a member companion from friday evening to sunday evening. They were set apart as missionaries and had to live by all the rules, they got a little name badge, and they were our companions for a few days. All of the kids were members except for one, who was my companion. He moved in with his aunt about a year ago in a small town with a lot of church history called Bridge Pa. Bridge Pa is a place where the famous Mathew Cowley did a lot of missionary work. When this youth was going to church with his member aunt that he moved in with, he started to slowly gain a testimony. He became friends with all the members, he suddenly had a great family at church with great values. His testimony grew and grew, his Mom wouldn't let him get baptized for some reason, but she let him go to efy with all the other members. At efy he finally gained his own testimony and bore his testimony there. We became companions for a few days, at first he was shy and didn't know what to say, then he got more used to it and opened up to me, I got to know him so well. This young non-member maori boy has so much faith it blew my mind. We went to a few teaching appointment where he bore testimony of the restoration and a living prophet, he bore testimony in the power of sacrament meeting, he even bore testimony of the ordinance of baptism! After the few days with him we went back to the chapel for a fireside where all of their family come and see their children bear their tesitmonies and sing. When this young man bore his testimony everyone went silent, it was so powerful! The whole congregation was balling their eyes out. We became such good friends, his mom came as well, she was crying and I hope that the spirit softened her heart. I love serving here, we have 2 baptisms coming up on saturday, I hope and pray that everything will go well. i love you all and miss you, the church is true!

Connor's New Area-Beautiful Napier

This week has been great. Maybe it's because I thought that my mission would seriously never end before, but now as I inch closer to the day I go home, I realize that it will end, so I gotta really thrust in my sickle! I'm enjoying every moment of being out here, trust me I'm happy, and I'm enjoying the land and the people here. There's a guy named Rodney, he is the coolest member in the Tawa ward, he was less-active a year ago, and has came back with FULL HEART and LOVES the gospel. Rodney met a girl named Amy, Amy is from England, Rodney and Amy started dating. Amy got baptized into the church. Amy and Rodney wanted us to come over to their house and teach them for fun, they were both active so Elder White and I thought that we would ask them to invite some non-member friends, they invited Juliet and Kaydee. Juliet and Kaydee were baptized 3 weeks later. There was a ward activity this last week, Juliet and Kaydee invited their friend named Richard. Richard is 20 and has had a hard life and truly needs the gospel, Richard came to church and we're teaching him on tuesday, we're going to set a baptismal date with him! LOOK AT THE SNOWBALL EFFECT! It's so freakin cool to see people come into the gospel and have so much joy that they wanna reach out to their friends!

You've got the cutest little baby face!

Picture of Zone Leader Elder Rawle at zone conference. He calls this picture his baby face. Haha. He hasn't lost his sense of humor!