Napier-February 2011

Kia Ora Family,

Well it's been another one of those spiritual boost weeks for me! First of all the weather has been great, it hasn't been too hot and it hasn't been too cold. Last night we did a new thing that me and my companion call 'picture finding'. A way to find new investigators. We walk along the board walk(which is really nice here) and we ask people if they will take a picture of me and my companion, it almost always leads into a gospel conversation and the people don't feel threatened because they don't think that we're doing anything but just asking for a picture. Napier is such a tourist town so if you're in the little town center then most of the people you meet are from Australia or the UK. So here's some photos from picture finding.

Also we had the great experience of baptizing a girl named Lotu. When we first met her she was very very shy, but as we got to know her it helped heaps. Lotu is 12 years old, she's half maori and half samoan. I think one thing that really helped was when I made up a little handshake for us to do everytime we saw eachother. Her mum is Denise, she's really keen as well. Denise was taught a while ago by missionaries but it never really led anywhere, the thing that helped Denise was when we started teaching her with her daughter, things just started progressing well, and they came to church 3 times in a row, then Lotu was baptized. Denise was supposed to get baptized with Lotu but she had some 'physical problems' and so she's gonna be baptized this saturday or the next one. Luckily I just found out that I'll be staying in Napier for next transfer with Elder Sharkey again so I'm stoked!

The baptism went so smoothly, I was so proud of Lotu because she didn't look the least bit shy, the members came and supported her, and some of her friends that are investigating as well. We had 4 investigators come to see what baptism is like. It's always the greatest relief when they go under the water, all of that worrying and work payed off! I had the oppurtunity to confirm Lotu a member of the church and give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. She has a very long name but since I'm pretty good with the island names, I think I nailed it good! Her name is Lotu Wikitoria Leilani Wiparata Esekielu! Hahah. A real strong member of the high council spoke at sacrament and told Denise and Lotu good job for everything they're doing and for the steps they are taking. The guy did it so well, he made them feel so special for what they're doing, especially when he told them thank you and good job in maori at the pulpit. Freakin awesome!The Spirit was so strong, and since Lotu used to be so shy, I'm so glad that she's opened up. I was sitting in Elders quorum, and I look out the window and Lotu was making faces at me and my companion haha, I was so happy that she feels comfortable enough at church to have a laugh, but she still knows it's the Lord's house. It's always the best feeling having a baptism!!! I'M SO HAPPY! I'm glad I'm serving in New Zealand because you don't baptize as much as you would in like south america, but when you do have the baptisms it makes it so meaningful.

I think that I'll be up in Napier for just one more transfer then move on to my next and final area. I love the work though, we should see a lot more miracles this transfer in Napier, we should have another 6 or 7 baptisms here so it should be all good. I don't know if I'll be able to write everyone next monday, it may be on tuesday because we have to drive in to Wellington for zone leader council with our mission president, but I'll be sleeping over at Elder Wrights flat on sunday night because it's such a long drive from here to Wellington. I'm so grateful to be out here, I love the work. I know that the Lord lives and that he did die for us. I've been able to feel the power of the atonement, and I've been able to see it work in others as they come unto Christ and recieve him through baptism. I love you all and miss you, but right now there's no place that I'd rather be then here serving in this beautiful land with these beautiful people. I couldn't do this without my Mom and for the great support that she is to me, Love you Mom! Love you family!

E noho ra, Kakite ano!

6 Months Left!

Only six more months until Connor is reunited with his beloved car. I'm sure seeing this blue car made him a little homesick for his white car. It's faithfully waiting for him at home. Notice the steering wheel on the right side of the car.

A Great Week

Kia Ora Family,

Things have been awesome this week. We've seen a lot of ups and downs for sure. I was in a three-some for a while, but now it's just me and Elder Sharkey from Orderville Utah. We were able to set two baptismal dates with a couple of our investigators that have been to church 2 weeks in a row, so I'm stoked on that. There's this lady were teaching that had a baptismal date for the 5th, she seemed to have been doing so good and progressing so well, then we show up to her house to make sure church was all good, then she says that things are going to fast, that she doesn't feel like going to church, and that she wants to slow down. It was a huge let down. I jumped back on my bike thinking in my head, why can't I just baptize a cool family, why do all these people keep bailing out? How come all the missionaries in south america just baptized whole familys? Then my companion and I kicked ourselves in the butt and started thinking positive again as we rode to another investigators house named Hinemoa. She was progressing really good but she missed church 2 weeks in a row, then we invited her again, and we didn't think that she would really show up. But we rode our bikes to her house anyways just to see if she'd be up for it and keep the commitment. She answered the door all ready for church and said that she was just about to head over. ME AND MY COMPANION WERE SOOOO STOKED! Our attitude completely changed and we we're so happy. We got back on our bikes and started to ride to church, when we were only a block down the road we see Hinemoa's boyfriend named Hoehepa that we had taught once. He had on a white shirt and everything and he runs out to the street and say's, kia ora bro!! i'm comin to churchhh!! Man me and my companion were so excited. I had to give a talk so I was on the stand, as I was looking out over the congregation I realized that we had 9 new investigators there, including one that we had never met before, that just showed up on her own. She has been reading the book of mormon everyday for a long time, she has her own that's all highlighted. She had been meeting with missionaries in the Auckland mission but moved down here and we never heard anything. She tried contacting the church trying to get our contact details but couldn't, so she found out the time of church by the internet and just came!

It was interesting to me to see how the Lord tried my faith before he gave me such a huge blessing. It was such an uplifting experience for me to see so many people the congregation smiling and loving the gospel.

Things are awesome though, I'm happy as. The weather is still hot, but it's been pretty cool lately. We moved our beds into the main room of our apartment where it has a cooler on the wall, so our room turns into a fridge at night, i love it. I've been riding my bike EVERYWHERE so I can lose enough weight to look similair to what I did before my mission. Love you all! See you in 6 months!

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