AT THE WATER!!!! OHHH AT THE WATER!!!!!!!

Man, this week was great!!! I'll just get right into it. 

ASH GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! He's the man!! He's so funny! First of all, it was a pain trying to get his information, like where he was born, his parents birthday, etc.. He knew none of that information and didn't want his parents to know he was getting baptized (they're in China). So it was a little difficult, but we got it!! Moving on to his actual baptism; it was great! Ash told us afterwards that he could feel the Spirit strongly right before he was baptized, and then while he was in the font, and after he was baptized. He's the man. We taught him yesterday after church, and he seemed so keen to learn more about what's next for him. He was like 'wow, there's a lot of stuff to do." He's hilarious. Oh, by the way, during his baptism, he got in the font and was like, "OH! Hi everyone!!" and waved at all of them. Then after he was baptized, he blew them all a kiss. Just a funny guy. The Spirit was there though. 

Also! Archie!! I haven't talked much about Archie, but he is one of the recent converts that we look after. He really has struggled with moving forward and progressing in the gospel. But we've been talking to him recently about the Priesthood. He finally received it yesterday!!! It's great! And after his interview on Wednesday with Bishop, he seemed sooooo happy! He had a huge smile on his face! It was so good to see. He's an awesome guy. 

Umm what else, we had a lot of planning this week and  a lot of lessons that we taught. I'm really excited for these next coming weeks because I think we will see a lot of progress in the area and with the people we are teaching! It'll be awesome! Hopefully I get to stay after next week! (Transfers are next Tuesday(not tomorrow). 

Couple trade-offs as well this week, went with the Assistants to their area. That was a lot of fun! Elder Sibbett is hilarious. Like, such an odd guy but so funny! 

And finally, we had today. Today has been so fun! Played soccer this morning, then went to the other Elders' flat and had a weet-bix eating competition. If you don't know what weet-bix is, its basically a cereal, but its 97% wheat. And it's just in a brick form. hahahaaha So yummy! So I was able to eat 15 (a serving size is 2 biscuits btw). The champion today ate half a box by himself.... 42 biscuits. hahahhahahahahahahaha. I have no idea how the heck he did that. Elder Bowers is the man!! Next week we're gonna buy McDonald's out of all their fries. (Well that's the idea.. doubt it will happen, but could be fun). 

Well, love yall heaps! Have an awesome week and hope school doesn't hurt anyone too much. I guess I'll just stay here, not going to class. Love yall!!!! 

Elder Maxfield

Chickens, pot-luck, and miracles!

What an awesome week! I mean, Im sure thats pretty obvious to tell by the subject line though. Who doesnt like chickens? Hahaha 
We kicked off the week with a trade-off. I went over to Summer Hill with Elder Krauser. Guess where he used to live? NEWPORT BEACH!!!! So naturally we talked all day about the different food places there. Hahhaha Chronic Taco, TK, burger, etc.. so good!! It was a pretty dang fun trade off. We started off the day with some door knocking, and as we pulled up to the street we were going to knock, I saw a house with 2 super cute dogs in the front yard. So cute!!!!! Then, after petting them, I look on the porch, and theres a chicken there. Hahhahahahahha somebody in the middle of the city suburbs has a chicken. Hahhahahahha! We knocked the door and no one was home. But we found some cool people to teach later on in the day. 
Dont worry, the "pot-luck" we had has nothing to do with the chicken that we saw on that dude's porch.  But, it has everything to do with the fact that we bought too much lamb this week. So we decided to have some Elders over for dinner (they live like 2 floors down from us). It was pretty cool. Got to hang out, see how their work was going, and had some MEAN peach cobbler. Hahha 
Cool, now for the best part! MIRACLES! Ill start with the funny one, then move on to the super awesome one (even though theyre both awesome). So, you remember Amy? The girl who yelled at us last week at the park? Yeah, we're teaching her now. Hahahhahahahhaha. She came up to us during a lesson again and with probably the crudest language Ive heard in a while, started to vent to us about how crappy her life was. This was all basically yelling too. So, not too great.. the guy we were teaching (Winston, the man!!) was pretty understanding. We calmed Amy down and Elder Tobler got her to sit down and he taught her while I taught Winston. Hahhaha. Now we have a return appointment for this week! Woohoo! She just needs some help in her life. 
Okay, for the other miracle!!! LISA!!!!!!! THE COOLEST PERSON EVER!!!!! So, we met Lisa probably 2 weeks ago. She sits on a street corner next to an advertising sign for her work. Thats what her job is. Sooo boring. But, thats good! Because she has time to read and watch videos and do all sorts of other stuff. But Ill rewind for a sec. So, we met her, and she came to church and had a quick lesson on how to pray and who God was. She texted us later and thanked us for helping her learn about God. So, fast forward a week and a half. We see her Friday last week at work; guess how much shes read? Shes in Enos!!! Shes read a third of the Book of Mormon!!!!!! Shes also going out on LDS.org and studying about the Plan of Salvation etc... she is soooo awesome!!!!! We had an awesome lesson with her and taught the first half of the Plan of Salvation (btw if you dont know what that is, hit up the missionaries around you. ) and then the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is planning on being baptised on the 11 of August!! We have a lot of work to do with her to get her ready, but we are so excited for her. Shes a super awesome person!! 
Well, yet another week in the books. Never stops getting exciting here in 'Straya. (Thats Australia for you Yankee blokes). Hope yall have a great week! Love you heaps!!!!
Elder Maxfield 

1) Chicken!!!!

2) Pot-luck

3) MIRACLES!!!! (Lisa is the one next to Elder Tobler)

4) Futsal this morning!!!!

Happiness seems to be the theme!

Hello everyone!!! Hope youre all doing well! 
Man, this week was pretty good. We had trade-offs on Tuesday with Elder Bowers and Elder Williams. So I got to go to UNSW!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!! Yep, its still as awesome as I remember it! The people are soooo nice!!! That was super fun to be there again. It really was a good way to start off my week. We met a lot of cool people and taught some really good lessons. 
Other events in the week... while we were teaching Archie (a recent convert who struggles progressing) at Victoria Park, Amy walks up. Amy has run into Elder Tobler before, and she does not like missionaries... hahahhaha but shes kinda crazy, so it was just funny. Shes university age, and walked up to us and was just like, why the (colorful language inserted here) are you guys always here??? Go somewhere else? Why are you always trying to seduce these people? (Id like to remind you all that we were teaching a dude right then. Hahahhaha) Then she said "why do they always send out the best looking people to seduce all of us innocent people?" Well, I couldnt pass that opportunity, so I just said "Oh man, so you think Im attractive?" Hahahhahahhahahha she couldnt gather her thoughts for a solid minute. So funny!!! But she ended up leaving. We saw her later in the week though. Pretty crack-up. Also during that lesson, there was a dude mumbling in some language to himself anf hitting a tree with a stick. Then he started yelling at the tree. Hahahahhahahaha. Umm I guess the only other thing is that we cant yet tell if one of our investigators is in love with Elder Tobler or just is nice and cant speak English very well. Im leaning toward the first one, but Elder Tobler denies it. Hahahhahaha!!!!! 
So, onto the theme for this week. Man, overall, I was pretty happy this week. Like, Im usually happy, but this week it stood out to me a bit. All week Ive been studying about how the gospel can help individuals who are already happy (even if they are already members). So Ive been studying about that, and Ive found one thing that really really stands out. As people live the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit) will come reside with them. For those who have not been confirmed a member of the church, they can feel that Spirit when they do good, when they read their scriptures, pray, come to church, etc... That Spirit naturally brings a subtle sense of joy and peace. Thats what the Spirit does. However, that Spirit will soon fade as they move on with their day.
For those who have been confirmed a member of the church and have received the gift of the Holy Ghost, they can feel that Spirit all the time. This simply is because that gift has been bestowed upon them by the Priesthood (the power of God given to men on Earth). As members of the church go through their lives, they strive to consistently read, pray, go to church, serve, etc.. With these consistent efforts, the Spirit is a permanent residence in the heart and soul of these individuals, only leaving when mistakes are made, but to return quickly after these mistakes are fixed. 
When people feel the Spirit for the first time, it is a small, almost un-noticeable feeling that brings a quiet peace and subtle joy. As people grow and begin to be more comfortable with that Spirit, the feelings grow stronger and the joy felt increases until the day that we will be filled with a fullness of joy. 
The gospel truly does bless lives. As the Prophet Lehi said, "[This] fruit [is] desirable to make one happy." Every one of us is invited to partake of this fruit. True happiness can be found nowhere else. It may be found in parts and pieces, but true, eternal happiness can only be found by following the example of our savior and by living His gospel. I know this to be true. 
Hopefully that all made sense, if not, email and ask me. :) I love you all heaps! and hope you have an amazing week!!!! 
Love Elder Maxfield

No Title

Wow, what a week. It's been hectic to say the least. Of course, its been good though. This may be a longer email, so buckle up or bail out before the car starts rollin! No, just kidding. It wont be too long. 

So I'll start off with the Runia'! New mission president and family!!! Wow.. that was this week? That was a long week. Hahaha. Anyways, they are so awesome!!! We had MLC on Tuesday when we got to meet them. They are a really great family. President Runia played basketball at BYU and then went on to play professionally in Europe. Hes friends with Danny Ainge. (Not sure if that's how you spell his name. Sorry) Danny is like the owner of or manager of the Celtics. Pretty cool! Anyways, President Runia knows him and played on the BYU team with him. President is really chill and has a really cool, loving style of leadership. It seems that he will come in with the same style as President Checketts; meaning leading with love and example, not extreme hovering or too strict of discipline. His wife is cool too! She will be a very enthusiastic, loving mother to us out here. Which is perfect! They have two kids with them, Pater and Berkley. Pater is 18 and will finish online high school through BYU before going on a mission. Berkley is 16 and seems to be somewhat shy. Cool though. I'm excited to work under the Runias and see what they are going to bring into the mission. Its all really exciting. Oh, and the south missionaries are now joined with us in one big mega-mission. Apparently we are the biggest mission in the world in terms of number of missionaries right now. (That's what we've heard. At least one of the biggest). I'm super excited for the whole transition! Its been going well. 

So that's a rundown of that. Onto the next thing! So we have been teaching a few investigators while we are waiting for people to come back from China. On top of heaps of random assignments, we have been using the phone a ton and trying to help investigators. Its been perfect to help these people out! Yvette is working hard to grow her faith! Its been cool to see how she's been asking questions through messenger and things like that. Ash is still on date and he's been sick, so its been cool to teach him by video-calling him! So fun!!!! I love it. All is well with each of these people! So exciting. 

So I feel like some of you may be thinking, "oh Chris (Elder Maxfield) is in Australia and is doing something in regards to church, but I'm not quite sure what the heck he actually is doing?" (I'm sure that's word for word what many of you are thinking). So I wanted to describe to you what the heck I'm doing halfway around the world always wearing a white shirt and tie even when its crazy hot or when people think its weird. So, as most of you should know, I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Aka the Mormon church). As a missionary, I'm basically a volunteer teacher from the church. During my day, I wake up at 6:30 every morning. I'll then take a shower, study, and plan for my day with my companion who I need to be with 24/7. Only exception being the bathroom. By 10 am, we hit the streets. Usually we will go out and talk to people on the street and "find" new people to teach. The only reason we wouldn't be doing this is if we are actually teaching an "investigator" about the church.Very simply, we teach 5 main lessons. 1 about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Another about God's plan for us on Earth. This lesson answers the questions of why we are here, where we came from before this life, and what happens after we die. It explains the purpose of life. The next of the lessons is all about what Jesus Christ taught while He was on the Earth; or, His "Gospel." We then teach commandments that deal with health codes given to us by God, commandments on purity, and the basic 10 commandments. We teach these lessons without price to anyone who is willing to hear it! We will sit down for 10-30 minutes and share any one of these messages as God directs us. Let me tell you, this work is fun! I love it so much. The people that we meet are absolutely incredible. Yes, we meet a lot of rude people, but those who are kind to us, even if they aren't interested in our message, really brighten our day! What's the best part about this work is, well one of the best parts, is seeing others come to know who their Savior is. People truly get to learn that through the Spirit as they listen to the messages we share. I think a close second to this would be the unmistakable Spiritual experiences that I have had during this last year or so. Everyone, I want it to be known, that I know God lives. He is there. If you aren't so sure about that, I encourage you to seek Him out. Go and try to see if He is there. If you do so, willing to respond to His command when He answers you, then He will answer you in a way that you will not be able to describe, but you will know its Him. He lives. He loves each and every one of us, because we are literally His children. He has a plan for us. That's why Christ was sent to the Earth, to be our Savior. I know He lives. I know He loves us too! What a great message this is! I love sharing it! I love the Lord. I love this church because He is the founder of it. I love you all and hope you are having heaps of fun at home! I will just leave this short testimony and witness to you, that I have come to know my Savior in this last year more than ever. And I share that in His name, Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Elder Maxfield 

 

1)pday activity today! Cockatoo island

2) Back on the water! I love ferry rides!!!

3) A member gave us these weird pastries with "pork floss" it looked like there was heaps of hair on it. 

4) Elder Tobler and I. 

City life!!!!!!!!

Yeah!!!!! I love it here!!! 

So most of the people that I knew from the city have moved out, but that's okay, the ward is still way cool!!! I really love them, and I'm having a good time getting to know them. I've also met a few of our investigators already, and they're awesome. They each are interesting, but really cool. They all have a cool spirit about them. 

We met with Ash this week, and he is the man. He's from China, and seems to have a really strong desire to get to know God. We invited him to be baptized on the 28th of July. He accepted! He said "I don't know (if its true) yet, but I will find out by then! Such faith!! Hes a really awesome guy! I love him. 

My new companion is Elder Tobler from South Jordan, Utah. So guess what????? FOURTH OF JULY WITH AN AMERICAN!!!! USAUSAUSA AMERICA!!!!!!! That'll be super fun!!! Especially cause his year mark is the next day. 

This coming week will be wild! We are meeting President Runia (our new mission president) TOMORROW!!!!! He's been here since Saturday, but we saw him tomorrow at a meeting, then everyone will meet him on Thursday. So exciting!!! He has two kids here with him, a boy who's 17 and a girl who's 16... I think..? Hahha I'm sure we'll meet them too. 

So, an exciting week. I love it here. I love the city. Of course, I miss you all. Hope you are having a good time at home and have a great 4th of July! Love you all heaps!!!!! 

Elder Maxfield

P.s. HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY RACHEL!!!!!! 

1) Me and Elder Tobler

2) This is the Edmunds. Theyre the coolest family. After saying goodbye last week. 

3) Views from the [9th floor apartment]