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.
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