Youth Water Activity + Missionaries = WATER FIGHT!

CRAZY week last week!

 

So for what ever reason I always feel like the last week of the transfers is always the most stressful. Even when you do the exact same thing as the week before. We did heaps of finding and most of it was spent just riding our bikes along until we saw someone. Then we would target them, bike really fast to them, slow down, and ask them if they want to learn more!  We found two new investigators this week! One will probably be passed off to the sisters that just came in, but hey, PROGRESS!

 

Since we were out in the sun so long, I may or may not have a chin strap tan from my bike helmet.  At least people can't say that I'm intimidating!

 

On Saturday we had so much fun it hurt... literally.  Water balloons can leave bruises - just FYI! We woke up super early and played basketball at 6:00 with some less active members and members.  Then we went and did yard work for two hours with a member.  He made us biscuits and gravy and it was so good!  Did you know they don't have breakfast sausage in Australia?   Any who, then we changed and got ready for English class, but no one came, so we went out to help with the youth activity... and may or may not have had a bit of a water fight !  I guess you only live once eh!?!

 

Finally found a spider that was picture worthy while I actually had my camera on me! Although you usually have your camera near by when your home right? Any who, this is a Huntsman Spider. It is very common here to name your Huntsman Spider because it eats cockroaches and keeps your home clear of bugs! However, it is large, it jumps large distances, and it was in my room!  I think our bug spray will be just as effective as the spider!

 

Not much else has happened. None of the missionaries in our flat moved this week, sisters will start serving in the ward this week, and the sky is still blue!

 

Love you heaps!

 

Elder Gibb(y)

 

 

An EnLIGHTENING Week!

Dear Family and Friends

 

It's been a good week.  Who am I kidding???   It's been a great week!  We maintained our 20 lessons, found a new investigator, and she came to church! M-I-R-A-C-L-E! Had some fun on Sunday when I got to teach the youth in the 13-14 year old Sunday School class! We were learning about the atonement and using comparisons to try and help others understand what it means. The lessons you can make out a paper clip.... I tell ya.

 

P-Day was super fun last week! We went to our Stake President;s mansion, and I mean like a gigantic amount of property surrounded by the bush.  Big enough to fit an entire zone of missionaries, with crackers (sorry biscuits) included! We got to play as a whole zone on his basket ball, tennis and volleyball court.  We look longingly at his indoor swimming pool and  I think we all almost "fell in".  We played pool, ping-pong, used his complete home gym, and watched a couple elders play squash.  Then went to dinner. It was  a very good day 

 

Had a couple of  HUGE storms this week.  Elder Han and I were out finding on Saturday and the sky was clear and blue.  Then within 30 minutes the rain was coming down so hard we were soaked within a couple of minutes.  We had our rain jackets luckily, but it was raining so hard it even broke through that resistance! As a last resort we walked to one of our member's homes who were unfortunately not home.  We started off to dinner hoping they would have some towels when we got there.  All of the sudden, the world turned white, and then a crack of thunder that was incredibly loud surrounded us! IT WAS SO COOL! We may or may not have screamed a bit, and my pants were already wet.  Needless to say, it may have been a good thing we didn't have umbrellas!

 

And since I've had this question about thirty times this week.....no, we are not Jehovah's witnesses.

 

Love ya Heaps!

 

Elder Gibb

 

 

It's Getting Better All The Time

Dear family and friends,

 

This week was full of miracles!  It's funny how when they happen you don't notice it, until you look back on the week and realize that it's been pretty good! The first miracle, we got over 20 lessons! Now I know to some of you this doesn't seem to be a very big achievement, but in this area, we have struggled to get more than ten a week.  So it's a huge improvement!

 

We've been using a new finding tool called, THE SURVEY.  It's this really high tech way of finding people to teach, where you take a paper that has some questions on it, use it to start the conversation and then BAM, you're teaching them about the Book of Mormon... Unfortunately the only people who wanted to keep learning, live outside of our area, BUT we all play for the same team, and what goes around comes around!

 

Another miracle happened on Saturday.  A young man who we have been trying to see for ages, and only talked to him at the door to invite him, came to one of our stake activities (it was a multi cultural pot luck, you'll all be happy to know America was represented by apple pie, and Jell-O). He had so much fun he came to church on Sunday with us! And we're going to start seeing his family! 

 

There was also another miracle Sunday... but I'm not allowed to talk about it yet... but it was really quite neat and really good for the ward!

 

I hope all is well, wherever you are in the world!

 

Love you heaps!

 

Elder Gibb

 

Elder Gibb and Elder Han

"A powerful combination" according to Sister Howes

Elder and Sister Nelson Visit

Dear Family and Friends!

 

So last time I sent out this email I kind of forgot a somewhat crucial event that had happened during the previous week... We had Elder Nelson come visit our Mission!!!  It was really cool!  He spoke to the North and South Sydney missions (saw Lauren Bretzing if any of you know her), but they kept our missions separate from each other, we couldn't even talk, so it was a little awkward!  However, we did all get to shake his hand and then we heard from him.  Let me tell you those men are very knowledgeable about their scriptures! It was so fun to hear him speak to us, although I think I may have liked his wife's talk better! 

 

Last week was pretty fun, we went on exchanges with the Kellyville 2nd Ward Elders this week and so me and Elder Chin Ay You spent the day together.  Unfortunately his knee has some problems so we weren't able to ride our bikes, and since the other elders had the car, we walked! I have a great appreciation for my bike now! It was an amazing experience though because after several hours of nobody talking to us and doors in our face, the refreshing drizzling rain came along and we ran into a young woman from Ukraine. She just arrived in Australia a few months ago, and wants to learn more about what we believe! Hopefully we're going to see her again this week with a Russian Book of Mormon... because she doesn't really know English that well.... but it's goanna be awesome!

 

Had a fireside this Sunday and William Hopoate spoke (famous footie player who turned down a contract for 1 million dollars so he could go on his mission, so pretty much, he's awesome).  He's a really good speaker, and I don't think I've ever seen so many youth pay such close attention at a fireside... especially the young women! Any who he was really good, and he was super nice and was signing autographs for everyone... but I didn't meet him cause I was putting away chairs, and jump starting a car like a good missionary!

 

I'm starting to get to know the ward a little better because we've been going around and starting to institute family mission plans!  We put a little twist on it though.  We're having our ward families create a "title of liberty" like Captain Moroni in Alma 46.  I'll have to send some pictures next week because they're pretty cool! They have 5 points to them and it's goals the family creates in order to be better member missionaries! Occasionally we have to help them come up with their goals, but thanks to Brother Price I've got them all typed up for me already! (Thank you!)

 

It's fall down here now... that was definitely strange so it's starting to cool off a bit.  The weather is perfect today at about 24 degrees. I don't know what that actually means because it's in Celsius, but I do know it feels about right!

 

Hope all is well wherever you are in the world!

 

Love,

 

Elder Gibb(y)

 

P.S. Does anyone know when bananas are ready to be taken off the tree...