Ngaruawahia Week 19- Hello Elder Olcott!

Elder Green and his new comp Elder Olcott with their investigator Brandon and Bro. Hester

This is the home we lived in when Tai was born and Braden was in the 1st grade.  He couldn't remember the address but remembered his school and the street so he and his companion found the school then walked along the street until he found it by memory.

Elder Green and Elder Suriben at the home of the Hesters, who take care of the Elders in their ward.  I love them!

Kia ora everyone! 

This week was eventful! It started off by saying goodbye to my trainer, who I was lucky enough to spend 3 transfers with rather than just 2. It was sad going around with him and saying goodbye to all the people we've been with and seeing him have to say goodbye to New Zealand for good. But after he left I spent a lot of time with an Elder Ellsworth and Elder GeLinas. The three of us had our companions "die" so we were together covering all of our areas. But that ended pretty soon because Elder Ellsworth became an AP and was called to leave us and go to the office almost immediately. So then I was with Elder GeLinas until transfers were completed. Our new companions were to arrive on Thursday and when Thursday came around, I got to the bus stop early in the morning only to find out that my companion was actually going to drive himself up later in the afternoon. I spent about 7 hours at the bus stop and then finally I met Elder Olcott. He is a great guy and comes from a tiny farming town in Southern Utah. He is the new district leader and I hope to be able to learn a lot from him this next transfer. We weren't able to do much work in Nga this week but I still had a good and eventful week. Hope everyone is well! 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

P.S. This is a part of an email Braden sent to his friend Anna.  She graciously shared it with me.  It's spectacular . . .

"Supposedly I'm just a really good leader and my level of confidence and capabilities are much better than a standard greenie. I hope these things are true and that I can live up to people's expectations. In saying goodbyes to everyone with Elder Suriben, people asked well how long have you been out Elder Green and I ended up being honest and saying I had started my mission in Nga and that I was fresh the day they met me. Everyone I told that too assumed I had at least been out for a year and was shocked. Knowing that, I know that I have been truly blessed out here and that I am here for a reason. I am not quite too sure what that reason is just yet but I hope to do as best I can for the people and the missionaries out here. Anna I just cannot believe how much of a blessing this mission is to me and how much more of a mission I have left to learn and grow. I am already a different person and hopefully the day I get back, I can apply all the amazing lessons I have learned and be a superstar to those around me. Not that I want praise and fame or anything of the sort but that I am able to help others and take on the role of what a superstar would do for others. I am slowly realizing how much I am part of a bigger plan I am a part of and how much I was prepared before my mission to serve this mission. I was even asked after I gave a talk at a baptism if I had a degree because of how educated I seemed. But I am nowhere near educated enough to seem like I have a degree! Somehow I have been blessed in my words and abilities, and far out! I can't even convey what my feelings are like over an email. I am just really happy I came. Really happy. 

-Elder Green

*The two pics with Bro. Hester in them were sent by Bro. Hester. He's the ward mission leader there and says he has Elder Green in his home often and will do better to send pics of him.  He's the best! Braden did manage to send the pic of our house in Hamilton so yay for that!

Ngaruawahia Week 18- Goodbye to Elder Suriben

Kia ora everyone! 

This week was a bit of a sad week. Elder Suriben had to say his goodbyes to all the members and investigators. We were able to see quite a bit of families and they were all very sad to see him go. He and I have been in the area for about 4.5 months together and it feels sad to see the preview of what I'll be doing in about 6 weeks. We did make some good progress with Brandon and his family. We were invited to attend a hangi with him and his entire family along with his partner's family. We were able to build connections with a lot of them and possibly even get to teaching a few more of them. It was also great to see that those of his family that we are currently teaching avoided the alcohol and cigarettes that were present.

In the coming weeks I will be given the opportunity to lead the area with my new companion. We don't do senior and junior companions in this mission but we have a missionary who leads the area (whoever has been there the longest) and the follower more or less. I have been the "follower" for the last 3 transfers which has been really good. Most other missionaries said I was really lucky to get to be with my trainer for more than just 2 transfers. I also feel quite lucky to be in Ngaruawahia for 6 whole months because I absolutely love it here! The people are kind and the Maori culture here is stronger than a lot of places throughout New Zealand so I have been able to learn a lot. I feel truly blessed being here and I hope to make the best out of being here. 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

**This is from a personal email to me. Just a different way of putting it.

This week is transfer week so I will find out who he is on Tuesday and then meet him on Thursday. 99.9% sure I will stay in Ngaruawahia and probably only for another 6 weeks. I will have done a quarter of my mission in my starting area and spent 3 whole transfers with my trainer. Everyone I've spoken to has told me that I should feel especially blessed for that. The only bummer is that my first and only companion is now leaving the mission completely and not just the area. So I won't see him for years if ever again. It is a bit rough but I guess I got used to it with the moving around a lot so I feel alright. Hopefully my next companion and I are able to get quite close as well.

Ngaruawahia Week 17 Pictures!!

Kia Ora everyone! 

This week was a real good week. We have stuck to the same things and have been making really good visits with Brandon and a few other investigators. This week for p-day I was able to go to the Coromandel Peninsula and got to Cathedral Cove where they filmed a movie or two. The beach was quite beautiful but it took an hour to hike all the way to it. You can't drive to it so we took the trail all the way there and man it was amazing! We weren't allowed to go swimming at all but we were allowed to walk on the beach and take pictures! This week hasn't actually been too eventful so I don't have any amazing stories to tell but life has been good in the mission field. My companion is gearing up to leave and it is quite sad for him to be leaving New Zealand. But he is still pushing forward and trying to do his best. I was able to run into some relatives of mine at a stake conference yesterday. It was pretty good! I was able to see them at the Temple lights and now at stake conference! Hopefully one of these days I will be able to run into some other family members and just have a little catch up. But anyway. Thats me for this week! Hopefully everyone has a wonderful week! 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Ngaruawahia Week 16

*Mom's Note:
Braden only quickly emailed a little note last week saying he had a full day and wouldn't be able to email as normal.  Here is what he said.  I didn't post it last week for some reason.  This week he added to it so I'll post that.  Perhaps along with last week or maybe as a new post for this week.

This week we were able to do quite a bit with Brandon. His partner has finally shown a little bit of kindness too us! Not that she was mean but she kind of just avoided us until this week. She invited us over for dinner! And it was her idea! Not Brandon's! They both later on went bowling and had a big extended family dinner at an expensive buffet and payed for us. They are awesome and Brandon hates the idea that Elder Suriben will be leaving soon, he said that when he gets baptized, he's going to pay for Elder Suriben's flight to come here. Hopefully I will be in the Hamilton area when he is baptized or else I wont be able to go either. He said also that if I am out in Gisborne at the time, he might try to have his wedding and baptism in whatever area I am in. But who knows, time will tell. He is the man though and my companion and I are ever so grateful for the opportunity to meet and teach him. Nothing else really spectacular happened this week but hopefully I will be able to tell you how amazing this p-day was. I will also have a lot of pictures hopefully. Hope all is well.

Arohanui,

Elder Green

*Mom's Note:
This is the additional info he gave for last week, but he sent it this week.  If that makes any sense!

Yes, sorry. We had a lot planned for p-day and we gave very little time to emailing. I hope Maren gets better! Brandon's partner is Renae. I don't actually know the spelling but he usually refers to her as Nae. But yes we spend a fair bit of time with him and in members homes or on his front lawn. He actually took us out last week Saturday to go bowling with his entire family and then took us to Gengys. A Mongolian all you can eat. At Gangys you prepare a bowl full of meat, sides, seasonings, and oils and they cook it all right in front of you. It was awesome!

I can definitely feel all the prayers and blessings I am receiving out here. I feel like I am not even the same person anymore but not because I changed myself but as if some switches in my brain shut off and some others turned on the day I was set apart. But I love it out here so far and the fact that Elder Suriben leaves next week makes me sad because in just a few short years I will be in the same spot. It is starting to hit Elder Suriben as well. He tells me every once in a while that he gets sad because of how much he's gonna miss "days with the boys" or the people and personalities of New Zealand. I am but I'm not looking forward to the day I get my travel itinerary from the Mission office. But anyway. This week was pretty good. We were able to have a really good conversation with an investigator and his mom and auntie. Our investigator is on an ankle bracelet but he's super nice and he loves us coming over and teaching a verse or two from the BoM to him every visit.

If I were to describe my day to day, it would be hard because it's different every day. Wake up, shower and breakfast, study and then be out of the flat at 10:00. Everything between 10:00 and 9:00 is proselyting. We stop for lunch and dinner everyday but the time changes every day. Proselyting includes door knocking, teaching appointments, and contacting. Every week we have District meeting and every transfer we have Zone conference. P-day and Sunday are the only days that are different than the rest. But that's pretty much it. 

-Elder Green

Ngaruawahia Week 15

Kia ora everyone! 

This week was very good! We had interviews with President Cummings and then zone conference. It was pretty good! We weren't able to have a zone conference last transfer because our mission president cancelled it. 

This week has also been quite challenging. It has been really hot and it is just SO humid here. Everyone is telling us that this summer is a record high and quite ridiculous. We only have a limited amount of mileage and our district leader lost his car keys so we had to run errands for him for about a week. Because of that we went through all of our mileage and have been on bikes for the last week. The sweat has forced me to need to take two even three quick showers a day. But I can't complain, I do love the work. The work is very good. I get the opportunity to see and talk to new people everyday! Our investigator Brandon has been progressing and plans to take us out to a big buffet this week to meet his entire family. He is the man! My work days vary and for those curious as to what goes on in a missionary's day, consult the White Handbook. Our mission president's main focus for the mission is complete white handbook obedience. I will be able to give a better more personal explanation next week because my time is cut short today but I hope that everyone is doing well! 

Arohanui,

-Elder Green

Ngaruawahia Week 14

Kia ora! 

For me, nothing much has happened this week. We are still working with Brandon and he has pretty much become a member of the church anyway. He offered to do a really big job for someone else in the ward because he lost his money to sickness treatments. The man was going to pour a large concrete pad and now he cant because he doesn't have money but Brandon spoke up in Elder's Quorum and said he knew a few people and could cash in a few favors to get it done for free. He also brought his sister and her family to church and convinced them to stay for all 3 hours. It was pretty awesome! He is the man. He just isn't baptized yet. 

Other than that, we haven't been able to progress very many people. We have tracted out an area that's on the edge of our area this week and we only have a few potentials from that but most people don't seem that keen. Hopefully we get something from that. But anyway, that's me for now! Not much to report. 

Arohanui, 

Elder Green

Ngaruawahia Week 13

Kia ora everyone!

This week was pretty good. I learned that I would be with my trainer ANOTHER transfer which is good because he is the man! He is "dying" in the mission this transfer and so President allowed him to stay an extra transfer because he wouldn't be very effective if he was sent to another area for just one transfer. But technically as of today, I'm no longer a greenie. I have graduated from my first 12 weeks. 

This week has been a little slow with the work just because it's transfer week and we had a lot of other things keeping us pretty busy but we were able to do some good. We went to a remote area to do some door knocking and we actually did pretty well. We ran out of pamphlets and Book of Mormons to give away in less than an hour. It was pretty awesome and I am slowly coming to enjoy door knocking more. Slowly. Very slowly. But the work is still good on all fronts. Our investigator, Brandon, knows that Elder Suriben is going home in 6 weeks and told us that he wants me and Elder Suriben to be there for his baptism. Meaning he will try his best to get married in the next 6 weeks. And if not, he will personally book his ticket back to New Zealand from the Philippines. He is awesome. 

That's me for the week. Hope everyone has had a good start to the New Year!

-Elder Green