Manurewa Week 20

Kia ora everyone! 

This week was quite uneventful. Elder Vanva and I just kept pushing on with our same old routine for Weymouth. Not a whole lot has changed. But we are hoping to get a few good things done this week. The ward council has asked us to visit quite a few less active families. They believe that the missionary work in the ward is a bit rough when it comes to investigators and so they'd like us to start focusing on the less active members in the ward. We have got a lot of contacting ahead of us this week and hopefully something good comes out of it! This last week we had our first District Council of the transfer and it was pretty interesting. We have two brand new missionaries being trained in the district and it was good to have them participate and get some fresh out of the MTC thinking. Our district is still very young in the mission, the oldest missionaries hit their year mark just this last Wednesday. I will hit my year mark in a month and a bit and its a little scary. Once I get to that point, I'll be able to say "I've been out a bit over a year." Rather than "a bit under a year" which is what the mission president asks us to say, especially when it comes to missionaries who have been out for a week or so. This week we were also able to have interviews with our mission president and I got a lot from his counsel. I have been able to learn a lot from him over the last couple years.

Well other than that, there isn't much to report on. I hope everyone's week is going well! 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Manurewa Pictures

Manurewa Week 19

Kia ora everyone!

I am staying in Weymouth for yet another transfer! This will be my 4th transfer here and most likely my last. I thought I was leaving last transfer but there must be something here that I have not learned or completed yet. Anyways.

This week has been relatively eventful I guess. After one of our zone leaders left to go home on Tuesday morning, Elder Vanva and I got to spend the next few days with our other zone leader, Elder Hart, while we waited for transfer day and for him to get his new companion. It was good working with him in both ours and his areas. He has been out on the mission for quite a while so he was able to share a lot with Elder Vanva and I who haven't been out very long. Being with Elder Hart during transfers made me realize how stressful it must be for mission leadership when it comes to transfers. We had to spend a whole 2 hours planning out who would go where and what cars would go where and making sure the timing worked out so everyone had a companion and that the greenies were picked up from the bus stop on time. It was quite stressful. But after transfers everything went back to normal and Elder Vanva and I were left to our area. Lately we have been still trying to find more investigators to hear our message and progress because most all of our current investigators aren't progressing. We are working on getting more set appointments rather than random pop ins or visits. 

Something quite significant happened earlier today. Elder Vanva had to go in to the hospital for surgery. It's been in the plans for a while but today was the day. It was the first time he had ever really done anything like this so he was super nervous leading up to it. Me and a few other elders in the district gave him a blessing of comfort last night in preparation for this morning and it seemed to work. He went in calmly and when he finally came out, all was well. He is super drowsy and he says he feels really funny because he has never been put under before. I, being his companion, had to wait in the waiting room the whole time and study. Most all of the nurses kept coming over to me and asking me if I wanted to go and they would just call me when Elder Vanva was ready to go but I kept telling them I was patient. But all in all, Elder Vanva is doing well and we will be taking it pretty easy over the next few days. But thats me for the week! Hope everyone had a great week!

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Manurewa Week 18

Kia ora everyone! 

It has been a great week this week! I was able to go on quite a few exchanges! Almost everyday! I went on two exchanges with Elders in the district and then two exchanges with one of my zone leaders, Elder Sua. He is going home tomorrow and his companion was pretty sick so he wanted to go out and get as much work done as possible before he goes and not stay in the flat with his really sick companion. I honestly learned so much from that guy! The other Elders have taught me quite a bit too. Most of them are older than me in the mission and one of them I actually came out with in September. I also got to go on an MTC exchange again this week! I enjoy being with the greenies who have heaps of fire to teach and its a bit funny watching their first time knocking on a door. During those exchanges we are encouraged to just do as much door knocking as we can and get them to dip their toe in the water of what missionary work is. Its also really good to see how they light up at the scene of their first success. We got to find a new investigator while I was with Elder Dickie and he was quite fond of the success. There were a few doors however that he hardly said anything and it was a bit of an awkward moment but we were able to have a good laugh about it after and learn from it. 

So my mini story of this week is from Friday. We were having a late lunch and I decided to make some mac and cheese. I altered the portions of ingredients a little because the last time I made it, it wasn't very cheesy and was kind of yuck. Now when I made it this time, it was very very cheesy. I way over compensated and it felt like I was just drinking cheese juice with chunks in it. I mean it was good but at the same time a little gross. But now I got to learn a little about cooking. Don't over compensate. 

Anyway that's me for the week. This upcoming week is transfer week and I will find out what happens tomorrow. Whether I stay or go is a mystery but it could go either way.  I think I will most likely be leaving. The mission is in desperate need of leadership this upcoming transfer so I might be called as a zone leader only because half of the mission's zone leaders are going home tomorrow and half of the current district leaders as well. President said that the current district leaders will need to step up. So be prepared for a bit of a stressed Elder Green. I think it is possible however that I stay and be a district leader for one more transfer because either way, they make it sound like my next area I will need to be a zone leader. I am trying not to let it get to my head though. I only hope to love whatever transfer news brings and to fulfill my callings as best I can. My year mark will be at the very beginning of the transfer after next. so about 7-8 weeks. I quite honestly and hopeful that I leave but I will be happy with whatever the Lord assigns me with. Even if it means 6 months in my first couple areas. 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Manurewa Week 17

Kia ora everyone! 

I have had a pretty good week. Elder Vanva and I had our hands full and we got some good things done. Nothing really eventful happened but it was still a good week. Some other missionaries in the district got a couple baptisms in the Samoan ward that they cover so I had to go as the district leader. It was a really cool experience. Everyone there was capable of speaking English, but the entire program was in Samoan. I didn't understand hardly anything that was said but the Spirit was just as strong there as it would've been if I understood. Afterward they had a massive feed and we, as missionaries, were regarded as royalty. I honestly felt a little bad being asked to eat before all the women and children in the room. But one thing I have learned about island culture is that they have a lot of respect for the missionaries and strive to go the extra mile for us because they know we are doing the Lord's work. They know they will be blessed for their sacrifice and I am forever grateful to them and all they have done for me. I have learned a lot from island culture that I plan to establish in my own life. 

My story for today will be a quick one. We were contacting a referral named Jason that we got from the mission office. We went to the address it gave us, 85A and knocked on the door looking for a Jason. The fulla that opened the door said that Jason lived in the next house over, 85B. So we said sorry and tried talking to him but he wasn't interested then went to the other house. When we asked for Jason, the lady that opened the door said he lived in the house up the road a little, 85A. So obviously someone was trying to avoid us and we weren't too sure how to take the situation. We think that the first guy was really Jason and was just trying to dodge us, but we can't know for sure because as missionaries, it's a bit discouraged to call people out as liars. So for now we will leave it and try again later. But it was a pretty crack up story! 

Anyway, I am doing really well. I am almost out of American peanut butter my mom sent me but other than that, things are good! I hope everyone is having a good week!

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Manurewa Week 16

Kia ora everyone! 

This has been a pretty good week. Elder Vanva and I have been teaching the children of one of the first person I baptized, Ngaire Winter. We have been going around every Monday for FHE with their family and for the most part it was just a casual thing to get the kids to sort of like us and to build a relationship with them. Anyway, a week ago I challenged them all to come to church and stay for the whole three hours. And well, guess what? Every kid came to church and stayed! Tonight we hope to extend the baptismal commitment to them and see where it goes. But hopefully it goes well!

This week we have a lot of work set out for us, the bishop has asked us to go through the entire ward list and visit all of them to see who still lives in those houses and who has moved out without telling anyone. I was looking through the ward list and lets just say its heaps of houses. It'll be good though because this way we will find more less actives to work with and gain more trust from the ward leadership. But we definitely have our work cut out for us. Other than that we will try to spend our time working on the handful of referrals we've gotten from members and from the Visitors centre in Hamilton. Speaking of which, please please try your best to give referrals to the missionaries near you because that is where missionary work thrives! I was looking at the statistics for our mission last year, and I'm not entirely sure how it applies to the rest of the world but I think it is similar, and it said that 45% of the baptisms we get are from referrals. The next percentage is from part member families which was 20%. So please give the missionaries referrals! 

Another event this week is that the Hamilton Temple just closed last Saturday and will remain closed until 2021. It's pretty disheartening for a lot of people here because it's the only temple in New Zealand. But along with that, the Visitors centre closed too. Much to Brandon's dismay too, he loved going for the firesides they held there. 

But I hope everyone is having a great week! 

Arohanui,

Elder Green

Manurewa Week 15

Kia ora everyone!  

It has been quite the week! First off, I went on exchanges with one of our zone leaders, Elder Sua. He's the man, he's from Sydney, Australia. The next day we had zone conference, and I was able to catch up with quite a few people! I got to see Elder Borders who is doing real well! I also got to see Sister Morris! I went to high school with her in Round Valley and we were friends too! Not just some girl I knew in high school. I would've graduated with her if I hadn't moved before senior year! She's doing well and I also got to catch up with her companion! Sister Knight who I served with in Ngaruawahia. Her and I double covered for 3 transfers so I got to know her really well! It was good to catch up with them. My companion, Elder Vanva and I are doing well. The Weymouth ward is slowly but surely improving with the missionary work. We hope to be able to get the ball rolling even faster soon. 

So I really wanted to write another heart warming story but this is more just a story. So for zone conference we have to drive down to Hamilton and back. ON my way back, I stopped in Ngaruawahia to say hello to Brandon and have a light feed. It was a really good time and it was nice to catch up. The whole time I was there, I was really bubbly and being funny and what not and it really had an impact on a few people there. Brandon later texted me and told me that he noticed a change in me and that it was a good one! Another Elder that I had previously served around told me the same thing. So I think that my time in the mission has helped me grow and become a better person. I know that serving my mission has helped me improve and I know that it has blessed me. I'm very thankful for that. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Arohanui,

Elder Green