Week 30

Kia ora everybody!

This week was a good one. Heaps of driving but in the end it was one of the best weeks in a while haha. It just seems like time is just going by faster and faster I dont quite know what to do haha. 

Anyway Monday was pretty fun we had Elders Pday where every elder in the zone went paintballing! Man it was so fun but it takes a few shots to get used to getting hit haha. I had a nice bruise on my shoulder for a few days haha. I'm not sure if I could be in the army tho I got hit way more than I hit people. I'm not sure if that's because I'm a bad aim or a bad hider😅😂

Tuesday was pretty interesting. We drove to Whangarei for district council and then had to stay up there all day for another meeting with the stake President on missionary work in the stake. So that was pretty much our day. 

Wednesday we drove to Whangarei again for a ZLC meeting to set goals for the zone and that was pretty good. Than all the way back to try and visit a few members and had a great lesson with some less actives who are starting to come back to church more and more so that's exciting! 

Thursday we drove to Whangarei for a zone conference with the whole zone and President Walker gave a training on faith and believing and also on a new way of teaching less actives and members that the area 70 has seen to work way better and let me tell ya it works! So simple and it's 3 minutes long and it just does wonders. 

Friday was good. Like normal we had weekly planning and than we went to go see a referral that we received and we got there while we were introducing ourselves she said "oh! Are you here to baptize Maasi?" so yea we gave a happy yes and now will be working with him soon. We aren't too sure if the mother is a member but she seems like she's less active and her parents are super active so that's how we were able to get the referral and Maasi seems excited to be taught and baptized. He's about 10 I think not too sure😅 

After that we went to the Richards and helped wrap up some food for a hangi! For Saturday it was pretty cool. And delicious😁

Saturday we had a service to clean the Chapel and than off to the Richards again to have a branch hangi. It was a big celebration for the senior couple here that is leaving next week. It was so fun and man I felt like I ate so much food haha. People up here really know how to eat haha I can't keep up😂 

Sunday was branch conference and it was pretty exciting. The stake announced that they have plans to split the stake into 2 in a few years and we went over the plans to do so. It was some exciting news and it shows that the work is moving forward every single day! We also ended up driving to Whangarei again for a baptismal interview but because the girl was very shy and nervous for it we had to cancel and move it back a few days so we drove there kinda for nothing haha oh well. Than we had a lesson with a less active family and had a great lesson with them and hope to be seeing them come to church soon and hopefully general conference! 

This week consisted of heaps and heaps of driving and it will just keep happening like that haha. But it was super fun nonetheless. I also got news that Erica the girl we were teaching in West Harbour has passed her interview and will be getting baptized on the 6th of Apriland I get to go back and baptize her! I'm so excited for her and can't wait to see how much more she will grow. She has been amazing and I can't even express enough how excited I am for her and her family. I know the parents will be following their kids example soon! This work is amazing and I love it! It is hard, very hard but so so worth it when you see someone else glow with the light of Christ! I love you all and hope you have a great week! Remember I'm not able to watch conference until the week after all of you so don't be spoiling any of it for me! 

Ofa atu! 

Love, 

Elder Wilding 

Week 29

Kia Ora!

This week has been a little bit of a crazy one. But it was pretty fun and went pretty quick haha. 

Monday we didn't really do much just went to the other elders Chapel and hung out. Nothing to special. 

Tuesday we had interviews with President Walker and had to drive to Auckland again but its only about an hour and about 15 minutes. Nothing too bad haha. Interviews were good just a nice catch up with President haha. We than drove all they way to the top of our area to visit and have dinner with a less active family. It was really good. They love their sea food so they said I'll be eating all sorts of crazy sea food soon haha.

Wednesday was pretty good we had District council in whangarei which is about an hours drive so more driving haha. Than all our typical studies and tracing then off to a members for dinner. The members are really nice up here and humble as. They are great. 

Thursday was pretty lame so nothing to say about that haha boring as. 

Friday we had weekly planning and than set up some dates to visit some less actives and hope to get them coming to church soon.

Saturday didn't have much either haha

Sunday was great going to church is always great and getting to visit with the members again is always nice. We went to the branch presidents house to try and set up a sports activity to get some less actives more involved and they love sports so we should but golden on that if we can get something going. It'll be way fun and open to the public so hopefully we can get heaps of people there.

This week has been pretty fun and fast and next week will be even more crazy. I hope everyone had an amazing week!

Ofa atu!

Love, 

Elder Wilding 

Week 28

Kia Ora!

This week was pretty good. I'm still trying to get used to all the driving and trying to find stuff to do but I'm getting there haha. It truly is a struggle trying to find stuff to do when there isnt that many people here. But the work moves on!

On Tuesday we had a lesson on service with Marco and one of his friends was there. It was going good. We shared Mosiah 2:17 with him thinking anyone that loves God would be completely fine with serving his children but Marcos friend who is a non denominational Christian completely tried to flip it on us haha. We talked about how christ always went about serving people and he said but did he really make peoples lives easier? He argued that sometimes christ made life harder for his apostles and said that sometimes when we serve people we don't really help them haha. Pretty interesting guy but we got out of it and Marco apologized for how rude he was later haha. Marco liked the lesson though and went out and did a nice act of service for his other friend.

Wednesday we didn't have too much going on but we did have some other elders stay the night at our flat because they had to go to Auckland the next morning. So that was fun haha.

Thursday we ended up serving one of the members in our branch. He needed to move some furniture to the branch presidents house so we helped do all that and then we took off for Auckland to stay at another elders flat for the special mission conference on Friday.

The special conference was awesome! We had Elder Brent H Nielson who is the Head of missionary headquarters and Elder Nattress of the area presidency and their wives there. It was so amazing we got to go through and shake everyones hand and meet them. We than had some trainings on getting along with your companion, finding people, working with less actives, and applying the atonement in our lives for forgiveness and for strengthening us. It was so amazing I can't even explain how lucky and blessed we were to have them come to Auckland to train us! Amazing people!

Sunday was good we had church and met with some less actives it was pretty good. The less actives here are so nice and love having us over they just struggle with coming back to church haha but it's all good they are trying!

That's pretty much our week! Its been a long one but it's been truly amazing! I love the people here in New Zealand. I was deeply saddened when I heard about the shooting here in Christchurch... No matter what race or religion you are Noone deserves to be shot while in their house of worship. God truly loves each and everyone of us and wants us to be happy. I know he was there to welcome all of those that passed home. New Zealand has been coming together and has been sharing their love to all of the different people here and are uniting to overcome this tragedy. I hope and pray that all the people here will become stronger and keep moving forward.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Ofa atu!

Elder Wilding

Week 27

Kia ora!

This week was pretty crazy. Transfers, saying goodbyes going to see other missionaries. It was fun! Haha

Monday we had zone pday mas went to the park and hung our it was pretty cool. Nothing too special haha.

Tuesday we had district council and I found out my transfer news to be moved to wellsford. So the rest of the day we traveled all over the area trying to say good bye to the members and Selena and Erica! I did all my packing as well. It was pretty sad too haha 

Wednesday we went down to Mangere for transfers. Met with heaps of other missionaries and got to hang out with elder Roger's a little. Met my new companion Elder Peaua yea from Wellington New Zealand and he's Tongan we than took off on a 1 and a half hour drive to Wellsford. It's like in the middle of no where in the northland zone. But we are the very bottom of the zone so it gets more and more countryside haha.

Well the rest of the week we did member visits trying to get me used to the area and the long drives between towns. It's like 30 minutes to each town haha. We did heaps of tracting and trying to talk to people and trying to find people to teach.

We had one lesson with someone the elders have been Working with. It was kinda just me getting to know him and trying to find ways to help him. 

That was basically our week. Sorry for the short email but in this area we will do heaps of driving and heaps more of the same thing over and over so nothing too interesting haha

I hope you all have a great week.

Love,

Elder Wilding 

Week 26

Kia ora!

This week was pretty fun! We had 4 days where we went and did some kind of service and it made the week fly by so fast it's crazy haha.

I'll just start off with tuesday. We went to the Auckland City Mission again but this time we went to another building and we did some food sorting and made little take away bags with hygiene stuff in it like soap and conditioner etc. It was pretty fun we got to be with another district and just spend the day talking to them and serving the people of Auckland it was great! Later that day our district set goals for the month of March. 

Wednesday we participated in setting goals for the zone for the month of March. That was pretty fun. It's cool being involved in so much of the leadership stuff. Kinda crazy and hectic at times too haha. Later that day we went with the sisters in Massey and did a service for one of the people they are trying to teach. It was they same people that I cut trees down with a shovel haha and guess what I did AGAIN! Cut more trees down haha. When I think he is done cutting trees he decides to get rid of more haha. It was fun though. I love helping those in need even if it is in the most strange ways haha.

Thursday we had district council and I feel like I'm getting better at the training. Still not as good as I would like though haha. One of the sisters said it was one of the best district councils she's had in awhile. So that's an improvement right there haha. We went to go see a few members and I also hit my 6 month mark! Holy cow! Sometimes i feel like it is going so slow but than I take a second to think about it and man is it going fast! I cannot believe it. My trainer (Elder Baasansuren) goes home this week as well! Crazy.. anyway I burnt a tie for my 6 month mark and that was pretty cool haha. Later that day we wentto mutual and played dodgeball and indoor soccer haha it was way fun!

Friday we had another service with the Auckland City Mission and this time we were serving food again. It is always fun to go there. The people we work with love having us there and talking to us it's great. That took up the whole day pretty much.

Saturday we had a service with the ward which was painting the primary school here in west harbour. It was pretty fun. They used a interesting dark blue that will need like 5 layers for it to look good haha. Oh well. It was fun we talked to heaps of teachers and parents that came to help out so it was way productive.

Sunday was pretty good! I love testimony meeting so much. This week a member passed away from a motorcycle accident on the motorway, and his wife got up and bore her testimony about the gospel and how families truly are together forever. It was a very sad story. The kids are both under the age of 8 so a very young family and now they have to move forward without him. But when they reunite it will be one amazing day for them! Well we had another lesson with Erica. She is doing great she participated in fasting so that was great! She's doing amazing with her reading the Book of Mormon. I cant wait for the day she is baptized!

Overall this week has been very exhausting but it was been great at the same time! I've loved my mission so far and cant wait to see what the Lord has in store for me in the next 18 months! I love the gospel and I love my Father in Heaven so much! And i love all of you! Have a great week!

Ofa atu!

Love,

Elder Wilding