Week 41

Kia Ora! This week has been pretty interesting not too much to really report on so this weeks letter might be short. Tuesday was just our normal day. Did some tracting and trying to visit people. Not too much success. We packed some clothes for a stay at another elders flat for zone conference the next day. And we had a Maori class again. Wednesday we had zone conference it was pretty good. Heaps of good trainings were given and we got to learn more about the atonement it was great. We started home (2½ hour trip) and then there was a wreck that made it so we had to stay at the elders flat again so that was cool. Thursday we went to go do some visits and do some tracting trying to do our best and just really get some work done. Nothing too big and exciting happened.. Saw a few members and tried to help them that's about it. Friday started at 3 in the morning. Our fire alarm went off and we had to call some people and go stay at the senior couples flat for the rest of the night so that was fun. We were running off of 5 hours of sleep. We did some weekly planning and than tried to go find those Elect people again. Saturday was pretty normal not really much going on just trying our best. Sunday we had church and a branch lunch so that was cool and then after we had studies and than off to visit people but all our plans fell through so we ended up just driving all over our area trying to keep busy with anything haha This weeks been a weird one not too much has happened but all good we are gonna keep moving forward and get stuff done. Hope you all had a great week Ofa atu Love, Elder Wilding

Week 40

Kia Ora, This week has been a pretty good one. We've been doing our best at trying to find new people to teach and help those that we are teaching. Mostly less actives in hope to get them back and be able to get some of their kids baptized as well. So let's start off with Tuesday. We went to Whangarei for district council and had a pretty great council. Great participation from everyone and that really helps with revelation and more chances for each of us to learn from each other. After we went back to Wellsford and did our studies and than did some door knocking for a bit. We were able to get permission to go the community Maori classes every week so we went to that again and Elder Vakaudekoro was able to have a pretty good conversation with a guy so that was good. Everyone else seems to be comfortable with us being there. Normally when people see us they avoid us haha. Wednesday we did some door knocking and then went to go visit a less active. We are really trying to get him to come back and be active. His daughter needs to be baptized and he really wants to get it done. He wants to come back to church and be super active so that's good. We then went to go do some more tracting and little to no success. But we will keep going haha. God blesses us for our efforts I know it! Thursday we went to see the same less active. He wants us to visit him heaps so we might be seeing him 3 times a week if we can. He's super motivated to get back he just needs to keep working at it. We saw another member and than we had to do weekly planning. Friday we drove to Kerikeri for exchanges with the zone leaders. It's about just over 2 hours to get there. It was pretty fun. Me and Elder Hsu from Taiwan were together and we went to go visit quite a few people but they weren't home so we saw some other potential people or less actives and just tried to get to know them a little bit. Quite a bit of driving was done that day haha. We stayed the night there and than did a little more work and we left for Wellsford at 1. When we got back to our area we did studies and than went to a members house for dinner and tried to help them with the people they are working with to invite to church. That's was pretty fun. Sunday was pretty good. We had quite a few less actives come to church for the first time in a long while. Things are moving here in Wellsford it might be by the inches but things are happening! We were able to go to a less active family with the De Lora's and they had a great lesson on being children of God and how we can be just like him. Than we took off for another less active and taught his kids about reading the Book of Mormon and how it will truly bless their lives and bring them closer to our Loving Father in Heaven. It was a great day for visiting people and I feel like they are progressing pretty well. I'm so thankful for these families and their desire to come back to church. It won't be easy for them but I know it will be the best decision they've ever made! I just want to take a moment and send my appreciation to all those wonderful fathers out there, taking time to teach us kids how to play in the dirt, hook a worm, hammer a nail not our thumb, ride a bike, bug the heck out of our moms and whatever else we might learn from them. I'm so thankful for my Dad and how much he's influenced my life and also all the other dads out there that have a part of my life! Happy Father's Day Dad, you're the best! Ofa atu! Love, Elder Wilding

Week 39

Kia Ora, This week has gone by pretty fast for the most part. We spent a few days trying to avoid down pouring rain and high winds but other than that it was good. Tuesday we started off the day with some District council and getting to know every one. It was over Facebook video call so it wasn't as successful as we would really like it to be but it's all good. The senior couple was able to come with us and we did some nice role plays with them so that was cool haha. Spent the rest of the day doing some door knocking and we got permission to go to a community Maori language learning class with some members and the senior couple. It was way fun and we were able to talk to a few people and get ourselves out in the community in a normal way haha. Wednesday we had a ZLC meeting in Whangarei so that took most of the day and then we had studies and off to dinner with some members. Pretty chill day not too much happened. Thursday we had to go to Auckland for interviews with President Walker. So that was way fun. We talked heaps about my district and my comp, How we can help him continue to learn and grow, and he gave us permission to go to that Maori class every week so that's cool! Friday we had weekly planning and was trying to stay out of the wind and rain so that was fun. Visited a few members and than we were able to go see Maasi again. He finally made it back home from Australia and we went to go over the baptismal interview questions again and plan his baptism and his mom said we might have to move it to the end of July..... I was so disappointed. Its like getting stabbed in the heart haha. We will try to move it somewhere closer hopefully so we will see. Saturday we had a pretty good day. Did some family History, Saw a less active, and taught one of our eternal investigators so that was cool. Than the senior couple invited us over for dinner so that was good. We had MEXICAN!! I miss it so much haha. Sunday we had church studies and than off to a less actives to visit them. We had a pretty good lesson with them and hope to be teaching her kids, who aren't baptized, soon. That's pretty much our week in a nutshell. It was a pretty good week. It's getting cold and rainy so I think I'm in for a long winter haha. Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather over there. Have a great week everyone! Here's a scripture for the week just cause I feel like it... Alma 32:21 enjoy! 😁 Ofa atu! Love, Elder Wilding

Week 38

Kia Ora! This week has been a pretty crazy one. Things have been going pretty quick but kinda slow at the same time haha weird how that works. In the end we were able to see some amazing blessings! So Monday night we got a call from President Walker and he gave us our transfer news. Elder Rogers went down to South Auckland, Elder Tuala went to Dargaville which is still in my district up here in the north lands, and I stayed haha. And well I'm training now so that's gonna be fun and my new companions name is(good luck pronouncing it😂) Elder Vakaudekoro. Tuesday we had District Council and the other two elders got to say good bye to those that were staying and the sisters in the district said goodbye as well. They both got moved and two elders took their area. So the district is all elders now. We than went back to our area and tried to do some member visits. Then that night we had to drop off elder Tuala at his new area. Wednesday Elder Rogers and I took off for Auckland early in the morning to go to transfers. I sat through some training on how to train and then I got my new companion and got lunch. We had another training for the new missionaries and then had a quick visit with some other missionaries and than took off for Wellsford. We had dinner that night with a family as well so that was good. Thursday we did heaps of door knocking and didn't have much success. We visited the senior couple and planned out a lesson we were going to have with a less active family on Sunday with them. Friday we had weekly planning and heaps of more door knocking trying to get my companion right into it. It's hard but I hope it all pays off. We had other plans but they fell through so we had more door knocking. Saturday was pretty much the same.. I feel bad all our plans fell through again and we did more knocking this time it rained on us pretty good. Sunday we had a pretty interesting sacrament meeting. The YSA from South Auckland had a camp out up here and they decided to come to our branch for church. So if you can imagine 105ish people in a room that is only really supposed to fit 70ish it was crazy haha. We had a less active show up with her kids and during the testimonies she said she started to cry! She felt the spirit so strong! Later that day we had a lesson with her and the kids and we talked about what she felt and the blessings from being a member. She felt so strongly that she needed to get back to church and said she will be coming back the next week! This is great news because she has 4 kids that need to get baptized! We hope to be teaching them soon! This week has been kinda hard, I've had a 4 new companions in the last 2 transfers so it's been hard trying to adjust so much but I know that the Lord will strengthen me. With all the door knocking we will probably run out of doors here in a few weeks haha. But we must go on! I hope you've all had a great week. Ofa atu! Love, Elder Wilding