Our First Zone Conference

Aloha family and friends! this week was a really interesting week. You could say it was one of those down weeks on the mission. We tried visiting people and teaching them but some weren't home and everyone else just weren't interested. It's just part of the mission life I guess but man it can get difficult in a place like Australia. But I know that the Lord is beside me. 

Elders Kaanapu, Fiaui & Howard w/Sister Brown 

One thing that really changed me this week though, well a couple things I guess, was I had my first Zone conference! We got to hear from President Maxwell and Sister Maxwell and heaps of other missionaries for trainings and advice and tips etc. I tried my best to take as many notes as I could, because there was some really good trainings about teaching with power and being obedient etc. And a reoccurring theme that keeps popping up this week is working with exact obedience and paying attention to the blessings that we receive. A funny but true quote that one of the APs said was "The mission is the only time where you will be blessed to back out a car" for those of you who don't know, one of the mission rules is that one missionary has to be out of the car to back it out every time you go in reverse. And heaps of emphasis was obeying even little rules like that. 

As more time goes on in the mission, hard things come up all the time. Most of it being temptations all around us, and discouragement from no success, I gotta admit being a missionary is not easy, but my gosh is it worth it. Here in our mission it's hard to get baptisms, it's hard to get people to even listen to us. And the ones that do usually drop us at some point later on. But I know that through obedience to the lord in not just the commandments, but the rules we've been given as missionaries we will be blessed with the Spirit and with success. And we have! 

Most of the miracles that we see aren't huge biblical level miracles (although they do happen) no most of the miracles we see as missionaries are really small, almost unrecognizable. But they happen every day, and I thank my heavenly father for them every day. One miracle that I see constantly is the love of the ward for the missionaries, they love us so much it's crazy! and another miracle that I see and feel all the time is the love that Heavenly Father and my parents have for me, and friends too ;) Thank you all for the prayers and for the inspiring messages, they help me so much. It's hard to really explain how much because it's indescribable, so thank you :) I love all of you! and I love being a missionary! First transfer is finished! sixteen left to go! Love, Elder Kaanapu