I'm Running Out of Titles

Kia Ora!

So this week was a tad crazy. We did go to the VC Saturday though and it was so fun and exciting! We've been planning this for over two weeks, but found out Thursday that our ward mission leader wasn't going to be here this weekend, so he was no help. & apparently there is no money in the ward budget for missionary work, so they weren't going to help pay for petrol. So we found one family who was going to let us borrow their van, but they're family was coming in town, so we found someone else to drive it, and then we called everyone in the ward for another car, but of course it was too late of notice, so one of our investigators ended up driving. But then it was drama about who was paying for petrol for the van since the ward wasn't too willing to help, anyway, it was madness, but it all worked out. Maybe not everyone was happy, but we got our investigators there and it was an awesome experience! It was also a very interesting drive up there. Remember the lady from last week who helped me teach gospel principles? Well she was our driver. And always has something to say about everything. & then she told us to start singing hymns. So for about 20 min, Sis Perry and I were singing hymns since we were in a van full of investigators who clearly don't know the hymns, and Sis Tarawa would chime in on the ones she knew. And she told Sis Perry one time that she started in a half key...who can hear a half key unless you have perfect pitch? & as we were singing, we found out she doesn't have perfect pitch. Like I said: something to say about EVERYthing! So we walked around the VC a little bit with one of the Sisters there kind of guiding a tour that wasn't really much of a tour, and we watched the new Joseph Smith movie and it was awesome. It actually made me a little homesick for the States and made me realize how much I really do love America, but I am still loving NZ! So we took 5 investigators (an older lady, her daughter in law & her 2 kids), another guy we're teaching, Ash, and a guy that got baptized the first week we were here, Adrian, and it was just great to teach them more about the temple. And it was just cool how Ash and Adrian were DYING to go into the temple and they both can't wait to go in! Ash, who isn't even baptized yet, is so determined to have a temple marriage. He is truly converted to the gospel and I LOVE it. He also shared his testimony yesterday in Sac Mtg and it was choice! Ahh, so good. Even all the member loved it. We had an all around amazing testimony meeting and really opened my eyes of the strength of the testimony of the members in the ward and the potential of how much good they can go, we've just got to figure out how to get them to help us! So the first 2 pics are from the VC. One is of Sis Perry and I and Natasha (the daughter in laugh) and Redem (short for Redemption) and her 2 kids. The other is of Ash, our investigator, and Adrian, the most recent baptism. I think the 3rd picture is of the view when you walk out the temple. It's on this tall hill and out in the country and it's just gorgeous! I love NZ!!

& then Saturday evening we had a baptism and it was tso exciting! Glenn has been set for baptism before and has been learning from the missionaries for a while and it was truly a miracle that he got baptized! He was set for the week before, but he didn't quit smoking. & then we didn't talk to him for 48 hrs before his baptism. He went to an island for a land meeting on Saturday and was gone all day friday at work, we were freaking out! But we showed up at his house 2 hrs before and he seemed slightly excited! Let me tell you about Glen. He is SUPER quiet and is so hard to get info out of him or to see ANY emotion on his face, & he didn't seem too excited about baptism, but he knows everything, but then it finally came out that he is taking prescription drugs and he thought the church wasn't okay with that, and after that, I felt like he was much happier about everything. & then he showed up to church in a white shirt on Sunday (he usually wears a dark shirt) and he was chewing gum (our alternative for smoking) and it was so exciting! He was even at church 30 min early! Ahh, it was so good!

So it's pretty funny the reactions I get when I tell people I'm from Texas, and I was talking to one of the counselors in the bishopric at our baptism last Saturday and he was blown away that I was REALLY from Texas. Of course everyone asks me if there are a lot of cowboys and horses. But he was saying how Texans just have a different way of thinking and seeing the big picture, haha, that was kind of a surprise. & Of course they ask  me if I knew the old mission presidnet who was from Texas. Umm, nope, Texas is kind of big. Try multiplying NZ times like 10, haha.

New Zealanders are quite proud of their ice cream and I feel like I"ve heard a lot about it this week & everyone asks me, "Have you had NZ ice cream? it's the best!" & It really is good, it's just funny how proud they are of it.

Well, that's it for this week. I wish I could tell you all the stories of the crazy people we meet on the street sometimes. Oh, & some of the members, especially the polys see it as such a blessing to feed the memebers and one lady this week just kept going on about how special the missionaries are and how much we need to feed them. Ohh, you are too kind! haha

Love you all!
-Sis Mullen