First full week in AUS

Hello Everybody!

So I have officially survived a full week in Australia! My Vietnamese is still pretty terrible. I mostly just sit quietly in lessons and smile. (like this ^_^) and nod. We work with a lot of University students from Vietnam. So retention can be difficult, but the members are super solid! We have some amazing members currently, and there is a lot of great things happening.

I've heard that there was a super big announcement in the broadcast, but as of yet, I don't know what it is... I haven't seen it yet. I can't wait to find out though.

I've seen a lot of opposition here, and ultimately every objection I've heard can be directly answered in the bible, supported by the Book of Mormon. But people have their agency and the right to find out for themselves. There is a huge difference between here and the Bronx. In the Bronx, people respected the missionaries and would keep their ill mannered thoughts to themselves. Here people speak them openly, even going as far as shouting across the train platforms. Even though there is a lot of negativity all around, the work is still amazing! It's the little successes and miracles that make it all worth it. This week I'm determined to pray for more miracles in our area. I know that as I serve and work harder that God will help me to find those who are seeking that relationship with Christ.

I love you all and hope you're all doing well!

An Uncommon Elder

Elder Timothy Ryan

Spiritual Insights (9/2/13)

So, this week I had a little more time to study independently (and unlike other weeks, I remembered to bring my notes to the library) so today, my blog post is going to be mostly on how to answer the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Many people have asked this question, and many people have used it as grounds to disprove that there is a God. Don't let yourself get caught in that trap. God is real, he loves you! If you don't know it now, seek him out and I promise you will find him. In my studies, I have found a few scriptures that helped prove this in my mind. In Joseph Smith's adversity he was comforted by these words from the Lord, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;" (D&C 121:7) and was later counseled, " 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if th...

week almost 5

Well everyone, it's the end of week 4. Saturday is my halfway mark in the MTC, and things have leveled for me emotionally, I've become much more comfortable with Vietnamese, the obedience is much easier, and life in general is a lot less dramatic. For this, I am grateful. I still have the best companion at the MTC. Life here is so routine it's hard to tell one day from the next. Days are long, weeks are short. I've heard many people say it, and it's true. The days can be long and exhausting, and then you get to a Sunday and you're thinking, wait, what happened to the other 6 days. I'm definitely grateful that I get to be at the MTC for 9 weeks. There are a lot of things I needed to grow up about, and a lot of humilty that I needed to learn. I'm not perfect, I probably won't be perfect, but I've realized that I can't always be right, even though I am (^_-). Sometimes I just have to accept the fact that other people have other opinion...

my feelings

The rest of my mission can be summed up through reading my posts sent via email. The purpose of this post is to sum up some of my final feelings and bring some closure in my mind to the events that led to me finishing my mission early. Earlier today I read a blog post by another missionary who served in the same mission that I did. She went through a similar experience. She was so open and honest, and through her display of courage, I figured that I could do the same. (Her post can be found HERE ) To provide a short disclaimer, the things expressed in this post are entirely my own thoughts based on my own knowledge and experiences. They may not always be accurate because I don't know everything, and I would encourage anyone and everyone to investigate and form their own conclusions. In August of 2013, 5 months after I left on my mission, an ugly beast that had plagued me most of my life, decided to manifest itself in the most forward and unavoidable way. For most of my ...

Life as an Uncommon Elder

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