Life as an Uncommon Elder

So, After an awesome week following a hard week, I've had another trying week. Things seem to work that way. We have a few really solid investigators right now, but we also have some that are going through difficulties in finding faith and keeping that faith that they have already found. They claim to have experiences, they're not sure what they're feeling, and they're not sure if it's coming from God. Unfortunately, no amount of testifying, no amount of smiles and warm greetings can substitute for that foundational belief of faith. The only way to gain that faith is through action, through calling upon God, keeping His commandments, reading His scripture. Without doing these fundemental things with patience and forebearance, it is impossible to gain a solid faith in God. If you are currently struggling with your faith, seek God and you will find him. I promise you will.

So, after such a difficult week, this week has been the BEST WEEK THIS TRANSFER!!! We had a ton of  great appointments, we hit pretty much all of our goals, and it's been awesome. One of our investigators decided to remain Catholic, it really upset my companion Elder Lynguyen, she appeared to be a golden investigator, willing and open ears, but in the end it was too much of a change for her, but we did our job of inviting her to come closer to Christ. Another of our investigators is progressing very well, she's brought friends to meet us, she's developing faith in Christ, and it's awesome! There are just a lot of awesome things going on. Just keep moving forward and keep praying and everything will turn out allright. An Uncommon Elder, Elder Ryan

So, Australia is not the US, and there are a lot of things here that are cool, but also very different. 1 - Aussies talk differently. Not only do they have an accent, but they say things differently. 2 - A gas station is called a SERVO... 3 - Mexican food apparently isn't very good here, but they have a chain called Taco Bill 4 - The equivalent of a Burger King is Hungry Jack 5 - People don't regard some common profanities as impolite in public settings The work here has had a lot more rejection this week. Of 12 appointments that we've had with investigators, 3 actually came through. The ones that came through were awesome, one is Catholic, the other is Buddhist, one learns from us in secret so as not to upset their family ties, the other is just wanting to learn. Once again, I don't have much time to write, but I'll keep you all posted. Love, An Uncommon Elder, Elder Ryan

Week of miracles! So things have been mostly slow, but they are picking up at a rapid pace. This last Sunday for the fast, my companion and I decided to fast specifically for our investigators. The result was amazing. We had two phone calls out of the blue from old street contacts that wanted to meet with us. We have a ton of appointments booked for this week. We're building rapport with the members , and it is GLORIOUS! I still don't speak Vietnamese very well, and even though my pronunciation is very clear, most people see my pasty white face and immediately assume that they don't understand what I'm saying. It takes a little bit of effort to get them to realize I'm not speaking English that they don't understand, but speaking Vietnamese. It's a lot of fun. Elder Ryan

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...