The Next Part

G'day, family and friends!

The last week of this transfer has been great, as always. We're still working hard with our investigators, and still seeing people progress in the gospel.

We had the privilege of seeing several small miracles occur in our area this week: Eyron, Hailey's father, received the priesthood yesterday! That was a great experience for him :) Also, we had an opportunity to teach the sister of another recent convert about the Book of Mormon, and she accepted one! We're hopeful that in the near future, she will begin to learn about the gospel herself. Things are still continuing to look up for this area, because it is ON FIRE. Ward Council meeting yesterday was very focused on missionary work. We have been working very hard, every moment of every day, and I'm glad to see the results of it happening here in Dianella stake. The mission has been on fire as well!

These last few days have been pretty funny, too. I'll save details for later, but I will say that apparently I have been really good at hiding the fact I'm at a certain point in my mission. Just about Nobody knew until Sunday. (It was pretty funny, actually.)

Elder Ward's been assigned as the new district leader here! He's a bit nervous about it. He'll be a great leader for this district, though.

I will end my last email by saying that I'm very happy and humbled that I have been able to serve as a missionary for our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for the gospel in my life, and I'm glad that I am sharing that same message of happiness to others. I know that it has blessed my life, and the lives of those I have shared it with.

I love you all very much, and I will see you at a certain point in the very near future :D

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder Australia Perth Mission, 2012-2014 :)

The Stretch

G'day, family and friends! 'Tis been a great week down under here in the outback! This has been week 5 of the transfer, and we've been going at it full speed.

Here's a bit of what's been going on:

We're still meeting with Klea and Nicholetta. They're still working on their situation with visas, etc. I am astounded with how much effort the ward has been putting into helping them! Our ward mission leader has been amazing- giving Klea lifts home from work, inviting them for dinner with his family, etc. Several families have really taken them under their wings.

Yesterday, right before church, Hailey returned with her dad. Unfortunately, she doesn't have permission from her mum to be baptised. She's still optomistic, though, and everyone's still very supportive of her. She'll continue to come to church, and we'll keep teaching her as well, she loves the gospel.

We've had some other ups and downs as well- 3 of our investigators dropped us this week. One in particular, Siniell, texted us, thanked us for our time, but said he just wasn't really interested in doing anything. We had a good experience teaching him, though, and I think in the long run that he will remember what we taught.

We had a couple of small miracles, though! A young woman, 18 years old, named Elizabeth, has been in contact with missionaries for several months. She's from the Phillipines, where half of her relatives are members. We've been trying for AGES to meet with her, because she is so keen to learn! Finally, we found her home- she's back from the phillipines (holiday), and she'd been meeting with missionaries there, too! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her, and she said she wanted to be baptised. We've set a date for March 22nd :) Also, this last sunday, a member came up to us- Her niece just returned from Kalgoorlie, and would like to be baptised as well! We're going to start teaching her on Tuesday.

I'm so happy! Even while we experience trials, we have blessings as we keep on working through them.

Behold, there is much to do. I will sign off for now, and wish you all the best for the coming week!

Love,

Elder Reeder

Running around

I'm running out of ideas for subject lines, here, too.

It's week 5 of the transfer! Man, this goes by fast.

Elder Ward and I have been spending a lot of time this week, over at the Dianella Chapel! Tuesday, we had a zone meeting. Then, Wednesday, President Lindsay had some specialised training with us missionaries. We focused on how to better teach our investigators, through using the scriptures (Introducing the scripture, reading it together, and explaining and applying it to their situation), asking questions, and listening to them and the spirit. We all learned a lot. I learned from my companion how a simple definition of a word can really open up a verse to someone.

Saturday, there was a baptism! This is a cool story: A lady named Jenna moved from Darwin a few months ago to Perth, to start over her life with her and her 8 year old son. Soon, she met the missionaries, and accepted the gospel! While she was being taught, she met a man named Robert, became friends with him, and shared the gospel with him. He was just baptised 2 weeks ago, and this last Saturday, after receiving the priesthood, he baptised Jenna's son, Michael. What a miracle!

Sunday was Ward Conference. It was also a really good sunday with everyone's investigators! 10, including a family of 6, showed up for the conference. That evening, we had the opportunity to attend the Pacific Area Presidency leadership broadcast, with Elder James J. Hamula, O. Vincent Haleck, and Kevin W. Pearson. They provided some great training and counsel for the wards to help involve the members in missionary work.

We're still working with Klea, Nicholetta, and Hailey :) Hailey is still getting ready for her baptism. She's with her mum this week.

Sorry it's a bit of a short email this week, we've got some things we need to get done today.

Love to everybody!

Elder Reeder

Groundhog Day

That subject line has nothing to do with this email; except it was Groundhog day yesterday.

Hi, everyone! Long time no hear? (It's only been 4 days since the last time I emailed.)

Since Thursday, things have still been keeping along at a brisk pace here in Noranda. Elder Ward and I finally managed to get a new copy of our ward directory, which we were in sore need of- the old one was from last June, and since I've been here, at least 4 families have moved into the ward :) So now we have a better idea of who is actually in our area. We've found a couple of less-active members on that list, that invited us back! So that's good news.

Dianella Ward is really starting to get the hang of missionary work- We discussed beginning an english class taught by the ward missionaries, to help with the increasing numbers of non-english speaking members, nonmembers, etc. Recently the mission has been seeing an incredible amount of baptisms of people from Persia, Korea, Japan, the Phillipines, Serbia, etc. etc.! It's great.

Short story: We were looking for a house, and came across a spider. A BIG ONE. Like small tarantula sized. Elder Ward took a picture of it, and a lady came out of her house, and chatted with us about said spider. We talked for a bit- she leaves the spiders because they eat the bugs- and then her husband came out. With a can of Mortein (bug spray) and a blowtorch. Combine those two and I think you can guess what happened next :D

Siniell, Klea and Nicholetta, and Hailey are all doing great! We had another lesson with Siniell- we read 3 Nephi 11 with him, and talked about Jesus' purpose in coming. He brought up baptism. We asked him if it was something he'd ever thought about, and he said he hadn't. We invited him to think on it, and to think about what he should do.

We had a lesson with Klea and Nicholetta on Friday- We're going to be postponing their baptismal dates, for now. They're so eager to go through with it! The ward is very supportive and helpful of them as well. The only thing holding them back right now is Visas- Nicholetta may have to return to Albania in a few months, and certain circumstances mean that we need to make sure she'll be all right first. But they're still very much a part of the ward :) The Evans family, in particular, have really befriended them, giving them rides to church, etc.

So yeah, that's been the last few :) Today we're all going to King's park, as a zone, for a dinosaur-themed scavenger hunt. (Our Zone leaders are awesome.) And then, for the first time ever, I will get to go INSIDE PERTH CITY. AND LOOK AT IT.

I love you all! Stay safe, wear sunscreen, and don't ski into any trees!

Love,

Elder Reeder

High Times!

Hello, family and friends!

It's been an AMAZING, if long, week here in Perth Australia!

Monday was Australia Day, so the libraries were closed, etc. Elder Ward and I have seen so many miracles happening around here, and we have been incredibly blessed to see such success happening in the Noranda area.

Klea and Nicholetta are doing awesomely. They're ready for their baptism next week, and they're excited for it :) We taught them about the ten commandments last week, and Nicholetta, the mum, was astounded when we talked about keeping the sabbath day holy. Her husband, who is in Albania, has been doing that his whole life, and now, she told us, she understood why! The ward has been great with fellowship, and they've made a lot of friends here.

We've got another baptismal date! Eyron Doust, a recent convert here, has a daughter named Hailey. She told us after a lesson that she wanted to learn and be baptised as well! Exctiting. Her date is set for February 22 :) We just need to get permission from her mum.

So many things are happeneing here! I can't even mention all the miracles we've been having. I just feel so blessed to be here at this time, to be able to be a missionary for the Lord.

Today was great! We had the privilege of attending the temple here in Perth, today. I'd been hoping for this last chance, and I'm glad I was able to go inside again.

Tonight, we will be meeting with another part-member family, to teach another new investigator named Mick, from Greece. His son, Ryan, was just baptised recently as well.

President Lindsay has established a mission statement, or "vision," for the mission, which was a focal point in our recent Zone Conference. "We are Full-Purpose missionaries who prepare increasing numbers of God's children for sacred ordinances from baptism through temple covenants. And because we ACT in faith and obedience, God is With us in the work. Make it Happen!"

True.

I love you all! For those of you who are wondering whereabouts I am right now, it's 8/25 Stewart Way, Noranda. Also, of interest, we actually live about 3 minutes away from President Lindsay, at the mission home! It's 27 Hollister way, Noranda.

Have a great rest of your week! Until Monday :)

Love,

Elder Reeder

The Next Heat

Holy cow, (or, if you want to go Reeeally aussie, you could say "Stone the Crows!") it is hot out here! G'day, everybody! It is definitely summer out here! The last few days have seen temperatures of around 40C! I found out that my helmet has been saving me from sunburned face most of the time- but I left it in Rockingham for a couple of days, and I paid for it. Word of advice to all: Sunscreen more than once a day is definitely not a bad idea.

Anyway! This week has been incredible! Transfers happened, and I am now in Noranda, with Elder Ward! He is awesome. Elder Ward is from Logan, Utah, and has been out for 3 months. He played the clarinet in marching band. (What are the odds of that?) We've been getting along really well. He's also a really hard worker, so we've been hitting the area hard, too.

We've got 2 baptismal dates in this area! Their names are Clea and Nicholetta, a mum and her daughter. They are from Albania, and have been here for only about 7 months. It's so cool to teach them; they're both so willing to learn about and to follow Jesus Christ! They're getting baptised on the 8th of February.

We also had a really cool experience tracting this week. We met a young guy named Siniell, who told us to come back in a couple of days. We did, and he invited us in! He didn't really have much of an expectation or reason to do so, he said, he was just curious to hear what we had to say. We taught him about the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the gospel. He really paid attention when we explained about the book of mormon, and said that he would definitely be reading it himself. He invited us back to learn more! We're excited for him :)

So far this transfer has gone pretty well. My only wish is that it would cool down a bit. Again, there is no air-con in our flat. This one heats up quite a bit, too.

We're having a zone conference this Thursday, so that's something to look forward to again. Also, in March, apparently, Elder James Hamula, of the seventy, is coming to the mission again!

Things are looking good!

Love,

Elder Reeder

Last minute turnaround

Good morning, all you wonderful folks! Today is the dawning of a new morning, a beautiful summer's day, and a new transfer! I've been excited for these next few weeks here in Rockingham East. I really love this area, and especially the members here! We've been really starting to work well with them, and some results were just seen this past weekend, with the baptism of Brother Hodges, who's joined his family in the gospel :) Last night Brother Hodges then had the opportunity to baptise his son, who is 8.

So yes, great things are happening here.

HOWEVER! Very unexpectedly, transfers happened! I've been assuming that I'll be staying in Rockingham for the duration. Everyone's assumed that, actually :D However, that is not to be. Turns out, I'm being transferred up to Noranda area, with Elder Ward as my companion. That's right, back up to Dianella Zone, somewhere I've been before, too! Interesting. I'll miss this place a lot, but I know that Elder Liehr and his new companion, Elder Shin, and the other new missionaries in the other area will be very good for the members and investigators here.

Hey! Also, it's my birthday! I appear to be 21.

I love you all!

I'm planning on making this next transfer the best EVER, wherever I am.

Love,

Elder Reeder

Summer days

Good morning, Family and Friends :) How goes? Since last Thursday, the week has progressed a bit slowly, but we have seen some promising potentials coming out of the woodwork.

Friday evening, we went to visit the Ngatai family. One of brother Ngatai's daughters, Crystal, isn't a member, but she has always been very friendly to the missionaries. We started out sharing a message about making covenants (it being new years, etc), and then Crystal surprised us by asking us some questions about covenants! We answered her questions, and then we all began discussing the Plan of Salvation, and how it related to each of us. She's been gaining interest in learning over the past few months, which is pretty cool to see. We asked her what her thoughts were on baptism; She doesn't feel ready to yet, but she is thinking about it. Cool!

Sunday was the first fast and testimony meeting of the year. There were a Lot of people who came up to bear their testimonies :) The spirit was strong. We also had a couple of members commenting on member missionary work. It woke up the ward a bit, and the fire is being rekindled again, I think. There were several volunteering to come out with the missionaries when we do splits on Thursdays.

After church finished, I had the wonderful privilege of interviewing someone for baptism! Brother Hodges has been coming to church with his family for a few years now, and decided just a few weeks ago that he should take the lessons and be baptised! We're so excited for him. I really felt the spirit testify as we met, he is ready to take this step :) He's going to be baptised this coming Saturday.

In other news, David, from Greenmount, was just baptised and confirmed a member of the church! Hooray!

This is the last week of the transfer here. I'm interested in seeing what's going to happen in these next few weeks :) And I'm looking forward to it.

I love you all! and I hope you're all having a great time in the snow. (If you're not, then go and do it. I can't because there's no snow here.)

It's 34C here today. (93F)

Love,

Elder Reeder

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year, family and friends! It's now 2014, the beginning of a new year!

Did anyone make any good resolutions for the new year?

It's a great time to do so :) It's like turning over a new leaf, making a fresh start on life. Something I found in the scriptures to relate with this can be found in Mosiah 18:13. Helam, after being taught by Alma, desires to change and work to become a better person. As evidence of his desire, he enters into a Convenant with his Heavenly Father to work to become that person. Resolutions are much the same: each year we make a resolution to change something about ourselves, to try and be better :) Sometimes they're personal goals, like resolving to lose 10kgs during the next year, etc. And sometimes they're spiritual, like resolving to read the scriptures every day throughout the year. Either way, I love ringing in the new year, with that great opportunity to make that year the best yet. :)

So! I'm writing on Thursday, today. Our library closed for the Christmas season, until next week. So all the missionaries tried to go to the only other libraries in the area, to find out that their computers had all died. Bummer. They're fixed now, so... Elder Liehr and I spent Monday trying to find our way around via bus. After we arrived in Mandurah, we realised we'd boarded the wrong one. Oops.

In zone meeting this past week, there's been a lot of focus again on working with the members. Tip: Next general conference is going to be really focused on missionary work, in case you hadn't already guessed :) There are still many members who are nervous about missionary work. What we're focusing on is bringing them to appointments with us, so that not only do our investigators have some great fellowship with the member, but joining in on teaching serves to strengthen their own testimony of missionary work.

Sounds like stuff we've done before, but there's still plenty of work to be done, and plenty of practice to have :)

Love to everyone, and hope everyone's having a great new year!

Elder Reeder

Christmas Bells are Ringing

G'day, everybody! Today is Monday, December 23rd, 2013, and it's a beautiful sunny day here in Rockingham. It might get a bit warm later on in the day, but oh well, it's summer. :D

Apparently, back home, it's exactly the opposite. Lots and lots of snow, cold(ish) temperatures, etc. etc. And it's Christmas! The best time of the year.

This week has seen some blessings happening here in Rockingham! We have four new investigators to work with! On Saturday, we went on exchanges with the zone leaders. I went with Elder Bunda, down to Baldivis, and Elder Patuaka came up to Rockingham with Elder Liehr. During the day, they tried a few former investigators. One of them, named Paige, answered the door. Turned out that she hadn't really been taught in the first place, but had listened in a couple of times when missionaries had taught her sister. They shared about the Restoration with her, and she really wants to know more! She asked for them to come back this weekend, after Christmas.

We've been trying to meet with Darrel, Brother Lolohea's friend, but it's been difficult. We had an appointment with him on Friday. However, Darrel has been looking for a house, and found one the day before, so he wasn't able to meet with us. He's still interested, though. Hopefully the missionaries in his new area can get in touch with him soon.

This upcoming week is going to be interesting. Today is our P-Day. Tomorrow morning, after district meeting, we've been asked not to go tracting, and same with Christmas Day. We'll be spending a lot of time with members, I suppose.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Although I'm out here, and won't be able to talk to you all on Christmas Day, know that I love and miss each one of you! Thanks for your support and your prayers, they really do help out from day to day. This work is amazing.

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder

On the...16th? day of Christmas

I think I got mixed up somewhere along that line...

Anyway!

How is everyone going? I'm excited for Christmas. Last night, we all were able to watch the first presidency Christmas Devotional. Personally, I think this is one of my favourite parts of Christmas. I love hearing the songs by the choir, as well as the messages from those who spoke. It always helps me feel more like it's really Christmas :) I really liked Elder Rasband's words on remembering the reason for the season: "How will we worship Him this season? Endlessly shopping? Hustling about and adorning our homes? Will that be our tribute to our Savior? Or will we bring peace to troubled hearts, good will to those in need of higher purpose, glory to God in our willingness to do His bidding? Jesus put it simply: “Come, follow me.”

Elder Liehr and I have been working more with the members in the ward, this week. Christmas is coming, of course, and so people are out of town. One of the best ways that we've found to help members share that love and spirit they have, is sharing a Christmas message with them, and inviting them to bring a friend by for Christmas, or to an activity. This week, we also had our ward Christmas party. One of our investigators, Darrel, came along as well! We're meeting him later this week, and we'll be able to start properly teaching him. He really wants to learn, I think.

The weather's been truly heating up. Today it's supposed to be 39C (102F). Woohoo. I'm relieved, however, because one of the young men told us there was a heat wave headed this way, and temperatures were going to be in the 50's! Fortunately, this was a joke, and we will not be melting after all.

This week is looking up. We have a few appointments with investigators, and I'm looking forward to it. I love you all, have a great week and a merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder

Ps: By popular demand (mom), here is the other 11 days of an aussie Christmas:

On the First day: An Emu, up a gum tree!
On the 2nd day: 2 Pink Galahs
On the 3rd day: 3 Jabirus
On the 4th day: 4 Kookaburras
On the 5th day: Five Kangaroos!
On the 6th day: 6 Platypuses
On the 7th day: 7 Koalas Climbing
On the 8th day: 8 Dingoes Dancing
On the 9th day: 9 wombats working
On the 10th day: 10 Lizards Leaping
On the 11th day: 11 Numbats Nagging
On the 12th day: 12 Parrots Prattling
Have fun!

On the 9th day of Christmas!

I'm sure you'd all love to read 9 days worth of that song :D

Hi! How's everyone's week been? Here in Rockingham, things have continued to move forward, despite the confusion of transfers. I'm here with my companion, Elder Leihr now. Elder Leihr's from Sydney. He's been out about 4 months, and is a very social guy. He's already gotten to know a lot of the ward here :) Elder Tipene is up in Karratha now. He called us the night he got in, it's already close to 40C up there! He loves the branch, though.

So! Elder Leihr and I have continued work down here. It's been a little tough this week, with Christmas coming near. I think more than a few people have headed out of town to visit their rellies. We decided to start going through the now Updated ward list, and visit members that no one knew about. Awesome experiences: Met a man named Richard at one door. He was incredibly friendly and social towards us. We also had our ward mission leader with us. He's got a son with a disability. Mentioned that he's been looking for activities, sports, or Anything to bring his son to. Coincidentally, our ward Christmas party is this Saturday! As well as a very special sacrament meeting the day after. (not that sacrament meeting isn't special in the first place...) Richard was very keen to come along. And said that we could come by again and visit him and his son sometime!

Sunday night was pretty fun. The Tini family, from the Cook Islands, had an early Christmas dinner. And they invited their whole family along, many of which aren't members yet. They invited us over as well, and we shared a Christmas message from the book of Mormon with them all :) There are some nice people in that family.

(Also, I'm pretty sure I'd like to return to Australia someday, for the islander parties. Kiwis, Tongans, and Cook Islanders have some of the best feeds Ever. :D)

So! I've received some more questions from some people, wondering what's up. Here are the answers to said questions :)

1. What is the thing you get fed the most? Usually something involving steak, here. And rice.

2. What is the WORST thing you've ever been fed, that you had to stuff in your socks rather than eat? Oyster cakes.

3. Do you have to shave every day? Well, yes and now. Yes, because I have to as a missionary, but I'll bet I could still get away with it for a day. ;)

4. You know those flipflops you had to take with you? Have you ever actually used them? Flipflops are referred to as shoes, thongs, or jandals here. I like Jandals, but I haven't actually used my own, due to the fact that a certain companion of mine was in need of a pair, having no shoes. You can get some really good ones here.

5. Does anyone ever get sent into the outback? to teach the Aboriginals? Yes, yest they do. The outback would be considered Karratha and Port Hedland. There are a few aboriginal members here, too.

6. Are you glad you went on a mission? Why? What would you say to someone who isn't sure they want to go? I am SO glad I went on a mission! I have learned so much about who I am, and about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many people out here that I am happy to have met, and been able to help them strengthen their own testimonies. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that His Plan of Happiness is for each and every one of us, that we can Do it, if we do our best, and rely on Him. If there was someone who wasn't sure, or having doubts, I would say Just go for it! Missions are hard. They can be tough on everyone. But the feelings you receive when you're working hard and you see people begin to make those wonderful changes in their lives, there's not much that can replace it. We've only got these few years to help participate in such a way, and I can Promise that anyone who goes on a mission will never regret having done so.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Especially one with lots of snow!

Except we're here in Perth Australia, and Santa Claus wears swimming trunks and lots of sunscreen.

G'day, everybody! How's life? For me, this week has been very awesome.

First of all, we have two new investigators!

One, named Metala, is the friend of a recent convert. She actually called us, as a prank at first. But then it turned out that she actually had questions for us. Elder Tipene and I taught her over the phone, and she came to the baptism of her friend Taylor on Saturday, and we taught her a bit more. She's pretty solid in her own church, but she is curious about how the church works. Cool.

Our other new investigator is named Darrell. He's a friend of a member in the ward named Leka. We've met Darrell before, and talked with him, but on Sunday, out of the blue, he showed up at church with Leka! After sacrament meeting, he asked us for a quick rundown of the basic beliefs of the church. We taught him the Restoration right there, about the Book of Mormon, and he said he'd like to read it! He stayed for the whole meeting, and afterwards said that he'd like to meet with us again later this week. He told us that he'd grown up in another church, but hadn't been in a long while. He'd decided it would be a good idea to have God more of a focus in his life. He lives up in the city, but he usually comes down to Rockingham during the weekend. He is Golden!

Saturday was the baptism for Taylor. She brought her whole family along to see. The spirit was very strong during the program, and her mum cried. Taylor was so happy to be finally taking that step. She was confirmed a member on Sunday.

(Incident during the baptism- The person who was in charge of filling the font forgot about it, and left it running. It overflowed again.)

Thanksgiving is this week. I hope you're all prepared. I will be having a chicken. Possibly. :) I knew this week would be different! We really got into it, and we've been blessed with these two new people to teach.

So, I've been asked questions, and requested to do this questionnaire of sorts. :) Behold, here are the answers.

1. What is your favourite food in Australia? My favourite food? Well, I've discovered the wonderful world of curry out here. Mmmm, Curry... Red curry, green curry, chicken curry with rice...

2. Do people feed you? If so, what and how often? Well, that strictly depends on where I've been. Rockingham ward is amazing, probably because the majority of members are Kiwi or Tongan. We get fed ~4 times a week :)

3. Have you lost/gained/maintained weight? I am proud to say that I have only gained 3 kilos! Having been on a bike my whole mission, I can definitely see the perks, compared to missionaries who've spent their whole missions in a car. (makes it easier to talk to people, too.)

11. Are the bugs bothersome? Holy cow, yes. Mostly just in the spring, though, which is better. Right- so, Flies, yeah? little black things that fly around, occasionally land on your nose, etc? Not here! I think they have some sort of targeting strategy, going for your mouth, ears, trying to go up your nose, etc. etc. In movies about Auz, you sometimes see people with hats with little corks around it? Those can be useful. (except for the corks bonking your face all the time, too :D )

A Day in the life of an Aussie Missionary: We get up at 6:30, exercise (pushups, situps, etc. maybe running, too.) Showering and getting ready at 7. Breakfast. I usually have cereal, sometimes we make pancakes. Elder Tipene's a cook so he can make good pancakes. Personal Study at 8, Companion study at 9, at 10 we pack up and walk out the door of our flat. In the morning we usually work to contact potential investigators, former investigators, and find members on our ward list that we don't know (Member Locators). Lunch at 12, then back out at 1, with more of the same, some tracting, appointments with investigators and less-active members. Sometimes when we have a dinner appointment we try to work nearby their house. Depending on whether or not we have a dinner appointment, Dinner is sometimes 5 or 6pm, and sometimes 9pm (Last night we had roast steak with vegetables, pasta, and chips (Like big French fries). We're back in our flat at 9, plan out our next day, (usually half an hour or so), and then prepare for bed, and write in journals, or just talk. 10:30, Bed. And then, we get up and do it all over again!

And that's a day in my life. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!

I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Elder Reeder

The week in review

Hi, all :)

This week has been a bit of a wake-up call. Things are starting to wear out on me, hahaha!

Saturday, Elder Tipene and I went on exchanges with the District Leader and his companion. I was with Elder Mason in Rockingham West, which was fun, seeing as how I'd served there before. Unfortunately, not much happened, as my body decided it was going to be sick that day. Not going into details, I'm not too keen on bacon right now. :) Elders Mason and Tipene gave me a blessing, and I'm feeling much better today.

However, that morning, We had a wonderful lesson with an investigator of the sisters, Taylor. She was interviewed, and she's going to be baptised this Saturday! (Remember, Taylor's the girl who went on the mini-mission a while back.) She's got amazing fellowship with another young woman, who is also a recent convert.

This week we managed to get in touch with another one of our investigators too, Jason Teatonga. Jason's been meeting with the missionaries for a long time, and has a pretty cool story. He knows the Book of Mormon is true. He has a very strong testimony of the gospel. We're trying to help him act on it now. He has a problem with smoking that he has to overcome first. But he's a really nice guy, who loves the missionaries. We talked with him about baptism this week, and he agreed that it was something he wanted to do. Hopefully we can get him to that point soon :)

Talking of things wearing out, my bike has just about had it. 6300 k's of riding later, and suddenly the chain just bends. I took it into the bike shop, and they were pretty impressed by the mileage. They also told me it'd be $176 to repair the chain, chainwheel (next to the pedals), and rear sprocket (gears on the back wheel). Ha. In the end, I became proficient at using pliers to bend the chain back again. Lucky there are lots of bike parts in the shed at our flat.

I had a temple recommend interview on Tuesday. It was good to meet with President for that :) We also discussed a bit about the work in this area. He gave some good ideas to follow, to help us try and get things happening in this area.

Aaand, that's pretty much been my week. I'm actually looking forward to this week more than others; I don't really know why. I just think it's going to be better :) I love you all! Have a great day! The church is true!

Love,

Elder Reeder

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

es, indeed, it's coming to that wonderful time of the year, once again, when everything begins to melt. It actually got up to 40C yesterday! Not a cloud in the sky. I feel sorry for Karratha, they've been hitting 40C already, and it's not even January yet. (If you remember, record high last year up there was 47C.) Apparently, since it was such a record-breaking rainy winter this year, it's going to be a record-breaking hot summer.

Elder Tipene and I have been continuing in our efforts to find and teach, which has been a bit difficult lately. We had a wonderful lesson, however, with an older man this week, named Peter. When Peter invited us in, he showed us a copy of the Book of Mormon, that he'd been given back in 1987! That's a while ago. And although he hadn't seen any missionaries in 10 years, he'd read the book of Mormon, and he believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet! He isn't at home this week, but when we next go visit him, we're hoping to be able to commit him to baptism.

We've got some seriously awesome members here in Rockingham ward. Manaaki Walker, and Sam Peihopa are two elders in the ward, both getting ready for their missions. Oh! Sam just got his mission call on Saturday, too! He's going to be serving in Auckland, New Zealand! (fyi that mission also covers the Cook Islands, now.)He's leaving March 31st. Manaaki is about ready to put his in. We've been taking them out with us a couple of times to teach and meet with members and investigators. They're really eager to get out themselves.

Well, I hope everyone has a great week! I'm hoping to get a lot of good things done here this week.

I love you all!

Elder Reeder

What do we do in the summertime?

When all the world is green? (or brown)

We can't fish in a stream (except on P-Day)

or lazily dream... (haha)

You know the rest.

Anyway. It's officially summertime here in Perth! Today's forecast is supposed to be around 30C. It's getting hot.

Elder Tipene and I have been doing a lot of service for people around the area, trying to pick up some new investigators. Saturday was good as well- Our district had a blitz in our area. Us, the other elders, and the sisters, came in to our area and did some tracting for a while to help out. We saw some good success come from that. Cool story about it- The sisters brought some young women along as well. One is Toree Ngatai, a recent convert whose dad is a reactivated member (he's awesome), and the other was a girl named Taylor, who isn't yet a member. Taylor came on the mini-missions a while back, and gained a testimony and wants to be baptised now! The sisters are teaching her and she has a date set for December :)

So these two girls came along with the sisters to go tracting. They ended up finding a new investigator together! He told them at the door that he believed it was true already, and we have a return appointment later this week. Woohoo!

We had a zone conference this last Friday. We had some good training from President Lindsay, on inviting people earlier on to be baptised. There are a lot of new missionaries in our mission lately, so it was also a great opportunity to go over our purpose again, and for some, to refocus.

Well, that's my week here. Hope yours is great!

Love you all!

Elder Reeder

Halloween

G'day, everybody :) Elder Reeder here, with another report from the outback.

So I'm in Rockingham again! I have officially been in every area in this district, now. Kwinana, Rockingham East, and Rockingham West. (I think I know the ward pretty well now :) ) Elder Tipene is a cool guy. He's Kiwi, living in NSW. He's a chef back home, so he knows his food.

We've already gotten off to a good start this week, with a baptism! Elder Iumalo and his companion were actually the missionaries who first began teaching him, and Elder Tipene and I were the missionaries that got to be there for the baptism. His name is Jackson Enua. He is from the Cook Islands. His family are all members in the ward, so it was really great to see him make the decision for himself as well.

I'm really hoping that I remain here for the remainder of my mission. Rockingham is an amazing place to be in. Hahaha, everyone remembers me, too! Several people came up and said, "Welcome back!" So it's been pretty easy this time to get to know the new area :D

The only difference about Rockingham East now, is that it's been split. We used to cover Rockingham, Cooloongup, Hillman, and Waikiki suburbs. Now, sister missionaries have been brought into the ward and they've taken Waikiki. Which is great, they've got some great investigators there. But they've gotten All of our investigators. Our teaching pool has suddenly been emptied of everything. Bummer. Fortunately for us, the ward's been great with referrals lately. So we'll still be working hard finding and teaching.

So, halloween is this weekend! I was here last year for the ward activity, a trunk or treat. It's amazing every year :) Lots of nonmembers show up to it too, so it's a good chance to chat with them.

Well, I love you all! Hope everything is going well back home.

Love,

Elder Reeder

Rocking the boat again!

Hi there, everybody! Have I got news for you!

This week has been great! I've been really getting to love this area- Us and the sister missionaries have been working together, as well as the zone leaders, and suddenly we've got more people to teach coming out of the woodwork! I think there are serious miracles beginning to happen here. Let me give you a few things that have happened:

1. We have A BAPTISMAL DATE! David Tanenui, Ella's husband, is going to be baptised on November 2nd! We met with him and his wife, and told him that we really felt that he was ready for this. He's got a strong testimony, and he is SOLID on keeping commitments. He's been taking his book of mormon to work to read every day, etc. Coming to church each week. We also told him that once Edward and Vitania were ready, he would have the priesthood by then and would be able to perform their baptisms. He asked us, "Well, can we set a date then?" He told us that this had been on his mind for quite a while now, and he was really eager to go through with this.

I'm so excited!

2. We've been able to get in touch with Teresa again! We've got an appointment with her this Wednesday. Solid, this time.

3. We've got two new investigators! Almost. A lady named Suzy, who has been taught by the sisters for 2 years, is finally being baptised! She and her husband have a marriage date for the 7th of December. Here's the cool bit- one of her good friends, named Elizabeth, is a nonmember, and the mother of a less-active member in the ward. Since Suzy has been coming to church more often now, and is progressing, suddenly Elizabeth has started showing up as well, with her children! The sisters went and talked with her, and she wants to be taught! Referral!

4. A girl named Mica, (pronounced Meesha) is good friends with a member in the ward. A couple of weeks ago, she talked to the bishop and told him that she really wanted to be baptised! She hasn't been taught by missionaries much yet, but she already has a really strong testimony that the Book of Mormon is true.

And all this, happening in our areas! Woohoo!

Now, a bit of sad news;

Today is Transfer calls! And guess what? I'm being shifted out! Elder Iumalo is going to be the new district leader, and training. I am going down to Rockingham East! Where Iumalo was before! (I swear, I've spent so much time in that district. Kwinana, Rockingham West, and now the other half! Woot.) Rockingham is awesome, though, so that's all good. I'll be with Elder Tipene.

So yes, that's an update about what's happening with me. Hope everyone's doing well back home! Love you all! Stay safe, stay happy! I know the gospel is true :)

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder

Exclamation Point!

Wasn't Conference just awesome?

I think some of my favorite speakers were Elder Bednar, on Tithing, and Elder Scott, on the Atonement. Then again, all of the things that were spoken on were very powerful. I liked what President Monson mentioned at the end, that he'd never been in a more inspired conference.

I took lots of notes, and I hope you all did too! Exclamation Point!

This week, we've been working with the members! We've got a new thing the mission's trying this month, called an MLX, or Member Lesson Xtreme! Exclamation Point! Basically, a lesson at a member's home, but in and out within 20 minutes, having shared a gospel principle, two scriptures with it, left a commitment, and asking who they know that could benefit from the message that we've shared. They're pretty cool. We've gotten a referral this week, too! His name is Tony. He's the husband of a member in the ward. Nice guy, loves to laugh. He hasn't been religious for a very long time, and has been having a bit of a hard life. But in recent months, he told us, he's been thinking that he should be paying more attention to God. So we've begun teaching him :)

Me and Elder Iumalo are still working hard with the Turners and with Teresa as well. The Turners came to Conference Sunday Morning, and really enjoyed it! We went over that evening and taught Vitania the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is really interested in learning, and has had some really good insights into what we've taught. We hope that the spirit will touch her and Edward and they will take the steps neccessary to be baptised.

We're a bit baffled with Teresa. We haven't been able to see her in a month. Appointments keep falling through, etc. Hopefully we can get in touch with her soon.

Well, seeing as how our Zone has achieved the standard of excellence for last month for baptisms, and beat it, President Lindsay is taking us all to a place called Nando's. Nando's is like Maddox Chicken, but Australian. It is AMAZING. Exclamation point! But we have to be there very soon, so I will be signing off for this week. I love you all! My prayers are with you :)

Love,

Elder Reeder

Exclamation Point!

The temple and other things

Hello, all :) Elder Reeder here again, reporting fresh from the bush.

Sorry for the lack of newsletter last week. The queen had another birthday, and our P-Day got moved. And then it got moved again! So we ran out of much time to email. But I'm still alive :)

Last Thursday we had the opportunity as a mission to go to the temple! It was the first time I've been able to see the new temple film. It was wonderful, and I really felt the spirit throughout it. Some of the recent converts in the ward, Tom and Myles, are really wanting to go to the temple to do baptisms. they are such solid members, I'm happy for them!

Our investigator, Teresa, as well, wants to go to the temple. She just needs to be baptised first :) Which we're working on. We haven't been able to meet with her in a long time, which is sad. We keep seeing her at church, though. I'm also excited for conference this week! General conference is always something to look forward to. I love listening to the Prophet and Apostles, and their counsel.

This week, Elder Iumalo and I have an addition to our companionship! Rockingham Stake is doing Mini-missions again! We've been joined by Sam Peihopa, who is actually waiting for his own call! It was pretty cool, Sam's been with Elder Iumalo on a previous mini-mission, and since we both served in Rockingham recently, we already knew him really well. Whee! so we've been having a good time serving with him. He's a great teacher already.

Well, we're running short on time again this week. I love you all, and pray that all is ok. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as well, they do help.

Love,

Elder Daniel Reeder