Dear Family,
This has been a wonderful week. We got to go to the beach on Saturday
which was really exciting. We still didn't get to go swimming but it
was fun just being there anyway. It was because they were doing a
branch activity and we had a less active family we had invited and a
family with a less active mother and a non-member son. It was such a
great activity because everyone that we invited CAME! What was even
better was that the non-member son didn't really want to swim because
he had been at the beach earlier in the day and was a little sunburnt
so he stayed on the shore and we were able to talk with him the whole
time and start growing a relationship. I love activities like this
because they are fun and rare activities for the missionaries to do
and it was a missionary activity! I guess it obviously was because if
it wasn't, we wouldn't have been there.
On Sunday it was pretty fun too because It was my week to play the
organ. The songs the chorister had picked were pretty hard and I had
never played any of them in my life. Heavenly Father has surely been
blessing me though because I played them all quite well with the help
of an hours practice earlier in the week.
We went the "Hands" house on Friday and it was quite fun. They are
less active and we went to do some weeding for them (and accidentally
pulled out one of her flowers which we thought was a weed because it
was dead as) but she didn't mind and when she saw it she was very
astonished and said it hadn't looked like that in months. We felt like
we did a good job. Afterward, she invited us inside for dinner. She
was still preparing it and while we were chatting she mentioned how
her son played the saxophone a little but hadn't for a while. I told
her that I played sax and she got it out and asked me to play for a
bit. It was fun especially since I haven't toughed a saxophone in over
2 years.
We are going to start helping out with a volunteer group soon too.
They gave us the options to help with a special needs group by riding
bikes with them, work at a nursery sorting through plants, seeds, etc.
or we also have the option that we can work at a place called LAMP
(learning about mental problems) and I may either teach an art class
there or get to do something else creative. I am kinda hoping that it
works out with LAMP but I will love doing any kind of service.
There is one last story I wanted to tell you about too. We were called
by a member in the ward who asked us if we could help someone in
Dunsborough move. We said we could and showed up with this person’s
house who we had never met before. He said it was very unexpected and
we started helping. It was a good thing I have done lots of work with
moving back home because they didn't know how to use some certain
tools like the dolly. We all were able to get the 3ton truck loaded
and told the missionaries in Perth(where he was moving to) to help him
unpack. We got a call by the same ward member later in the week
telling us that he needed help with the cleaning of his house and
packing us the rest of the stuff. We gladly came up to help. After a
couple hours of work we were pretty tired. While working, he asked us
why we did such things as showing up to a total strangers house to
help move. We told him that god has blessed us with so much and this
is our way of giving back and it is what our church believes in. He
has been non-denominational but he is Christian. We talked to him a
little more and he said, "You know... you guys really inspire me. I
wish everyone in the world was like you". It really made us feel good
inside and we found out that now the missionaries have been getting
their family into some activities in Perth and they will probably
start being taught the gospel soon! It was such a great opportunity
and it was very fun.
That is about what has been going on this week! I hope you are all
keeping the spirit with you and having a good time!
Elder Joshua Butts