What an awesome week! So much has happened it is incredible! I have been humbled over and over and over and over and over and over again and again but it has been an amazing and an incredible learning experience I am so physically and mentally exhausted that it is all running together and when I go to bed it seems like I just blink and I am back at it again but I honestly love it! It makes me a little sad to know I only have 23 more months.
So before I begin I want to clarify whenever I talk about a day remember that I am a whole day ahead of you so when I say Monday it is really Sunday. Also I am going to try and use as much Australian slang as possible because I think it is so garsh darn funny.
So this past Tuesday, your Monday, I left the USA and began my flight to Australia. Man was it long!!! We first flew to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City and then had a two hour layover there. From Los Angeles we made the giant leap over the Pacific. 15 hours!!!! Oh my gooseness! It was so long! The plane was huge too. It was like getting into a building with wings it was huge! Luckily I was blessed and I slept a good part of it but still, me sitting still for 15 hours is tough! But I made it and we, me and six other missionaries, landed in beautiful Sydney! The lady I sat next to was really nice and told me I could sit at the window as we landed. From the plane I saw the Sydney Harbor Bridge and downtown. It was beautiful! So when we landed President Scruggs and Sister Scruggs picked us up! I love my Mission President! He is an amazing guy and super hilarious! So we threw our luggage in trailer and headed to the Sydney Opera House. At this point I had the amazing opportunity to experience driving on the left side of the road! It is so trippy especially when you ride your bike around. I am always nervous when I cross the road now because I don’t know which way the cars are coming! It is frustrating and I am nervous I am going to get killed! But ni am kind of getting the hang of it… kind of I said. I am excited to drive here! They say in about three months I will get to try driving so I guess pray for me! So president Scruggs took us to the Opera House! BEAUTIFUL. I don’t know if I have used that word enough but everything was perfect! The temperature, it was a clear day and it just looked amazing. I got a picture with President and sister Scruggs in front of the Opera House and then they let us look around and I touched it! Yeah I am cool we then took pictures of the Harbor bridge and then went to the Mission Home. When we got to the there they did a bunch of paper work and what not but they did feed us meat pies, pretty much a pot pie but full of meat and deliciousness. A meat pie is to Australia as a hot dog is to America so they are super popular and super good. They also gave us ginger beer! Oh man that was good. They gave us this candy treat called a TimTam which was amazing. After that we took and nap and got cleaned up a bit. The Assistants then took us to go find kangaroos! It was awesome! We ran into, not with the cars, like a herd or flock or whatever you call a bunch of roos. There was like 15 and they were wild. I have some awesome pictures and a few videos. It was so cool! We got like 5 feet away, it was intense. The assistants were kind of immature to be honest, here hell and damn are not considered bad words I guess so the assistants, who were both American, each said their share and some of their driving was a bit intense. I guess they felt they had to show off for the new missionaries or something I don’t know, but besides that the assistants were really nice. After the kangas we went to presidents house and had dinner that consisted of Lamb, Kanga Bangas (Kangaroo sausage) and a salad and potatoes. Kanga Bangas were pretty nasty, not necessarily the flavour but the texture. But I can say I have eaten Kangaroo! We then spent the night at this hotel thing the church bought a while back so people could come to the temple and have a place to stay.
Thursday was amazing We had breakfast at Presidents, nothing crazy this time and then we had a mission orientation which went over the rules and the different areas. So I found out you don’t have to part your hair but I look good with it so I am keeping it! After the Orientation I was assigned my trainer. Elder Vernon from Fort Collins, Colorado. At first I didn’t know what to think. Pretty short, super quiet but I love him to death. He really knows what he is doing and I am excited to work with him. So we then threw my stuff in the car and headed to our flat (apartment). In my first area, Winston Hills. So to start out my mission experience we started with tracting on Watkins road. A little nerve racking but I got the hang of it. We actually got two new investigators. One was a 30 year old man named Telly. It was an amazing experience. He opened up to us completely, hetalked about marriage problems and how his kid might be handicapped and how easy it would be to just leave but he still loves them. It was crazy to m to think I got off a plane 24 hours ago and this grown man is asking me for advice! So humbling. We taught him a part of the restoration and we are going back this week. Hope everything works out! We also went to a door and the family was not interested but as we were walking away an 11 year old girl named Chloe ran out and said I want to learn so we taught her the first lesson and we are praying that her parents will give her permission to learn more because there is nothing like the faith of a child. After that we went and did trade offs with the ward mission leader. Brother Egan! What an awesome man he has been a member for 15 years but he just gets it and helps the missionaries a ton! So went out and visited people in the ward and then went back to the flat and slept which was needed.
So I will finish it up my first week next week and then be detailed love you all! Almost out of time.
Photos:
The plane
In front of Opera House
In front of Sydney Harbor Bridge
Kangaroo Crossing
W/other new missionaries
W/kangaroo
Mission home
Kanga Bangas (Kangaroo Sausages)
Tim Tams (candy)
W/trainer, Elder Vernon
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