"Australia has turned yellow. It is getting hot here."

November 1, 2009

Hello from Australia!
Things are going well here in Murray Bridge. I had a really good day yesterday. Sunday night we had a missionary fireside at the Firle Chapel in Adelaide. We drove all the way there, and we brought Kevin and Heather, and Michael and Lee and their two daughters. It was a very spiritual fireside. Elder Ashworth played a beautiful piano solo and there were other good musical items. Black, a Chinese man I committed to baptism just before I was transferred to Modbury bore his testimony. He has the funniest conversion story. Black loved to race his car. And one day he was racing his friend and he lost control and ran into a house. Black is a student who doesn’t make much money at his part time job. So he prayed heaps and heaps that he wouldn’t have to pay that much money to fix the house. His prayer was answered and he ended up having to only pay like 400 dollars. So his prayer was answered by a miracle. He became way humbled, knew there was a god and was baptized just a few weeks later in September. But I missed his baptism, I was in Modbury. But he came to me after the fireside. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time it seems. We gave each other a nice big hug. Also I saw Patience. Just seeing these old friends of mine brings me so much happiness. Unfortunately Neo, Robert and Anthony were not there. So I did not get to see them. That would be a sweet as picture if all of them were together at once. Perhaps next month in the next missionary Fireside.
Claire and “Uncle” John, her partner, came to church yesterday. Claire Absolutely loved it. She is so sweet. She is pretty hardwired Catholic. But she has noticed our church is very similar to her church. We taught her the restoration, and even watched the movie Restoration. Uncle John is just there for the ride, just there because Claire was there. Claire asked us if she could come to church. She is reading the Book of Mormon.
Met a nice aboriginal part member family. I feel good about them. Joe the dad is not a member. But Rosetta was baptized like ten years ago but went inactive. All of her older kids are baptized. But now there are two kids who are not baptized. We are going to meet with them later today and teach them the plan of Salvation. Joe is a character; he hates Catholics, the police, and white Australians. Luckily we are neither of them.
Kevin and Heather are moving house today, so we will help them with that.
Michael and Lee and their family are sweet. They have heaps of animals. They keep a big fish in their bathtub to just give you an idea.
Met and Richard and Tanya. Richard just got out of prison so he is humble as.
Lily and June are sweet. Still working at the shop. June is one of those fun animated Chinese little girls.
Most people here are working class. Australia has turned yellow. It is getting hot here. President Smith is awesome, way missionary orientated.
There are like two kids who are 9 and 10 years old. They haven’t been baptized. But they will be on the 15th of this month of November. They will actually count has a convert baptism. Their families are active but I do not know why they weren’t baptized earlier. So we are going to go around and teach them simple lessons.
Elder Ashworth and myself are learning heaps because we both have been out maybe 4 months now. Not that long.
Got to go. We live on Hawke Road. There is no celebration of Halloween. Yes! Connor is born! Wow for Matt Broby. Good on him. Lots of primary aged kids in Murray Bridge, very young. Luckily we are in the car more than on bike.
Love you all heaps
-Elder Montgomery