A Week That I Can Not Even Remember!

April 21st to April 27th 2104

 

I definitely cannot remember this week. I swear that my weeks just truly roll into one! My sense of time is out of it because we just do so many things as missionaries that it is hard to remember. We did have a freaky experience though. I was on an exchange with another companionship and anyway there were 4 sisters at my flat because there were a couple that were flying back home the next day as their missions had finished. And anyways they woke up to the house being egged on the outside and apparently there was vanity on our fence. The neighbour came over to see what was happening and then he was like oh after work I will come over and clean it for you and he came and cleaned the outside of our house for us with the water blaster. The ratbags also egged our car and when I found out I was like what the heck! I don't know what was happening, I mean fair enough we are in south Auckland but we seriously are in such a safe neighbourhood. I just didn't get it and because we work and live in quite a nice area, its a rich area, and so people are at times just don't listen to our message that we share. There are so many hard hearted people where we serve but that okay. People that don't want to know about the gopel are everywhere I guess. And so yeah as I was saying, we are in such a nice area that I couldn't understand why we would be egged. Maybe we have some haters haha I don't know. And apparently we thing somebody had been trying to get into our flat too but we are safe though. We have the elders always seeing how we are and making sure we are okay and we are. We don't even take too much notice. Nothing has happened lately and we aren't worried. I can take them on with my kung fu panda karate skills :D just kidding but yeah we are fine!

 

I love my mission and I don't understand why but I was so emotional yesterday on Sunday. I wanted to cry. it was Sunday, the song we sag was "I Believe in Christ" and I love that hymn so much and its mother day next sunday and the fact that I just really realised and recognised how blessed I am just really touched me yesterday. And the fact that I am in my second transfer of the mission just really freaks me out!!!! I cant believe how fast this experience is going for me. 6sundays then transfer. 6sundays and then transfer. It legit freaks me out that before I know it im going to be home. I really have been pushing myself into the work lately that I have finished reading the Book of Mormon once since being on the mission and I done it in 6weeks. It really is the most amazing book that I have already restarted reading the book of Mormon and going through it for the second time on the mission and the 3rd time ever in reading it. Actually there was a survey that was done somewhere and it was something like "what is the most beneficial book to read and has changed your life" something like that and number 1 was actually The BookO f Mormon. It really does change your life and you really don't know or understand until you have gone through putting it to the test. you will never regret ever reading the book of Mormon I can promise you that. I have and now Im serving my mission. Crazy huh. The teachings in it really does change your life.

 

Its my birthday tomorrow also! 21 and on the mission. It really is just going to be a normal day and that is okay :) I love it that way, just going to be doing every day normal day missionary work and my zone leaders are buying me lunch. Love them so much! Having a little party at the park today haha not too sure but I m very priveledged to be on my mission and to have my birthday out here. There are at times some things that I don't understand like why things happen and why there are certain rules especially out here on the mission you know but what I have come to understand is that we didn't come to earth to know absolutely everything. We came to learn and despite us not understanding all things, we must live by faith that the rules that are in place are there for a reason and we should live by them. The commandments that the Lord gives us are not there to restrict us but they are there because He loves us so much and that He wants the best for us. he is the creator of all things, He knows what is best for s and what isn't. Should we not listen to the counsel if it is for our own benefit? I love learning and especially learning and growing each and every day and for me to know that I have a heavenly Father that knows me better than I know myself and that loves me and I know that I am never alone means the world to me. At times we feel that nobody understands what we are going through or how we feel. But we must all remember that our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we are going through and we just need to humble ourselves and turn to the Lord for guidance as he is the one that can give us the advice that is needed. I just wish everybody else could know the things that I know. The only way that I know though is by putting everything to the test. To follow his commandments and see the blessings. And when I don't I see the consequences.

 

I turn 21 tomorrow! I get to serve the Lord also. Once in a lifetime opportunity this really is. I hope one day that people that mean the world to me can one day see what has made me happy is because of the gospel and that they too can be happy.  

 

All my love,

Sister McFlinn

 

x

Baptisims It Was!

Monday 14th April 2014 to Sunday 20th April 2014

WE HAD 3 BAPTISMS! AND THATS ITS FOR THE WEEK REALLY! 

Just kidding. I had a great week this week but we really had such a stressful week trying to sort out the baptisms. My love for the gospel has growen so much and to be able to witness the baptisms of these three amazing people was an absolute priveledge. And its funny because they all wanted a change in their life and it was amazing to see them experience the change right after they were baptised. Noel was like I feel a calm peace in my life since the baptism. I have never felt like this since te day my wife passed on. He knows that what he done was indeed the right path and choice. he didn't think he would ever feel happiness again and yet he does. im so happy and excited for him as he has the priveledge to go to the temple and do the work for his sweet wife who has passed on and can eventually be sealed to her for all of time and eternity! The other two have seen the difference in their lives too. im just so glad that they can see the miraculous gift that is given them since baptism. They truly know who they are and what their purpose is. Had a marvellous feed after the baptisms and their was cheesecakes!!!!! I love cheesecake and definitely getting fatter and fatter each day! Better lose it all before I finish my mission. 16 months and it should be allgood.

I was at dinner last night and then I get this surprise  that the daughter was fully messaging my sister and I thought she was in Auckland. I was like ohmygoodness! I may have the chance to see her and I was going to get permission but then I decided I don't want to get distracted. Turns out she is here in auckalnd this weekend. Its my birthday next Tuesday and so shes bringing through a parcel for me. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!! Especially for all of the support that they have given me since being on the mission. Time is fying and I only have 16months left. first transfer is on Thursdaywith the possibility of moving but unlikely will I as Im new to this area. But everything happens all in the Lords time and that is what I have learnt. Since Sister Davis and I have baptised our Investigators and they are members of the church now, we have to go out and find more people that are ready to receive the gospel so that we may be able to teach them. I love this work. It brings me so much happiness. Even though I miss my life back home, no greater joy can be found unless we are in the service of our fellow beings!!! I have an amazing testimony in that. I have seen the changes in myself and on thing that president has told me is to remain teachable and that is what I am doing.

I didn't know why at first he told me this but I understand that now. If I don't remain teachable, then the Lord cannot work his wonderful miracles and change me into the person He wants me to be. HE cant use me to the fullest of my potential. I truly am just an instrument in the Lords hands and I know that we all are just that. My knowledge in this gospel is growing so fast and I have been able to witness he growth of so many people in this area. I went into the samoan programme for a day and it was so much fun! Seriously they feed you so much food. The thing that I learnt from the experience is that even though I couldn't understand a thing that was spoken, I truly felt the love of my saviour and these people as I know without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what language we speak, we both know the same things to be true. A nice compliment that I have received since going on exchanges was from other sister missionaries, "I wish you were my companion" and its nice to hear that and they said that all the families loved me because even though I didn't understand a word, I wasn't awkward and I tried to talk to them and the fact that I tried made them so happy. One family thought I was a palangi girl and I am, sort of, I guess, but yeah they were like to the other sisters oh no my house is a mess don't want to make her feel uncomfortable and that's probably why she is outside. And as soon as she had said that in samoan to them I stepped inside the home and she was like oh gosh couldn't believe her eyes. I didn't know what was said until they told me after when I left and I was like "I was only outside because I was playing with the kids" and so Im glad the members enjoyed having me in their home and exchanges are really fun and especially into the different cultures. But I understand why people who serve in the Samoan Programme or Tongan programme gain so much weight because I got fed at like every single house that we went to! Ice cream and cake, cocoa samoa and biscuits, fafaga which in English means feed so dinner. I just love the islanders a lot!

Hopefully this week will be full of miracles and blessings no doubt and I cant wait to see what the Lord had prepared instore for us.

P.S. My last email before my first transfer! We have 12 transfers and then we go home for us sister missionaries. I have 11 more ;)

All my love,

Sister McFlinn

x

SUCH A SPIRITUAL WEEK!

Monday April 7th 2014 to Sunday April 13th 2014

As the heading of this letter goes... SUCH A SPIRITUAL WEEK! It really has been the most interesting weeks to date I think. Well to be honest, Every week is always jam packed full of experiences that its hard to remember them all. I guess as a missionary, it really does fly and your mission does go by in the blink of an eye. This week I was able to ponder on my thoughts and to be able to really and truly think about my purpose here as a missionary. We have to write a 3 to 5minute talk for may as an area presidency is coming to NZ and going to each of our zones and picking a few people to say their talks. We dont know who will speak so we have to all prepare. The talk is "What am I doing to become a more effective missionay?" I really had to ponder on that question and see what feelings and thoughts come to mind as I do so. But hey, I will know surely soon what to say.

I truly know without a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father does answer each and every one of our prayers. He showed me this week. I have been praying for the same things as I have really been needing the help on the same things. I have seen my conversion to the Lord and his gospel grow so much as I have put into practice His teachings. At times I have these moments, because I dont express how I feel, I feel it grow and grow and thats when it sort of boils over the top and is blown out of proportion. I have really learnt to serve my companion and my love for her has grown so much. I already loved her and it just grew even more. It was moreso not her but me needing to be able to adjust to having my companion with me at all times. I have come to love it now as I learn how to compromise and yeah I dont believe I was good on that before but I know my mission will teach me. Eventually. I said to Sister Davis, by the time the Lord has taught me all that I need to know and all that he has for me to learn and understand, I will be on that plane home as 18months of my mission life would have come to an end. I have growen so much this week as I have learnt to rely on the Lord and to not do the will of my own but to do the will of the Lord. .To turn my own hearts desires to the desires of the Lord and as I do so, I can see the blessings that he wants for me to gain. The knowledge I have had to gain. The teachings I have learnt to share. To find the true worth of mine as I yet had not known.

I love my ward, Chapel Downs Ward, they are seriously amazing. I love the families in them and I have loved getting to know them. SO we get fed like 3 or 4 times a week and getting to do this is so much fun because you grow this bond with them and they begin to trust you. They will be able to see that you truly are a missionary of the Lord. Thats the good thing... the bad thing is gaining weight :( oh the sad sob story that all missionaries give eventually as they gain weight no matter what mission in the world they are. But the families tell us to look at it this way, "its a good thing you all gain weight, it means you are BLESSED!" One family had said to us "hey just let it all go" and im like uhhh no way, i still have to get married after this! Like I said I love my ward. They have been an amazing blssing to me. I really have been priveledged to be in the area that I am in. I have great zone leaders who look after me; I have a great president, President Rudd; I have a great trainer, my companion Sister Davis; I have a great ward; and we have a CAR! I would prefer to rather use the bikes or walk a little more but i guess it really is a blessing to have a car :) There are so many great things about the families in my ward. The Wihongis are sooo funny! We laugh about everything! Turns out their son had served a mini mission in Ipswich Brisbane in Brassall Ward for 10days or so. I was like are you serious! That is my ward back in Brisbane! I cant believe I didnt recognise him but it seriously is a small world I have truly come to realise since being on my mission. My zone leader, he is from Las Vegas and his BEST friend, I met her when I was in Utah in April last year and then I was able to see her on her mission in Brisbane. Shes in brisbane, he is in New Zealand and they are both best friends in Las Vegas USA. We all flipped when we realised the connections. The Whaanga famly are simply amazing. We get fed all the time when we dont have food and just like all the families always open their homes if we have no food and its just so kind of them to do so. I really have been blessed.

We went to the Temple this week and it was amazing! All of Auckland went to the temple and to be able to go there was an absolute blessing. Many thoughts went through my head as i was walking through the temple. Thoughts that I dont think should have been going through my head as I am a missionary and I shouldnt be thinking about this until I finish my mission. The thoughts that ran through my head was marriage and family. And like Isaid Im on a mission! I shouldnt be thinking of this because i still have at least 16months until I am home. But basicaly as I sat in the temple, I just thought to myself, I cannot wait for the day that I am sitting inside the house of the Lord with the person I am going to be sealed to for ll of time and eternity. THe day when I can look to my right and see him sitting there, and knowng that this is the man I will be wih forever. The fatther of our children to come and to know that we have each other, not for just on this earth but for the eternities. And yes like I said, not the thoughts I should be thinking of considering Im supposed to be devoting my entire time to the lord. But I am devoting it all and crazy thing was was that I saw Te Awe Tahuri in the temple when us missionaries went to the temple. I saw him nside the temple when I went there with the MTC group as well and it like wasnt planned at all! I was pleased to be able to see him one last time before he flew out to Arizona America to start his 2year mission. He was with two other boys from Gisborne, Liam and Taina, and they too start their missions in australia this year. Those boys really made me happy seeing them in the temple even though I did not get to say a wod to them, I was blessed to be able to just see them one last time. My companion then went to say Eternal companion and i was like we are missionaries!!!!  General Conference was absolutely amazing!!!!!!! I was able to listen to the prophet Thomas S. Monson and his apostles speak to us. They give such amazing guidance like they seriously do. Heavenly Father answered my prayers through genearal conference and as you go with questions, they seriously become answered. Thats why i have a firm testimony that I know this gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and that he atoned for all of our sins so tht we can one day return back to heavenly father and be in His presence again. To know that we can recieve forgivenss for all that we do wrong is an amazing blessing and to know that we are children of God mans everything to me. We are eternal beings just in this mortal life for this short period of time. I know that families can be together forever through the right sealing ordinances through the temple and if we make our Heavenly Fatehr first in our lives, then He will pour out His blesings unto us as we live righteously. I have seen them personally in my own life. It is amazing. I learnt a couple things in General Conference. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf who is a counsellor to President Thomas S monson who is the prophet gave an amazing talk. To summarise it i wrote in my notes,"Be grateful nd full of thanks to God even through all our trials and burdens. In doing so, we can become humble and learn how to deal through it all. It can be a way of bringing happiness in your life. We need to count our many blessings through our trials and then we can see how blessed we really are. Seek grattitude as a disposition. Instead of only being thankful for things that we have, be thankful in the circumstances you are in. In them we learn so much from our father in heaven. Its all about choices we make. It is a chance to refine ourselves and the way we are." I just know that I am very thankful for my trials i have. I have many. I am not perfect. But I however do love them because I know that I have something to learn that heavenly father wants me to learn. I might be in the same trial because I have yet not learnt what He wants me to know and that why we must counsel with Him through prayer and ask Him to help us. One thing that gets me through the hardest trial of my life and especially before my mission, I truly believed and know wth all my heart that I am in this trial because Heavenly Father knows I can get through it. I wouldnt have been placed into a situation if He knew that I could not handle it. One other thing that I learnt that really hit me in General conference was a talk given by Jeffrey R Holland who is one of the twelve apostles. I learnt "you will come across persecution. DEFEND YOUR FAITH. Jesus Christ paid the price for us. We at times find it hard to talk to people about the ospl because it means something so dear and precious to our hearts that we dont want it to get trampled on. Let me tell you, IT IS WORTH IT! It is worth having our beliefs persecuted, if it means you are saving people from desolation." There are people out there in this world who are waiting for the gospel, we just need to put in the faith and effort to put ourselves out there and go and find those in need of the message we share. We do not push it on you, we merely just invite you to know what can be yours. People think we just merely do wrong in this world to end up going back to heaven and being with our familis forever. How do we though? I dont understand. This gospel can though as this is Jesus Christs gospel. It is perfect and it is simple. Keep his commandmets and we will be blessed. Through the temple we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity.

Sister Davis and I were able to share our message with a lady called Janet. She is catholic and she is from like the middle east. She went from not wanting to change or know anything that we had to say but she just wanted to talk to us for some reason. She didnt know why. We were able to talk to her a little bit more and I gave her an arabic book of mormon and to be able to listen to her read it and see her face light up was amazing. She wants to see us away from her home though because she wants to know more but doesnt want to start anything with her family and neither do we and so hopefully we can see her again. Its just amazing that tis gospel is the same no matter where in the world you go. The same teachings and the same principles. It truly is Jesus Christs Church. I was able to meet Brother and Sister Teios grandson and he has cerebral paulsy? Im not too sure how to say that but when i saw him i instantly felt this amazingly love for him. As he sat in his wheelchair I went and played with him and we sang hymns. I really am forming love instantly with all those that I meet. And I know that he, Oshay, is a very special spirit, why he has this probem that has affected his whole life. Im so glad to know that when we all finish our time on this earth that we will all become perfect in the next life to come. WE will have perfect bodies and minds. All those that suffered physical or mental disabilities will be made right when we become resurrected. That is why the plan of salvation is amazing. Every thing can and will be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Tamia and Tyson are brother and sister that are being baptised this weekend! I still remember my baptism and the way I felt. It was amazing. Best day of my life!  We had a lesson with them and it was funny because we couldnt go into the house because they had people at their home and it was 8pm t night and it was dark! We needed light so we could read some scriptures and just have light in general and so we ended up going to the park dow the road and brought our car up on the grass  on the kerb and taught our lesson by the headlights of the car. And also the member that came with us also did it too and so it was so much fun. Definately a fun experience indeed.

I really have learnt so much this week that im so excited to implement the things I have learnt into my teachings and to become the person that I wish to become. To be an obedient missionary of the Lord. To be humble, meek and submissive. To love, serve and be compassionate. All of these things I have trouble with but I know that with the help of my Heavenly Father I can do all things as with out Him I am nothing. We all have a purpose here and I know that Heavenly Father is an eternal being and that we are his sons and daughters. Therefore we too are eternal beings but in the life to come. I learnt to see my worth the way that the Saviour and Heavenly sees me. I realised I needed to see the potential that They saw in me. At times we all think we are nothing or that we are worthless, when we truly need to know that we mean absolutely EVERYTHING to Heavenly Fatehr and Jesus Christ. We are never alone. We must turn to counsel with our Heavenly Father in all that we do. He knows us so much better than we think we know ourselves. Remember hes our father and He wants the best for us and he knows what best is.

Excited for the challenges and learning experiences to come!

Bye for now, but not forever,

Love Sister McFlinn

x

KONICHIWA!

Monday 31st March to April 6th

Okay I know Im not in China but HEY! So this week has been interesting I must say. The Lord has definately been testing my faith and patince that is DEFINATYELY for sure. I havent missed home as much like to be honest I didnt even want to come on and write emails. But I love doing it at the same time. So I am a person who doesnt at times like to share my thoughts with how i feel. I just dont. Its not me. Lets just say I believe the hardest thing about serving a mission is defiantely a companion. You have to learn to live with them and be able and open to compromises. I dont know but I feel at times that I do open up but then I feel like I m not being listened to a lot of the times. Oh the joys of my life right now ;) I have been getting better though with controlling myself as at times I feel like I could just say something but I know it would make her feel bad and I dont want to do that. I LOvE my companion, dont get me wrong but sometimes you know you need that space. I have really learnt this week to turn to the Lord. As I have, I have been able to see the changes inside of me and do you know what the best way is to love your companion...? It is to serve them. And that is what I do. I put it to the test and it works. "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God" and that is so true. I have my moments but I just keep it to myself. I just dont say anything. I just try to calm down and when she says oh we should have done this i just say to myself, I did say that but hey Im learning. I yearned to come home within the last month. I felt like I couldnt do this mission any more, but I turned to the Lord once again and I know without a shadow of a doubt that He knows I can do this otherwise He wouldnt have sent me here. So i guess I just need to realise the potential I have that He already sees in me.

 

This week seriously flew by!!! i cant believe I am into my 6th week since I left home. I am definately getting used to missionary work and I am getting better at teaching and talking to everyone. Sometimes i miss my social life and that I should have made the most of it when I was home but there is no greater joy than serving the Lord. My life has changed so much since i have been in the Church and now I get to be that example to others and change their lives. Its seriously rewarding. Making the most of it! Had a few experiences this week. I went on an exchange with Sister Temakau from Kirbatii and we went to do service in her area. We went with the Elders and the outside of her house i thought looked pretty clean so I was like this service should be easy. Uhhh go to the back and hello, there was seriously a jungle waiting there for us. We only had a lawnmower and that was not going to be able to help as the grass was that long. Elders went to find a whipper snipper and as they left i was like "uh so do you have maybe any scissors?" I just yeah didnt know what to do but she didnt even have those. it was fun though being able to serve this solo mum as she hadnt touched her backyard in a very long time. We found so many things in there but more so alcohol bottles from a very long time before. it was so humbling to be able to serve this lady as she hadnt been to church in a very long time and being able to hear her story and that she wanted to come back to church. She said she has no friends because she didnt want to hang out with them nymore as they were a bad influence on her and i was admired by that. She truly wanted to change. But funny thing was was that she was more excited about my story since I hadnt been in the church for very long and yet i was on my mission. Service is an amazing thing.

 

Oh and I controlled myself in a few lessons I must say. There was one man that started cursing in the lesson and I just ignored him and didnt speak to him until we left. He wasnt my lesson and so I was like seriously if I said something I was going to go off. But nope thankgoodness oh and this week my companion and I had to deal with a book of opposition to what we do. I could have lost it in their to but I know that what we teach is the word of the Lord and that why we wouldnt give up 18months of our life to two years of it for something not of worth that is for sure. We get up to crazy fun things as missionaries like icecream runs after doctors so we feel better ;) its becoming a ritual and ohmygoodness just our fun conversations in the car is hilarious. There is one family that is like to us, "Let it all go... You have nobody to impress" and im like heck no! Im not gaining 20kgs. I would die if I did! I say "I still have to get married after this" and they just laugh. The members are just awesome. They feed us all the time and yeah thats why on a mission you gain weight! not good, not good at all. But I love my ward. My old zone leader became an Assitant to President and he was down in Gisborne. He called me and was like "would you like to me visit anybody?" My first thought... my family. Im not too sure what happened, or if he got to see anybody. I will find out next week when I see him. I just hope they were able to talk to him as he is an amazing missionary, Elder Lee. He was my zone leader and so the one I would talk to if I was confused or needed someone to talk to as missionary life is hard but worth it. I heard he saw a family from the church and they knew me. I got so excited when he said he met Sister Tahuri. That family and the Lloyds have been there from the beginning. Love them so very much.

 

I got letters from my family this week and i was in a meeting when i opened them. I felt like I was going to ball and so I waited til I got home and THEN i did. I got four letters. They were from my baby brothers and sister. i just missed them so much and they drew mw pictures and I just lost the plot for a bit. I thought about home but my kids are just so innocent and they were encouraging me to be here on the mission and im going to do my best to be that example for them. My baby sister wrote to me saying, "I loveyou sister. Please forgive me of all my sins and for taking your things. I didnt mean to bring ll the isns into our house and to be naughty. i love my heavenly father and wanted to apologize for all the lying and bad things i done." Something along those lines but one thing that throughout all the letters and drawings from them, I realised one thing. They told me to love my companion and how are they to know i was having a hard time? Just shows how much our Heavenly Father does love us and that he answers us and shows us signs through other people. they had sent these letters off about 3 weeks before i got them and I just cried. Heavenly Father does hear our prayers and He answers them constantly. It may not be in the time that we may want them which is right here and right now; but the answers will come in the time that our Heavenly Father wants us to know them in. When He feels we are ready. I am seriously getting lost in this great work in being a missionary. Putting my whole heart into this. This is a volunteer thing. I dont have to stay. I dont have to be here. If I wanted I could be on the next flight but there is so much that the Lord has for me to learn and im excited. I miss my family but I have a purpose in being here. I realised I only have like 66weeks and then im home. Not long at all.

 

Thats it for this week , bye for now but not forever :)

Kia Ora :)

I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!!!! So this past couple of weeks have gone by so fast. They seriously have been. Being on my mission is such an amzing experience that i have loved so much. I have done so many things within the last couple weeks that it is hard for me to kind of retract on everything. Hence why i love having a journal but yeah i have had so many spiritual experiences that they are mindblowing. So MTC taught me a lot before i came out on the mission field but i can definately say that i wasnt as prepared in what to expect from a mission. I thought it would be a certain way and i totally was gobsmacked as it was not what i had expected it to be but it is even more simply amazing. I at times dont know what to say mission life is like. It is so hard and its exhausting. Physically, emotionally and spiritually draining. It tests you to the limits and at times i felt i was incapable of doing this and the Lords work. I felt like I had so much responsibilty on my shoulders for being a servant of the Lord to go and teach people all about Jesus Christ and what he has instore for them. So two thursdays ago, I broke dwn crying. It was sooo hard and I felt like calling President to send me home. I was like findingf it so hard and just like your whole life changes. You go from one way of this is your life and going out with friends and being at home with your family, to a life where you are a representative of Jesus christ wher you live a certain standard because in reality people are watchuing you 24/7. It was hard. Last Monday I got really sick and i was sick the last week too but i got really sick 7days ago where i teared up because i was in that much pain. I didnt want to cry in front of my companion but i also did not want to go to the doctors. I was sooo grateful for the opportunity to be sick. Crazy huh i know. But no i was so thankful because I woke up. I woke up and smelled the roses and realised imagine if i get really sick that i go home, I want to have made the most of my mission. I would want to go home with knowing i done the absolute best I could and not regret a single moment on my mission. For my companion it took5months tp realise and she is 7months into her mission. Im just so glad i realised now because I now wake up happy on my mission and ready for the new day and the trials it comes with.

I have grown so much. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways that it is crazy. The Lord has showen me some of my weaknesses and strengths that i never knew i had. He has also showen me how i can improve also. My relationship with my Heavenly Father has grown oh so much since being on the mission. My faith and trust in him has developed and i know that with out Him I am nothing. He gives me the strength to go out each and everyday because I know that as I sacrifice 18months of my life to serve Him fulltime, I will be blessed beyond measure when i return home. Im so glad im not as homesick as I was before. I am so glad that I have realised my purpose on why I am on the mission and it is to bring many unto Christ. That they may know of their purpose and why they are here. Im so glad for the opportunity to share happiness and hope with people i meet on the streets of Auckland and how their life can be changed for the better. I am a convert myself to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints so I know what its like to be an outsider looking into the church and it seems crazy. But i have had the priveledge to look from the inside of the church also now as i serve my mission with all my heart, might, mind and strenth. I always wondered why people would say i love her so much after meeting that person like twice. I realised that as we serve our missions we become more Christlike and that is a blessing Heavenly Father gives us and Im so verythankful for that as I have experienced now myself that i meet somebody and i love them so much. You form the love the the Saviour had for everyone he came in contact and we have special message that means so much to us that we like to share with everybody. Its hard at times sharing the gospel at times because your heart wants everyone to accept the message but there are people that dont and wont accept the message. Thats when it hurts but we have to accept that thats what these people want because we all have the freedom to choose and i love that we do :)

A few experiences I have had since being out here since being in South Auckland, Chapel Downs Ward in the last couple weeks from that I can remember i can sher with you all. Well im not too sure if i said this last time but I knew my companion before I started my mission. Her name is Siater Davis and I love her so much. We get along great and she is from Orem, Utah. From the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!! DUM DUM DUMMMM!!! I met her at the New Zealnad Visitors Center when i came to the temple for my endowments and i was like to the sisters "oh you never know, it could be one of you that could be teaching me everything when i serve my mission" and i said to sister davis specifically, "it could even be you sister davis" hahah i know that we were supposed to be companions and the Lord works in marvelous ways. She is a sister training leader and shes been on her mission for 7months now and she looks after all the sisters in our zone whilst also I am the first missionary she has ever trained so she was super scared. But she was so grateful for me because she believed i was prepared before i even entered the mission field. She said she didnt feel like talking to people or speaking in lessons until like 3months into her mission. And she was just surprised at how outgoing i was as soon as i got out here. Memebers of the Ward thought I had been out on my mission for like over a year with how talkative I was. But nope i was like well try 3days on the mission field since i left the missionary training center. they were so shocked. Like I said, I love being a missionary. Sometimes i find it so awkward talking to people on the street but im getting better. Its so funny bercause my companion will start following them and she stops almost everybody that walks past us. It was so funny because one time she stopped somebody on the street and she started coughing and laughing whilst talking to them and she was like take over and so i did whilst laughing to myself. This person was probably thinking uh what the heck? but we had to laugh once we started walking away. We just have fun and remember to laugh because it is hard work but we all need to have fun. There was also one guy who said come to my house and teach me more and gave us his address and pointed to his house. I saw him walk past the "house" and i knew he had given wrong information and i laughed. I found it so funny that i was uncontrollably lauhing. He could have just said he wasnt interested. Well thats what I would have done. But ANYWAY lets just say my companion did not find it funny at all. She was like so annoyed that I leaughed even more. It was funny. And there was another guy who told us to go to apparently his house and he said his name was joe. He said to go to this house and when we ask for him to call him delving because thats what his family knew him as was delvin. We go to this house excited and the family answered and they were so nice and we asked for delvin and out walked this little boy and he said he was delvin. WE HAD JUST BEEN PRANKED! Sister Davis thought that this was funny so im glad because i almost peed myself because i was in that much laughter but her they told us to come back and teach them more. So unproffesional i know but heywe were able to come see them again. There are just so many experiences its hard to write them all down. But anyway there were two girls we met on the street and their names were Ebony and Panui. They were two 14year old girls that wanted to know more about the gospel and so we taught them. They loved learnigna dn couldnt wait to see us again but I had a feeling that something was up. We later found out after asking them so many times what the problrm was and the girls said that their mom was studying jehovahs witness  and doesnt want us to teach them anymore. WE were like uh we asked if your parents would be okay and you said they said yes. We felt like we were going behind parents back and so we went and introduced ourselves but the mom wasnt home and to see if it would be okay to teach them. Nek minit, The mom drives up the drive and I wave and she was not happy. She said, "I heard the sisters were coming so i rushed home from work" and then she was like sort of bible bashing us but my companion handled it so good. I probably would have crumbled and i was sharing with the mom how we know the message we share will bring happiness and comfort to them and the family because i ad seen it htrough my own experience as i used to be an investigator in the church. I saidas I learnt to not be stubborn and realised that everything i had been taught brought me so much happiness, she cut me off and was like so im being stubborn am I? i was like thinking to myself your heart is so hard but yeah my companion wanted to cry because she felt so stressed about it all and i just had to comfort her. The Mom, Mary, said i will have a lesson with you if you have a lesson with the jehobvahs witness. We said we could learn through her and she could shre with us her beliefs but it probably wouldnt be a good idea to have a lesson bcause we are not here to say other religions are wrong. We are here to invite others to come unto Christ and learn what our purpose here to do is and to follow the example of Jesus christ. I love how people have their own beliefs but we dont go around mocking other peoples religions. Just other religions despise us when they dont even know what we teach. They believe because we have the Book of Mormon that we dont believe in the Bible. False. We belong to Jesus Christs Church but yeah we had to stop giving them lessons and well it was hard saying goodbye to the girls but it was fine. We were sad for a while but the Lord blessed us that day because of our efforts. We walked past a girl on the street and she said are yous mormon? and we shared a message and she said I would love to know more and we said we would come and see her and she said "make sure you find me". It brought joy into my heart and we met a family that same day that are Assembly of God and invited us over to teach them which just lifted my spirits that day. I also went on an exchange and mowed and weeded someones house haha definately the joy of missionary work.

Now these 2 experiences are amazing. One thing they have in common is they are beoing BAPTISED April 19th and I was able to invite them to baptism. It was an honour and a priveledge and they accepted. So one is a 70yearold man and the other baptism is a brother and a sister and maybe if their baby sister and mom listen to our lessons hopefully they can one day be baptised too. But we have an investigator called Noel and he 70something years old and he was taught by elders before us and hearing of these elders made me angry. They pressured Noel to be baptised and he said he wasnt ready and so they didnt contact him anymore. So rude and this made me angry. How can you treat someone like that ya know. But anyway we were able to teach him and he really wants to be baptised now. It all makes sense to  him now and he wants to be with his wife for eternity. He wants to go to the temple and have her sealed to him. Hes like "she better be looking all cute and still waiting for me up there" in his cute cheeky voice. I hope time comes quickly for him because its hard seeing him all lonely and he just wants to be with his wife as she has passed on. The brother and sister, their names are Tyson and Tamia and they are so excited for their baptisms and able to go to the temple on the 26th of April. Baptism is only the beginning for all the blessing but i realised being here is not to baptise everybody but to baptise them so they have the first step with entering the temple and feeling of Heavenly Fatehrs love. The closest place to heaven is the House of The Lord which is the temple itself.

I love my mission and New Zealand Hamilton Mission is where i was supposed to be called to and Im so excited to walk off the plane in 17months with my badge on and retrnign with honour. Thankyou fo rall of your support and I appreciate it.

I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU ALL!!!!!! As someone always say,

Bye for now but not forever,

Sister McFlinn x