Letter Dated July 7, 2014

Hey Mum!

How are you doing?  I'm so sorry for not writing you last week.  I didn't get a P-day so I couldn't take time to write a letter.  I'll try to fill you in on what has happened.

Well unfortunately, me and Elder Fisher split up.  I'm really going to miss him! It's a good thing that we're in the same group, so we can see each other right before we go him. 

So on Wednesday, I went to Edinburgh to pick up Elder Livingston.  He's from Naperville, Illinois.  He's a good guy, so I think we'll get along great.  Right now I'm trying to help him see success, because every new missionary needs to see that.  It was a tough week work-wise.  Courtney is sick, so we couldn't teach her this week.  There is SO much opposition going on right now, it's crazy.  This week is looking a lot better, so hopefully things go well.

I conducted my first baptismal interview last week!  As a district leader, I interview all the investigators who have been taught by missionaries in my district.  The investigator was a 17-year-old girl and she was super prepared!  I just made sure she was ready and worthy to be baptized.  She was a little nervous at first, but I told her that I was too because it was my first time giving an interview that made her feel a little bit better and she passed!

This week I was reflecting on one of my favorite quotes by Neil A. Maxwell.  "Each one of us is an inn-keeper who decides if we have room for Jesus or not."  This week I felt a bit like Joseph knocking on all these doors and seeing if they have room for Jesus.  It kind of put things in perspective for me!  I guess I'm just looking for those wise men who are seeking him.  Let's be persistent like Mary and Joseph!  How about we challenge ourselves to spread the good news of Jesus Christ as best we can?  I'll do it if you do it.  Pray for these experiences and write me about them.  I'll be excited to hear about the miracles that can come from it. 

I hope you have a good week.  I love you.

Elder Austin

Letter from June 23, 2014

Hey Mum!

How are you doing?  Are you doing all right?  Your journal letters don't have a lot of feeling in them, whether they be emotional or spiritual.  Maybe that's just the downside to journal letters.  I just hope you're doing okay.  It also seems like you're missing me a little too much.  That's how it seems to me at least.  I don't want you being unhappy!  I don't know, I can't really read you in those letters.  Just know that I'm doing absolutely wonderful and that I'm happy where I am.

So do you remember Courtney from my last letter?  Well, she has a baptismal date of July 19th!!  Aahh she's so good and I'm excited for her.  She was all set up to go to church yesterday, but then her 15-month-old son got hit with the chicken pox.  She's been experiencing a lot of opposition lately which means that Satan knows that something good is going to happen!  That has been Satan's pattern throughout the ages.  He's done it with Moses, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and even myself.  Do you remember the day I went through the Temple?  I experienced so much opposition that day that I thought it was impossible, but great things came out of it.  That's why I'm praying really hard that she will overcome these trials and be baptized into the Lord's church.  It will be a great day when she does.

This week we also had zone interview training where we interview with President Brown.  I love doing that because I have such a great love for him and all the things he does for the mission.  The Spirit is so strong even when he steps into the room.  I asked him how I can love my enemies more.  There's been a lot of people who have yelled and done mean things to us lately and I want to have that Christlike charity for them.  He told me to pray for it and to pray for those people as well.  I never really thought about that before.  He is truly an inspired man and I love him so much!

Well that's all I have for this week.  It was a very spiritually uplifting and learning week.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love you!

Elder Austin

Letter from Elder Austin Dated June 16, 2014

Hey Mum!

How are you doing?  I'm doing great!  We had a really good week, so I'm happy.  We found a new investigator named Courtney and she is GOLDEN!  She's about 18 years old and she grew up as a Christian.  She loved the stories in the Bible and it's always interested her.  We taught her at our church building, so we gave her a tour  and she liked that.  We then taught her about the Book of Mormon and baptism.  She understood everything and when we asked her to be baptized, she said Yes!!  It was amazing to see the Spirit so strong in that lesson.  She would've come to church this week, but after that day she got really sick and had to see the doctor.  Unfortunately, that kept her from coming.  She texted us and said she would pray to make it feel better!  We're seeing her again this week, so I'm really excited about that.  If all goes well, she should get baptized in July!

I had an interesting experience at the end of the week.  Us and the sisters decided to put up a family history stand on the busiest street in Falkirk.  We were talking to quite a lot of people and it was fun.  I was telling everyone about our family roots and encouraging them to look for theirs.  About an hour into the activity, some people showed up and started passing out pamphlets and brochures all around us.  We found out it was Jehovah's AND born-agains passing out anti-mormon literature.  They would specifically target the people we would talk to.  How mean and rude is that!?!  We weren't even preaching either!  That bothered me quite a bit.  So we ended up just leaving because it wasn't the best situation to be in.  It angered and frustrated me for the whole day.  When I think of those churches, I think of 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  These Christian religions weren't preaching peace or love.  They were instilling fear within others.  It was sad to see that.

I'm trying to work on having charity for these kinds of people.  I love those who are nice and want to listen, but I struggle with those who are mean and hate us.  I "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love."  (Moroni 7:48)  Jesus specifically said to show love for those that hate you, and I'm trying to implement that.

That's all for me.  I hope you like my spiritual experiences.  Now you share some.  Love you!

Elder Austin

Letter from Elder Austin Dated June 9, 2014

Hey Mum!

It was a pretty good week this week!  We've been doing a lot of finding lately and it's paid off.  We're teaching a man named Steven and he immediately had a spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon.  He says it "rings true" to him, so that's pretty exciting.  We have other people lining up to be new investigators this week.  We had to start from scratch, but now we're really seeing the Spirit work through us.

We have this recent convert named Alan that we were working with.  He's a pentecostal man who doesn't have a testimony of our church.  He was promised one after he was baptized, but it never came (because that's not how it works).  We've done all we could to help him feel the Spirit, but he's too stubborn and not willing to listen.  He brought out an anti-mormon book in a lesson and said this is where he's learning.  We literally rebuked him, bore powerful testimony, and then left.  I felt the Spirit so strong when bearing my testimony, it was an amazing feeling.  I've never really raised my voice like that before, but it was 100% Spirit driven.

This Sunday, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting.  The topic was on repentance so I had a strong testimony of it.  I don't know if you know this, but in my teenage years I did some things that were not pleasing to you or Heavenly Father.  They were things that weighed me down.  I made an early goal to be clean so that I could go to the Temple and go on a mission.  I worked really hard to get that forgiveness and when I did, nothing felt so relieving.  Because of these experiences, my conviction is strong.  So speaking on the topical of repentance was very emotional and strong.  People came up to me and said it was a "conference level" talk.  I think it's because of my strong testimony of the atonement.  My relationship with my Savior grew astronomically.  I will love and serve Him with all my heart, might, mind and strength!

I love you!

Elder Austin

First week in Falkirk, Scotland - First week in June, 2014

Hi Mum!

Well my first week in Falkirk was very interesting!  I love the area and I'm having a lot of fun.  Falkirk is a bigger town and we cover a lot of little towns just outside of it.  We use bus passes and walk all the time.  I actually prefer it this way.  You can talk to people while you're traveling and that's where the most success comes from.  We don't have any investigators right now, but we have a lot of potentials we are working with.  The branch is crazy and I absolutely love it.  In Scotland, you never have normal members.  Everybody is unique and special in their own way.  The district I have is great too.  There are two teams of sisters and one other team of elders.  We all get along great, so it's a ton of fun.  I love to teach/lead them every week.  I was nervous at first, but now I enjoy it.  I'm loving my mission more and more everyday!

Yesterday was zone development day again.  Our zone started off by playing softball, and I had a hay-day with that.  I was dropping bombs and making plays out in the field.  It's been so long since I've had a bat in my hands.  We then did this cool murder mystery game.  Everybody dressed up like 1920's.  You were supposed to do certain things and find out who the murderer was.  I was actually killed at the end of the game though.  I got the award for the best performance in the game.  We had a great zone development day and everybody had a good time.

I was taught a very valuable lesson this week.  One day when I was walking down the street, I tripped and fell flat on my face.  It was because of my worn-out shoes and it was really embarrassing.  People driving by were just pointing and laughing at me.  We also had a few really mean responses that day while tracting.  These things made me wonder why I'm trying to save these wicked people.  I thought that none of them would change, so why try?  By the power of the Holy Ghost, a distinct impression came into my mind.  The Lord told me "I didn't give up on you, so you shouldn't give up on your brethren."  I thought about that for a long time, and it is 100% true.  He will NEVER give up on us!  His love and mercy will always be extended.  We cannot hide from it.  2 Timothy 4:16-18.

Love You!

Elder Austin

Zone Development Day - Cast of Missionaries in Murder Mystery Game

Poor Elder Austin Died in the end!

Elder Austin's Journal Letter from May 12 - May 18, 2014

Monday, May 12, 2014

Well it was a very productive P-day today.  I didn't have much to email you about since I saw you yesterday.  I bought a new white shirt, but I think I need at least one more.  I bought a really nice tie too!  After P-day was over, Nancy invited us over for dinner.  We had pork steaks, and they were very spicy!  We had a nice little outdoor lesson with Bethany after that.  She has to work a lot now, so getting to church is hard for her.  She said she also doesn't feel the Spirit as strong anymore.  We had a good lesson on endurance, so I think that helped.  Oh, and happy birthday to Papa John!  I wore the tie for him.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

So as every Tuesday starts, we had a wonderful district meeting.  Today we were on exchanges with the zone leaders.  I was up in a big city named Paisley with Elder Windhausen, also from Germany.  I really enjoyed being in a big city again.  I miss it.  Their area is having a lot of success too.  We taught two young friends with baptismal dates for next month.  Some members fed us some chicken with mushroom sauce.  Then we taught a recent convert who was completely crazy!  She's in a wheelchair and has only one leg.  She's so cheeky so its hilarious.  I really enjoyed it here today.  It's nice to get out of Stranraer for a little bit.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

The mission is having us do an hour of family history on Wednesdays to get more familiar with it so we can us it in our finding.  I was just growing through the family tree when I found out that some of our ancestors are from Scotland, on your side!  I thought that was kind of cool.  We exchanged back, then headed back down to Stranraer.  Nancy fed us again tonight and it was delicious as always.  We were trying to talk to people on the street for the rest of the night, but it seems like more and more people either make fun of us or yell at us.  I don't know why, but the streets are getting more and more unsafe.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Today was one of the harder days of the week.  We did a lot of knocking but we didn't get much out of it.  We weren't able to see our JW (Jehovah's Witness) investigator.  She was sick.  We got her a "Get Well Soon" card with some scriptures from the Book of Mormon.  It's sad, but I think we're losing her to the Jehovah's.  I still don't understand why people choose other churches over ours.  That's a question that I haven't yet found the answer to.  The Corrigan's fed us tonight, sausages and rice.  It was pretty good.  Nothing much happened for the rest of the day.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Thank Heavens it was a much better day today.  It was actually the best day that I've had in a while!  It started off with us doing service for the McLeans.  We painted their fence and they fed us lunch.  We then went to a return appt with a man named William McGhie.  He has had some hard times, especially with drugs.  As we taught and testified, he said he felt something in his chest.  The Spirit was strong as we told him it was the Holy Ghost.  Then we had another appt with an older lady named Bridget, and she is golden!  She has a relative who is a member, so she said she's going to try it out!  I love days like this because they make you really happy.  It always reminds me of why I serve!  Oh, I also got told that I knock like a policeman.  Oh well, when you have an important message, you have a sense of urgency.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Today started off pretty well!  Sister McGillvery took us out to a restaurant for lunch.  We always say that we're going to the "pub" because it has a bar in it.  After that we visited the people out of town.  If I get moved, then it will be the last time I will see them.  So I had to saw an awkward goodbye since I didn't know if I was leaving or not.  The McLeans fed us AGAIN!  I don't know why, but well, I'm not complaining.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Do you remember the Obasuyi's, the less-active family?  Well their daughter got confirmed in the Catholic church today and they invited us to it.  We wanted to be supportive, so we went.  Trust me, we got a lot of weird looks in there.  It just felt soooo empty while we were in there.  Our church was nice.  I gave a talk on love and I enjoyed it.  Guess who fed us again??  Yup, the McLean's.  I think Nancy is feeding us more because we might be leaving.  We taught the Campbell's tonight and help them set a goal to go to the temple.  They're struggling a bit, so we're really focusing on them.

Letter from Elder Austin dated May 12, 2014

Hiya Mummy!

So this week, I'm not going to do a journal.  One of the reasons is that not much happened this week and another is that these kinds of letters express my feelings, spiritually and emotionally.  It was very good to see and talk to you yesterday.  You all seem to be doing great which makes me happy.  I know it was hard for you, but trust me when I saw it will go by fast.  The trick is to not worry about it and find something to do.  Get engrossed into your work and calling.  Focus on strengthening your relationship with Dad.  These things will help time go by a lot quicker.  Sister McLean really enjoyed talking to you too!  She said she's going to try and call you more often.  I love Nancy to death!  She truly is my Scottish Mummy!

So like I said to you, I realize that today is Papa John's birthday.  I'm wearing the tie to remember him.  It's weird, but I feel his presence even more now that I'm out here.  I feel like he helps me whenever I need him most.

We received some training at this last conference in Glasgow.  It was entitled, "The Why Behind it All".  They compared Nephi to Laman and Lemuel.  Nephi's brothers kept the commandments, but there's a major difference between them and Nephi.  They just went through the motions but Nephi had sincere desire and motivations to serve the Lord.  They asked us if we were just going through the motions or if we had the love and desire to serve.  Have you listened to "Missionary work and the Atonement?"  You NEED to listen to it, then you will know how I feel.  It will also help you in your calling.

This week was pretty slow, but it had some funny moments.  I remember we tracted into a Protestant Minister who tried to convert us.  He raised his hand and said "I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that you will actually become Christians!"  I tried to contain myself but I couldn't help but laugh!  He kept trying to convert us but we ended up just walking away because we didn't want to argue with him.  I find it astounding that 20 year old kids can be more knowledgeable in the scriptures than priests who have studied all their lives.  It's remarkable to see that the Lord is keeping His promise when He said, "You will not be confounded before men".

Well, I'm sorry this is not as long as other letters, but I told you mostly everything yesterday.  I will continue my journal letters next week.

Love and miss you!    Elder Austin