February 2012 - Busy in Ballarat!

6 February 2012

Allen Clissett and us..

This past week has been a great week for me too.. We had a Baptism on Saturday of Allen Clissett.. It went fairly well. He asked me to baptise him but I shrugged it off to a member in the ward.  I've realised it's alot more important for members to baptise investigators than us. Missionaries come and go, but members stay and that fellowship is key.  So a man named Craig Manning baptised Allan.  He was so excited to do it, as it was his first.  I think he has some challenges so it actually took four attempts to baptise him by immersion, but he finally got there.  It was a really spiritual expeirence for him.   I was able to confirm him yesterday as a member of the church and give him the Holy Ghost. It was a really spiritual experience.  I always love using His Holy Priesthood.  It's always so spiritual and uplifting.  More importantly, he felt the spirit really strong during that blessing which is key because he will still need alot of fellowship.

As for the Blakes they are really solid.  John blessed the sacrament this past week! A great sight!

As for transfer news.  I'm staying another one in Ballarat with Elder McNeil which is great. I'm no longer officially training.. haha! but im excited to see what else we can do for the area in the next six weeks.  This area is really coming alive with missionary work, but alot of our investigators have become stale, so it's back to the streets to sive the wheat from the tare.

I rolled my ankle fairly bad this week as I was chasing down a couple on the street.. It was really brusied.  I couldn't walk on it for a few days but I've been taking really good care of it, and pressed on.  We're all sweet now, still tender but I can limp around...

P-Day, couldn't resist!!

Yesterday in sacrament meeting, we only had a few investigators there.  We had alot committed to come, but not too sure what happened.  It happens though. It all comes back to that circle of concern and circle of influence that Dad talks about.  Great advice!  

Ummm, so as for my cooking.. I must admit I've had highs and lows this week with cooking. On Tuesday we had a District Meeting and I prepared a honey glazed turkey roast for the District for lunch. It was looking amazing, and I remember mother always use to leave it in the owen when she went to church. So I left it in the oven while I went to district meeting at the chapel. I came back to open the oven door and smoke was pouring out! Everything was so black!  Food catches alight when all the moisture is gone, and I think give it another 10 - 15 mins and our flat would of been gone.. lucky on that one! Lesson learnt. Keep the oven at 140c degrees not 180...

13 February 2012

This week has been a really great week!!

We have been hard at work finding new people and helping others progress..

This week we were going through the ward list and realised we have 177 families on our ward list with only 33 active... not the best, but at the same time the ward is growing.  We had 113 people at church this week :P

 

 

So I had a really sacred experience this week.  One morning this week, I was praying to see a miracle. The whole day appointment after appointment fell through and it was a fairly rough day. Our last appointment of the day, we went to go see this guy called Larry.  This is the guy I was writing about a few weeks ago, how I'm in over my head and I can't relate to his problems in life.  When were there  he was telling us that if he had a gun he would end his life right now, and don't be suprised if next time we come to see him there is police tape around his house. I really had no idea what to say? I really was searching for a heaven inspired question or comment.  The spirit hit me so strong.  I promised him that if he got baptised that his life will improve... We continued and the Spirit hit me even stronger. I asked him as inspired, if I could give him a comfort blessing!?!  We hadn't even been able to teach him the restoration too well, so we quickly explained authority and how we hold that authority of God and explained a blessing. The Spirit was so strong.  I then proceeded to give him a comfort blessing with Elder McNeil.  I was really seeking the Spirit.  As inspired, I was able to bless him that 'as he comes unto thee, he will reach the highest of heights' and that his Heavenly Father loves him.  After the prayer his whole face was lit up.  He was so confused.  It took him about 5 minutes to ask what just happened?? He was overwhelmed. He then asked us 3 times each if we both had both our hands on his head. We told him we did.  He then started to breakdown.  He asked "If both your hands were on my head, then who was holding my hand? !!"  The Spirit flooded into the room!!  He continued to breakdown as we hugged it out.  What a miracle! I feel so humbled to be able to be found worthy to hold His Holy Priesthood and to be able to preform through faith what we all call moden day miracles.  We were able to go back the next day and were able to explain to him the role of the Holy Spirit and the miracle that happended the night before.  We still don't know who was holding his hand whether it was the Holy Ghost or an angel or ?? but this sacred experience has strengthened my testimony and changed his life!  He now has a light of hope in his eye! He wants to know the soonest date he can get baptised.  We were able to set a date with him and his son.

 

 

View from the top of a hill we hiked on P-Day

This Gospel has been restored with that authority and power that Jesus Christ gave his apostles!

  

As for your questiones. We found Allen on the street. He lives by himself divorced, but we are teaching his step-son at the moment.

  

All is well! I love this work! Moden day miracles are performed each day.

Elder T Bennallack

20 February 2012

Well this week has been a great week, where do I start??

Tuesday was Valentines Day, so us being the geniuses that we are, and being inspired by Elder B1's boarding finding techniques, we went to 'Office Works' on Monday.  We both bought a white board that we can fit in our big suitcases to take with us. I've been thinking about getting one for ages. I also bought some magnetic strips as well.  Now I can make more effective lesson plans. You don't need to construct a lesson plan from scratch every time, but you just need to personalise it to fit the needs of the investigators.  So now just like father use to with his magnetic football field he used while coaching, I can now have all these strips with scriptures and what not, and really personalise lesson plans quickly..

But as for Tuesday, I used my board as a sign.  Elder McNeil and I went down to the mall (it's like Rundle Mall) and we took our signs and put 'our rods in the water'.. my sign said 'No Valentines? Me Neither... sit down lets talk about GOD'... hahah! everyone thought it was hilarious and we got new contacts out of it too... it worked really well!! I love preach my gospel. It tells you to really look for new ways to share the gospel and it's great how you can use your strengths and personality to share the gospel.

On Wednesday, we had a zone conference down in Deer Park. The whole zone loved my sign.. haha!  Especially the assistants :P

Zone conference went for 4 hours but it was great.  F.Michael Watson was presiding.  I'm not sure what was better, the conference or the lunch afterwards!!

We walk into the rec hall to find that the tongan ward had put a lunch on for us.. We walk in and there is a whole roasted pig lying on the table!!! Next to that ,was a fruit basket, 6ft long with whole pineapples, mangos, figs and everything amazing! There were 10 of the church tables together with no room at all on any of them! It was all meat! It was like I had met Willy Wonka's cousin that has everything meat! haha!  But honestly, the nicest thing was some pork wrappend in taro leaves, cooked in a coconut cream! sooo good! We didn't even dent the food!

The rest of the week has been ok.. We have had a lot of appointments fall through all over town, it's a little frustrating but its ok.

The miracle of the week was this young man named Jordy.  He is Larry's son and is 14. He came to the youth activity on Tuesday and he got on his bike to ride to church yesterday! He loved it. The youth loved it too because there aren't too many!  He was asking us when he could get baptised.. hahah good times! We will continue to teach Larry and Jordy! They will both get there!

Allen received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday which was great! He has been asked to pass the sacrament next week which he was a little nervous about, but we saw him last night and taught him all about it, so he's excited..

27 February 2011

Some weird looking fruit! This is Australia!
(I think it's a Lychee)

This week has been alright.  I'im not going to lie, it was a little slow with alot of appointments falling through with the heat, but we has 10 at church yesterday which is a record so I can't complain...

So, hmmm the heat.. Well our Zone Leaders this week decided that they wanted to hold a 'car fast' day, and what better day to have it than last Saturday when it was 40c degrees outside!!  I wish I had sunscreen :( I got roasted! I was drinking so much water,  I think I drank at least 8L. We didn't have any appointments set for the day as well, so we were out on the streets for 11 hours finding.  It was not fun! We rode out to the airport, which is out of town. (look it up on google maps).  From 'Brown Hill to the Ballarat Airport', and that was only the start of the day.  I was sooo dead by the end of the day. The zone leaders promised that the heat was a trial of our faith and that we would be blessed if we tried. And it was a real test..

We also had a really spiritual lesson with an investigator called Matt this week.  He is really progressing and has a great understanding about what we teach.  We taught him the Word of Wisdom and we took his smokes, coffee and tea, but he did relapsed after two days.. and now he has given up, so not too sure what to do.

As for Jordy and Larry. They are going great!  Larry still didn't come to church because he was throwing up, but Jordy came, and he is solid! He has his 'Duty to God' book and he is signed up for 'trek' in a month too, so thats really good!  His dad is supportive too. We were hoping to baptise them together but we will see how this week goes with Larry.

I know that the Lord gives us trials to teach us things and I am really learning a lot about myself! I'm learning alot of patience and always looking at myself in these situations and seeing how I can improve... Missions are great like that, your really learn what it is like working with others, and living with others.

I know the Lord knows best and that all my companions and areas were pre-ordained and that if I work with all my heart, might, mind and strength I will become who the Lord would have me be.

Elder T Bennallack (B2)