Elder Zealand: Service, our golden investigator, honoring my parents, and a MEAN as hike......

Man.... All I can say about this week is wow.... Just wow. This week is one for the Books!

I will start with our MEAN AS P-day last week! We took a hike to a waterfall and I have to say it was a looker! It was worth the hike. Ill send through some pics today, but this is a place that I will be coming again!

Tuesday was good! We had trade off's with the Sunnyvale Elders. Elder Gibson and Canoy. I went into their area and was able to just have some fun. We were able to do some service painting a members deck. I love getting to service! Its always fun!

We had MLC on Wednesday. So we went to the Mission Home to meet with President for the day. Overall it was a lot about service and what we can do as a mission going into a new year to improve the mission! It always good to be at MLC with the group. There are a lot of great missionaries there! I have come to love so many of them so much!

December 1st! World wide day of service! Boy, did we serve! Normally after MLC we have a Zone Training but we had a Zone Service project instead! We went to a Maori social service work place and they had us help them basically just clean up the carving facility. They teach heaps of people how to carve. Its mainly for the ex-convicts and the homeless to get them jobs and something to do. Its a really cool organization! We wrecked desks, weeded gardens, cleaned bathrooms, and kitchens, carried heaps of things to new places. It was overall really fun! I loved the chance to work! We did that as a zone together! Its interesting to see the commitment of everyone, even in missionaries. Most of the missionaries worked and put in their 100%, then there were some missionaries that did basically what they were asked then kinda took a break... They started talking or learning how to carve... Idk its just weird to see how there are even missionaries that cannot really put themselves into it...

Next December 2nd. Honor your Parents! I didn't really know what I could do to really do this... Can't really call my parents... So I found a way that I thought was good! I looked at remembering my ancestors and the work that they put in to not only share the gospel but to live the Gospel.. So before I left my flat I switched out my badge with my Dad's mission badge that he gave to me before I left. Then I jumped on the bikes and got to work. It was actually a really spiritual day. I could feel power and help come to me that I know wasn't mine. I could feel the power of those still on this earth and those not... They were all behind me that day and I could not be stopped. One weird thing that I have been able to feel not only on my mission but even more on my mission is the presence of my Grandpa Nielsen... I have had many experiences where I felt like I could feel him. I know he was one of those people... We talked to so many people and had great lessons. We got to do a service project and visit some members! It was just overall a great day of missionary work. I got to spend the day with Elder Zacher. He has been here for 2 weeks now. This was his first day on bikes and I will say that I put him through the worst of it. We went so hard. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has put in the work to make missionary work easier for me.

Now for the Miracle of Sunday! Shelby our investigator left for Australia on Thursday. She will be back this Saturday. She went over to see family for her Brothers 21st Birthday Party. Well we were a bit worried about that. Not really seeing her and not knowing whats going on for a week. But the Lord comforts us. Just before I ended my fast on Sunday we got a text from Shelby. I was kinda worried to be honest. Basically the text said that she had been talking to her cousin who is a member and her cousin wants to come to her baptism but cannot go on the 24th. So she asked if we could move it to the 17th. Like next week! We will have to teach her heaps the week before her baptism after she gets back but she seems committed so we are going to do it! We are so excited!!! Shelby is a serious miracle! She is Golden!

Thanks for everything! Love you heaps!

Our P-day hike was amazing