Country Elder

In Australia it is 10 AM on Sunday and the middle of winter. Because I am a country serving Elder at the moment the only way we can email is if we rock up to the District Leader's flat Sunday night and spend Pday with them which kinds sucks.

Narrogin is doing good. We have one baptismal date and that is for this upcoming Saturday. His name is Manny and he is 13. We are hoping there are no complications with his parents. They have signed a consent but he wasn’t able to attend church because of vacation and family issues so we hope it hasn’t complicated the baptism There are a lot of people in our area, less actives.  They seem to pop up out of nowhere.  We are also trying to track a lot of them down in the farther areas of where I am serving such as Kattaning, Darkan and Boddington.

The islanders are cooking up a big Lu and BBQ feed for the Senior Training Leaader’s because they are leaving this transfer and one next. It should be good; man I am excited. This week we had octopus and Otieica which is raw fish with cream, tomatoes and chives. It wasn't too bad. I ate a couple of scales though.

When all of the Elders get together we play a lot of touch. I am getting a little better at it. I think the first souvenir I will get is a cool super rugby jersey we found at a kiwi (New Zealand) shop.

I was able to go to the temple this past week and that was awesome. The Perth temple is small but the workers are super nice and the garden area is pretty. Following that I had my last training as a new missionary called follow up training. We ran through a couple of role plays with the Assistants to President Fife.

The food was uber good. We got free fish and chips which is like a staple of good food here in Perth. Also Burger King is called Hungry Jacks and the KFC here is pretty good ha-ha.

We have been doing a lot of exchanges because we had to be up in Perth so much. We are doing the best we can in our area. Hopefully we get to interact more with investigators and less actives this upcoming transfer.

We find out about transfers in about a week or so we will see if one of us gets transferred. I will most likely finish out the first 12 weeks with my trainer but who knows. I will most likely stay in Narrogin though Elder Paongo has been there for upwards of 7 months now. President Fife likes to keep missionaries in certain areas for ages.  Elder Paongo is awesome and I am going to be sad if he leaves. He is funny and a hard worker. He is also really good at following the spirit and knowing how to help people which is awesome to see. It is helping me to get better at it.

Life is Good Out in the Country

Life is going pretty good out in the country. School is back in session here and the parents are all at work. One of the main focuses that we do is service so we are trying to help as many people as we can physically to then help them spiritually.

We had a Christmas in July dinner at sister Scott's house which went really well. There were about 15 less actives or non-members there. She is planning on having those once a month like a dinner thing so that they can eventually get talking to the missionaries and maybe become investigators. There is also a lot of food which is a plus for us starving country Elders.

This upcoming week is pretty busy we are going to be driving into Perth three or four times this week. This past Sunday one of the people that we are teaching came to church and that was awesome his name is Darryl and he is a bit crazy. He thinks the world is going to end. Funny enough though he is a member but didn’t know it so I guess we were just reactivating him and we didn't even know it.

The people here are pretty stubborn; they like their alcohol and smokes. They also hate Americans and religion for the most part. The people are genuine and to the point though so if they tell you to get off of their porch you do it.

I still haven’t seen a Kangaroo yet but they will hop out eventually.

The members are doing great we are just trying to keep as many active and coming to church as we can. We are trying to get a gal named Lora's kids baptized at some point. They are pretty adamant against it and that is a bit funny. They are good smart kids though so they should come around.

The thing that we have been trying to practice at with our off time is the art of fire knife. I'll send a few videos of that to the drive. We were also given a ram’s horn and we named it Anastasia it smells pretty bad because the person that gave it to us didn't clean it out ha-ha.

We met a kid that plays AFL and he was cool he but lives in Brisbane though. One of the things that I am trying to get better at is the sports that are played over here.

The missionaries that I have come into contact with are pretty great. All of us are working to the same goals and pushing along in our areas. This week went by quick and this next one will to so there might not be a lot to write about.

Here are some pictures!!

Our city moto!

A quick look at our bedroom.

A view from our apartment window of the city streets.

Our cool blanket from the Cook Islands.

Our living room and study area.

Our dining room and kitchen.

A view out our back window at our car and parking lot.

My companion getting ready to knock that door.  Want to learn more about this?

My camouflage biking helmet.

I think our car did more damage to the bird then the bird to the car.  Driving a lot has its casualties.

It is like they wanted us to come here.

Haircut anyone?

Anyone?

Some in country cooking.

Looks like a good meal!

Our ram horns (nicknamed Anastasia).

 Last few days at the MTC.  Hot air balloons.

My district elders packing up for Australia.  A view inside my MTC room.

Leavin' on a jet plane; don't know when I'll be back again....travel papers and tickets to Australia!

District Blitz in Armadale.

This week has been good. I have had a lot of firsts, on the Thursday I got to Narrogin. My companiona and get along well. We are currently teaching a few people. We contacted into a man named Darrel and he is a character. He thinks the world is ending and quotes Revelations all the time. I think we can turn him around just a little bit haha. He also thinks that the dragon or Satan in Revelations is a big thing in space that is going to wipe out most of the earth haha.

We are also teaching an aboriginal named Diana she is Catholic and has a lot of the same beliefs as we do, we are just trying to find a good time to meet up with here and get into our next discussions and hopefully progress to baptism. Lastly we are teaching Cindy she is in her 40's and is really religious. We asked here to be baptized about a week ago and she said yes. Our next lesson is this week and we need to clear up a couple things on marriage.

Most of the time this week we have been up in Armadale with the district leaders, bouncing back and forth between conferences and meetings. We had a district blitz where all the Elders and the Sisters ran one area and tried to get new potential investigators. That was fun we got a few people for the Sisters. One of them, his name was Big Tom, or Bitters (that is his stage name) he is one of the best beatboxers and Karaoke people in western Australia and so we jammed with him a bit and that was fun.

The Elders here in Armadale have been treating us right food wise hahah, They made an Omu last night which is an underground oven that helps them steam and cook meet and tarro. We had Otie and Lu which are traditional Tongan dishes. They were super good and I’m looking forward to trying new cultural things while out on the mission from around the pacific.

The area has been a blessing and the branch  members have been practically spoon feeding us potentials and new investigators which has been nice. I am planning on cooking a lot of goods for the Elders when they come down to Narrogin some time hahah. It has been good and I have been loving every second of it.

Life is Good; I am Having a Blast

Everything is going good in Narrogin. We have a small branch of members here and not a lot goes on in the city. The Australians kinda rise and die with the sun so there isn't much that we can get done in the day. We finish our days early around 7:30-8:00 because by then it is completely dark and the Aussies are all sleeping and get pretty wicked mad if we try to contact that late. We only get let into places after 6 if they are members or we have an appointment. We have been focusing on trying to contact referrals and less actives at the moment. 

I have been driving a lot actually. Elder Paongo and I get about 4000 km for the month because our area of the mission is so big. I’m currently in Armerdale with the District leaders there and they are a crack up man. We stayed just talking and getting to know each other. The area is massive we try to stay within Narrogin, Wickpen, Kattaning, and towns close to there.

It is funny that all of the Elders have an open fridge policy with the rest of the Elders. So basically we go around to others in our zone and just raid there pantry because Elder Paongo and I cannot get food until about the 14 when his MSF card gets more funds. I am a pro chef so no need to worry if we are eating or not, we will survive.

Our flat is gigantic it is 3 stories and the best flat in the mission. We actually have a tv so we watch the District and the Ten Commandments every once in a while.

Elder Paongo is from New Zealand. He is half Tongan and half Fijian. The majority of the Elders are from the islands which is pretty cool so maybe I’ll pick up some weird slang. My companion and get along pretty well. He likes me because I can make him food out of the scratch that we have. Haha! No, he is a great guy and I will grow to love him I can tell. It is quite different from the MTC. The majority of the missionaries are from Australia or the islands; about 70 percent. Then there are about 20 percent American and the rest are from all over the world.

I am glad that the family is doing well.

Mission wise we haven't been up to a lot just trying to get in contact with people. There was a baptism set up before I got there so I will be able to participate in that on August 5th.

Life is good I am having a blast.

Letter from Mission President and His Wife (via Mission Secretary)

Dear Family,

We are happy to inform you that your son, Elder Gunter arrived here in the Australia Perth Mission and thank you for sending him to us.  We are glad to have him here and have confidence that he is going to be a fine missionary.

His companion in the Narrogin area, Elder Paongo , is a strong and faithful missionary.  He will play a vital role in the adjustments and training process your son will go through.  We encourage you to pray for his success and happiness and to write letters of encouragement and support.

It is our privilege to have Elder Gunter serve with us.  It is a great trust that you and Heavenly Father have placed in us to assist him in realizing his full potential as a servant of God.  We will assist in every opportunity to help him grow in the gospel, to bless others and to invite all to come unto Christ.  He will truly be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.

Should you change address or contact details during the term of your son’s mission please notify the mission office promptly.  We would also be grateful if you would advise us of any change in your email address.

May the Lord bless you to experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from having a son serving in this sacred responsibility.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Fife

Attached are pictures of Elder Gunter in the Australia Perth Mission

Sister Halbert

Mission Secretary