Move Day!!

Dearest family and friends,

It has been a busy P-day indeed.  We moved flats today to a place a little farther away from the city.  We will have a little more space and we will be living with Elder Smith and Elder Guy, they serve in my branch and the zone leaders.  We are all really excited to be with each other.  Before, I was in a 2-man flat with the 3 of us.  There wasn't a whole lot of space to do push-ups, but that is alright.  Haha.  I am trying to have a more serious exercise program.  

It was a really awesome week.  Last week, the entire mission fasted for mission goals and for companionship goals.  It was an amazing to see the things actually happen.  My faith has been strengthened and belief that miracles do happen as we are obedient to gospel and truly do all we can.  Life is going really to say the least.  I feel really happy. 

Australia continues to be really good.  It has been a little warm, but no worries. Haha.  School is getting started, so I can some momentum coming in these next couple weeks.  We have zone conference on Thursday.  I feel very excited.  The Maxwells are awesome.  I honestly couldn't ask for any greater people to help direct this work in Melbourne and be my mission leaders.  They are so humble and caring of all people.   

The most amazing experience of the week was finding a member on the way to church yesterday. She had slept on the streets the night before and had not gone to church in years. She has some really hard times.  She had came to Melbourne to pay respects to two cousins that had just died and then while she was here, she was badly injured due to domestic violence.  It is really sad story.  She initially told us that she would wait to go back to church until she gets back on her feet, but I told her that I knew going to church would help finding the peace and comfort that she is seeking in her life.  She did come.  It was the most wonderful experience.  The talks were particularly touching yesterday and it was interesting that as I listened, they connected so well with her recent experiences.  Many members were wonderful in making her feel welcome. I love Matthew 25:32-40.  I know it is true.  As we serve, help, and love others, we are actually performing these acts for our Savior.  This is how true commitment is shown.  

I have thought a lot about Joshua 1:8-9 recently.  I have read verse 9 many times, but have often overlooked this verse 8.  Verse 8 discusses the learning of the law and mediating upon the law day and night.  I believe this in an allusion to searching the scriptures.  I know as we feast on the scriptures, we will know more surely God is with with and feel His presence.  I love you all.  Sorry for the short letter.  You are all awesome.  

your son, brother, grandson and friend

Jonathan, Elder Shumway, Anh Ca Bao 

Dearest family and friends,

It has been really good week.  I feel overjoyed that everything seems to be going home at headquarters.  It seems like it was a busy week for everyone, but God continues to help us navigate and overcome the different challenges and curve balls that life sometimes throws at us.  We have been greatly blessed to continue to find new people to teach.  I feel very excited about this week, to see the impact of the last couple weeks of hard work. We have had some humbling experiences, but I am grateful for these experiences because I feel like our companionship has been more willing to change how we do missionary work.  I have come to know that one of the best attributes to always strive for, is to be accepting of change because I have seen as we try new ideas in finding and teaching, we learn much more and more willing to follow the Spirit, not our own wisdom.  That is something I have really enjoyed about serving with Elder Marker and Elder thus far. 
We are now preparing Anh Phan,the person I spoke of last week for baptism. He seems really prepared to hear the gospel.  He is just so humble.  He said that he has been thinking about the Mormon Message, "Good Things to Come," the entire week. I saw him on Thursday and he had a big English exam the following day.  I told him how I always says a short, but fervent prayer before every test I take because sometimes I feel a little stressed. Yet, after I pray, always feel a surge in peace and confidence. I invited him to pray and he said on Saturday that he saw noticeable difference after he prayed. That is so cool.  These are the most experiences, as I see people come to know and trust in God and feel His love. I love this work.
 We invited his wife, Chi Hoa, to be baptized as well, but she wants to know and understand more about Jesus Christ before she makes that decision. They are both from Hanoi and have never learned about Christianity.  Everything is very new.  We are actually going down to their home in Springville tomorrow to teach them again. 
Life continues to be really good. We see many miracles and I see more and more, how God always prepares a way to accomplish His great work.  We saw this past week. We had been street contacting for several hours with not much success, but after a quick snack and prayer, we had the best finding day of the entire week.  We had started to doubt our efforts and if there was something that we were doing wrong, but then God allowed us to see the fruits of our labors. It was an incredible learning experience for me.  I remember that grandma used to say patience is the mother of all virtues.  That is something I continue to learn here in Melbourne.  I feel very happy.  Hope all is well.  As they say in Australia, love you heaps.  Haha.

your brother, son,grandson,and friend,

Jonathan

Good Morning from Australia!!

Dear family and friends,

It was an incredible week.  It was one of the best weeks for me so far on the mission.  I saw many miracles.  I felt the Spirit and saw the gospel bring light into other people's lives. Our companionship continues to be really good.  I am having a blast in serving with both Elder Marker and Elder Pham. 
 We had several experiences that I will never forget.  This week, I am continually reminded how is truly a God of miracles.  This was clearly shown in several different experiences that we had this week.  There was a couple that we have been trying to meet with for several months.  They come to every English class, but were reluctant to meet with us.  They have been asked several times, but I felt a distinct impression to ask them again.  They initially said no, but Elder Marker had an inspired idea to invite them to watch a movie with them.  They then willingly met with us and we shared the message, "Good Things to Come."  As we discussed the video, it became that coming to Australia and all of the pressures associated with it, have humbled them.  They needed some source of hope for the future, because we feel their stress, anxiety, and perhaps even despair over the current situation.  We made the connection to having hope in Christ and His Gospel.  We discussed this for awhile, but I then felt a prompting to bear my testimony about the hope that I have in this gospel.  I felt the Spirit in very real way and I could feel that hearts became softened.  Testimonies were shared and now we plan to meet them several times a week.  This experience has reminded me of the marvelous work we are engaged in.  I remember His mercy and faith in me to allow me to be involved in this great work.  Life is going really well.  This was just one experience, but as Elder Pearson said from a Area Presidency message yesterday in that "we call down the miracles of heaven," we can truly call miracles from Heaven.  I know we can call, but also that He answers in a greater abundance we could ever imagine. 

We were in the city basically the entire week.  The area is a little different because the Vietnamese are more spread out in comparison to Sunshine and Footscray.  My area is several hours by train.  It is huge, so we spend a lot of our time in the city.  A lot of people we find, we do not teach, but I have seen as we work hard, other missionaries have found Vietnamese people that we can this glorious message with.  I feel that we can qualify ourselves for blessings as we "put our shoulder to the wheel." I have definitely seen this to be true.  Many of the people that we talked to even last week are now learning about the gospel.  It is amazing.  I felt the Spirit strongly on many occasions.  One of those themes I have testified a lot about recently, is the potential that God sees in each of us.  I know that God's vision of what we become is greater that what we can or see of ever imagine.  I saw many people reflect seriously on this point and desire to learn more.  

Life is going so good.  I wish I had time to write all the miracles.  I feel so happy to be here.  I love sharing the gospel.  It has been a great blessing in my life.  Love you all.

Jonathan

First Week in Richmond!!

Dearest family and friends,

It has been a wonderful past week.  I am really enjoying with Elder Marker (my former companion from the MTC and the beginning of being in Australia--soon to be the companion I will have serve with the longest) and Elder Thao Pham.  I was serving with Elder Hieu Pham last transfer.   Elder Thao Pham is from Seattle actually.  He has a brother serving in Hanoi right now.  Super cool.  I love serving with both of them.  The flat isn't too big, but it feels like home to me here.  It has been full of learning, rushed cooking, classical music, and yes, some laughs.  Haha.  It has been really good so far.  I know a lot of missionaries don't like serving in 3, but for us, so far, it is going awesome.  Everyone likes to talk, but we know how to listen also.  It has been very fun.  

We basically were on the streets of downtown Melbourne for basically the entire week.  I have been outside a lot.  We just try to keep finding prepared people to hear his message--that I know will change them, their posterity forever.  That is something I do know.  I have no doubt in my mind.  

I feel greatly blessed.  We began meeting with several new people.  They all seem really keen to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I feel very excited.  One of them came to church in the city, wanting to return the Book of Mormon and the pamphlets we had given her.  She had great doubt that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  We basically hinged every objection she said on whether the Book of Mormon is true.  We bore strong testimony of its truth and how the Book of Mormon can bless her life.  She has felt confused in the past few years on the contradiction of different churchs' doctrine and the Bible's teachings.  She is definitely a seeker of truth.  Elder Thao gave a testimony on the Book of Mormon and how God answers prayers that I will never forget.  The Spirit definitely was witnessing the truths that we spoke. She says she will read entire Book of Mormon.  I feel very happy that she came to talk to us.  Most of time, it seems, people just picking up calls, but she recognized for herself, that this message we share is more important is no casual affair.  She realizes that the message we share is either of God or not.  It is up to her, but I feel very indebted to God and His divine help in allowing us to teaching this gospel.  I give my witness that the Book of Mormon is true.  I love it and have indeed felt its power in my life.  It has answered many prayers too many times to count. 

I have begun reading the book of Acts this week.  It has been awesome.  I love Peter the people.  I love and admire greatly his faith and willingness to act on revelation from God such as in Acts 10.  He does not wait to visit Cornelius.  Hes simply joins Cornelius's servants and goes.  I have seen great blessings in following the Spirit, but I also know we will receive greater blessings, as we act immediately on revelation.  That is something I try to work on every day.  Faith is definitely needed.  Yet, I know as Ether 12:6 proclaims, that witness will come after the trial of our faith.  

Life is going well.  I enjoyed all your letters so much. I hope mom and Peter feel better.  I will keep you in my prayers.  Good luck with everything this week.  I am safe and happy here.  You are all awesome.  Love you so much!!!

love,

Jonathan