This week has been great! We were able to meet with former investigators, Mirian and Stephanie, and we taught them the restoration and invited them to be baptized. Mirian said yes and Stephanie said that she had the concern of wanting to hold onto that faith that she already had. We gave them a passage of Christ speaking in 3 Nephi 27 and we set up a return appointment. It was wonderful.   The ward is great and Bishop Mahanga looked like a true bishop last night when we went to an inactive's house. That was a cool experience.

 
In my Book of Mormon reading that I read this past week, I've been reading of the Zoramites who left the Nephites and went to another place to worship according to their desires which were wicked. Alma the younger was able to see the humbled people because of their lack of money and such, and spoke unto them, teaching them how to truly worship, and that worship is done beyond the walls of the synagogues. I loved that because it shows that our worshipping God and showing our love to Him should be beyond the walls of the church, and it shouldn't just be on Sunday. All the time we should do that which we'd do in His sight, and each day we should praise Him in prayer and action.

Also, for my reading of the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion, it is amazing how much the Holy Ghost is involved in missionary work, and the more we prepare ourselves to have Him with us, the more we will be tools in God's hands.
 
Finding is a challenge here, but hey, room to grow eh? The miracle about being here in Macarthur is how nice the people can be here, so the need to extend invitation to those you walk by is huge, and will definitely get you out of your comfort zone.

Love you all,

Elder Cederlof

Hello brothers and sisters,

This week was a great week. We have had great blessings in finding new investigators. A miracle Elder Coats and I had this week involved us going to a former investigator's house. We knocked and asked if the person lived there. It turned out that the last missionaries might have accidentally put the wrong address. The former investigator wasn't there and the man living there had been at the house for a long time. Nonetheless, we asked him about his religious background and his beliefs. He believed in God and read many books. We shortly told him about the Book of Mormon, gave him one, and are going back to meet with him to talk about it. That was a great miracle.

This week in the Book of Mormon I have been reading about the Anti-Nephi-Lehi people and their conversion. It's amazing to think that a people can be so ready for the gospel, even if they are the enemies of the people that currently had the gospel. We cannot judge those who are ready or not as missionaries, but must give each person the opportunity to learn. I have had experiences where the person that doesn't look like they'd want to learn turn out being very receptive and even wanting to learn. That's the amazing thing about the gospel: it's for everyone. It's also so admiresome to see those righteous former lamanites willing to die than slay their brethren, and even more wonderful is the scripture declaring that surely they are with God because of their righteousness, and also about how God brings about salvation to His children. It's a wonderful chapter.

This week with studying about the Doctrine of Christ, I have seen how I should be relating each lesson that I teach to the doctrine of Christ, and by doing so, I will be helping my investigators and less actives to see my purpose as a missionary and what the gospel does for us.

Love you all heaps,

Elder Cederlof

Dear people,

 

This past week in Macarthur was great. We had a wonderful miracle in finding an investigator. Elder Coats and I were walking somewhere and we passed a bus stop that had a covered sitting area. A young girl, looked age fifteen or sixteen, was sitting there by herself. We walked past but then I felt like we should go back and talk to her. At first I was thinking that it was just me, but then I really felt like going back, so I took that one as being from the spirit. I walked over and said hello, introduced myself as a missionary, talked a little about the gospel and what it could do for her, and invited her to learn more about it. She said yes without hesitance. It doesn't end there however. As we were about to resume walking, some little kids and their mother with a friend walked over to the bus station. The mother, Shamsa, we talked to and then I was able to learn about her past and her being around mormon friends before and how she enjoyed them. I testified that the gospel would help her in her circumstances, and asked if we could share more another time. She said yes, gave us her information, and we are looking forward to seeing her Tuesday. That was a great miracle.

This week, my studying is when the sons of Mosiah have left for their missions with the Lamanites. I really enjoy the courage, calmness, and faithfulness of Ammon when he serves King Lamoni, and especially his humility when King Lamoni calls him the "Great Spirit", of which Ammon humbly replies that he's just a man. I also loved the simplicity of Ammon's teaching, and relating it to King Lamoni's knowledge about diety. Very good example of how missionaries should act.

Also this week, I studied in preach my gospel about repentance. I love the whole idea of repentance, when sincere, changing your outlook on your life, God, and your outlook on the world. It truly is vital for all of us, and something that we should shout praises for. What a great blessing to be ever changing, for then we can change more and more to be like Christ. Repentance is a gift, not a punishment.

 

I love you all!

 

Elder Justin Cederlof

Dear fellow citizens,

This week has been an interesting week for me. As you may have known, I was transferred to a new area. Now that I have been here a week I can tell you how great it is. The ward, Macarthur Ward, is fantastic. They are very welcoming, even the little ones are--they will go up to the missionaries and shake their hands. It's great. I have been fed heaps, and the food is fantastic. I will definitely be gained some Ks.

We've sisters in our ward, and they are awesome. They give Elder Coats and I rides heaps because we've not a car. For this area, I am really working on memorizing the streets and such, and getting to know the ward so that we can get them involved with the people we are working with. My companion is great. He actually is a whole lot like Elder P.J. Tanner, a member of my prior Utah ward. It's funny how people on the mission resemble people from home.

Being on foot is going to have its challenges, but at the same time it'll be awesome to have such. Members here also, when they see you walking, will lots of times give you a ride, which is very nice of them too.

On Saturday, at night, elders, members, and nonmembers played rugby, me included, on a cricket field in the rain. It had been raining all day so the field was soaking and you'd slide all over. There was a tarp covering the middle of the field for the cricket, and we'd put soap on our bodies and would slide like a slip-n-slide. It was raining the whole time. Fantastic!

A miracle this week was when my companionship went on splits with the zone leaders. Elder Katane, a zone leader, and I went to a member's house in the afternoon. The member had just gone on a late lunch break, and so was home. We were able to visit and share a message about enduring to the end. He then told us how he had needed to hear that and that he never takes such late lunch breaks. That visit was inspired. That was a great miracle I had for this week in Macarthur.

Thanks for all your support, and I'll be trying to learn some Samoan since there are so many Samoans here, so wish me luck. Amen

 Love,

 Elder Cederlof