Dear Mom,

 

The week did not go according to plan like we hoped, but it was still good. We weren't able to visit Eve because she was still sick, but we are hoping that she's going to get better. Cassandra is still isolating herself and we have not been able to contact her. Ben Daniel we are going to try to visit mid week this week and invite him to be baptized. We visited to less actives, one being an elderly less active lady and a Chinese lady. They have their concerns, and we will continue to help them all we can. 

 

It is good down here though, and I love it here. The branch is remarkable, especially with the inconvenience they have with travel and lack of numbers, but they are inspiring. Though it's a hard area, I won't look down upon it. The Lord sent me to this place, and so I will go where he wants me to go. We do have people to visit and that's good. I just really want to find out why he sent me here. It'll be great. I have learned so much here though, and I am grateful for being sent here. 

 

I love you so much and pray for you every day!

 

Love,

 

Elder Justin Cederlof

Pictures!

 

 



Dear Mom,

Last week was definitely better than the week before. We were able to get two other lessons, one of them by miracle, and a member present with a very interesting lady named Ethel. We weren't able to meet with Brandon because we were going to see him Sunday but then the whole day was filled and so we weren't able to stop by, but we'll be likely seeing him Tuesday. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan and hope, we will have a lot of lessons this week and many of them member presents. We have dropped Cassandra--she went very weird, sent mean voicemail to member, and won't respond to our texts, and has recently put a chain on her fence to her house. Best of wishes to her and hopefully she'll calm down. She's bipolar and has struggles. 

 

I think that I will be here til December so until then I won't be going to the temple. I'm really bummed about that, but hey, I went to the temple every week back home, which is pretty awesome that I was able to do that. As for the rut, I am still in a rut, but if I really put effort into this upcoming week, it should be fantastic. It's just hard to get everything to work together, and finding is super hard down here, since the whole place is virtually tracted, and some places definitely more than once, and the people here are in a vacation spot so the are less receptive to the undesired topic of religion, which I think is a bit strange that people could be so against it, but I think perhaps it is because of the crazy things down in the name of the Lord in history, which weren't in his name truly. But there is great hope here and by faith shall miracles come to pass. There are many who can come unto Christ down here. 

 

That's exciting, but also sad for Ashley. No doubt she'll be missing her mission, but boy she'll be amazing and ever so converted. You'll be able to see the spirit in her and how changed and christlike she's come. My best of wishes to her. I'm glad our missions are two years, or I'd have seven months left and that'd be so sad, but alas it's two, which I enjoy. 

 

I did a lot of service for people (read landon's and Melissa's letters) and we were able to meet up with Diane, a new investigator, Philip, a potential, and Ethel. Diane is a listener but is not confident, and hasn't much experience with religion. She believes in God but has no testimony of Christ. So we are helping her to learn who God is. Philip is the husband of an investigator that's more of a potential, but he had opened the door because she wasn't home. It was great to then talk to him, give him a pamphlet, and invite him to read it. we want to see these three also this week and to help them come closer to Christ. 

 

And as a summation, I am good. Blessed far more than I can deserve. It's such a privilege to know that this gospel is true, and I love being out here. 

Love you more than words can describe too. Thanks for being my mother. 

 

Love,

Elder Justin Cederlof

 

Excerpt from Landon & Melissa's letters:

 

This week in Merimbula we helped a lot of people.  We got firewood from a huge tree pile, helped a lady move her garden, set up a chicken coop, moved wood from basement to upstairs place, hammered apart wooden pallets and cut them up for wood for a fire, raked up rocks from a families yard, removed weeds from a small cliffside/hill, tried to help a member set up a playhouse thing, and moved a concrete slab back into place.  It was great!  We were able to teach some people too, and I love it when we do that.

Dear Fellows,

This week was good. We didn't have as much go according to our wishes, but we dare not complain. We get the opportunity to administer the sacrament to the elderly in our branch, and it's always great to see them and see their wonderful happy countenances and their excitement of having the sacrament. They are old, but their testimonies are pure and joyous like children. Very inspiring. I love visiting them. 

There is so much work to do and time is short. May we acknowledge that and the opportune moments to work. The work is marvelous, and I am hitting eleven months and it saddens me to think that I am near half way. It will be heart breaking when this ends. Please take advantage now and work now, for the message is for all ears. I've learned that even the least likely according to our eyes, are ever prepared by the Lord, and He alone knows it. That is why we must invite everyone. I love you all and pray you good tidings. 

Love,

 
Elder Justin Cederlof

 

 

Dear people,   Not much happened this week because we weren't in our area from Sunday evening until Saturday afternoon. We drove up the damaged car to the zone leaders on Sunday so they could take the car up to Sydney on Monday when they went up for transfer meeting. In Sydney the car would be fixed. Tuesday was p-day so we went to a science museum which was cool, including a small tornado and a free fall slide which was fun.   The two following days Elder Ee and I went on trade offs with the District Leader and his companion. Friday was the zone conference with the mission president.  Our new mission president, met with the zone and talked about himself and the goals for the mission.   On Saturday night, as we were at the flat eating and doing weekly planning, I felt like going to the bus stop and seeing if someone was there, and inviting them since all day we hadn't had time to proselyte. It got delayed, but then when we went, there was one person, a young bloke, who was there. It was around eight at night. We started talking to him, and ended up giving him a restoration pamphlet and a   Book of Mormon. We gave him the phone number of the missionaries of the area, and that was an awesome experience. The spirit is amazing how it guides us ever so gently.   I love you all and may you follow the spirit, and do your best to discern the spirit, and then courageously follow the promptings.   Elder Justin Cederlof

Dear Everyone,

This past week was good. We were having issues in being able to meet up with people, but we had two wonderful miracles this week. Firstly we were able to meet up with a nonmember who is friends with some of the members. We stopped by and she invited us in because her older brother, who was staying at a nursing home, was at her place. We met with him and started talking to him. The discussion became religious. He started asking questions that were of a bashing nature, such as the impracticality of Noah’s ark, where the water came from, why would god want a body which he thought to be restricting. It was fantastic because Elder Ee and I didn't try to be all logical or try to be witty, but rather we bore testimony of how we don't know all things, but the Lord does, and we can come to know if these things are true through desire and prayer. It ended on a fantastic note. The other miracle was with Ben Daniel. He's been real busy and so we, one night of this past week, went to his house and he was available! We went upstairs, sang hymns with him, and then started to talk about his testimony in Christ, and then were talking to him about what makes our church different. Unfortunately, it ended with us not being able to get into what makes our church different, but we had a great lesson and he said he'd want to have us over to help him in his yard. Yay!

I can testify that this work is moving forward, and that family is so important. All things around us are temporary, and will pass away, but family carries on forever. So it is important enough for us to do all we can to bring it together.

Love you all,

 
Elder Justin Cederlof