6/30/13

G'day mate!

We've had a pretty good week. It's funny though, my companion is going home at the end of this transfer, and I think he's been getting a bit trunky. He's a great missionary, but some days it's hard to keep him motivated and focused on the work and all. So the first half of the week was a bit slow, but this weekend was awesome.

The work is going pretty well. We have a nice church building here. It's an old building that has been added on to pretty recently. Our ward is pretty small. I think yesterday we probably had about 70 or 80 people there for the meeting.

We watched the Worldwide training last night in Toowoomba. It was mean! It was like a mini general conference. I felt like I got so much out of it. It was definitely a boost to my spirit as a missionary. I know that the brethren are men of God. I know the things they reveal are God's word and will. I am excited to see the blessings that will come from following the counsel of our prophets, seers, and revelators.

Watching the training made me see all of the things I could have done as a member missionary in my life prior to my mission. I can't go back and change what I didn't do in the past, but I will surely change what I will do in the future! I don't think I understood or even partially realized the significance of a member's involvement in an investigator's conversion until I came out on my mission. All of us members are to be lower lights for those who are tempest tossed on the waves of Satan and the world. 

I have been able to stay warm OK. My companion and I moved our beds to a smaller room in the house and we leave our little foot heater on all night. We've been nice and warm. I will appreciate those warm socks though. The mornings are the coldest. I can see my breath in the house. 

I ate something kind of wierd the other day. It was an indonesian style pancake thing. It was like two large crumpets (sort of like a thick pancake) with chocolate, peanuts and cheese inthe middle. Yes, shredded cheddar cheese. It was surprisingly good, despite how wierded out I was. I also cooked some chicken stuff at our flat the other night. I pretty muched just used whatever I could find and put it on the chicken then pan fried it and ate it with noodles. I'm pretty sure it was soy sauce, chinese all spice, turmeric, chili powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar. I was pretty proud of how it turned out. 

I think I'm almost out of time so I hope you are doing well and I hope the Lord will bless you in all the things you are doing. I Love you and appreciate all you do and have done for me. I am proud to be your son. I hope to talk all about our missions when I get home! I pray for you and the family every night. Give the family my love. God bless you!

Love Elder Thieme

23 June 2013

G'day everyone! Great to hear from you! Thought I would send some pics now that our library actually has computers now. The first one is from last transfer. We saw this mailbox tracting. The next one is taken from up on a hill in Toowoomba. I was on trade offs with the district leader, Elder Forester from Idaho. And sometimes you get hungry when you're tracting.

I've had a really good week. Things in the area are going well. We had to push our baptismal date back but we set another one with a young girl who is friends with a member of the ward. The member friend's name is Megan and she is like super member missionary. She is always sharing the Gospel with her friends and inviting them to church. She is an example of how we all should be.

We had three of our investigators come to church thi Sunday! It's so great to see them come and after you try so hard to get them there. The first couple weeks here we were having trouble getting our investigators to church, but things are looking up. The Lord is blessing us for continuing to be dilligent and working hard. Working hard is sometimes (a lot of the time) an act of faith. Especially in this area.

Well, we only get half an hour on the computer now here at the library and I am out of time. Hope everything is going well! I love you all so much and miss you! have a great week! I am healthy and happy and I love the work. God bless you!

Love Elder Hayden Thieme

Smashing it in Somerset 6/16/13

Another week has flown by here in the Somerset area of the ABM! We had
a pretty good week. My companion Elder Ormond and I are smashing it
and having heaps of fun. It feels like last P-day was yesterday! We
haven't got mail for a while so I'm looking forward to our special
training meeting with president. We'll get mail then on Wednesday. It's
cool how diverse this area is. There are heaps of people from the
Middle East and Africa and we run into a lot of back packers (people
who travel from place to place working here and there). We met some
back packers from France, some from England, and one guy from Spain.
There are also Asians everywhere. We tracted this one street yesterday
in Gatton, QLD and it seemed like the whole one side was Japanese
people. Some didn't even understand English. I was tempted to say
something I learned from a Japanese Elder in my last zone. I don't
know how you spell it but I can say "I want to fight" in Japanese. I
decided against using it as a tracting approach.
Last p day we were at a mall in Toowoomba ("just past One-woomba" -
President Langeland) and I went to the Target and bought a thick hoody
and some long johns. Last night, I slept with a beanie on as well, and
I was still waking up freezing in the middle of the night! I thought
Australia was supposed to be warm! We have a little space heater, but
it's kind of old and it struggles to heat our ice-box-like flat. We
leave it running all night and it makes a bit of a difference.
My companion and I have been doing some running this week. It's good
to finally have a companion who'll run with me. He's been cutting his
weight and he only eats protein shakes with fruit and stuff (except
for when members feed us). I really like Elder Ormond, we've been
doing well together. I think I've learned to open up a bit more and
just be myself. I think I've learned a bit of humility from my past
companions.
We were tracting in Laidley, the town we live in, and we knocked on
this guy's door and he told us we had five seconds to get off his
property or he would shoot us. I was thinking, "what do you think this
is, Texas?" but I didn't say it. This was a first for me and Elder
Ormond, who's been out 23 months. We figured if Satan's trying that
hard to discourage us it must mean we're doing something right!
We have a baptismal date for June! There is a part member family in
our ward who haven't been 100% active. They are a young couple with
five girls and one boy. The oldest is ten and she has not yet been
baptized, so the keys are now in the hands of the mission President
rather than the Bishop. The Bishop told us that we needed to be up
front and commit them ("pull the trigger"). So we went over Saturday
night, not entirely sure what we were going to say or how we would
approach the situation. As we met with the parents, the father brought
it up out of the blue and said they wanted to set a date and get
going. They decided on June thirtieth. The daughter has been taught
most of the lessons before so we will be doing review and also
focusing on preparing her father to baptize her. So we're pretty
excited for them.
I just finished reading the Book of Mormon and the New Testament
recently. I have developed such a love for the scriptures, more than
ever before. I just can't get enough! I think I've learned better what
it means to "feast" upon the word. I wish that I had gotten that ages
ago.
I love the Book of Mormon. I've had instances on my mission when
people try to bash us or argue with us about how we're wrong. And some
of the things people have said has caused me to think a little. What
if? What if they're right? But the thing I always fall back on as I
ponder is that I KNOW that the Book of Mormon IS the word of God. The
Spirit always brings this thought to my mind and everything else melts
away. There is no doubt in my mind that it is true. Because os this
knowledge, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, called to
translate the ancient record and restore the Church of Jesus Christ.
Nothing can make me doubt that this Church is God's kingdom on the
Earth, led by true Apostles and a living Prophet of God. Most
importantly, through the Book of Mormon I have come to know my Savior.
I know He lives. I know what he did for me. I know it is Him I serve.
I hope everyone is doing well and has a good week! I love you all! God
be with you!
Love, Elder Hayden Thieme

10 June 2013

G'day everyone!

Man, my companions and I were just talking about chicken and waffles the other night! I was remembering how good those were!

Joe Palacios! I haven't seen him in ages. 

It's good to hear your back is feeling better. Hopefully you'll continue to be able to do the things you need to do and the things you like to do. Haha, I ran with my companion this morning. It had been ages since I ran last! It's never felt so unnatural before. I only jogged for twenty minutes and I was stiff. Haha I forgot you asked if I was packing on the lbs when I sent that picture. I think it was just a weird picture. I have maybe put on a little weight but not much. Maybe ten pounds at the most. And it's mostly muscle. I have yet to serve in a Polynesian area though. That's where you get fed. That's where missionaries get fat. Hopefully I'll be able to keep from putting on fat. 

The work in this area is a bit slow. It seems as though every area I have been is the same story. I keep telling you, I'm here to learn patience! My companion and I get along well. Hes pretty kick back. I think my last couple companions didn't like me all that much. All goods. I think I respect my new companion more than prior ones because he is dedicated and converted. 

So it's been a sort of slow week, but I am excited to get things going. I love the work! I love being a missionary and I love my family! Thank you for your prayers. Have a good week, I love you all!

Elder Hayden Thieme.