Sawyer's adventures in Australia

First week here has been an adventure. A lot to learn and a lot to experience. I'll start off with some of the stories right off the bat from leaving the MTC : Immediately out of the MTC I had chances to share the gospel. The first person we talked to on the Frontrunner was named Maverick. He sat down next to us and we asked him where he was headed. He started opening up a lot and we realized that he had a really rough past. Then he told us he is a member but doesn't go to church very often. It was just such a great way for me to know that the Lord is already giving me opportunities and preparing people who need to hear the message. I shared a scripture with him and invited him to pray. He was really receptive and I'm glad we had the chance to talk to him. I'm excited to start this journey and touch the lives of others. Already having a lot of adventures. We had just left the MTC and were getting onto the bus which takes us to the airport. I'm with 2 other ...

In a few hours I will be leaving the MTC to begin the next chapter of this journey. I'm so excited. I bought a Book of Mormon and my goal is to give it to someone in the airport. I am just hyped to share this message with everyone in the world. I'm not afraid to share the truth with anyone. I know how much it will bless their life and I just can't wait to get to Australia and get to work. This last week at the MTC was full of awesome experiences. The first one I want to share is about Trump. I got a picture with him this week, and I finally learned, after my 2 months here, what his story is. It was honestly a really humbling experience. I've been making him a bit of a topic of humor during my stay at the MTC and never really knew who he really was. However, what I learned was really inspiring.  Trump's real name is Bruce Nielsen. He is a missionary. He is not called to be a missionary but he is a true disciple of Christ and just has a sincere desire to sha...

I have been on my mission for 2 months and it's flown by. But when I look back I truly feel changed. I am so excited to keep working hard and change more. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary and dedicate all this time to the Lord. So this week we had Christmas. Christmas in the MTC is when our travel plans come in. Christmas songs are sung in place of hymns in class (in Chinese of course) and there is joy in the air. Most missionaries are so desperate to get out of here that when the email comes in that says 'Departure Information', you will hear an uproar of excitement. I honestly love the MTC, I'm not in a rush to get out. I feel like I've made the most of my time here and I want to make the most of this last week too. So I personally did not wear my Christmas tie and throw a party when I got my flight information, but I was excited. Imagining myself really going to Australia is a lot easier when I can see the ticket and everything. I have ...

What an awesome week! One of the most interesting events this week was the arrival of the international missionaries. As the Zone Leaders we spent all of Tuesday running back and forth with these new missionaries. Here is my journal entry about the ensuing circus. Our first new missionary is an Elder from Finland. He is 22 and he's so funny. The first thing he did when we walked by some Sisters was he dropped everything and talked to them. It was pretty funny and the Sisters were all laughing and taken aback. Then he pulled out a Confederate flag sticker and put it on his name tag. He said that a friend had given it to him and that it 'wasn't anything bad so he wants to always wear it on his tag'. Pretty funny. He was a plumber before his mission. He also has an iPhone in his suitcase. We told him that's no longer allowed. Just a lot to take in on both sides. He told us he likes to party. He wrote down the name of every Sister he met in a little notebook....