Yellooooooooooohhhhhh!

My fellow Americans...

I've had such a random, crazy week. It has been so eventful and wonderful! First of all, everyone needs to look up James Rietdijk on YouTube.  He was a Baptist missionary serving in America for 5 years and then he met LDS missionaries and joined the church.  He just walked in to our ward one day and said, "Hi, I'm James. I just joined the church in America."  Welcome James! Haha, his story is on YouTube. You might have to do a little searching but I've heard it's great! We've recruited him and brought him to a few of our lessons, he is awesome.  We picked up 3 new investigators this week! SO exciting! We hope to be planning some baptisms here in the near future :) 

Also, a Happy Valentines Day to you all! We celebrated with a few members and an investigator, they took us to a buffet for lunch. Sister Nauta had never been to a buffet, she was just beside herself. We all were! There was a chocolate fountain, fish, pork, salad, etc. It was...well...a buffet. You all know. Very yummy, we had a good time. Then it was back to work for us, we taught another 20 lessons this week, it's been so busy. 

I think in my last email I mentioned the street called Sunnyside? Well, it's a very dangerous street, actually the most dangerous in our area but we found ourselves back on the same street this week to visit another potential investigator.  We were just leaving the area when we pulled over because there was a woman who had crashed her motorbike in the street.  All I saw was she was bleeding so we pulled over to assist. We got her to sit down off of the road and she's bleeding badly from her head, her whole face was covered in blood.  She was complaining about her leg and so I knelt down to look and....yep...it's definitely broken badly, not going the way it should be. So I call an ambulance (by the way it's 000 not 911 if you are ever in Australia, I don't know HOW I remembered that...)  We just sat with her while we waited for an ambulance.  Everyone that lives on Sunnyside starts to come out and see what's going on.  They all know her so they're assisting her, keeping her calm etc. So awkward for us because it's all the people who closed the door on us just a few days prior.  They're giving us funny looks and what not. 

A younger man calls over to us, "What are you sisters doing around here?" We told him, "We're sharing the Gospel etc..."  He tells us we shouldn't be here, not to waste our time in these areas. Come to find out, he is actually a member! He was just released from prison but his older brother served a mission and his mom and other brothers moved to Bountiful, Utah! We had a good conversation and he said the next time he sees us, we'll have a chat and he'll buy us some water! Then the cops pulled up and literally everyone who was there split!  Hahaha, we got a good laugh. We felt like we did our good Samaritan role :) The funniest part was this guy with a mullet comes running out of his house FREAKING out..."oh my gosh, oh my gosh...yep...she's bleeding, oh wow she's bleeding" (while I'm on the phone with the ambulance, I'm like.."Yes I know, just keep her still...")  He's like..."Keep her still, yep..alright, okay, I'll do that. Oh my gosh, her leg is broken!  Did you tell them her leg is broken? Oh my gosh...ohhh..."  Haha - I'm like, "Sir, you're gonna need to just CALM DOWN!"  The best part is when he goes and gets this tiny pack of ice and puts it on her leg...........I'm thinking, Okay, her leg is completely broken, it's beyond the help of an instant ice pack...but I just let him go do his thing. We were giggling. But the woman is fine, ambulance fixed her all up at the hospital. All is well. 


Sister Nauta and I celebrated my 6 month mark at a Thai food restaurant, so yummy. It's my favorite kind of food in Australia. We've been doing a lot of traveling because the Elders in another area have an investigator but she only wants to be taught by sisters, so we travel to their area once or twice a week now to see her.  She's good too, praying for a baptism soon! :) 


Stake Conference was on Sunday, it was WONDERFUL! It was a broadcast from President Monson, Elder Christofferson, Sister Stevens and Elder Baxter, I think it was broadcasting from New Zealand.  It was great though, Sister Stevens talked about our priorities and how the gospel is so simple, and we can simplify our lives as we live the gospel. Elder Christofferson talked about truly understanding the Gospel, and who we are being the factor that dictates our actions, not just because it's what we know were supposed to be doing. And President Monson talked about serving one another, and magnifying our callings, for the Lord will hold us accountable for the souls we could have saved had we had been doing our duty. A good reminder for all of us, I was spiritually uplifted. 


This weeks Book of Mormon reading will be Mosiah 11-22, I just LOVE Abinidai!!!  I hope you all are having time to read from the Book of Mormon each day, it is so important and there is so much for us to learn. 

Have a wonderful week, you are always in my prayers! LOVE YOU!!

oh and...Sister Nauta and I are staying for another transfer :) so happy!