Oy our week was Crap haha, we had three meetings and i broke my moller and had to go to the dentist, swedish fish are death to our teeth. But my mauri comp and the tongan elder in our district think that american oreos and sour patch kids are the best thing to hit australia. So i went to the dentist last week and this week i have broke both of the fillings...i think these tongans are feeding me rock mixed with meat. We had some refferrals come in this week so hopefully good things come from that. Thanks Heaps for the Box yeaaaahhh mate, that was the sauce everyone covetts beef jerky, and thinks that our family is doing some underground mormon gang stuff to get it over here. We havent baptized for ever like 4 months so we are due pretty soon I can feel it in my bones. Im Still in the Manly area and President told me that i got one more here and then it off to a "chinese area"? WHat?? who wouldve thought that i would learn some mandarin on my mission. But it hasnt happened yet so we will see in the future. We got a car in our area because we started getting heaps of lessons done. driving on the other side of the road...Crazzzzy. Elder Tehei and me are having heaps of fun, for sure we were mates in the pre earth life. We are teaching quite a bit and then dropping people because it seems as if no one wants to progress in the gospel..there loss. I had a trade off with this FOB as Tongan elder (fresh off the boat) and we had the darkest expirience i have ever had. The ones where you say to yourself i wouldnt want one of those expiriences... and it happened. It shook me up pretty good and slowed me down for the day. But elder Tehei said, "satan knows that our area is going to explode pretty soon and he is going to do everything to slow us missionaries down." I took it as a challenge and started back to work. He gave me a hair cut last night and lined me up like a real gangster as missionary. Ill send some pics, i forgot to bring my charger so for sure next week and i will make sure i will take heaps of pictures for the family. We had Conference this past weekend, Those men speak with so much power it is crazy they would be the best missionaries ever. My hopes are that one day i can speak to people the way that they can. The mission is good the mission is great, we just need to baptize. Thanxs again for the package, and I hope everything is well back home. Jeff happy birthday.
***I decided to post Trents response to him....cuz I don't want to lose it!......
So for the second time in the last month Q has cut her hair. It is now very short. When we asked her why she keeps cutting it she replies “I want to look like Andy…from Toy Story.” That’s right…the boy Andy. So the picture you see is her version of Quinci-Andy. She really is very cute even with short hair. I think if we buzzed it she would still top the charts of cuteness and naughtiness. She has a wild streak in her as most of us in the family do… must be in the blood. She also came up to me on Sunday and said “Dad can I bear my testimony?” I was worried because last time she just laughed into the microphone really loud for a couple of minutes and then said “Amen.” So I was worried that same thing was going to happen. She told me was she wanted to say and I said she could bear it. She was so excited. She ran up to the front up the stairs and over to the podium to discover somebody had beat her there and was already sharing. I was worried she was going to kick him in the shins but instead she turned toward us on the bench and smiled big and said “heyyyyyy!” Then Bishop Benson grabbed her and helped her know she could go next. She got up to bear her testimony and was too short to be seen above the pulpit. The voice came out clear and true though. “I want to bear my testimony. I know this church is true. I know my family loves me and I love them. I know Jesus loves me too. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen. Abe and Jax also shared powerful testimonies. It is great to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love reading about all the experiences you are having. I pray for you and your investigators and I know that all your effort is worth it. This underneath is a story I heard a long time ago.
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing it with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Noticing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind. “You have been pushing against this rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.” Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These troubling thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. “Why kill myself over this?” I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough.
And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his thoughts to the Lord. “Lord” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even been able to budge that rock. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”
The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, When I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?”
“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”
I have thought a lot about it. I think that pushing the rock shows our obedience to the Lord and our faith that he know what the future holds. At the same time it gives us the strength and the talent that is required for us to be better tools in the Lords hand and accomplish all that Heavenly Father wants us to do and become in life. Whenever I feel like what I am doing is not having a very great effect I remember this story and I remember to push the rock.
Love your bro,
Trent Julie and the Fam
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