Friday, September 25, 2015

The Results are . . .

22nd September 2015


I have been called to the Australia Brisbane Mission, and within that calling I have been moved to the Bellbird Park Ward in Centenary Stake

But Other than that I'll give you a quick overview because we have to go soon to unpack.

My last week in Cleveland was awesome. We smashed it and we did our best to keep the good times rolling.

My Last day in the area (yesterday) We went finding, now when I say we I mean that we had a little trade-off when Elder Hassan and Elder Gustafsson went to the Doctors. So I was with Elder Andon for 2 and a half hours, and we thrashed it, we met 44 people and met some really good solid potentials, and we even taught a lesson!

So I left Cleveland on a pretty good high, it was unfortunately also a sad time because I was not able to see Yoon-Geun get baptized this weekend. We have been working with his family well, since I came into the area actually.

He's an awesome and challenging person to teach but it is definitely because of him that I have found new fun ways to be able to teach the lessons to children.

My new Companion is Elder Bullock who is from Canada. (He's my first Non Islander companion (Iceland is an Island) )

The plan this week is to snap Gravity (Exercise as hard as possible) because this ward loves the missionaries to be fed.



Elder Jackson Fankhauser.

3 Transfers. The Drumroll Please.

14th September 2015

So this is now the end of Transfer number 3 in the Cleveland Ward and I am currently wondering whether or not I will stay here another Transfer to clock up 6 months in Cleveland Ward. 
This Week has been thrillxciting, (It is now a word) This week has also gone by so fast, a lot of finding, a lot of lessons, and we have done some super duper planning that we hope will be able to go through, but the most important thing is to work at it.
We had a few awesome miracles this week. One involved a new investigator Tarmara, she is from NZ from somewhere by the name of Te Kowhara, I felt a little embarrassed that I didn't know where it was, but hey it is alright. We taught her a little of the restoration but mainly just got to know her a little better and answer some of her questions. We gave her a pamphlet on the restoration and we got a message back not even an hour later from her asking for more! How awesome is that!
We also while finding knocked onto a ladies door, who thanks to the wonderful power of Netflix and the Internet had seen 'Meet the Mormons' She said just from watching that she wanted to learn more because how we were portrayed to her was not how she saw in the Movie/Documentary.
Our last miracle this week.....
Is that we are celebrating Halloween this year
But... we are going to be dressed up as missionaries...... that are baptizing an awesome guy named....... Tony!!!!!!!!!!!!
We saw him on Friday and set the Baptismal Date for Halloween
So before I finish, If you haven't seen "Meet the Mormons" you need to watch it... because it is really informative and... Well I almost cried watching it, and if it almost makes me cry then it'll definitely pull on some of those heart strings of yours.


Elder Jackson Fankhauser.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

The Good, The Not so Good, and the Not really Good

7th September 2015

This week has been a roller coaster, Started off on a little bit of a low but through the week we rode quite High and then yesterday it came down again.
Miracle this week was Tony. Who came to Church again and told us that he really wants to be a stronger man, both physically, and mentally.

Something that has been Frustrating me throughout this week has been the constant "no" that we have gotten from almost every door, some people were nice about telling us to go away and other's weren't (must be something in the weather. All we are simply trying to do is to show a happier way of living that we know works.
It reminds me of a scripture in the Book Of Mormon (there's actually a few but I'll just add the references later), this one is one that I want to write out
I am going to use a Method known in our Mission as BREAD
This scripture is Nephi talking to his Older brothers. Nephi had been commanded by God to build a boat. And His brothers mocked and ridiculed and basically denied that he (Nephi) could even build one.
Nephi then recounts many of the miracles that happened to the Israelite's as they Journeyed through the wilderness.

1 Nephi 17:40 - 41
"And He loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, He loved our Fathers, and He covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He remembered the covenants which He had made; wherefore, He did bring them (The Israelite's) out of the Land of Egypt.   And He did straiten them in the wilderness with a rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them and after they were bitten He prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished"


 Nephi begins with this fact: That God loves everyone.
He then goes on to talk about a time when the Israelite's had rebelled and chosen not to follow them, and the ensuing punishment. But he loved them enough to prepare a way for them to be saved.
This same deal still applies to all of us. God Loves all of us, no matter what we have done. We know from the New Testament that our Father which is in Heaven is Perfect. Which means he has a Perfect love for all of us.
For us in this Day and Time when there is so much confusion in this world God has prepared a way. The literal thousands of religions out there all claim Truth, and in one instance they do have truth, just not all of it. God has prepared a way, that everyone in the world can know, if they choose to accept, that Jesus is the Christ and that he has Established his Church once again on the Earth today. The evidence that we have is The Book Of Mormon. It has been prepared for us in these days to help us to know the whole truth. All you have to do is to follow the evidence. Do what any good Detective would do. And ask if it is True.
This Restoration of His Church all started with a simple question. This could essentially be your own question. But I know that The Book of Mormon is true, I challenge those that have not read it yet to read it. To Pray. To read the Testimonies of The Prophet Joseph Smith, The Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses.
I give you this council from Alma " If ye can more than desire to believe, let it work in you"
And from Nephi " If ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ"
In Moroni's word I will conclude this. "Yea Come unto Christ and be perfected in him.... and if by the Grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in Nowise deny the power of God.



Elder Jackson Fankhauser.