Ups and Downs

The weeks are quick here in  Australia but the days not so much. Dez is good, he is very kind and he is moving along slowly. Ben, unfortunately, dropped us. He felt like we had done what we needed to do. I guess he didn't understand the purpose of a loving Heavenly Father, so this week has mostly been finding.  Very little success unfortunately but that is how it goes sometimes.

We have a meeting all day on Thursday at the mission office so on Wednesday we have to drive up there.  Sorry for the short email I've been sick so this week is a blur.

A small story that happened on Tuesday, most of the people in Australia are not interested in religion or in ours but sometimes we have the best conversations with people. Like this older couple working in their front garden yesterday, we talked to were Catholics but he was from Italy and just loved to talk. It was fun to just get to know them and show them we aren't trying to force anything on people and that we are human. Other religions that try to do missionary work are often forceful and give us a bad reputation.  We just have to be normal and natural. 

Teaching has become my favorite thing to do on the mission because the Spirit is even stronger when you testify.  Having the Spirit guide you in every thought is the best.

Love, 
Elder Jenkins

Mars bars are easier to find in Australia!

NO RAIN!

We had Stake Conference this week. The big focus was on members helping the missionaries and how we all need to invite less active or inactive members back. There are 2300 people in the Marion stake and only a little over 700 people regularly attend! I think that will be a big focus next transfer. 

This week flew by. Friday we had weekly planning and we drove to Portland (a little over an hour to the South East) to help them with a family history booth at a local market. That was really fun and it was cool to see somewhere else. Saturday was the town Christmas parade. We thought this would be a good day for finding but unfortunately almost everyone was just watching the parade and wouldn't talk to us. We were invited to attend the leadership session of stake conference as well that day so that was really good. 

Sunday was stake conference which I talked about and then after lunch we started tradeoffs. I was with Elder Jones. We went to go visit Ben, although we have had a few great lessons he still does not seem to realize that God is a loving Heavenly Father. I think if he can come to that knowledge everything else will fall into place. We have invited him to church and to help us with some service we are going to give. Hopefully, if he can come to church he can see the full picture if that makes sense. We also did some door-knocking and found two people and got return appointments, we will see how those go. 

As we were door-knocking we stopped and talked to a man who was working in his garden. When we started talking he said he had worked in the states for a while in Houston. Come to find out he had worked in Sugarland and knew where Pearland was! He went on to share how he had always known there was a God and had been religious on and off. However, for the first time in 2 years he had gone to church (his wife's not ours) we talked for almost an hour just in his driveway and we will meet with him again soon. 

Monday we went street contacting before tradeoffs ended and met a few people but nothing really in the way of appointments. After lunch I was back with Elder Hymas and we went and visited Dez. He is always fun to visit and to talk to and he has started to progress as well. 

Tuesday was a long day, after lunch my companion and I  felt sick so we took the car and visited a few people. We got to share a video that came out for Light the World that the missionaries have early  access to called The Christ Child. It is an 18 minute film on Jesus' birth and it is so well made, it brings me almost to tears when I watch it. Check the Light the World website  but I would encourage you to watch it when it is released. 

I love you all

Ofa otu (Tongan for i love you)

Elder Jenkins 

 In Portland running a Family History booth with the Portland Elders.

Eating dinner

Tim Tam Slam

This week has been pretty crazy. The weather here has been all over the place. One day it 

was hot and sunny and the next it was back to rainy and windy. Mostly however it is

 raining, trying to rain or just windy and rainy. We had a little bit of success but not heaps

 of it. We found a new person named Ben who was taught previously but hadn't been 

taught for some time. He is not much older than my companion so he is more open and really 

eager to learn and come closer to christ which is amazing. 

This Sunday was the primary program, which was super entertaining. Although I am half 

way across the world the church is still the same and it is true. Seeing the little kids reminded 

me how much I love Parker and Emma (Love the rest of you too). Although we didn't have

 much success this week Alma 29:14 comes to mind about rejoicing in others successes. Both 

the Elders down in Portland and the Sisters had a friend at church this week and the Sisters 

said theirs wants to come again. We will check how Portland went today.


Another experience we had yesterday was people trying to Bible bash. This man we met 

randomly invited us to come talk. But it ended up that his wife was just trying to convert us.

 He was more open to just hearing our beliefs and sharing his, but she was just wanting us 

to pray to "really know because only one of us was right." It was interesting because the 

spirit was not there. Having the spirit with me as if he was a person there has been amazing 

And to have it be gone was hard, I truly am weak with out the strength of the Lord. 

This experience taught me something far greater, and that is that I KNOW the Book of 

Mormon is scripture and that Joseph Smith is a prophet who truly established Christ's church 

on the earth. The only way we can know that is if we read it and do as moroni directs in 

chapter 10:3-5. I have done it and testify of its truthfulness, and I would invite those who read

 this to truly study the scriptures and to pray, even if you have previously. Use the foot notes 

and study a hand full of verses, This is something I have done on the mission and now feel I 

can quote scriptures or think of them in times of need.

Sincerely, Elder Jenkins







Elder Jenkins and Elder Hymas have been doing lots of walking in the rain this week.



They were able to do service two different times doing some yard work for people.

Taylor eating his first Tim Tam Slam. He is dipping it in Milo which he says is similar to hot 

chocolate. So, if you'd like to try it get yourself some hot chocolate and head to your local 

Target, (ours sells 3 flavors or Tim Tams) and enjoy a short sip of through the cookie then 

quickly pop the cookie in your mouth.





Trying his first Australian meat pie (not sure what the difference is).



Elder Jenkins

We walked, and walked, and walked!

This week has been interesting for sure.

 Thursday was incredibly hot at 36* C or 96 F.We walked and were out in the heat for 6-7 hrs trying to find people that we got heat exhaustion pretty bad. We had to go and cool off before we went to a dinner appointment because we were so exhausted. My companion got it worse but I did better cause I wore a hat! The scripture Mosiah 4:27 came to mind with this. 

Friday was a huge day. We found 3 new people! We met a man as we were walking to meet with someone else and he shared with us his spiritual experiences, something that doesn't happen often, and we gave him a Book of Mormon and set a return appointment.  We have had a hard time getting back with him but hopefully next week. We then met with some men from the Congo we found the day before and gave them a Swahili book of Mormon. I've learned that the people who come over from Africa are incredibly kind. 

Saturday through Tuesday has been a blur. Lots of door knocking or street contacting which is extremely difficult when much of the area has been done in the last 2-3 month's and there are not many people in town willing to talk. So we walk, a lot of rainy days and waving to those who are uninterested. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is here on the earth and it is our job to share it. I have never been so "consistently and resiliently happy" as was said in this last General Conference. Patience has been something I have improved upon so much already and I can't wait to continue.

A man from the next town over who recently has had some tough challenges but Taylor and his companion were able to give him a blessing.

Taylor has said the "birds here are weird!" There is another one with a yellow head (not pictured) that nests in the ground and will start attacking you as you are minding your own business walking down the road.

Taylor and his companion, Elder Hymas, from Utah.