Dad forgot to post this one

I must admit, I am not a great writer either. But hey, the atonement is real, I will repent. 

We haven't taught a lesson yet since Ive gotten to Dundee, there were no investigators or less actives being worked with when I got here. So Elder Mulville and I are basically starting from ground zero. We are getting along really well, I love this kid, he is a cool as a cucumber and he is a great missionary. We are working hard with the members trying to serve them so that they can trust us. The reputation of the missionaries over the last year has not been great, so we are really struggling to get the ball rolling. I love the Ward though, they are fantastic, and I love Dundee. Last week we were just out finding people all day everyday. Its really exhausting business, Im so tired every day haha, I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. 

The boots are great, dry feet are a tender mercy. It rains so much in this place haha. Im looking forward to getting back to sunny Brisbane one day in the far away future. 

I just finished the Book of Mormon again today, this one took me a while, about 3 months. I was studying about humility, all of Christ like Character depend on humility, you cant have any of Jesus' attributes without having some degree of humility. Not teaching has been a humbling experience. Its really hard to get things moving when nothing is happening. I cant even imagine how hard it is for the Lord to get his work moving, I guess he is all knowing so he is more efficient, but Im sure its still a struggle. 

Elder Tang

Falling out my third Story window

Sounds like it was a really great trip! I love the photos! Dads beard is killing me! That thing is flippin awesome! Im so jealous. Thou shalt not covet thy fathers beard... At least I think that's what the scripture says. 

This week was pretty rough. Coming off a week where we had pretty successful finding I had a hard time when this week no one really was listening to us. We were just talking to brick walls all week, lots of rude people and heaps of really closed minded people too. By Friday and Saturday its safe to say I was more than frustrated. I hate it when people will not even listen enough for us to tell them about the restored gospel, it really grinds my gears when they just keep walking when we try to speak to them or they just shout NO NO NO NO to everything we say. They don't even know what we are telling them, and its the most important message they will ever hear. Its really hard to preach to people who are so hard hearted. We had a man this week whos door we knocked on who said "for me to believe in God he would have to come down, stand in front of me, and say 'Im God, what can I do for you?'" He told us that he didn't believe in God basically because his neice died and he said that if God was there his life needed to be better. He was so arrogant and blasphemous, we then testified about how opposition is a part of Gods plan and that he would never learn anything if God was just his butler, to which he responded "YOU WONT PREACH TO ME!" 

That was just one of many people that just grinded my gears this week. Its so humbly to have to just not say anything to these people who are so prideful and contentious. Suffice it to say I did not have the best week. 

In order to combat a bad week this week we are starting fresh and we have to have a good week. Im trying to avoid thinking about the pressure. 

The Church has launched a HUGE Christmas initiative online and across the world, its a great opportunity to try and help people realize what they are actually celebrating, especially because I think that every year the real spirit of Christmas is getting pushed more and more aside. You have probably already gotten the whole run down from the sisters, if you haven't though, ask them about it because its a lot bigger in the states than it is here. Hop on facebook and share the video that's on Christmas.mormon.org its awesome. 

Well that's about all the news for me this week. Pretty boring. Sorry I don't have anything too outrageously exciting. We did have a great thanksgiving dinner at the Bishops house, that's was good. 

Love you. 

Miss you. 

Elder Tang

Dundee is actually a place as well as a fictional character

Elder Mulville and I

This half week has been amazing. Elder Mulville is great, he is so relaxed all the time. And the ward is awesome. Its a big ward, about 150 members. Sunday was awesome. 

We are basically starting from ground zero, we aren't working with anyone right now and apparently the members haven't been very supportive of the last few missionaries. But we are going to change all that. We have prayed a lot about helping the members get more excited, and so we spent a lot of time on sunday while I got to know as many people as I could and shook everybody's hand coming in and tried my best to smile and be as warm and friendly as possible. I think we had a good impression. We went to Bishop Keoghs house for dinner and introduced the set a date program from Elder Ballard to their family (they have 10 kids! WOAH!) Sister Keogh jumped on it, she is a real go getter. And Bishop Keogh had some experience with the same program in the past where it worked really well. There are apparently some families that will be a lot harder to win over, but we are off to a great start. 

I didn't really do anything on my birthday but Elder Mulville told one of the Keogh girls that it was my Birthday on Friday and so Sister Keogh has booked us for dinner next week where she will make a late birthday cake, I have never been so pampered in my life. 

Dundee is looking like it going to be awesome, I love that we have an opportunity to work with so many great members to expand the work here. Its really just awesome! Im so excited for this area. 

A little more about Elder Mulville, he is a convert, baptized one year ago, his story is fairly similar to Jacks, so it is really cool to serve with him and to hear his story. He is really smart too, knows heaps about the gospel. I am really excited for this companionship. Its gonna be awesome. 

address is 2/R 174 Lochee rd, Dundee (I am not completely sure about the postcode, but you can probably find it on google maps) 

Elder Tang 

Elder Barton

Transfers are here!

Dear Friends,

Im sorry but Im really terrible at writing as you all can probably tell. 

So the moves call has come in and after 6 months Im getting kicked out of Stranraer, they are offically sick of me. Well I hope they arent haha, but Im getting moved this week to Lochee in Dundee. For all who dont want to bust out google maps its right up on the North East coast, almost up to Aberdeen, just a little north of Edinburgh. Im going to be Senior Companion to Elder Mulville, I dont know anything about him yet, but Im certain that will change. 

The Last few months have been hectic, no baptisms or anything big in that way to update you on, just little experiences everyday where the Lord reassures us that we are doing the right thing, if youre not careful you could miss them. 

I have been learning a lot about love lately, its something I want to get better at. Jesus Christ loves everybody, he loves us all more than anything else, he didnt withhold anything from us when he was atoning. I wish I could have that kind of love, I havent quite figured out how yet. Its one of those mind boggling mysteries that I am trying to figure out by constant pondering. I have a pretty easy time loving the people I spend a lot of time with or that I miss from home and all that jazz. But unfortunately I cant figure out how to love every person I meet yet. I think at some level I do, but I just need to get it out and throw it around a bit... Its easier said than done. One thing I have noticed more though is the more you truly come to love the Saviour, the more you can love others. 

Do you love the Saviour more than your nets? (to find out what I am talking about go hit up John 20, and think about what your nets are) 

Are we each ready to leave our nets behind??? Its a big question. But asking ourselves that will help us to put into true perspective what its worth. Even down to the smallest things, do we love him more than our comfort? Or our easy going lives? Are we willing to make sacrifices. Thats what I have been pondering lately. 

Love yous all. 

Elder Tang

These are a couple of extra details he wrote his mother....

This week was busy but pretty uneventful. Other Than the lesson we had with Matthew which was awesome, he accepted the baptismal commitment and we will see him again this week. He is going through some really hard stuff and needs help, the good thing is unlike so many other people he is willing to accept help and recognizes that going to God is the right thing to do, its pretty amazing really. 

Elder Barton, he has been my favourite companion, the guy that I am replacing in Dundee is coming to be Elder Bartons companion, its pretty weird, Ive never heard of a swap like that. Im a little scared, I have never moved areas before obviously, and Im right in the middle of a big city. The ward there is supposed to be really big, Im looking forward to that, I would just love to sit in a big congregation again. So there are some good and bad things as far as nerves. But all things considered I really have needed a change. 

So a little logistics update, it snows a lot in Dundee apparently, so I will need some boots I think. Ive got a link for some,  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Martens-Boots-Brown-Gr-45/dp/B003SX0ICQ/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1415011431&sr=8-22&keywords=mens+doc+marten+brown   I think Dad said he had some Docs on his mission and they lasted forever. I also tore through the knee in my older black suit, too much praying. (seriously thats what did it) I stitched it up a couple of times but just kept tearing more and more, proabably due to my dodgy repair job, so I can survive on just the one suit for a while but I may need some money for another one soonish. Im sorry to be always asking for stuff. Im trying to make everything stretch, I feel bad asking for stuff all the time. Maybe call the boots good for xmas.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Martens-Boots-Brown-Gr-45/dp/B003SX0ICQ/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1415011431&sr=8-22&keywords=mens+doc+marten+brown

thats the link again because I dont know if it worked. (Im a size 8 european, Use your best judgement I guess) 

Elder Barton my son....

This week has been good. We had some good success, we had 3 investigators at church, which is the most Stranraer has had, probably in years. Im not sure. And it was just a really long, really busy weeks all in all. 

Ok let me tell you something about Elder Barton. 

He is a fantastic missionary, really prepared and has really stepped up to the challenges that Stranraer presents. He is from a family of 5, all sisters, he is the youngest. He is the first in his family to serve a mission. He is so tall, 6 foot 4. I feel like a midget. He has a girlfriend in at BYU (he came straight from highschool and she went to college) and she seems pretty cool. He didnt have much to say at first, he was kinda nervous to speak, but he has come miles from where he was. What a killer missionary he is. Ill send a photo. 

I have been getting quite a lot out of my studies lately, I have been studying about a lot of christ like attributes like charity and love and humility, there are so many things I need to improve on. Its actually ridiculous how far we have to come to become like the Saviour, Im not even close. Atleast I have no shortage of things to do in my list of Godlike qualities, always got something I can be busy with. 

I am so excited for Patch to come to the mission, I had a weird feeling he would come here, at first I thought I just hoped, but now I think God maybe revealed it to me a little bit, out of a love for me, just a nice thing for him to do right? He will be a really good missionary, it will be weird to have a missionary here that is family, that will be really cool. I hope I serve close to him so I can see him often. That would be awesome. 

I have had a good week, its been exhausting, but its been good. 

Elder Tang

Wise as serpents harmless as doves

Another transfer is over here in the mission field. Thats 3 down now. On my 4th planner now. Elder Barton and I went to see St Ninians cave last p-day, which is the first place that christianity landed in scotland, in about 400ad or something. Right at the beginning of the great apostasy, funny that, probably explains all the false doctrines that are prevailing around here.

Oh so, I was speaking with a Less active in the Branch, who is a Mcgilvary, like Dads grandma, and I was saying to him that I really liked his Mcgilvary hunting tartan that he had for a kilt, and he said he knew a guy that could get it discounted if I might want some (its a really rare really expensive tartan) so I said that would be awesome. He talked to the guy, and the guy just sent him like 5 meters of it and said just pay me whenever. So now I have 5 meters of mcgilvary hunting tartan to make a kilt, but i need about £150 to pay for it haha. Sorry about that, he didnt mean to get it sent to him yet, it was a bit of an accident. Maybe dont worry about a birthday package this year, haha.   

This week was rough on numbers. To be honest I have felt pretty sad lately. I have been in Stranraer for 4 and a half months and we havent been able to improve anything, no members reactivated, the active members arent doing any more missionary work really, no baptisms, I have been struggling to find what our purpose is in Stranraer. I keep asking the Lord why we are here, what he wants us to accomplish. I dont know what it is yet. So we just keep trying our hardest. Its tough sometimes. In the Book of Mormon when Ammon was busy converting King Lamoni and all of his people, his brothers Aaron and Omner had been called to go among a different people among the lamanites, where they had no success, they were even cast into prison and tortured. Im really greatful that we arent in prison but of late I have felt a little bit like Aaron rather than Ammon, being called to preach to a stiff necked people that wont hearken to the words of the Lord. I am trying really hard to have more faith to find the people that God has prepared here, but it doesnt seem to be working so far. My faith is really being put to the test. It makes sense I guess, the Lord himself withheld things from Mormon when he was compiling the Book of Mormon saying "I will try the faith of my people", I guess thats what the Lord is doing right now. Maybe, Im not too sure. 

Cant say as I really have a solid answer to those questions yet, we are working as hard as we can, I guess thats all that matters. 

What's The Crack?

 

WHATS THE CRACK?

Hello All, Its been a whole other week already. How time flies.

This week has been an adventure for sure, our investigator pool is beginning to dwindle. Which means... you know it... HARDCORE FINDING! We are taking up the restoration tackle tactic, it consists of tackling people and then showering pass along cards on them while they are down.
So thats actually not how we do it, but maybe its worth a try. We have been having a hard time with finding lately, and its been a real struggle. For all those return missionaries reading this, what do you do when things get tough? YOU GET TOUGHER! Get some real spiritual pushups going. A little bit of gusto never hurts. Our weekly planning session this week was almost all about what we are going to do to intensify everything. Im excited for this week, are you?

Today I would like to give some lovely shout outs to some wonderful examples. First goes to Elder Jack Goodwin, the rock, Satan thinks he is clever, but Elder Goodwin is a monster of spiritual inspiration. We can all learn something of perseverance from him. He is able to take situations that seem bleak and difficult and even boring, and turn it into an opportunity for both growth, and strengthening. Strengthening for both himself and others.
And the other is for Shelly-Anne Haisman, she has been able to have the wonderful blessing of bringing a friend into the gospel. For those of you who dont know her she was only baptized herself about a year ago. And since even before her baptism has been an amazing example of what a saint, and a missionary is.

There are so many other people I could praise, but today we will stick with 2. My lovely friends, the Lord God, is hastening his work. We can either sit back and watch, and miss what is possibly the most exciting time in the history of the world, or we can roll our sleeves up, get involved, and share the harvest that the Lord is gathering up for himself. The war that we are fighting is called the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is ongoing, and it is a winning fight. Despite popular secular belief, we cannot be defeated. Like the Stripling Warriors who fought under the direction of the great Helaman, we must trust in the word of the Lord which has been taught to us by those most dear. Yes Mum, thats you <3. Let us take up our swords of truth and go about doing good, and INVITING people to come unto Christ. Simply "living" the Gospel will not cut it. To truly live the Gospel, we must share it. And we can do it, even if we think we cant. Jesus Christ is with us. If you feel like he isnt pick a random section of the Doctrine and Covenants and go read. The Lord is with his people, you are his people.

I love each of you, thankyou for the inspiration you give me in your wonderful examples. Happy Birthday to my Dad for this week, you are a great example to me as well.

God be with you till we meet again.

Elder Tang