March 26, 2017: AMAZING WEEK!

March 26, 2017:  AMAZING WEEK!!!

I can't believe how much the Lord is blessing this mission and the people of New Zealand!  It is amazing what is going on here in the Paeroa area.  Monday we had the interviews for Starrie and Maddy and Arron and they passed easy, no problem.  They are so smart and they were so excited.  We had the baptism on Tuesday and it was awesome!  All of the Coromandel Branch came and supported them.  They looked so good in their whites that Sister O'Neal made for them.  Elder O'Neal was the baptizer and the creek was cold.  They all went in cold and they all came out shivering but filled with the spirit.  We did the conformation on that day as well.  They were all just glowing with joy.  I was so happy for them!  We ended with a big feed that day and the family came over the next day to hang out with us and they brought us a feed.

In that week we continued to contact people on the ward list and see some of the people who was investigating the church and some investigators who we hadn't been able to see in a long time.  We went down to one of our further areas called Whangamata and there is a big event there that was going on that entire week called the Beach Hop.  What it is is where everyone dresses up in 50's and 60's clothes and drive around and show off their cool as and amazing Camaros and Mustangs and Cadillacs.  It was way cool!  There was a lot of American cars that came over with their steering wheel still on the left side.

We have two new investigators who we found again this week and started up teaching and appointments again.  One is Poura.  He is trying to get back into doing good after getting out of jail.  He is working, doing school, and running a gym.  Missionaries met with him in the past so we explained our purpose to him again.  he told us that he is willing to do what he needs to do to change and be baptized soon.  He's so humble.  He said, "if I need to quit my job so I can go to church bro . . . I'll do it!"

We are also teaching a part member family a Tongan mother and her four kids.  She has a really cool experience of learning about the gospel.  She slammed the door on missionaries and went away when her husband talked about the gospel but one day she went and researched the Mormons and liked the principle of being a family forever and then started taking lessons.  We taught her the first lesson and it was way good! Then we set her for April 15th.  Sela is her name.  The Lord really prepares people to be taught and live the gospel.

We had Branch Conference on Sunday and had over 100 people come to church.  Visitors from different parts of the Stake and less-actives, investigators and Tongan families visiting for the first Sunday for the Branch President's oldest daughter's first Sunday married to her husband.  Both are returned missionaries.  Awesome meeting with the leaders and talking about ways we can better the work.  We had a massive feed after church.  10 pigs roasted on a spit , 45 chickens, fish, kumara, kalo, mussels, lusipi, and other foods.  No room for all the food.  We needed more people for all the food we had.  I didn't eat heaps because I didn't want to regret it after.  The food was really good though .  We got a phone call after, telling us that we have a family of 12 who want to start taking the lessons in Coromandel.  We are so excited to teach them.

So much blessings we are getting from the Lord as long as we are obedient to everything there is, big or small!  We will receive the blessings from it!  I love you all!  Easter is coming up and me and my comp are best friends!  Talk to you soon, bye for now.  Ofa Atu!

Love,
Elder Mortensen

March 19, 2017: Amazing even though it started slow

March 19, 2017:  Amazing even though . . .

Aloha 'Ohana,

Amazing week this week even though it was super slow at the beginning. We printed off our branch list and we went about trying to find all of our less-actives and it was good.  We met with some of them and they told us straight up if they wanted us around or not and some of them invited us in for a drink and we talked.  I love it when people are honest with us. It is so much easier. It was so much easier to find people's homes with the GPS that we have now.

We gave the two girls Maddy and Arron new dates for baptism that will be on Mar 21,2017. That is Tuesday, tomorrow. They are so ready. They can answer the interview questions with ease. We are doing it in a creek like I told yous and it is a really nice place. Nice and quiet and calm. I spoke in sacrament this past Sunday on Missionary work. Big topic.  Cut it down to Strengthening the New Converts and the Less-Actives. It went really well! I think one of the best talks I ever gave.  Scriptures in there, quotes from the prophets in there, personal Hawai'ian experiences in there, and Preach My Gospel (PMG) too!  It was mean as! Lots of people came to tell me how they felt the spirit. Crazy thing happened that day in the middle of class.  We get a text from Starie, Maddy and Arron's mom telling us that she wanted to be baptized the same day as the girls. We were so excited we had to leave the class to go jump around and stuff. The girls have been asking Starie to ask them the interview questions leading up to their interview day today.  Today too! And she just got an overwhelming feeling at church that it was true and she was going to do it. We told her that she can because she went to church with the girls all three times and sat in all the lessons that we taught so she was set to go.  You could hear the excitement in her voice when we told her yes!  We drove out to their place that evening to go over the questions and she had the questions on her screen saver.  It was so cool!  She had her answers ready and she was just glowing! A different person!  I love them so much! So we have three baptisms tomorrow at 11 and elder Oneal, the missionary couple in our area will be the baptizer. Also Morgan, their father, we can't find his records so we are going to have him re-baptized as well. He was keen to have a clean slate again. They are all so excited for the day that they will be able to go to the temple to be sealed.

Awesome week!!! Just shows that as long as we show God that he can trust us by working all the way to 9pm not 8pm and doing our best in being obedient he with trust us with those who are ready and are being prepared for us. I love this gospel!

Today we are going on a hike in a cool place then shooting off to the sister's place with the Zone Leaders at 5 to have their interviews then we are all going to stay the night at the Oneal's place and have a baptism on Tuesday! Woop Woop Hara for Israel!!

But I love yous all.  I hope yous are being blessed everyday! This is so much fun and important to do this work!  Don't forget to do your missionary work for the day! I love you all and I'll talk to yous again!  Ka kite ano.

Elder Mortensen

Wanted to jump in and catch this fish and fry it up

Baptism spot.

Just some photos of the floods in other areas

March 12, 2017: Happy P-Day!

March 12, 2017 Happy P-Day!

Aloha 'Ohana,

Sounds like everyone is really busy and that there is a lot of things that is coming up.

To answer your questions, no the baptism got pushed back because of the bad weather.  I will tell you about that later.  The Missionary Month is going really well.  We taught the youth how to start teaching the first lesson, the Restoration, and they did okay.  They did pretty good with no phone.  Some of them just moping around and stuff.  They have fun though.  I haven't had a chance to go the to the temple yet and some of my money went to food because we needed it for the storm.

So this past week sucked because we were stuck inside our flat for 4 days!!! There was a storm that came in on Tuesday night and had us trapped in on Wednesday because of the overflow from the rivers and fields so the Counsel of Thames told us we had to stay in town so we went and got some food and stuff to last.  Water and all that stuff.  It rained so hard all day.  Next morning same thing.  One of the members, Sis. Napia, was so nice and got us more food and let us use her church movies to watch .  She is so nice.  Third day was the calm before the storm.  It was so hot that day.  No wind.  Rained a little.  The next day, 1000's of people having to leave their homes and cars flooding, trees falling down.  It was ugly but we survived.  I was able to do a lot of studying in that time and I got to get into my letter writing too.  We got to go to church on Sunday.  That was good to see other people again other than my comp.  That 4 days was a really good inventory, lol.  With that week gone we had to cancel lots of our appointments so we are doing a lot of catching up this week.  I hope everyone is still keen.

I really miss you all.  I think about you all often.  I can't wait as well for the next day that we Skype.  I will talk to yous again.  Later.  Love yous.  Ka Kite Ano!!!

March 5, 2017: MARCH ALREADY!

Another week gone by,

The weeks are still going really fast but we are getting things done.  The two girls M and A's baptisms were pushed back this past week because we need them to come to church for three weeks and this past Sunday we had our Stake Conference all the way up in Hamilton and they didn't get a ride.  It's a week away so that is coming up soon.  We are going to have to baptize them in a river.  We had a new part member family move into our branch boundary and they are scheduled to be taught this coming Saturday.  We also started our missionary month for our youth.  An entire month for the youth to learn the lessons that we teach.  No phones for a week.  Listen to only church songs and some other things.  We also went up to our Stake Conference and they told us that we really need to do better on missionary work.  Last year there were only 16 baptisms.  We were told that we need to 2x it or more and I hope to contribute to it.  On a side note with no gym and heaps of Tongan families feeding us I am starting to hate eating.  I love the Tongan families so much but sometimes not their expectations.  All they say is "Eat!  Your jaws not moving, Eat!"  It's so funny!

But all is well.  I feel like a missionary!  Busy!  Busy!  Same thing as last week so all is good!  Love yous.  Talk to yas soon!  Ofa Atu!

Just some photos:

Met another Elder from Hawai'i

Nice swimming and jumping spots that the youth go to

Elder Osborn opened his own for the first time.  It was so funny! 

Got to have some coconut water and meat! So good!

Feb 19, 2017 Really Good Things

February 19, 2017

Aloha e ka 'ohana,

First week went by and we are doing some really good things.  We have a few people that want to be baptized soon and a few people that asked us to teach them.  We have Starry, Arron, and Maddy a mother here and two young girls that are taking the lessons and is asking all the right questions with the support of their less active father who is wanting to come back.  Then there's another person and her less active mother and investigating father who is a less active family who was told in a priesthood blessing that he is going to be healed from his injury because he needs to go back to church.  So he is trying and he set up for us to teach his three children who is not yet baptized and finally and E and L who both had really good friends that are in the church and have helped them in their lives and had recently gone to the temple lights and have a really big desire to be baptized. They said that they will be baptized but they want to be ready.  I'm like right on, let's do this!  Working with them and trying to find people by asking the members.  Teaching is so much fun too!  We are planning to have a missionary month for the youth in March.  That will be fun.  Show them and prepare them for missionary life early.  Lots of planning going in to it and so we need to be prayerful.  We had a hangi this past Saturday.  Lots of food.  It was so good and lots of less actives and investigators came too so we did a tour of the chapel and introduced them to members and we all had a really good time.  Some of the investigators came to church the next day so that was really good.

I am not writing in my journal every day.  It's only one or two days apart.  I mainly just write on the really good days that we had or summarize what we did in the past days.  I like reading it over to see what kind of trials or success that I had in the past.  It helps me out if I forgot what we did on this day.  For planning the next day I can look over it.  I can forget things fast now.  So many things it has to be in the planner.  I am still in the first book.  It will last me.  I write two to three pages each journal log.  We signed up for a gym in our area.  It is a pretty good gym.  Not cheap but good enough.  Glad to be in the gym again.  Still go it too.  We go every morning at 6am to 7am.  We also changed our eating too just when the members feed us we eat, no problem.  Opened my email from President this morning to see that some missionaries had gotten hurt working out and now the entire mission is not allowed to go to gyms or members' houses to work out.  We only can go on runs or do exercises at the flat.  I was so sad. So we are going to use up the rest of the time we have in the gym then go off of it.  Sad.  It will make it harder to stay fit especially when all the members in this area give us a big feed when  we go over even if we tell them no.  All in all everything is good.  How is the van and the truck doing?  School and work okay?  I am going to get my garments this week at the visitor center.  $1 a piece.  Pretty good!  We are going to have the conference with Elder Renlund too!  Excited for that!

But hope all is well!  I keep praying for yous at home.  I miss you all.  This place I am in now is a lot like Hawaii but not quite struggling.  With that, I love you all!  Gotta go soon.  Ofa atu!

February 12, 2017 Happy Valentines Day!

February 12, 2017

Aloha 'Ohana Mortensen,

Transfers has past and over the past few days I have been asking in my mind, "President, what do you want me to do or what is my purpose in this area?" because I was moved out of Grandview!!!  Why?!  We have three baptisms that is coming up this transfer, the 2 Bird family girls are going to be baptized this Saturday and then Lyn is going to be on March 18 and we have been finding some families that I just got to know.  It was hard leaving the area.  So many families and work to do.  

My new area is about two hours away and it is somewhat like Wairoa but i reckon much nicer.  It is along the coast and it is in a gulf.  I am in the Paeroa Branch but covering the Coromandel Branch as well.  Our area is massive.  The towns we have to get to for visits are 1 hour apart and some are even further so we have unlimited k's and the work isn't amazing so our members try to help us as much as possible to get us people to teach.  The drives are nice but you lose lots of time driving.  I will send you some photos later.  My camera died.  My new comp is Elder Osborn from Utah, the factory.  He is the district leader of me and a missionary couple the O'Neals.  He is so funny.  We are really trying to pick this area up because there are so many less actives in the area. 

The members are mainly Maori and Tongan so we get fed a lot.  One of the Tongan members gave us some raw fish and some oysters.  I was glad to eat it but my comp would not eat any of it and from then on they remember me as the first elder the had in their home who would eat raw fish.  I just have to tell you Mom and Dad, thanks for teaching me how to eat sea food however it was prepared.

Our flat is mean as.  It is a house and it has everything and it is clean.  I have some photos I took.  I would move to this place if I could.  The town is big but not too big and has all the things that you would need; markets, shops. . . so I am pretty good out here in my area.  Just far away from other missionaries that's all and too far from the temple to go again this transfer.

Lots of things to do and it will be awesome.  I hope I find my purpose in this area soon.  Yeah, that's me.  I love you guys.  Hope all is going good over there.  Talk to yous soon.

January 29, 2017 Letter from MOM

January 29, 2017 Letter From Mom

Aloha Nui e ka 'Ohana,

Short one today.

We had Lynn, one of our investigators set herself this past Wednesday.  That was a miracle for us this week.  We are having Elder Renlund come to our mission to speak to all of us so that is really exciting.  he is coming some time in February.  Other then that all is well.  Love having lessons with people.  Miss yous all.  I can't wait for Mother's Day to Skype again!  Love yous!

February 5, 2017 Happy Sunday! FEBRUARY already!

Aloha e ka 'Ohana Mortensen,

So this week went by fast once again.  We are coming to the end of this transfer I don't know if I will be staying or going.  Don't feel it would be good to go yet with three baptisms that will be coming up soon.  We had a zone meeting where we got new instructions to follow with some new changes to the time of when we do things on P-Day and when we plan and do studying and when to sleep.  So P-Day starts at 8:00am.  No studying to allow us to finish all of the things that we need to do on that day.  We have planning in the morning instead of the afternoon and we can do our studying when ever during the day and we can be back at the flat by 9 to allow those who need more sleep to get more sleep.  All of this was given to us from the prophet and his counselors to allow us to practice our time management.  So it is some good changes but we will see how well people do with their time.  

Lots of some really good elders going home soon.  I am really going to miss them.  They were really good leaders and missionaries.  All and all really good week.  Another baptism we are getting reay for this week so we will be working hard to make it awesome.

Oh and thanks for the kala.  I looked at my card and I didn't know where it came from.  Thanks Mom, love you!


(NOTE:  MOM asked for some prayer stories/experiences that I could share)

My companion and I, yesterday, were going around visiting our less actives and some of our recent converts.  It was good and we were just about to go back to the flat when I got a prompting to visit one of our less actives, the Keens, and older couple and also because I missed seeing them this week because we went on an exchange.  We got to the home and Sis. Keen said she had just finished saying a prayer to help Bro. Keen get better.  He had been sick all day.  We were there at the right time to give him a priesthood blessing.  he was very grateful and so was Sis. Keen.  I thanked Heavenly Father for calling on us to help one that was in need and that I was willing and worthy to do and act.  As long as we have faith and we act on it we will see miracles.

January 22 and 24, 2017 - 5 Promises of Prayer

1/22/2017
We are switching p-day to Wednesday this week because we are planning on going to the temple on Wednesday.  I'll e-mail you everything then.
Love yous!


1/24/2017
Aloha mai kakou,

So today is our p-day.  We switched it because we wanted to go to the temple this week so we are having all of our p-day activities today.

So this morning we got up pretty early and we went to the bus depot to get on the bus to take us to Templeview.  We aren't allowed to use our cars.  When we go to the temple we have to use public transportation or ask a member.  There was 8 of us elders that went together.  Nice fun ride over and we got there on time and we were ready there early.  It was really nice to be in the temple and feel a bigger peace and also to hear the words again and think about our covenants.  I was thinking about yous, the family, the missionary friends out on missions, and close friends back home too.  Hoping they are all doing well and that the gospel or Heavenly Father will find them some how.  I also was thinking about our investigators and recent converts and different families that I served with in the past.  I still remember lots of the things that we do in the temple.  It was awesome to do temple work! Then after that we all shot back to our areas and went to emails.

Last week wasn't that bad.  We are doing a lot of sports every morning with the other elders in the zone for our morning exercise.  We do service with the elderly people in our ward.  We plant their gardens and sometimes do their yard work so that's fun.  We had zone conference.  It was hard to keep up with some of the things that they were talking about.  I am still going over some of the scriptures that they were reading but I will get there.  We talked a lot about helping our investigators and less actives with keeping commitments and praying on their own for specific things.  It was a really long day.  It was a six hour long conference and the drive there was about an hour and a half with traffic.  I was dead at the end of the day.  From then on we were just fixing small things in the program for the baptism which was mean as.  The two speakers that spoke was awesome.  They were simple and used analogies to explain the messages and it was really meaningful to the Bird family.  One of the elders that first met the Birds did the baptism, Elder Ingram.  Dean forgot to hold his nose when he went in the water.  The girls sang for part of the program and I was really surprised.  They are really really good.  They sang the song Oceans and they sounded just as good as the recording or better.  They are really talented.  Then we had a big feed after.  The next day Dean was confirmed and sustained a member and a holder of the priesthood.  He was just glowing and he was soaking in everything.  That day they stayed for the entire 3 hours.  It was cool to help a part of the family to get on their way to be an eternal family and help them to know that God is waiting for us.  and that Christ has invited us and we just need to take it.  We are still working with the rest of the Bird family.  Dean is planning on baptizing the family and some other investigators too.  This work is so much fun!  The joy of this mission is helping others.

I hope that everything is going okay back home.  I miss you all.  Miha help out with things.  Don't forget Aukele, always serve others, love your brother and parents, and beware of pride.  Kamaha'o, make good choices and be an example to others.  Don't be a follower but be humble.  Kahali keep praying for help, trust in God.  Alex, alwasy be worthy of the priesthood that you hold and lead your family to live the gospel.  Take care of Alika and Kahiwa.  Keep them strong and healthy and teach them the Gospel.  Mom and Dad, I love you both so much.  Keep looking out for me!  Thanks for all that you do for me.  I will send another one of these next week!  Ofa Atu.

January 8, 2017 NEW Year! New GOALS!

Kia Ora Whanau,

Man this week has really been stressful as we have been busy doing the program and getting members to be a part of the program.  There's no one around because of the holidays and lots of things coming up.  We still try to stay busy and on top of our skedaddles.  Ends up we didn't have thie baptism this week.  The Bishop called our mission president and asked him if we could move it back two weeks to wait for the members to come back.  President had a long talk with us about setting it back so sadly we did.  We have it set for the 21st of January.  Looking forward to this baptism two weeks away.  We have a zone conference that week where an area 70 is coming to speak with us then the baptism afterwards.

To answer your questions, we do have a good washing machine and a dryer.  It is helpful.  I do about two loades of whites a week and then colors about one a week.  We keep the flat pretty clean and the study area in order.  We wash the dishes as well.  Just my clothes, I don't put them away sometimes.  I cook for my companion sometimes.  I make him chicken adobo.  A recipe that I learned from my first Filipino comp in Wairoa and I made shoyu chicken too.  Also, fruits is one that we eat a lot of too and the usual fast minute made foods - noodles and eggs.  I always use my reading glasses when I am studying and any time that I am reading and writing in my journal.  And yup, I brush my teeth.  They won't open doors if I don't.

I love you all!  Keep up the good work.  Thanks for the email and photos.  Love you all!

January 1, 2017 Happy New Year!

Aloha e ka 'Ohana! a Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

So new transfer and Elder Latu has finished his time in Grandview and is now in South Auckland.  I have a new companion.  His name is Elder Barcinas and he is from the Philippines.  He is the new District Leader and is about a year and a little bit into his mission.  We will be very busy this week with getting our program and other things for our baptism that we will be having this Saturday for Dean Bird.  It will be the first baptism that they had in a year so we are planning to make it awesome!

I hope that yous had an awesome New Year.  I listened to the talk you sent.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/ask-in-faith?lang=eng&_r=1
Thanks Mom.  I will write a bigger email next week.  Other elders are here.  We need to get off.

I love yous.