Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Sorry that I couldn't write yesterday. Our mission president asked us to change our pday to Tuesday this week so that we could spend as much time on Monday proselyting since Australia is on public holiday from good Friday to Easter Monday and nobody goes to work or school! It was a great time to visit families and homes since they were all together! We had lots of ward activities too! Although, it's sad that most people don't celebrate easter by going to church and remembering Jesus Christ. Often times it's more about the chocolate bunnies and delicious meats that they can eat. Not many people know the true meaning of easter around here! One of the speakers in sacrament meeting said, "I wonder if there are more chocolate bunnies on the shelves than there are people thinking about Jesus today". I laughed and cried at the same time haha. I'm so grateful that many of you have shared your testimony of the Saviour with me in your emails. I'm also happy that almost every lesson we had with people this last week was centered on Jesus Christ and his Atonement and resurrection. And 2 of our solid investigators came to church this week which was a miracle! Man. Beautiful week.

I woke up at exactly 3:41am on easter morning. When that happens usually I just turn over and go back to sleep really quick, but I woke up feeling so grateful for Jesus so I got down on my knees and prayed really hard, thanking Heavenly Father for sending His son to show us the perfect example and for his atonement and resurrection, and for being a missionary. It was such a peaceful feeling. I think that the best times to feel close to God and receive inspiration and guidance is early in the mornings, before the birds start chirping and before the airplanes start flying since we live right next to the airport and the planes start taking off around 6:30 haha. When everything is silent and still. That's when the still, small voice can come to your heart and mind without any distraction. It's been raining a lot lately and in the morning I went outside to our balcony and watched the rain and kept on feeling grateful. Sounds pretty cheesy like a movie, I know, but I was having a great moment alright? Man, I love being a missionary so much. I love our Saviour Jesus Christ so much. I love pondering about Him and I love telling everyone about Him.

I still think it's crazy that little Joey turned 9 already! And he will be 10 when I get home! He's turning into a little man! I miss playing with the little buddy. I wish he was still a baby. He'll always be a baby haha. I hope he's having a good time with mom in korea though! They sent me some great pictures. 

Well thanks everyone for your emails and sharing your easter experiences and testimonies with me! I love you all so much! Have a great week and always keep the easter spirit everyday!

Much love, Elder Litster

3/6/16

March 1, 2016

Hello family! We couldn't go to the chapel to email this time, so we went back to the library and we don't have too much time! Sorry about that! Thanks for all your emails and love and prayers! 

We had lots of little miracles this week! So many blessings! We taught Aaron a few lessons and he agreed to be baptized on March 19th. However, he has some word of wisdom problems that have been difficult for him to quit. This week we went to his home and he didn't answer the door. We went back the next day, and it was the same result. We came back twice the next day and talked to all the neighbors, asking if they knew where Aaron is. One of his neighbors said that he was in the hospital and the ambulance came and got him a couple days ago. We rushed to the hospital and found out that he was in the intensive care unit, and the visiting hours were closed. We had no idea what was going on, or what happened. So we came back as soon as we could the next day, but it turned out that he was just released a few hours before we got there! We then hurried to his home and found him there with a broken ankle and many bruises everywhere. He told us that he was at the beach and drank too much alcohol, and fell over a barrier wall and woke up in the hospital. We comforted him and showed our love and concern, and told him how we had looked for him for 3 days. We told him how he can overcome all of his addictions and challenges through Jesus Christ. He now has the reason and determination to quit his addictions and follow the Savior. 

I think that even though it seems like a curse that he hurt himself and had that traumatic experience, it's really a big blessing from God, and it's helping him to overcome his addictions! We can always look at our experiences in life as blessings or curses. My mission president shared this story with me and I loved it! 

Sometimes we lack patience and perspective as we work with the Fathers children. This story helps me recognize why we should do both. Enjoy;

Blessing or Curse? 
Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, because he owned a beautiful white horse. People offered fabulous prices for the horse, but the old man always refused. “This horse is a friend, not a possession,” he would respond. 

One morning the horse was not in the stable. All the villagers said, “You old fool. We told you someone would steal that beautiful horse. You could at least have gotten the money. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.” 
The old man responded, “Perhaps. All I know is that my horse is gone; the rest I do not know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say.” 

After fifteen days the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses back with him. Once again the village people gathered around the old man and said, “You were right – what we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.” The old man responded, “Perhaps. Once again you’ve gone too far. How do you know if this is a blessing or a curse? Unless you can see the whole story, how can you judge?” But the people could only see the obvious. The old man now had twelve additional horses that could be broken and sold for a great deal of money. 

The old man had a son, an only son. He began to break the wild horses. Unfortunately, after just a few days, he fell from a horse and broke both his legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and said, “You were right. The wild horses were not a blessing; they were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs and now in your old age you have no one to help you. You are poorer than ever.” But the old man said, “Perhaps. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. We have only a fragment of the whole story.” 

It so happened that a few weeks later the country went to war with a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he had two broken legs. Once again the people gathered around, crying because there was little chance their sons would return. “You were right, old man. Your son’s accident was a blessing. Our sons are gone forever.” 

The old man spoke again. “You people are always quick to jump to conclusions. Only God knows the final story.” 
And so it is with our lives. What we see as a blessing or a curse may simply be part of God preparing us for what lies ahead. Be careful in seeing “disaster” in any change. Just recognize it as change – which opens the door for good as well as bad – for gain as well as possible loss. 

We may also reflect on how the Prophet Joseph Smith and his companions suffered greatly while in the Liberty Jail, but in many ways it was also a blessing, for the Liberty Jail became a “Prison Temple” where Joseph received great revelations and was refined to be an even greater prophet than he was before through this experience. 

Likewise, the terrible suffering of Jesus at Gethsemane, his betrayal, trial, scourging, crucifixion and death left many of his disciples with the feeling that all that they had hoped for in the coming of the Messiah had been lost. In reality, it made possible the greatest blessing of all for mankind, the infinite atonement that overcame death and hell through the resurrection and the redemption from our sins. 

I hope you enjoyed the story! I love you so much and I pray for you everyday! Have an amazing week and be happy!

Love, Elder Litster

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pictures:

We went to an Indonesian restaurant with one of the members from Indonesia and it was amazing! Isaac was having this stuff everyday??? Sooooo good.  

We also went to the temple last week! The Sydney temple is beautiful! 

And we decided to knock on every door in a 200 door housing commission in an area with a lot of old people from Russia, Africa, middle eastern countries, Hungary, Australia, Tonga, and a lot of other places, and found an awesome african family and some really great people to teach! My companion almost got stabbed by a crazy man with a screwdriver and we almost got attacked by huge dogs, but we escaped and it was a great view at the top too!

Love you!

Elder Litster

We celebrated elder Kweon's 19th birthday! I surprised him big time! we got some great k-food together and had some cake! Back to work!