The Royal Adelaide Show

August 28





After weeks of preparing, or thinking we were preparing but we really had no idea what we were doing, we the missionaries of the Australia Adelaide Mission have a booth at the Royal Adelaide Show! Sounds pretty fancy doesn't it? It is a show similar to the calgary stampede? apparently, because that's all sister coultrup says.


Part of my assignment is to make sure our presence at the show is as successful as President hopes it will be. No pressure, right? But there are SO many people there, we were told that 700,000 people come to the show from all around Adelaide, and all around AUSTRALIA. What a great opportunity for the church and for members and non-members and everyone to see what the church is all about! I feel like I'm having to become much more knowledgeable with the whole "public affairs" side of things to make sure we are following all the rules, and that's the same way it is in the city. There are 3 sets of sisters who have different shifts (each companionship comes everyday) but my companion and I are pretty responsible for it.


We go in the morning to make sure everything is set and ready for the day, and also have some evening shifts, when there are lots of people there, and to close up the booth for the night. We had some really amazing experiences just this morning, people being led right to us. One lady walked past the booth, Sister Coultrup and I both saw her but we were busy with other people. Then she was walking back in the other direction, received a text, and stopped right close to our booth. I started talking to her, and found out she is a member, but hasn't been going in the past month since her dad died. Her testimony has really been struggling, and we spoke with her at just the right time, and reassured her of the truth of the Plan of Salvation and God's love for her.


Then another time this man just walked into the booth, and asked if he could have one of the Bibles we had on display. He wants to study different religions, and this large-size Bible was just what he wanted. We also gave him a Book of Mormon and got his address for missionaries to go by and "study" more with him :D So cool!


There are so many miracles, it honestly amazes me. I have a hard time explaining to people sometimes, but the things that have happened, especially since being in Australia, no way could they be a coincidence. I know that God lives, and that He is guiding us everyday. It just took me coming all the way here to recognize all the little things He does for us. I love you all, hope you enjoy your week!

Just cause I love it so much and want to share more. In picture, when you're looking at it, on the right is a table with Books of Mormon in almost every single language, and inside each copy is a testimony IN THAT LANGUAGE written by a member here in Adelaide. Above is framed copies of the Family Proclamation and the Articles of Faith. Then we have that BEAUTIFUL display. Pictures of Moroni with the plates, the Savior in the Americas, and English and Chinese pamphlets on the other table. On the TV in front there is a slideshow, constantly asking questions like Who is God? How can He help me? Christ's Church has been restored, things like that :)

Dana's Baptism

August 28

Crazy week. So crazy my shoes decided to fall apart, so I was walking around with flapping shoes, the bottom wasn't really attached anymore. Luckily, someone came to my rescue. We were waiting outside to teach a lesson, and one of the members with us pointed out my shoe and said "What are we going to do about that?" My response "Do you have any glue?" He thought for a moment, then said "I'll be right back!" And he started running away to the nearest store! I was only kidding, but he came back with SupaGlue, and fixed my shoe. Haha thanks Baagi!
This week our friend Dana was baptized. It was a really interesting experience, a lot happened with her this week. On Tuesday she came and said she wanted to postpone her baptism, and the reason she said was because of her studies, needing more time to prepare for her midterm exams the next week. At first, Sister Coultrup and I didn't really know what to do. But the Spirit took over, and gradually guided us on how to resolve her concern. We shared with her a scripture from the Book of Mormon, Ether 12:6, "and we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith". That was really powerful, and she felt the Spirit. What was really cool was that Sister Coultrup and I each had thoughts of how to solve her problem, but neither of us expressed them. Then Dana received her own answer from the Spirit, and still wanted to be baptized this Sunday. It was amazing, and I was so grateful to see how the Spirit speaks to each of us individually. Then came Sunday, with its' own challenges as well, but everything worked out in the end! 

I wish you all could have heard her testimony after her baptism. She has such a strong testimony and knowledge of how God has helped her. I know that that knowledge can help us overcome anything, and I know this gospel is true. I love you all, hope you have a marvelous week!
Sister Townsend
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Greetings from AUS

August 21


I feel like it's been ages since I've sent a mass email out, and it probably has been....sorry!

Life is pretty grand here in Australia. I've mentioned before how my companion Sister Coultrup and I are serving in the city, and there are so many miracles happening. I truly have been able to see God's hand guiding us to those He has prepared.

One experience from last week, we were travelling into the city and noticed dark clouds coming in. Something we've been used to in the past, but it's been starting to feel like spring! So we prepared ourselves for it. We had pla nned to have a lesson with our friend Dana, who is a student in the city. Right before the lesson, it started to rain. And not just a little bit, it was like the sky was having a temper tantrum and decided to start bawling. Very quickly, we were soaked. Then Dana texted us, saying she hadn't brought any rain protection with her, and could we please meet another day? We didn't have a whole heap of time the rest of the week, and we had a really good lesson planned. So I volunteered that she could use my rainjacket (I like rain anyway) and we would run to where our lesson was at. But as we were going to meet her, the rain started to slow down. By the time we met her, it had stopped completely and didn't start again until we were safely inside. What a blessing!

On Wednesday we were able to have a trade-off with Sister Tamana and Sister Maea. (see photo) I was with Sister Maea, from New Zealand. We went to one family's house, and the warning I received before going in was, "She doesn't like Americans...." Uh thanks? So that was a fun experience, but by the end of it, she was my new friend :) People's hearts can be softened!!

Then on Friday we had another really cool experience. We were talking with a man on the street, introducing ourselves, where we were from. As soon as I said "Texas", a girl walking past whipped her head around and said "Texas?!?!" Haha so I started talking with her, she's a Chinese student, only been here for 2 days, recently transferred here from the University of Texas at Austin! So amazing, she loved having someone to talk to about Texas, and of course I didn't mind either.

Just a small part of my week, but I hope everyone is having a wonderfully hot summer! If there is ever anything I can do (even though I'm a bit far) PLEASE let me know!!!

Love Sister Townsend

3 Nephi 11:21

August 14

This week we were also able to teach our investigator Dana, who is on date for baptism in the next couple of weeks. We weren't sure where her understanding was at of the restoration, particularly because she is Chinese and was saying things that made us think she didn't really understand. So in the lesson with her, we read from 3 Nephi 11. She was asking questions like why don't we just go to any Christian church? That led so well into what we shared from 3 Ne 11:21, when Jesus gives the power to Nephi. And the member there, a worthy priesthood holder, bore testimony of the impact that power has made in his life. What a good lesson, and especially from teaching from the scriptures and testifying of the Spirit.

I will really work on a group email next week, the power went out at the library..love you all!!!!

The Teaching Space

August 7 The Teaching Space

(I, Janet, had asked Abby about this teaching space she'd mentioned. Here's the scoop!)

The Teaching Space = City Headquarters = City HQ = Amazing Miracle From Heavenly Father

What it is: in an office building, up on the third floor away from the hustle and bustle of the city, is a quiet place dedicated as a mini church space. There are 3 classrooms with different pictures showing different aspects of the gospel (the Savior's baptism, the First Vision, and a painting of that statue at the visitors center in Salt Lake with all the stars behind it) There is also a "conference room" if we have a few extra people in the lesson. It's decorated like a chapel, different paintings of Jesus, scenes from the Book of Mormon, stuff like that. We are so, so blessed; it is something that President has been working on for months. Most of the people we teach in the city are university students, and they are pretty busy. Kind of like how the YSA can go to the institute near UT, our investigators can come straight there, have a lesson, feel the Spirit, feel spiritually uplifted, then go continue their classes. How awesome is that?!?!

My new companion, Sister Coultrup. She is originally from England, but she and her family have lived in Calgary for the past 14 years :) 

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A very wonderful week. There are always so many lessons to learn and I especially LOVE being able to study the scriptures everyday. Not something I ever appreciated before, but it is my lifeline. There have been a couple of days when we were asked to do something early in the morning, and I missed those study times. Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need, and has given us those guidelines of what to follow. 

I am so sad to hear about Vivi. (Janet here-A teacher at Vivi's school passed away in her sleep, and a boy in our ward also passed away in his sleep, so she was having a hard time sleeping herself, worried she wouldn't wake up)  Definitely keep praying for her, have you showed her any of the videos the church has about the Plan of Salvation? Some are really cute, and that's comforting information to share. Sorry, I've been doing a lot with those videos, they were the first thing I thought of.

 I am excited to get to share with you all in person all the wonderful things I have learned. Speaking of which, I saw a form listing all the missionaries going home on February 28, and my name was on it....then I looked a few days later and my name was gone! I have spoken with President a bit about extending, but I wanted to know your thoughts? I'll put Dad on this email so he can see as well. The latest President can extend on his own without going through Salt Lake is March 25, which also happens to be the day my visa expires ;) I love being a missionary, and there is such a great work to do here. But it comes down to what the Lord wants, and although I feel good about it, I want to pray more about it. Something more to think about. Love you!!!!

July 31

One quick spiritual highlight of last week, we were finally able to meet up with a potential we felt had been avoiding us a bit, but finally had a few moments last night. As we took her to the teaching space, she immediately felt the Spirit there. Such a joy and desire to talk about God, learn about Him, she spent so much time talking about how great she felt the time went so fast! We could only commit her to church and reading the restoration pamphlet, which apparently she did very quickly! 20 minutes after our lesson ended, she texted us (she had already sent MANY thanking us for the time we had spent with her) asking for a Book of Mormon! Amazing evidence of how much Heavenly Father has prepared His children. And there are so many of them!!! People all around us, who have no idea about God, or that He has a plan for all of them. How blessed are we??

There are heaps of marriages happening around here in Australia, like all the YSAs decided that 2016 was the year to be married! Glad I'm safe, but there's a fun fact for you :)

love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I know everyone is kind of on a trip high, and the pictures Dani sent me of your vacation look amazing! Great spiritual and social highlights haha. Something I've been thinking a lot about is the specifics of what to share with people. I shared with Rachel that that is what helps SO much when we're talking to people, giving them more specifics of why we are doing what we're doing. But a question for you all to think about, and hopefully send me the answer next week? :D

1) What does the gospel mean to you personally?

2) How does being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints make a difference in your life?

Love you all so much, and glad you could have such great experience, even without me there!

Sister Townsend

July 24

One night this week, we were out walking in the city, and it was cold. We've had some cold nights here, and the rain doesn't add to that, and this night was no exception. We had just left from a really awesome lesson with a girl named Dia. She is from China and so prepared to learn more about God. That is a lot of the students that we meet. But as we went out, some of our enthusiasm left us. There weren't heaps of people out, and everyone looked pretty busy. We walked past this stop light, and Sister Mason saw a girl just standing there on her phone. She was about to stop, but we kept walking and she forgot about it. Then plans changed, we turned around and walked back the same way we had come, and Sister Mason saw this girl again. But we walked right past her! That was enough. We stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turned around, and introduced ourselves to her. She told us she was new to the city, and very lost. We got to help her find her way, and get to the right bus stop. As we walked with her, we shared a bit about what we did and about the teaching space we have, right there in the city, where people can come to feel peace and a closer connection with God. (PS this place is beautiful, it has done so much to build Heavenly Father's work here in Adelaide. I will really try hard to send pictures of that next week!) Then the hail started coming down! We ran with her to the bus stop, and it was  great bonding experience. We are going to be seeing her this week!
​This week I have been studying a lot about hope, and relying on God. That's what this life is all about, right? There's a really beautiful passage in the Book of Mormon, in 2 Nephi chapter 4, where Nephi takes some time to kind of journal his feelings about God. He talks about how we all make mistakes, even when we have been blessed to see the great blessings and goodness of God in our lives. Remembering that is what can give us the courage to keep going, and to avoid those mistakes that are easy to do but leave us feeling sad. Then in the Bible, Romans 8:31, there is a great promise - If God be for us, who can be against us?

I know God is there. I know He is real and wants to help all of us have greater peace in this life and in the life to come. So many of the questions that we have can be answered by searching the words of God, found through the scriptures and the words of His living prophets. I love you all so much, have an amazing week!

  

Just a quick side note, if any of you were wondering about my English? A lot of people we talk to in the city are students, and learning English as a second language. So most of the time, I'm speaking kind of broken English; you know, using small words, small sentences, trying to get straight to the point. And we're going to be teaching an English class soon! That will be so good. But yeah, sometimes when I talk to people who know English well, I realize I'm using my broken English. But I love it!!😁 

Here's a picture with my caption- sometimes you just got to put on pants and lay down. :)