So this week our Mission President gave us permission to go to the temple, so our P-Day changed to today which is why I'm emailing today.
So 2 Aussie Culture... Tips... Lessons... Something...
- So Aussies call flip flops, "thongs"... Yeah I'm sure you can already guess. While we were visiting with Angela, a lady from the Jehovah Witness faith, talking with her. Her daughter walks in and says she's going to the store and asks if she could borrow her thongs... Fortunately I was already exposed to this, but it was still very weird and very... yeah...
- So in Aussie Land, Land of the Bajillion Spiders and Spider Webs in your Face, words that would be deemed as curse words in America in church are actually fine and casual. Nothing over the top, but enough to surprise you when it comes from the mouth of a member. The words I'm talking about are the upgraded versions of "darn" or "darn it". So when a member drops something at church and says "dang it" (their version), my eyes would pop open, ears perk up and kind of just look at them and see if anyone else heard it. Turns out it's doesn't have the same right in America. Don't worry Mom, I'm not gonna come back with this habit, hopefully...
So this week we finally launched an idea that I had during my first time knocking on doors. That first experience was SO GREAT that I immediately thought of a different way to do door knocking that would help us to get to know the people slamming doors in our faces (hope you heard the sarcasm). I'll be honest, that first experience really sucked. Yes part of it was because of how unkeen Aussies are of religion. Second is that I disliked how salesman like it came off as, and just felt insensitive. Contrary to our message, which is most sincere and personal message in the world. Where we are invited to find out truth for ourselves. So while we were getting yelled at for scaring kids by standing still, I noticed how unkept a lot of the lawns were. Usually, before people close the doors we tell them that we offer service, anything that they may need. Of course, we're in our white shirt and tie so I'm sure they're thinking "In those clothes?" Then since Aussie's are really turned off when talking about religion, but the closest we've got to bring lessons with people and connecting with them (like Corinne from last weeks email) came because our service would soften their hearts. So this is where the idea was born.
We've been working the past couple weeks to attain a lawn mower (which we found in a junk pile of the side of the road), getting fixed by a wizard in our ward, and fine tuning our mowing skills. We finally put everything together and put our idea to the test. As a result, the hearts are much more softened. If they are willing to keep listening after we say "We're missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", and hear that we're offering free service. Then the responses have been a complete 180. People usually respond saying how nice that is and how they wish they had something to do but theyre ok at the moment. However the 2 lawns we've mowed, we were invited inside and able to share a quick message and make a personal connection with the family and we leave our numbers with them. As a result we learn about the many horror experiences that many Aussies have with religion in the past, which had deterred them from seeking religion. As we share our experiences, explain or church and bear testimony, you could see how they notice something different about us and our religion. Then we have a new friendship and a foot in the door.
At another door, we met a guy named, Matt. Matt is an aspiring NBA player, going to college and hoping for a shot in the States. Well he opens the door, appreciates our desires to do some service, briefly get to know him then give him our phone number on a Book of Mormon pass along card. He sees the card and starts asking questions. He's Roman Catholic and had been active with it for awhile being raised in it, but had differing views with the religion. He says he's curious and is wanting to learn more about more religions. So we give him a Book of Mormon and briefly teach about what the Book of Mormon is. He takes it and agrees to look at it. We have a lot of hope for him and he seems very promising. Maybe the next Utah Jazz player. But hearts are being softened by a lawn mowing idea that people would chuckle at. Best idea? Probably not, a lot of tome devoted to a lawn, but we've seen more results from it than the classic door knocking.
So a scripture that I read this week that I couldn't relate to more than now is found in Alma 26:36-37 "... blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land..."
I'm truly a wanderer in this strange land of Australia. People from all walks of life and with some of the strangest life situations that I've never seen or heard of before. However, Good is mindful of these people in this strange land.
"... we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen"
The fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is for everyone. Not just Americans or the Gentiles.but for everyone. The Book of Mormon (taken place in the early Americas before and after the life of Jesus Christ) and the Bible (life in Jerusalem) combined show that God is not just the God of Israel, but of the entire world. He is mindful of all His children and wants nothing more than for them to be happy. I testify that these things are true, with every fiber of my being, I know it's true. How do I know?
Alma 5:46 "I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit..."
I love you all, our Heavenly Father loves you. You can find out for yourself and feel this love through prayer and reading the Book of Mormon. Try it out. You wont regret it.
Also, I got a phone call this week that my Cheii (grandpa in Navajo) just passed on. We'll miss you Cheii. Until we see you again, I'll do my best to take care of mom and dad. To take care of Paige and Mia. To take care of grandma. To not make mom or dad repeat themselves. I'll study hard and work hard (these are the things he'd always tell me before we said good bye to him. Every single time). I'll try to make you proud. Until I see you again, see you later Cheii. Love you.
Elder Escamilla
Australia Sydney Mission
에스카미야 장로
호주 스다니 선교부
Temple p-day at Sydney Australia Temple
My companion and I after church with the leftover sandwiches, we'll take all the free foods we can get!!
Our lawn mower idea in the working
Dinner with Branch President and his family
So the family history consultant of our branch is deaf, so when we visit with her we use a white board in order to be able to communicate with her. So as I was translating our discussion for her. I played a prank on her by writing in Korean asking "do you understand Korean?" In Korean. Luckily she has a good sense of humor so we had a good laugh about it.