26 AUG 2019: Transfer 8, Week 1 - TRANSFERS!! 이동

안녕하세요 여러분!!

Sorry it's been some time since I last wrote. I've started my 8th transfer and this past week I celebrated my 1 YEAR mark Can't believe a year ago I stepped into the MTC to start a journey that would be the greatest thing I could possibly do for my life and future. I've learned so much and met some truly incredible people that have really helped me along the way. Helped and motivated me become a better person, more like the Savior. I hear of my friends continuing on with school, or reaching important milestones in their lives and it's sad to not be there or celebrate with them. However, I'm so grateful to be here in Australia speaking Korean in a ward with a bunch of Tongans, yet live with a bunch of Lebanese, while everyone continues to ask if I'm Chinese or Filipino.... It's great hahaha No but seriously, I would never trade what I've experienced and learned here in the land down unda!

So this week, transfers... This transfer hurt because most the missionaries I have served around have now gone home... Also I am now the last Korean speaking missionary left in the mission... Last of the Mohicans hahaha Some of my favorite missionaries have gone home... Sad, but now they go on to start the next mission hahaha My son, Elder Lee 이규배 장로님 got transferred ㅠㅠㅠ So sad. He went to Lalor Park. He's such a good kid, and I'm so grateful to have been with him from the beginning and watch him grow. It wasn't always easy, but one of my most loved companion. Then I will stay here in Bankstown! Round 3 let's go! Thought I was gonna get moved to one of the old "Korean" areas and train one of the 2 Koreans coming in... But hey, the Lord has something else in mind. So I'll stay here with Elder Smith, who I lived with last transfer... It'll be an interesting transfer... I'm excited though to get to serve, love and help the missionaries in this zone though. I've come to love them and it's cool that they're from all over the world: Tonga, American Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, China, New Zealand and so forth...

So this past week, I came across this quote from a BYU Devotional that an old companion of mine recommended (황기수 장로님, 감사합니다!) titled - "Wrestling with Comparisons". I highly recommend it. In this talk, there's a quote that really struck me:
"C. S. Lewis once proposed, “We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules: whereas He really wants people of a particular sort.”"
I love this passage because it shines a whole new light on why we should be obedient to the commandments and the counsel from the prophets. Through John 17:3 and Alma 34:32 we learn that this life is the time to prepare to meet and to come to know God. We're here on this earth to have families, learn and grow, be happy and become what Heavenly Father intends for us to become. He sent His Son to lead and guide us, to show us the way we ought to live our lives. Then established His church and gave His authority as a means and aid along the way. Additionally, His Atonement makes it possible for us change from our fallen state, imperfect condition to eventually becoming what He expects us to become - perfect (Matthew 5:48 & 3 Nephi 12:48). The way we do this is through Gospel of Jesus Christ - Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, Enduring to the End. A continuous cycle of changing and "becom[ing] the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (Moroni 7:48).

So we must not look past the mark when it comes to commandments. At first they may seem restrictive, keeping you from doing what YOU want or what makes YOU happy. I don't know about you, but that's a lot of YOUs and not enough Him. Because as a result of keeping the commandments, we can more fully turn our hearts to God, and be more able to always remember His Son. Allow that change to happen within you and it'll free you from the chains of this world.

Heavenly Father wants us to return home to Him, but like any good parent He wants us to shape up before coming back into the house. Take off your shoes. Not stink up the house. Don't track any mud or dirt into the house. Be kind and courteous. Be willing to clean up and help around the house, and so forth. He really wants a people of a particular sort coming home, even as He is.

Have a great week! 사랑하고 보고 싶어요!!

Elder Brandon Escamilla
에스카미야 장로
Australia Sydney Mission
호주 시드니 선교부


Me and my dad's last pic together, Elder Scott


My son and I's last pic together


Last district pday at the beach


Service project at the chapel

05 AUG 2019 ~ Transfer 7 Week 5

안녕하세요!!

Short email, but this week has been a great week. Well the end of it anyways. We had Zone Conference and it was a 'kick in the butt' to get things going again. I loved it. I needed that little straightforwardness. So the next day we went to work. Talked to people all day on the trains, played ukulele for and with people (I discovered a new way to share the Gospel... Music! I wish I discovered this a year sooner, but discovering now was perfect timing because I love playing the uke and singing. It makes everything so much fun and just changes the atmosphere); visited a member in the hospital, talked to and played for more people and had a nice dinner with a member, all in a day. It was a fantastic day where we made a lot of people smile, cry, laugh and feel comforted. Shared about who we were and our message to those who wanted to know. It was a great day where God placed people in our path. We did nothing more than merely showing up and opening our mouths. Everything else was provided, the people were prepared that day.

It's been awesome to come to a realization to use your talents when sharing the Gospel. We have an Elder from Tonga who owned a barbershop back home and has been giving free haircuts to all and share the Gospel in the meantime. In one week he gave 70 haircuts. Just by using his talents and it got me thinking of what I could offer. Then I realized I've been playing around with other missionaries' ukuleles and I enjoy singing, then we were finding people at the trains with some other missionaries and they brought their uke! So we played and sang for people and it was AWESOME! People smiled, listened, chatted with us and it really help us be a light for the people! So I bought a ukulele and that's what we've been doing since. Playing for members and their kids, anywhere we can. It's really brought me a lot of joy to offer the Gospel in a way that everyone is receptive to. Love you all. 

We met 3 guys at a train station started jamming with them, they rapped while I sang and played and it was SO SWEET! They were on their way to the recording studio and they were hyped from our jam session and asked US for our number and want to get me in the studio! Hahahaha Don't know if it'll actually happen but watch out for me on Spotify! hahaha

Have a great week!

Elder Brandon Escamilla
에스카미야 장로
Australia Sydney Mission
호주 시다니 선교부


(L to R) Elder Lee (my son), Me, Elder Scott (my dad), Elder Pottle (My Brother)


Pday bowling with missionaries in the zone


Group of guys we sang with in Train station


Videos of us singing with the guys in the station