April 6, 2014

New week and new transfer! I'm still staying in Hawke's bay, still in Hastings, so not too big for me. Some of my elders are moving so that kinda stinks, but it happens. new investigators, sadly no...it is hard to get them, and we try every day, but it is a big effort on our part. We are pushing for it though! Yeah we get conference next week, I can't wait! I bet it's awesome!! Yeah I heard about David Archuleta, Elder Schumaker's friend in the MTC said he came and spoke and sang and she said it was amazing! That's way cool!! We have sang a few times, maybe not as much during discussions, but with members and others. It is cool and they really like it. that sounds awesome! 

 Speaking of Elders going home, Elder Godinet left already. His flight was earlier than we had thought, and so he already left. It was a shock to all of us to tell you the truth, and we miss him, but he served well. So now I'm in a temporary tri-panionship until Wednesday with Elder Purcell, and it's pretty fun. 

I went to my first funeral on my mission. Heaps of people and non members there,  a member of the stake presidency  spoke on the Book of Mormon and asked and challenged everyone to read the Book, because his mom had loved it so much. It was awesome, and it made me think of grandpa greats funeral. So much food after though, and I tried a few new things. Eel, and raw fish. Both were pretty yuck...haha I am not a fish person at all! They were both pretty gross. 
I got a few more pairs of socks, mine are getting holes in them now. It took six months so that's good. I had an exchange with Elder Anderson, we caught a hedgehog!! It was so cool! Just walking back to the car after I did a couple baptism interviews in Bridge Pa, and we see this dark thing and were all like what is it? Elder Parker, it's a hedgehog! So we caught it, took heaps of pics, and we all picked it up which may not have been the best idea, but were all here still. Must not have had too many diseases :)

 Oh! there was an earthquake here last Monday! After the workout we did with our member, we were sleeping at the flat, and right before we slept, our lamps and chandeliers were shaking,and Schumaker's all like, woah, must be having an earthquake, and we did! I was laying in bed and I could feel my bed shaking! It was the trippiest thing ever! I have now been in an earthquake. I also got really bad neck pain yesterday, I popped something in the shower and then through church it just got worse. I was having muscle spasms and couldn't move, it was bad. A member came and rubbed some muscle relaxing cream on my neck and gave me a massage,and that helped a lot.  I'm pretty good today, there's still a bit of pain. Other than that, just a finding week, we used a whiteboard with a question on it, what makes you, you? to get people to talk to us. It worked, but no one wanted to really talk they just wanted to write answers. It was okay though. Besides that, we've been having fun and doing good. 

Love you!

Elder Passey

the famous hedgehog 

Porsche

March 30, 2014

Hey family and random readers abroad!

This week was a good week, kinda tough with the new rules, but fun as well. I went on an exchange with Elder Godinet again. He's cool as. While we were at Gracelands rest home, the crazy old lady with Dementia named Beth told Elder Schumaker that," If I weren't a woman I'd cut your throat!" I guess he said something that ticked her off, I don't know. It was hilarious though, we just laughed! 

We have been eating Turkish and Indian food out here a few times, lamb kebabs from the Turkish place here, so good! Probably one of the best things I've ever eaten! Indian food is real good too, Butter Chicken, mm mm good! I got a medium dish of it one time, and man Indian people don't know what medium is! That was super hot! It tasted good so I really wanted to eat it, but it was so hot it just burned! It is delicious though. Heaps of Indian people here in Hawke's bay, they run all the dairys (7-11s pretty much) and the Indian shops. Our Indian neighbor let us have some of the chilis off his bush or whatever, and they were pretty hot. Not Jalepenos, but I'd say like a 7 out of 10. Schumaker had me eat one and he recorded me so I have the video, I might just upload it. He backed out though because "hot food makes him sick" Alright understandable but still, he did throw me under the bus with that one. haha all good though, still love the guy. Elder Schumaker and I get along real well, and we just go hard and do what we gotta do. 

Oh yeah! John Combs, best investigator in the world. He turned to us last week during our visit and said he had given up tea and coffee for the past three days, and tobacco was next, and he's set for the 10th of May, he gave us a recap of what he has going on next month, and ended with his baptism date! So excited for him! He's going to be the best member! 

The new rules, well, more like reaffirmed rules, are a bit tricky to get around. We can't call or text single or sisters period. Auxiliaries, ward members, anything.. It is a bit tricky, but we have found solutions. Just because of stuff going on I guess that president has to lock it all down, and we all sit here scratching our heads wondering why....I wonder what President H is going to move and keep when he gets here. Elder S is hoping for Disney Doctrine (being able to listen to Disney music) because he had it in Washington, but I don't see it happening. Other than that, still just doing good and finding more people to teach, we did have a couple investigators drop us, so that was a couple steps back, but we press on. Anyways, hoping that all of you are doing good. Send my love to the family, and I love and miss you guys as well!! 

Have a great week!

Elder Passey

trying a hot chili

March 23, 2014

We do have a couple new investigators this week, and I don't know how far we will be able to get them, potential drug problems and they almost seemed super high when we first taught them, but we'll see. Yes the weather is getting cooler bit by bit, it was rainy and cold a few days but not really bad. It's actually really nice when we get these nice warm cloudy days, makes me feel better about the sun. 

I had a couple exchanges this week with Elder Dutson one of our Zone Leaders, and Elder Tonga from my intake! It was awesome!! Heaps of fun! Lots of new stuff to do I hope. A few potentials, and even a guy that had a Confederate flag hanging in his garage seemed willing to talk to us, so I hope that goes well. 

 I uploaded heaps of pictures this week, some from a while back that Elder Schumaker took, they're still uploading right now. Sheep, licking fish, (not really) rainy days, and then what Elder Tonga drew on our whiteboard. Islanders can draw! Other than that, this week was pretty basic, same old same old, our Bishop has had a rough week with his mom near death, so we've been slow on ward rescue visits and a couple of things, but he seemed alright in church yesterday. Other than that, just doing the work and working to get more people to teach! We had to walk around our flat for half an hour last night to try and contact our last two people to reach 150. We talked to an Asian guy wanting to help him, but he declined, and then a kid sitting outside this Indian place by our flat, and he seemed cool, but we'll see. Hope it gets better this week. Hope all of you are well! Have a great week! Love and miss you!

Elder Passey

Their really are sheep in New Zealand!

Art work by Elder T.

Not 100% but thinking this is a Maserati

March 16, 2014

Hello family!

Another week yet again! What the heck! Crazy how fast time goes when you're having fun! This week was pretty good as usual. That big cyclone that hit the North Island, hit the North North Island and missed Hawke's Bay. I kinda wanted a big storm, but we got some rain and wind Saturday night and then nothing. Sunday was hot and sunny.
I had an exchange with Elder Langi again, that was fun. We got two new investigators this week! One is the daughter of  a Less Active mom who moved from Uruguay about 10 years ago, and the other is a girl we met who we will probably have to turn over to the sisters because we can't teach single girls or women. Anyways, that was pretty much a great week because of that!
 I conducted my first District Meeting, and it was awesome! My District is so powerful! Our numbers were so great this week, and everyone in the District talked to more than 150! WOOHOO!! That was our big goal and we did it!! I'm so proud! I helped Elder Schumaker shave an old guy at the rest home, that was quite an interesting experience. It's hard enough to do my own face without cutting it then trying to do some old guy. It was cool though. Did some biking and door knocking in the rain which wasn't even all bad. So, overall, great week, great numbers, great progress, just great! Love the mission, love the missionaries in my District, love it all! Miss and love all of you, hope you had a good week too and stay strong!

Elder Passey

March 9, 2014

Well, new week again, and this one started with a bit of a bang...no....theft actually. My companion's bike was stolen...we were talking to some of the boys outside a cafe, and we went in to go have a game of pool and talk to them more, and not even two minutes after we went in, his bike was gone! We had locked up my bike, but I guess we missed his and it got swiped...I feel bad, not even a week and his flash new bike is already gone...well we called the cops and filed a report, but for now, we just have to hope it shows up.... so far it hasn't though, but he did get a new one from another missionary, not a new new one, but a bike all the same.

 Mission Leader Conference was in palmerston North, really cool drive, I wish I had my camera out, we drove through this beautiful gorge, it was awesome! But sadly I didn't, maybe we will go through again someday. It was really good, President Kezerian is a lot more relaxed when it's just the leaders in the mission, and I think he's trying to prep us all for when President Hudson comes in June. It's working though, I just hope everyone doesn't get antsy about it. 

Lets see, we also had Zone Conference here in Hastings on  Friday, that was also good, it hurt having two all day meetings, but we caught up, and still reached a few of our goals. Six elders for a ward that has half of Hastings in it, small areas like Clive and Whakatu, and Waimarama, so overall about an hour or more across our ward. Wow...I've never even thought about that. An hour or more at least. Crazy. 

Singing was good, the choir director was going crazy the morning of because it wasn't Tab Choir material. It worked though. We had a ward Movie Night, and it was a disney movie and we had investigators there, so we got to go, and we watched Frozen! I loved it! It made me happy to watch a movie, a good Disney one too. Tell Alyssa I watched Frozen, she'll like that. Oh I got her letter too, so tell her I watched it. We had a car wash at the chapel, helping the YSA, busy all morning, but fun too! Not much else..

All sounds good at home, birthdays and movies and Scriptures. Our ward is doing 3 pages a day so we will read the B of M twice this year. I'm already at once but the second time is a lot slower. 

Love and Miss you all! 

Love,

Elder Passey

photo credit: wellingtonnewzealandmission.blogspot.com/

Leadership training Hastings

photo credit:wellingtonnewzealandmission.blogspot.com/

Zone Conference Palmerston North

March 1, 2014

Hello Family!!!

The new DL is doing AWESOME!!!! My new comp is so cool!! Elder Schumaker, he's half Samoan, and cool as! We get along great already, and he almost came pre trained, but I'm second phase training him, so it's fun. Lots of new big things for me to learn and do, but I love it! I think it's so much fun! I know it's been so crazy how fast it has all gone!! 6 months out already, I'll be home before we know it! :) 

 We have 6 missionaries in the ward, so lots of feeds to go around for all of us, and we have to have our dinners separately too so we aren't all tied down, but it works. 

Well, basically this week has been getting BASHED on!! Man, we bashed with Baptists, and then this crazy hippie lady came up and was all," WE don't need to argue the word of God, we just need to have the Holy Ghost tell us what to do, it just hits you and you will know! We don't need words! blah blah blah and she went on for 20 MINUTES about how we DON'T need words....really annoying. Then later this week, we got told all about Islam and the Muslim faith, and then he said we should go study the Quran and learn to preach, and we offered a Book of Mormon for him to "study" and he said," Oh no I don't need it..The Quran has everything." A chapter all about Mary and how she's a holy goddess and how if you cut your nails on your door you will become the poorest man ever...what?? Okay man, whatever...They make no sense at ALL! We talked for an hour with that guy, and got nothing from it. So lame. Bashing weeks, gotta love it. What else...we are in the ward choir, singing next Sunday at Ward Conference, that will be fun. Did you think to pray and Joseph's First Prayer to the tune of Jesus Lover of My Soul. Real good. I found my watch in a Casio case in town, my 20 dollar Wal-Mart watch, it's $80 here!!! haha that sucks!! Man I hate New Zealand pricing....Anyways, pretty good fun week, lots to do. We have Zone Conference and I have my first mission leader council this week. 

Hope you are all doing great, miss and love you all! 

Elder Passey

Elder Passey with his new companion Elder S.