Group Email 7/17/16

My first week with Hazel has been so flipping fun!!! We have just been having so much fun laughing and joking around and remember old stories of all the fun times we had in scouts and growing up!!! It's so nice to not have to get a completely new person.. which I've had to do nearly every month and a half on my mission. We instantly have unity and have such a good connection!!! He is a fantastic missionary and loves the work.

One sad thing happened though. Elder Walsh called me yesterday morning and said he has decided to go home.. I wonder if I could have done anything to help him.. But I kind of saw it coming. I just can't believe it happened so fast into his new area and companion.

Things are going great!! Feeling great, doing great, working hard.

Studying has been kind of hard this week. we have been so busy with transfers and stuff it's just been crazy. But Hassell taught me about 2 Nephi 9:39.. SMILE which means Spirtually Minded Is Life Eternal. I love that.. Also I taught him about Alma 32:28 how do you know it's a good seed? it will Swell in your breast, Enlarge your sould, Enlighten your mind and become Delicious to you.
I think that's the right order... hahah

We have met with some members and me and Elder Hassell are going to run a Ward FHE to teach these people how to interact with family and friends bearing purpose testimonies and we are going to make each family in the ward have a baptismal goal. Just like missionaries. They pray and fast about a family or friend they want to see baptized and taught and when we visit with them we have a specific name to follow up with.. Should be awesome and hopefully we get heaps of investigators through that (:

Teaching non members.. We actually had a miracle his first or second day here. We went to the market and started teaching a man named Sefo about families and temples! He loves what we teach SO much.. But as we were teaching, 3 others came and listened. E Amentiers, Matthew, and Bob. We were teaching them about prophets and repentance and being baptized with authority from God and one of them even started recording us, and they kept saying that they were feeling us speak truth and that they were feeling so much love and everything and so I popped the question.. "After we teach you more, will each of you be baptized if you continue to feel this feeling?" All 4 said yes, and they would love it.

So no big deal, me and Hassell just preaching the word out here in NZ telling them to repent and be baptized like Peter, James, John, and the early missionaries (: Plus Matthew and E gave us two free Hangis.. Which Elder Hassell explains in a video I'm going to put on the drive. It's a couple video journals.

Coolest thing about my mission so far.... being companions with Hazel and also I still think Haynze teaching his mom the Plan of Salvation on his own was amazing. It's cool enough he understood it and got baptized but to draw it out perfectly on a board and teach his mom who had no knowledge of it at all, is AWESOME.

I love the mountains in this area. We are surrounded by them!!!

I love you so much mom (: Hope home is good.

--
Elder LaMunyon

Group Email 7/10/16

for those who don't know about our fun news...
Bryson's new companion Elder Hassell is a friend that he grew up with.  His family moved away when the boys were about 13 or 14.  When they were called to the same mission, we didn't know if they would serve as companions (and frankly, we doubted they would) - but after 8 months of hard areas and companions, he has been blessed to be reunited with this childhood friend!  We know that this is just the morale boost that our Elder needs at this time, and that they will be able to accomplish great things together in Wainuiomata.



Kia ora whanau and hoa!

this week was a good week!!! Mainly because me and Elder Hassell have been reunited to a companionship!!! I am so beyond excited for what the future holds in this area. Hopefully we get to teach and see many miracles (:

what happened this week was a lot of goodbyes to good old Elder Walsh. Who really has taught me a lot. I will miss him more than I expected but change is good!

it'll be a quick email though so i'm sorry.. we have dinner waiting to be picked up and basketball to go to!! But I love everyone and miss them heaps!!!



Oh. I also saw Durtchi again!!!!(:

--
Elder LaMunyon

New Zealand Speak

email question from Megan to Bryson: Any more slang you've learned? Mom laughs at your use of the word "rubbish"

his response:

oh yup. that's not really slang that's just what they say haha. Uhm, they don't call erasers erasers.. I learned this last night when haynze kept  asking me if I had any rubber, he said it like 6 times and eventually I was just like "What do you mean?? I DON"T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING" and nanna marylin said "Haynze babe they don't call them that! They are erasers!!

So yeah, that was frustrating.

Uhmmmmm.... if something is expensive they just call it deer.
If they are all good with something they will say "Safe bro, yup"
We say "ah i'm Keen" or something like that heaps.. we also say heaps instead of "alot"
it's not candy here.. it's lollies
They don't really drink hot chocolate, they drink this thing called milo. It was weird at first but now I like it.
We say "Churr bro"
Cheers mate
"Ahh yih" pretty much is like "ohh yeah I understand"

Heaps of stuff haha. I'll have fun at home when no one understands me

1/3 of the Mission Completed! Email 7-3-16

I know it really is so weird - 1/3 done!!! I think I might be here for another 3 months or so.. But I will know in one week. Could even hit my year mark here in Wainui, but we will see.

Thank you for your prayers and fasting. I have felt them and seen miracles in my life and spirit that are only because of my family. So thank you (:

Thanks for the advice about the priesthood too.. I was actually thinking about that a lot recently. About how I have some great priesthood holders around me on the mission and it would be awesome to get blessings often from them (: So I will start asking more and using mine as well.

Cool photos!!(: you're getting really good mom, honest. Nanna marylin is making me and my companion some chicken and stuffing for a big feed tonight since it's the 4th (: So yay! I'll try to get more pictures this week! I was sick from like wednesday or thursday to like yesterday.. Not crazy bad but there were a couple nights of sour stomach and throwing up. I'm pretty much better now.. I hope (: hahaha.

Haynze will be getting the priesthood this week and also a kid who hasn't come to church pretty much since he was baptized has become really fond of me and has started coming! He found a suit and his mom bought him a shirt and tie and he has been for about a month straight and he will be getting his priesthood this week too! He is nearly 16. His name is Daniel Oti. And i'm hoping to see him on a mission. Lots of good things have come into light!

Daniel is the one with his arm around Bryson.

The olsens who coach the wainui basketball team have asked me to help coach so I've been doing that for about 2 months and it has been awesome!!! something I didn't know was they were inactive and wouldn't let anyone from the ward visit them or they wouldn't talk to anyone really for years!!!! But now we go over whenever we want and they LOVE having us over and they always invite us to things! Even their 5 year old sons birthday party and they have been coming to church pretty much every week!! They aren't taking the sacrament I don't think.. I'm not sure why but I hope they are finding blessings in their life (:

Another lady, Amelia Brown hasn't come to church for 12 years and is now coming every week, she sang at one of our firesides and she is taking the Gospel Principles class now, she has commited to coming every week and wants her daughter to take the lessons now to be baptized.

A lot of these things haven't been really anything we knew or been our focus! We have just been connecting with anyone. Not for the purpose of getting them to church or anything but just becoming friends and now look at the miracles (: we didn't even know that these people were so difficult to get back to church or even in their homes! pretty cool (:

Random Photo Post

on splits with district leader

New Zealand palm tree

hand carved box (gift from member)

Excerpts of Emails from the Past 3 Weeks

So, sorry there has been such a lack of group emails!  I finally told Bryson yesterday that I would compile parts of his last few emails and create one to send out to share.   I made comments in italics to kind of explain some backstory.  Anyway, here it is...  
(Keep Bryson in your prayers.  We appreciate it, and I know they help him!)


6-12-16
I felt like I should include this in the group email, because only sharing the good isn't the whole story and what a mission REALLY is sometimes.  Sometimes it's just HARD!!  He hasn't yet had a companion (other than very brief periods) who has been enthusiastic about mission life and following the rules and all that comes with being a valiant missionary.  And that has been really tough on our boy.  We prayed and prayed  for him and his mission president to help get him through this hard time.

I'm still kind of struggling. Lately I have felt 0 confidence. I just feel like ever since I've left I haven't been myself. Confident, goofy, energetic. I just lack all of it. And I'm really struggling not having anyone to talk to. That's why I called Hayden. Yes it did help because I actually felt like I was talking to a friend. Something I've been missing for a long time. I know that Heavenly Father is here for me but I am not sure why it's been so hard to feel comfort and peace. With my companion and things I just haven't felt like anyone is here for me. I'm sorry for being really down. I just don't know how else to put it. I'm trying. I really am. And I love being around Haynze and teaching him. Especially excited for the baptism saturday! And he has chosen me to baptize. So i'm really honored about that. But I really miss family. I just wish I felt normal. There is so much pressure and so much stress with everyone watching you and giving you things to do and expectations and lots of thoughts that go through my head every day.

I want to lead and I want to be a great missionary. But right now I'm feeling held back. A lot. But I know that if I wait it out and stay tough. I'll experience more happiness. It's just feeling like forever since I've been confident and stuff



6-19-16
I had asked Bryson some questions.  He was using a member's ipad at breakfast with a wonky keyboard, so he copied them and added responses, that is why this format on this particular email.  and joy!!!  He was feeling happier, and his president had responded to Bryson's concerns. 

How are you this week?  I'm good (: Haynze has boosted my spirits and president did talk to me and Elder Walsh

Did haynze get baptized??  How was that? yes he did!!! twice.. lol. It was amazing. He is honestly the coolest kid ever. just kinda hyper hahha

What counsel did your mission president offer?  Did he respond? He said that the mission is a time for Heavenly Father to teach us. And the only reason I have been with Elder Walsh is because he needs me to be his companion because i'm a missionary he can trust with such a big load. He also has been calling Elder Walsh nightly so he can talk and try to help Walsh find his purpose.

Love you mom! I'm doing better!

later that same conversation:

But mom I'm really doing a lot better. I feel like I'm a part of the family now here in Wainuiomata and I've realized how much I love these people! And president gave some uplifting thoughts. People change and so do transfers haha. But I'm okay. 2 weeks until transfers and plus I have exchanges today until Wednesday! So that'll be fun (:


6-26-16
excerpt from this week's email.  They were spending p-day helping people move, so his emails yesterday were very brief.

We were woken up today by a member banging on our window saying "Elders! Elders! I need your help out front! There is an emergency!!!"
when I ran out I thought someone was dying or something!!! But his van was just slipping out front in the muddy rain and nearly tipping over into the neighbors house!!!! So we had to push it and tow it out of the yard without it rolling into the house hahaha. Soooo that was fun.. .Only took like 2 hours in the pouring wet rain. I slipped a few times in the mud hahaha. Then when we went back to the flat the package was there and warmed me up (:

Group Email 5-29-16

So just found out i'll be staying in Wainuiomata for another 6 weeks which i'm pretty happy about (: I'll probably be here for quite a bit. But the mission transfers have proven to  be quite unpredictable. We had a lot of time spent with auntie kell and helping her set up the ward conference activities which was a ball! It was pretty fun. We spent all night friday and all day saturday setting it up! it turned out quite nice! Then we had the actual conference on sunday. It was really good. Bishop gave a pretty good talk about turning and committing. How we have to turn in the direction we want to go and give it all we got.. I think I could definitely do that much more. 

Then that night we had yet ANOTHER fireside.. His love part 2(: It turned out really good. I made videos featuring Sister Sagote, Nanna Marilyn, and uncle and auntie Wilson (Sonny and Keli-ann) (: It was a great night and the best part about it was auntie Kim came!!!(: She is less active but the nicest person in the world. She always cooks us delicious kai like Fry bread burgers and Huge Roast dinners and really wants to make my dads Crepe recipe with me (: one of the main reasons she is less active is because she has a smoking problem.. But she came to the fireside and one of the videos really touched her and she loved the whole night so much, she has decided to come back to church sunday. And she is one that you can actually believe and take her word for. She said she realized she doesn't have to be perfect to go to church and enjoy the gospel. She knows that to enjoy the FULL blessings and even more happiness she would need to stop smoking, but small steps are big ones in this case (: I'm so glad she has felt the spirit and support from our savior to come back after many many years of not even stepping foot in the chapel. That is definitely a huge miracle (: 

I'm grateful for the chance I have to serve these people. They have definitely served me more than I have them.. But I really do love these people now. I see them as whanau and that is how they treat me (: I'm not sure if any missionaries have ever gotten more calls than me and my companion asking if we were moving or staying.. they were all so worried that we could be moving!! They were wanting to throw a farewell if either of us left haha. I'm glad we have been able to connect so well with the members here. I feel like this is the best missionary work we could do. Strengthening what we have, finding those who need to be rescued and teaching in everything we do. 

I've been through a lot on my mission mentally and emotionally. But i'm working on using the gospel and Christ's atonement to have Joy in my life. Pure joy. There is nothing I need to worry about, or stress about when I am living the gospel and helping others. Life will be good. And like President Monson has said! "Everything will work out"

Love you all (:

-- 

Elder LaMunyon

kids he helps coach for rugby

just thought this was a cool shot :)

Member MTC Day tags (a great success - hopefully we'll hear more details about it soon!)

more from MMTC day

MMTC Day

group shot MMTC Day - sorry it's not super clear!