跳伞 Tiàosǎn means Skydiving

Hey everyone! Another great week in Melbourne Australia. Loving the work, loving the people. We keep on keeping on. 

This week was a good one - nothing but work. We taught when we could and GQd the rest of the time. We taught several lessons this week - a good change. A few new, a few formers. Heidelberg is starting to pick back up. Stay tuned for baptismal dates and the likes.

We have the special opportunity this week to have Elder Neil L Andersen visit Melbourne. Lots of meetings and devotionals that I'm sure President is freaking out about are coming together and we couldn't be more excited. Naturally, whenever there's something big, there has to be a musical number, so I've been pegged to sing at a missionary devotional later this week. Less important than the event, but practicing has been the first time I've had a chance to really sing since coming out. There's a power to music, especially when the music is there to praise our savior. 

Because of the devotional, the Tasmania Elders and Sisters are flying in for the weekend. Because Heidelberg is the only Chinese flat big enough to hold more than two missionaries, we'll be hosting Elder Mourino, Elder Gao and their brand new Golden, Elder Gao (the Chinese aren't too big on variety when it comes to family names). Expect lots of great pictures and stories next week.

We had a rather memorable Monday. We have a language activity after every district meeting - a chance for all of us to practice our language in a group setting, usually in the form of a game. Elder Feng orchestrated an activity where we associate actions with a vocabulary word. To make a long story short, I needed a good action for "skydiving" so I asked the Elders on my left and right, Feng and Biehler, if they would catch me. They both said yes. So my turn came, I climbed up on my chair and pretty accurately demonstrated skydiving. Neither Feng nor Biehler caught me. 

On the bright side, I'll never forget "tiaosan" again. 

The thing about missionary work is that, from the outside, we kinda take the miracles and the baptisms and the great stories and put them up on a pedestal. Most of our work isn't really like that. We spent so many hours this week talking to every person we could at the La Trobe tram stop or in Melbourne Central Station or Preston Market. It's a lot of work and usually disproportional results. But that's what makes the good moments so powerful - hours and hours and hours of searching and praying and teaching and preparation for the one person who is ready to make the changes in their lives to come closer to Jesus Christ. That's what we're here to do. Recently, it's been a little more looking and praying and a little less finding. But sometimes, that's how it goes. I trust that the Lord is preparing others to receive the Word. I look forward to playing what little role I can in their conversion to the Gospel of Christ. 

Until then, we keep on working. Talking to everyone we can, whether it be the crazy Vietnamese guy in the market ("I, Buddha!") or the Jehovah's Witnesses who knock on your door to invite you to their congregation before seeing the name tag. We talk and share and testify. I couldn't be happier.

I'm grateful for the emails and stories from home. Congratulations to all of the new mission calls I keep hearing about - I'm so excited for all of you. You don't know what you're getting into. It's tough, being out in the field. But so, so worth it. So good. I'm grateful for the Lord and for my opportunity to serve. 

Have a lovely week, I look forward to hearing from all of you soon!

Elder Blackhurst