I'm running out of funny titles

Hey everyone! Another great week. Nothing too out of the ordinary - lots of lessons, lots of contacting. We're coming up towards the end of the transfer, and Elder Wang is getting ready to go. He spent about $50 dollars on Tim Tams alone this morning, the sure sign of the end. We're working hard and happy to be here and grateful for the success we're seeing. 

In our area, we currently have four baptismal dates. Two of them are scheduled to be baptized a week from this Saturday. I'm still blown away by the amount we have to do, compared to my first five transfers. We're super excited about Jesse and Cui. The other two - Ted and Bowen - are progressing as well. We see so much good on a weekly basis. I hope and pray they will all continue to grow. 

I'm coming to a realization. I spent the last two transfers forcing my poor golden missionary (sorry, Elder Liu) to make all of the phone calls because I knew it would be good practice for him. Now that I'm back and making calls again... I hate it. Making phone calls is the worst. I can't speak Chinese in the first place, so forget doing it through our garbage brick phones. Anyway. Hopefully it will improve in the next few weeks because - drum roll, please - we're becoming a technology mission in the next few weeks. Smartphones for all of the missionaries across Melbourne. Better contacting and better language study and WeChat for communicating with Asian people. I'm very excited. It also means we don't have to go hunting for flashcards anymore, which makes all of us learning a language very happy. Hoping that good things come from this. 

We had a baptism in the Zone this week - the Waverley Sisters' Michael was baptized and confirmed. Such a sweet experience. We had a little trouble getting him under the water - he's got at least four or five inches on Elder Wang, which made things a little tricky. But he was baptized and confirmed and we're very excited for him. 

These last few weeks have been weeks of growth for me. I've taken on a lot of challenges I've never dealt with before and I've certainly learned a lot. We forget sometimes, when we get into the swing of things, just how much we need to rely on the Lord. I've been forced to make every decision by his counsel, and it's a blessing to see the results. The Lord will bless and guide each of us who seek His help - we just need ask, and act on that which we receive. We've all got a long way to go, but He's with us, every step of the way. 

And with that, there's not a lot that happened this week. Other highlights include Elder Bibb getting excited about cooking gumbo for next week's Zone P Day ("It's like Thanksgiving, only multicultural!") and Elder Wang eating Vegemite. We're working. We're loving the work. How grateful I am to be right here. 

Have a great week! I love you all. Keep up the good work.

Jiayou!

Elder Blackhurst