October 04, 2009

G’day family,
Transfer news has come and gone and you’ll never believe it!! I have finally been transferred hahaha I’m sorry for not emailing last week because I was on a plane bound for the promise land. I’m serving in the Epping ward, in the Heidelberg stake just north of the city. Ok since it’s been two very hectic weeks, the first part of the email is from last week and then I’ll continue with what has happened in the past few days. This week has been a bit hectic but wow it’s been really, really cool. So this last Monday we went to Glen Huon to teach this less actives members wife, she is a non-member, her name is Amy Watson I have been teaching her since March which is long as. But one of the zone leaders and I drove out there to teach her, she has let us know that she will be baptized but after she knows it is true. So we were going to teach recognizing the spirit and also fasting for answers to our prayers. So we get there and we also invited her sister and brother in law whom are members, to help fellowship. We teach her the first part about knowing when you receive the spirit then I teach about fasting and I ask her sister in law to share a spiritual experience about fasting and she does, and it was very good, and then I share about how us as a family fasted and prayed for Kevin and Keagan heaps for them to make it through their first few months. And it was great and right after I shared that Elder Nelson asked how she felt and she kind of danced around saying she felt the spirit but she did, we all did and Eder Nelson asked her again and she just confessed all. She told us this was the strongest she has ever felt the spirit and she knew that what we teach is true, and she has in fact felt the spirit every time she met with us and also every time at church. It was incredible she received her witness right in front of us. The scariest part about it is she said at the end she was going to ask us not to come back after tonight but apparently the lord had other plans, and then later that week I got the call that I’ll need to pack all my things and get ready to fly to the mainland. Finally I made it to Australia!!!! I went to transfer meeting to meet my new companion and I was able to meet all the other 50 missionaries I’ve never met. My new companion is Elder Aaron Gremmert from Seattle,Washington. He is pretty fun he is always happy like me so it’s great, I really really miss Tasmania and my old comp but this place is nuts. My first day was ridiculous. After we cleaned the flat because we were doubled into the area which means both of us are completely new to this place. So after we cleaned the junky flat we went out to track. I first ran into some wino that clamed VB (Victoria Bitter…a beer) is his religion and he was stumbling around everywhere them from there we went to these former investigators house, turns out they didn’t live there but there we met Flip, Flip loves marijuana, I could tell before he opened the door, but he invited us in and had a chat he was gonzo. But before we left he said “hey guys I’m gonna smoke more pot and go to work, you can toke if you want with me or you can go I don’t really mind” so we left. Later that night we then were tracking. We ran into a small gang of biker hoons around 16 years old they were questioning/ poking fun at us but we turned that into a good conversation and had them liking us by the time we left. And then we met Kevin Grise “The Hypnotist” hahaha ya we knocked a door and the lady said “I think my husband wants to talk to you” so out comes Kevin, he is from Montana but lived in South Carolina and he was an executive secretary in the bishopric there, he was crazy, he has apostatized from the church but he likes us he was saying that the Bishops and Stake Presidents are all angry at him for him being a hypnotist but I don’t think that’s the reason, the reason I figure is when he hypnotises people he does it by the laying on of hands the only thing he doesn’t do is say “by the authority of the Melchezedik Priesthood” ya what a loony. But he invited us back for stake so I’ll take that offer. Hahahaha. This area is fun and I’m still learning it but I’m doing great. I also met our ward yesterday there are heaps of Samoans oh man I love it. We ate Samoan food last night I had octopus and while I was eating it I found the eye in the eye socket so I pulled it out teased the sister missionaries with it them ate it, it popped in my mouth and was mm mm yuck hahaha actually not too bad… oh ya we have sister missionaries it’s weird but they're cool. They’re in our ward and they get us meal appointments. Well family that’s it how are all you guys? I love you all and be good.

-Elder Ballard