Hej everyone!

And no Hej isn't a typo, it's hello in Swedish!

Sorry about last week, it was a bit hectic, but we have more time today :) 

Yes that's a fly on my face--you shoo twenty away and stop to take the picture, and they come back in seconds.  There are soooo many, especially out where we were.  Not quite as bad as the pictures I saw before my mission, but it's not summer yet...Sister Ahlstrom and I are just going to get fly nets or else we won't survive ha.  

Last week was a bit weird, but ended really well.  Friday there was a funeral in town for an aboriginal father and son. They had so many family members come into town for it.  We were able to help out afterwards with food and cleaning up.  While we were there, a man came up to us and asked if there was a chapel in Northam.  Turns out he and his wife are looking for a church, and they attend church off and on in Como and I'd met him there once before!  Small world. They go back and forth between Perth and Baker's Hill, about 15 minutes out of Northam.  He was telling us that he has a large print version of the Book of Mormon that he is reading through :) We gave him and his wife the address and time, and we will see them the next time they come back from Perth!

Saturday we helped a less active man, Brother Thomas move into his new house.  He moved out about 30 minutes further into the bush.  There's nothing really out there, just fields and some trees, and it is gorgeous!  I love Australia!  We rocked up and he had two other friends there helping, one of whom we had contacted the week before who was very kind but not interested.  We talked as we moved and they both are always helping people out and trying to do good deeds, and they really liked that we try to do the same thing.  When we finished moving, we asked if they wanted to know what else we do as missionaries, and we shared a message with them and gave them each a Book of Mormon and they committed to read it and pray about it.  It's so cool to see a little bit of Heavenly Father's work in preparing his children and softening their hearts bit by bit. We aren't teaching him yet, but we are bound to run into him here in Northam. I love small towns. 

One of the miracles from last week was that we were trying to contact a referral and instead we found a less active member who moved here about a year ago and didn't know that there was a church in Northam. She's been the last two weeks with her 3 kids, who are already friends with the Penstones and their group of friends!  I think I might have already told you guys that, but there it is again :) Oh well.  And her daughter is 7 years old, and LOVES church.  She loves learning and praying and she wanted her own scriptures.  She wants to be a teacher, and she is going to be the best missionary :) When we got there, first thing she asked was if she could say the prayer.  And then she said the most beautiful, sincere prayer.  And she told us that she and Connor Penstone prayed at school together.  So sweet hey?

Last night, Sister Penstone came with us to see a woman we just started teaching, but she wasn't home.  We went to see another investigator, Keith, and it was perfect.  He doesn't believe God is there, because in the past he had prayed desperately and asked for help, and he didn't feel like he got an answer.  He's been really hesitant about praying, because he doesn't feel sincere, and he doesn't want to do something just because someone else is doing it.  Last night though, he really felt the spirit and understood what he needs to do to find out if God is there.  He agreed to experiment and pray and read the scriptures, etc.  Those are my favourite moments, when someone feels the spirit, and is humble and willing to do whatever it takes to find Him. I really can't describe it, but hopefully you know what I mean. 

The Penstones are having a Halloween carnival with the members and other friends of theirs.  We are helping them out with different things, and it'll be a lot of fun!  Better than a trunk or treat, so I'm satisfied haha.

We have the BEST members.  Brother Watts drove half an hour on Monday to come to a lesson with us, and he is the man.  He knows everything I swear. And has such a strong testimony, it was such a good lesson, and the man we were teaching very clearly understood God's plan, and said it explained so many experiences he's had in his life.  He's got a lot of things working against him, but if he turns to Heavenly Father, he'll have all the strength he needs to make changes in his life.

Last news, I got TWO flat tires last week.  The first time I ran over a little metal cigarette thing and it went straight through my tire.  President Penstone has a bunch of old bike parts, so he gave me a tube and tire and put a different brake cable on for my back brakes because the one I had was ruined.  We fixed the tire the next morning, and rode on it that day, and then by the next morning, my tire was flat again.  My bike is basically falling apart, it's all good ha.  We didn't have time to buy another tube and fix it, so we decided that Heavenly Father was saying take a little break from the bikes haha.  But we dropped it off at a bike place and they fixed it while we were on the go.  I need to buy replacement tubes to have so we can just fix it quickly, because I don't think that this is the end of the punctures.  Northam is dangerous for tires.

Well, that was pretty much our week.  Only other thing is that I am learning I am a Child of God in Swedish.  I love missionary work, and I wouldn't choose to be anywhere else or doing anything else right now.  Even swimming ha.  I am grateful for truth and standards in a world that is changing all the time.  Truth never changes. I am grateful for the scriptures and prophets who teach us truth that allows us to be safe physically and spiritually.  

I hope you all have an incredible week!

Hejdo!  (Goodbye in Swedish)

Love,

Sister Formica

P.S. The pictures are from Meckering--where Brother Thomas moved to.  There's an earthquake site out there, where they preserved the ruins of a house and we took a couple pictures when we drove by.  I'm not sure why they preserved it, but the sign says that the baby's cot was right there and that it was a miracle that the wall fell outward instead of onto the cot.