Malosoi fua!
Wow, this week has been one crazy week!! It's been an emotional roller coaster! I got a phone call on Tuesday from President Lekias. He said, "Elder Belnap, you have been a zone leader for a long time. 10 months. And you have done a fantastic job. You are a stellar missionary and with most of the leadership leaving in the coming transfers, I need to make some changes..." (right there, my stomach dropped and I knew what was coming)... he said that he has some exciting news and that he was going to make me a trainer. As he said that the first presidency was making a BIG emphasis on having the best missionaries train. So now I'm training. It's exciting, but hard. And he said that I would get doubled from Mangere and go to Panmure and be a district leader. And I have the biggest district in the mission! There are a total of 6 companionships including the zone leaders.... it's massive! And to be honest, I was gutted! But I accepted. I'll do whatever the Lord wants me to do... Though I had a huge passion for being a zone leader and loved it!
Right now it's hard. This has been the toughest thing that I've ever had to do.... You could say that I went from being on top! In the biggest zone, the heart of the mission. We were on pace to break the zone best! We had 5 people set for baptism! I was running the Thomas Road Ward. Me and my companion got along great. Everything was just pumping!! Not to mention it was my favorite area by far. I thought that I might finish my mission there.... then I get the call, I'm no longer a zone leader, I'm put into an area that is struggling, we have to build it up. And we need to build up the ward as well. Training is hard. I've been blessed with incredible companions my whole mission. All but 3 of my companions have been a zone leader and one of the 3 was a district leader. My new companion is named Elder Gentry. He's from Missouri, a small town of 300ish. We get along okay, but it's a bit hard. I still love him. I feel like I have all this weight on my shoulders. And it's just ME doing all the work. I know God is there. But I feel that I'm the only instrument. It's hard when I have to lead all the lessons, talk to all the people, make all the phone calls, do happy chappy 24/7, love and lift a district and a ward. It's just so much... and it's hard.
But... I am blessed. I still have a cell phone and guess what? I was just praying that I would have a car. And when the assistants rang, they said I didn't have a car. I was super gutted. But I prayed for a car. And right when we were leaving transfers, one of the assistants ran up to me and said, "You must've been saying your prayers, we got an extra car! And we're giving it to you!" I was like WOW! That is a direct answer to my prayer!
Before I left Manutoetoe, I wanted to set one more person. We were teaching Martha, who's set for the 30th. And her neice just moved in. And so we set her for baptism! That's the way I wanted to leave that area! So there are six people set for baptism and another 3 that could still be baptized this month!!
It was super hard to say goodbye to everyone over there! I was just so close to everyone. I'm going to miss that place, but no doubt I will be going back there! I'm really going to miss all the islanders!! There aren't as many in Panmure!
This week we had a good miracle! We found a former named Paul. he was asking good questions and really wanted to make a change in his life. And so we set him for the 13 of August!!
I need your prayers!!
LOVE YA HEAPS!!!!!!!
OFA ATU!!!!!!!!
Elder Belnap
Monday, July 18, 2011
GREAT WEEK!!! - July 10, 2011
Malo soifua!
We had a great week! We worked really hard this week to help solidify our investigators that are preparing to be baptized! Right now we have 5 people that are set to be baptized this month, Tony (26), Matthew (18), Lois (17), Lawrence (20), Martha (45). But we have 8 people that can be baptized this month!! So we are working hard hoping that we can qualify for God's blessings for it!
President Lekias came on a Mission tour to visit all of the missionaries. It was really good. He had me conduct the meeting. It's different conducting. Haha, looks easier than it is, lol! The missionaries love him! Which is great!
We just stayed really busy this week! We taught like 30 lessons again! And just stayed really busy! I love it! We are putting on a Missionary Stake Fireside for the Manukau Stake on the 31!! Man it's going to be great! A lot of work is going to go into it, but it's going to be mean!!
Not a lot happened, just worked on making sure our investigators came to church, which they did! So grateful! We taught heaps of lessons! Things are looking good for us!
We have transfers this week!!! It's crazy! I can't believe it's here already! I'm hoping to stay, I think I will, but I'll go wherever God needs me!
Funny story. We were knocking on doors, and this drunk Tongan guy yells out, "Yo LDS!" lol! He's like "Brotha's, come over here!" while he was dancing. So we walk over there (I love drunk people, they are so funny, lol) across his grass and he told us that our shoes would get dirty. He came running down the stairs and started cleaning our shoes!! lol!! It was just crack up. Then he invited us in, and I asked him to turn off the music, and he was so wasted that he couldn't figure it out! It was funny. Sad that he was drunk, but funny.... Hopefully we can help him....
LOVE YA HEAPS!!
THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!
Elder Belnap
We had a great week! We worked really hard this week to help solidify our investigators that are preparing to be baptized! Right now we have 5 people that are set to be baptized this month, Tony (26), Matthew (18), Lois (17), Lawrence (20), Martha (45). But we have 8 people that can be baptized this month!! So we are working hard hoping that we can qualify for God's blessings for it!
President Lekias came on a Mission tour to visit all of the missionaries. It was really good. He had me conduct the meeting. It's different conducting. Haha, looks easier than it is, lol! The missionaries love him! Which is great!
We just stayed really busy this week! We taught like 30 lessons again! And just stayed really busy! I love it! We are putting on a Missionary Stake Fireside for the Manukau Stake on the 31!! Man it's going to be great! A lot of work is going to go into it, but it's going to be mean!!
Not a lot happened, just worked on making sure our investigators came to church, which they did! So grateful! We taught heaps of lessons! Things are looking good for us!
We have transfers this week!!! It's crazy! I can't believe it's here already! I'm hoping to stay, I think I will, but I'll go wherever God needs me!
Funny story. We were knocking on doors, and this drunk Tongan guy yells out, "Yo LDS!" lol! He's like "Brotha's, come over here!" while he was dancing. So we walk over there (I love drunk people, they are so funny, lol) across his grass and he told us that our shoes would get dirty. He came running down the stairs and started cleaning our shoes!! lol!! It was just crack up. Then he invited us in, and I asked him to turn off the music, and he was so wasted that he couldn't figure it out! It was funny. Sad that he was drunk, but funny.... Hopefully we can help him....
LOVE YA HEAPS!!
THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!
Elder Belnap
MIRACLES ALL WEEK!! SET 5 PEOPLE!! - July 3, 2011
Malosoifua!!
We had a killer week!!! Once again, great miracles! We really needed to find some new people that we could baptize for July! We went out and exercised great faith that we would be able to find some new people to baptize! And God provided! We found 10 new investigators and taught 30 lessons! It was great! Then we set 4 of those new 10 for baptism! I was just blown away by how merciful God is! He's preparing people for us all the time, we just need to find them and help them prepare to be baptized!!!
At church last Sunday, I had this impression to go to the Folau's house and just ask them if they had anyone living there that wasn't a member. We went, and guess what? He has 2 boys living with him that aren't baptized and have been coming to church off and on since December! I'm continuously learning that the Spirit will put the thought in your mind; you just need to follow it. Thursday, we are going to teach the boys!!
That day, we prayed that we would be able to find a family and set them for baptism, we first found the boys at the Folau's. But Elder Moss was on a tradeoff with a member named Sanchez and found a Maori family that we set for baptism: Angel (13) and Lois (17). How merciful is Heavenly Father? We read in Moroni: "Whatsoever thing ye shall the Father in my name which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be done unto you." How true is that? That has been my favorite scripture and probably the biggest principle I've learned. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS! That day, we found 2 families!
It doesn't stop there! We fasted that God would bring someone to church that we could baptize this month. We didn't see anyone. But a member came up to us and said, "Elders, I have a 14 year old boy that is living with me, and he needs to be baptized!" Last night, we taught Martin, and he's good. I have no doubt that he will be baptized this month. Once again, God answered our prayer!
If we have faith, and just believe, God will help us. He will help us overcome hard days and trials. Because just before all this happened, Ake, who was set to be baptized said that she doesn't want to be taught anymore and doesn't want to be baptized. And we just had a rough day. But the next day, we set 4 people for baptism! Right now, we have 5 people set! And another 4 that still have the possibility to be baptized this month! We just need to qualify for it!
We met President Lekias on Friday. He's really into it and will do a GREAT job! I'm looking forward to working with him. I have no doubts that he will continue to help this mission progress. It was sad to say good bye to President Porter. He rang me before he left and we had a good chat. I told him that I'll see him in a couple of months.
LOVE YOU HEAPS!!!!!!!
ALOFA ATU!!!!!!!
Elder Belnap
We had a killer week!!! Once again, great miracles! We really needed to find some new people that we could baptize for July! We went out and exercised great faith that we would be able to find some new people to baptize! And God provided! We found 10 new investigators and taught 30 lessons! It was great! Then we set 4 of those new 10 for baptism! I was just blown away by how merciful God is! He's preparing people for us all the time, we just need to find them and help them prepare to be baptized!!!
At church last Sunday, I had this impression to go to the Folau's house and just ask them if they had anyone living there that wasn't a member. We went, and guess what? He has 2 boys living with him that aren't baptized and have been coming to church off and on since December! I'm continuously learning that the Spirit will put the thought in your mind; you just need to follow it. Thursday, we are going to teach the boys!!
That day, we prayed that we would be able to find a family and set them for baptism, we first found the boys at the Folau's. But Elder Moss was on a tradeoff with a member named Sanchez and found a Maori family that we set for baptism: Angel (13) and Lois (17). How merciful is Heavenly Father? We read in Moroni: "Whatsoever thing ye shall the Father in my name which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be done unto you." How true is that? That has been my favorite scripture and probably the biggest principle I've learned. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS! That day, we found 2 families!
It doesn't stop there! We fasted that God would bring someone to church that we could baptize this month. We didn't see anyone. But a member came up to us and said, "Elders, I have a 14 year old boy that is living with me, and he needs to be baptized!" Last night, we taught Martin, and he's good. I have no doubt that he will be baptized this month. Once again, God answered our prayer!
If we have faith, and just believe, God will help us. He will help us overcome hard days and trials. Because just before all this happened, Ake, who was set to be baptized said that she doesn't want to be taught anymore and doesn't want to be baptized. And we just had a rough day. But the next day, we set 4 people for baptism! Right now, we have 5 people set! And another 4 that still have the possibility to be baptized this month! We just need to qualify for it!
We met President Lekias on Friday. He's really into it and will do a GREAT job! I'm looking forward to working with him. I have no doubts that he will continue to help this mission progress. It was sad to say good bye to President Porter. He rang me before he left and we had a good chat. I told him that I'll see him in a couple of months.
LOVE YOU HEAPS!!!!!!!
ALOFA ATU!!!!!!!
Elder Belnap
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