Week 20 Auckland NZ: 新年快乐 ! !

Kia Ora Friends and Family!

This last Friday/Saturday was Chinese New Year! Happy Year of the Rat everybody!!
The date of Chinese New Year changes every year depending on the moon so next year it will be a different date. Apparently on the day of the New Year, if it is the year of your Chinese Zodiac you wear red- so I'm looking forward to that in years to come. Also, apparently it’s tradition to watch this Chinese program of 'New Year's Eve' that is on TV for like 4 hours. I hope I'll have an opportunity to see it when I get home.


This week's positives:- Our branch had a New Year's activity and I also learned that its tradition to make heaps of dumplings! We had so much good food including dumplings, fried rice, noodles, etc, etc. Our members did a good job setting up the event and it was just really fun to have a holiday like it in the beginning of the year. I never love January too much because it's like the post-holiday crash month- so it's cool to have this holiday to celebrate. I was also able to connect well with someone that is currently being taught so that was really nice and fun for me.

- We were able to talk to some interesting people this week and learn more about their beliefs as Seventh Day Adventists. It was cool how interested in religion they really were and how they had so many questions for us. They were still pretty doubtful, but Sister Rich and I were able to testify to them about the truth of this church and the Book of Mormon. We were grateful to be able to represent and stand by truth
-We were tracting one day and the last door we knocked had people that were interested! We had just knocked into a member's house and asked her if she had any Chinese neighbors we could talk to (we do that sometimes just because we know we are the only missionaries who can communicate with them so we try our best to talk to Chinese speakers in particular). She told us a specific address to go to because 'Chinese' people just moved in. So we rocked up to the door and immediately saw the door decorations were Indian. So Sister Rich was thinking about leaving, but then we decided we might as well try anyways. The man who opened the door was indeed of a non Chinese background, but we continued to teach a principle, testify, and invite him to learn more, and he was so welcoming to us. He wanted missionaries to go back and he wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon to read. It was a small but very sweet miracle.

Negatives:- The area we are in is pretty slow, when we tract  we on average talk to maybe 2 Chinese people in a few hours of just straight talking to people, and rarely meet people who have an interest or are even willing to hear part of our message. It’s part of the work, and I'm grateful to do it- I feel like I'm doing a good job, but I do wish we could do more actively to help those we are teaching to progress. I need to remember each day that as we learn more about our relationship with good, it's a slow process. I love the people we are teaching so much.

Simple Truths:God is our Loving Heavenly Father

This is the first principle we teach to those who are interested. God is the father of our spirits, and we are all his children. He has a body of flesh and bone, just like ours, except His is perfect. He loves us and He wants us to become like Him. This is why He made a perfect plan for each of us, and sent Jesus Christ, His son, our brother, to come to Earth and provide the way for us to overcome our weaknesses and make them strengths. God knows each one of us, He knows our struggles, and He will do anything to help us overcome those things holding us back from having joy in this life. 

Mosiah 4:9
“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.”

Even though God has all knowledge and power, we need not be afraid as He also has infinite love for each and every one of us, as any Father would love His children.
I know that our Father loves every single one of you and knows you by name. I can promise all of you if you pray to Him and ask to feel His love, He will give you a great feeling of love and comfort, because He is there and He hears you. I would invite you all to take a couple minutes tonight to say that prayer, and feel His love for your selves.
I share that message in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all and I wish you all (again) a Happy New Year as January comes to a close.
马姐妹
Sister Martinez


Food :Tip-Top Ice Cream Wild Berry Trumpet
The ice cream is so much better here, and so is the berry flavoring. Think like berry smoothie from Costco flavor. So basically the combo is so yummy.
       78

Here is a photo of us visiting a member on Sunday. We visit her every week!

Week 19 Auckland NZ: Chicken feet!

Kia ora 朋友和家庭!

This one is gonna be short and sweet. 


This week we went and did service.  Heaps of service. Our days definitely felt a lot shorter, but it was its own type of joyful work. 

Positives:-At the food kitchen we peeled SO MANY potatoes.- I started driving! They certified me to drive last time we went on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders, and so this last week we got permission to switch drivers. New Zealand roads and cars are completely opposite to the ones in the US. I'm pretty used to it, but every once and awhile instinct takes over and I hit the wipers instead of my turn signal. It's all good and Sister Rich is basically a professional driver, so it's good she's my co-pilot.- The fleas are all gone and apparently heaps of missionaries have been getting fleas but don't have flea bombs, so we were able to help them out by giving them our extras.-Today we had P-Day with our Zone, and we played some fun sports games in the chapel. As always I didn't dress in exercise clothes because I wasn't planning to go hard, yet I went hard anyway. It was fun though! I know some fun games and Mangere Zone is awesome!- We went to an English church service yesterday with someone we are teaching! On the down side of that, she also is a little crazy (she tells us all the time about how she really likes little American girls and that people are controlling her TV), but we'll see if she keeps our commitments. I have faith if she does, she can come closer to God and we can continue to help her. We love her either way! 


Downs:- It's my 3rd time emailing about Angel, and I think all three times it's been in the negatives of the week. We love her, but she's a little crazy. We are probably not returning next week due to seeing her track record and lack of interest/progression. °_° oof. Either way she gives us fun stories to tell. This week we went over to help her and she had us help clean her stuff. She's kind of a hoarder. We were going through bags (so that we could take the stuff she doesn't want to the Salvation Army, and one of the bags we open straight up was full of expired chinese medicine— herbs, dead animals, plants, wood chips, who knows what, but it smelled rotten and she had heaps of it. So then she proceeds to have us dump her weird herbs into the corner of her yard into a bush and as we dumped it, the dust blew into our faces. It was hot, and gross, and we had heaps of her junk in our car. I am happy we could help her move stuff out of her home, but it was a less-than-pleasant experience, and honestly not necessarily part of my purpose as a missionary. It was an interesting experience that I'm still grateful for, but I wouldn't do it again.

Simple Truth:We all have the choice to achieve joy and glory in the life to come. No one will be unhappy in the next life unless they make the choice to do so.2 Nephi 2:27“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and call things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.”


Food Review:Wine GumGummy lollies- harder, denser gummies. Don’t actually have wine.  I have no idea why they are called that. NZ fruit candy flavors are really good, I just wish it had a softer chew. initial score/revised score  63/ 70

Happy Chinese New Year!!马姐妹Sister Martinez

Bonus Food Review/ Photo :)We went to Dim Sum this week to talk to some potentials (didn't seem interested but it was yummy!) and I tried chicken feet- it had basically no meat, and not my favorite flavor, but very interesting. Score: 19

Week 18 Auckland NZ: We had fleas!

Kia Ora Friends and Family!

I feel like it was just yesterday I was typing last week's email. So here's something I know my dad will make fun of me for. Our flat had fleas. We would wake up in the morning with more bites than the night before, all super itchy, like dogs get. It is really common here for flats to have fleas and bed-bugs, it was just weird because our flat was never before infested so we didn't know where they came from. We decided to flea-bomb the place. It was kind of cool to us because we had never done that before. We set it off in each room and closed the door and it sprayed for a few minutes, then you let it stay contained for a few hours to kill everything. Then you wash things/vacuum afterwards.

After we already had flea-bombed, I was praying -and this happens a lot-, afterwards Sister Rich said she had revelation that the source of the fleas was the mission-provided sheets they gave to Sister Young. She was the one who got bitten the most, second was her companion, and next was me who slept in the bed she would often sit on to talk to us in our room. Rough. So we washed those first thing, and it's been pretty good to know we are flea free now. Never thought that would be a thing I would encounter on my mission but here we are hah.

Positives:

• We helped a guy find his keys as we were tracting, and he was in a hurry but he told us to call him later to share our message with him.  It was pretty legit.
• We were out tracting one day and we went and knocked on a particular door. Usually after 3 knocks and no answer, we decide the person isn't home/not coming, so I took a step back from the door to start leaving, but Sister Rich just knocked again. I had no clue why, but we waited for another minute and a man named Nick opened the door. He had been sleeping and woken up to our knocks. He was a non-active member of our church and had recently moved to the area. No body in our church would have known how to contact him to see if he needed any help or was interested in information about the local meetings. He told us God always sends missionaries his way to find him when he needs help, as a reminder that he is being watched over. He said he never wakes up to open the door, but he felt pushed to wake up this time. He invited missionaries to come back to visit. That was a miracle. That was an example of God using us as a means to reach his children and express His love to them. It was a really cool experience.
• Also while tracting another day, we knocked on the door of a man named Conrad. He had taken lessons decades ago and wanted to be baptized, but had concerns that he had never voiced that stopped him from going through with it. It was cool to be able to listen to his end of things and try our best to resolve his concerns. He also invited missionaries back to discuss the gospel with him.
• Just yesterday we only had 30 minutes, but we felt prompted to go knocking in a particular neighborhood. We found a man who was willing to read the Book of Mormon- he told us to give him 2 weeks to finish it. Despite not particularly enthusiastic feelings about learning more, it was a cool opportunity to give him a chance to read the word of God. The Book of Mormon truly testifies of itself.
• We went on walks this week for exercise and it was nice to get out and about.  Here is a pink road we walked on.

• One of the women we are teaching bought us ice cream and I'm not sure how approved it is, but we also played Connect Four with her and her son.  It was a good ice-breaker and she is so keen to learn more. It was a really awesome appointment and she was really accepting of the idea of a God.
• We made mashed potatoes and broccoli and cheese (photo below).

Negatives:

• Obviously the fleas weren't all that great
• We went back to Angel's and she gave us pigs feet. Thankfully she packed them for us since we didn't have time to eat at her house and so we were able to chuck them. (Full on hooves, with hair and everything on it. WOW.) She also gave us super yummy pineapple though, so that's good

Simple Truth  (sorry if these get repetitious- truths don't change):
God is a loving God,  and he will never abandon us.

3 Nephi 22:10
"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."

Food Review:  Pascall Pineapple Lumps
The first one I tried was stale, so I inspect them before I buy them now.  They are basically pineapple-flavored chewy marshmallow covered in chocolate. They're pretty good. 
Score: 40/73

I hope you all are doing well!

马姐妹
Sister Martinez

01/07/20 Facebook Post

I know that this book of scripture, the Book of Mormon, is the word of God! It contains all that is necessary to answer life questions.  It has really blessed my life and the life of millions others.

If you want to know more about this book or if you want a free copy, feel free to contact me or any of your local missionaries- there are heaps all around the world! ♡

The Title Page and Translation of the Book of Mormon

Download here:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/book-of-mormon-lessons-1-20?lang=eng

THEBOOK OF MORMON

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BYTHE HAND OF MORMONUPON PLATES TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, Jun.

Week 17 Auckland New Zealand: It's all good

Kia ora 朋友和家庭!

I know last week sounded like I was pretty depressed, but honestly I just wanted to be real about the disappointments that come from this great work and capture my feelings in that moment. The work is continuing forward though and I am so grateful to be a part of it!

Update - According to God's will and I believe also according to our obedience as a Zone, Monday after P-Day ended, we started teaching 3 new people and we continue to find keen people to refer to the English program! This mission 100% believes obedience brings blessings but exact obedience brings miracles. We continue to see those miracles everyday even when we have those disappointments that I addressed last week. 

Positives/Miracles/Blessings:

• I have yet to mention an integral part of this mission- the Tongan houses. I'm pretty sure a bucket of red and a bucket of white paint is an essential part of the moving-from-Tonga starter pack. All of the Tongan houses are painted red and white. Their fences- red and white. Maybe in the flag design. Yards- filled with flags. Garage, totally red and white. You KNOW when a Tongan lives in a house here.   SO, here's the story:  We got a referral for a Chinese woman and we pull up to the house and are devastated because its SO TONGAN. We went up anyway, hoping to send the referral to other missionaries if she was keen, and guess who opened the door- a Chinese woman. (Who was very NOT keen by the way). Which just made us laugh because we realized it was originally a referral from other missionaries who also got tricked into thinking this Chinese person was Tongan since she probably bought the house from a Tongan person and couldn't be bothered to change it. I know that doesn't sound too wild, but usually Tongan houses are a dead give away. 
• We also got Bible Bashed by a Buddhist- so we basically got Buddhist Bashed. It was cool to feel the comfort of the spirit telling us we were doing the right thing in our faith as a man went ahead and tried to tear apart our beliefs. It was definitely a cool experience.
• We are teaching a woman named Angela and I was so close to getting her 1 year old daughter to stick out her tongue. Next time.
• New Years was cool. I'm going to be consecrating the whole next year for the Lord and that's kind of awesome.

Negatives:

• The fires in Australia are still blazing. Yesterday the air here was orange from the exhaust and it's honestly so sad to hear about. We're praying for the people there for sure. 

• We went to a former member's house the other day to help her out. She is WILD. Her name is Angel and she is definitely a character. Imagine Sister Martinez, first day in the field, goes for an appointment with a Taiwanese woman who already knows she does not want to be part of this church. She sits there with her two trainers as Angel talks about people needing to believe in God but not a sect of religion, making food at the same time. Angel continues to talk at her and her companions with her super hard to understand accent, and even asks them to do the dishes for her. The experience was endearing up until the food was placed on the table. In comes gray overcooked noodles topped with squiggly beef with unidentifiable gravy and expired canned vegetables. Sister Martinez doesn't realize how bad it is since she just took the brunt of a couple months at the MTC cafeteria. Angel continues to talk about how her cooking is the best, Sister Sparrow can't stomach it. We went one more time in the trio and the food was still undesirable. Fast forward to this week. We went back to continue helping her record her experiences with God in English. She is a really entertaining story-teller, and honestly her experiences and testimony are touching. But then she went to feed us again. I always want to have the faith she knows how to cook something well, and this time it was breakfast-ish/lunch. Sister Rich and I were excited to see that the ribs (not breakfast food but that's alright) she gave us looked cooked. Then we continued to cut them apart. Totally raw in the middle. Definitely not edible. We would cut pieces off to show each other and ask if it would be 行 to eat. One of my ribs literally looked like it come straight outta the freezer. They came with a side of gray cabbage covered with some sort of sheen. It tasted rotten. We were excited to eat the oranges she gave is. We went back to our car to eat our prepared PB and honey sandwiches to wash down the Salmonella risk. It's always crazy. We know she's wild but we still love her lots. We'll see if next time we can get out of her trying to feed us.

Simple Truth

Fear is not of God.

2 Nephi 22:2

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation". 

The Spirit of the Lord persuadeth to do good and comforts. It does not instill fear. This knowledge gives me strength to overcome fear.

Food Review

 Chinese Plums

       They're prunes!!

       48/28

We went on exchanges with our STL's (Sister Training Leaders).  I was with Sister Brown and I love her!!

A hedgehog in the wild.  I think they are New Zealand's version of squirrels!

Love you all

马姐妹

Sister Martinez