Dromedaries and the Elect

G'day!

This week Sister Maea has been teaching me how to speak like and Aussie and a Kiwi. I am terribly bad at it. But I have gotten fairly decent at Chinese and I can introduce myself as a missionary and what we do! Pretty cool. Funny how I come to Australia but I end up teaching mostly Asians.

Took our Brazilian RM to Victor Harbour

So on Monday Sister Maea biffed it on her bike. She was so lucky she fell onto the sidewalk and not the other way into traffic. She misjudged the curb and saw me go up, but went too early and fell. She scratched up her face and everything, but she is doing fine now. Just a bit gimpy and limpy but she is a tough cookie. That same evening we had two appointments in the suburbs, for some reason I decided to take the longer way to one persons house. After I had started going that way I was wondering why I was but kept going. We passed one of our investigators houses on the way and there was an ambulance outside. We then knew why we went a certain way. We were able to help out and keep them calm. My testimony continues to strengthen of the Spirit leading us and perfect timing.

Can you tell we're excited?

Something Sister Maea and I noticed in the City is this past week people seemed to be staring at their phones even more that usual! We looked at everyone's screen as we passed them and they were all on the same app. I asked someone what is was they were playing. Pokémon Go. Because I have no access to any social media and the internet, except for email I have no idea how big it has gotten but it looks massive. People wander around the City just trying to catch Pokémon. We were contacting these three Taiwanese guys and one of them just wandered away. I asked his friends if he was scared of us, and they said, "Oh no he is playing Pokémon, he is walking around trying to find them, see?" I looked and there is Jarvis staring at his phone wandering around looking for Pokémon. I laughed so hard. Sister Maea and I know their little jingle but change the words and say, "We gotta contact them all!" (We gotta catch them all) How hilarious, the Pokémon industry is probably laughing all the way to the bank.

The Elders found a Chinese young lady and set up an appointment with us. We met her and she also brought a friend. They were so excited and as soon as we taught them to pray, they prayed right there. We asked one of them how she felt while praying for the first time. She clutched her chest and said, "I feel powerful magic in my heart." How adorable? With the limited English that she knew she was able to identify the Spirit and explain how it felt to her. We saw them later on in this week and told us that they have prayed several times everyday since we met them. 

I love the ocean

Remember the miracles happen lady? We got to meet with her yesterday. She was telling us how her husband passed away a few months ago and how it has really affected her. We were able to testify of how families can be together forever. A concept she has never heard of before. She was so happy she began to weep. The Spirit was so strong and she said "I think I met you just so I can know I can be with my family again."

I too am so grateful to have the knowledge that families can be together forever! Physical death is only a temporary separation. It brings

great peace and joy knowing I will get to see everyone again. I want everyone to know this!

saw some camels

Love,

Sister Coultrup

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Sister Bethany Victoria Coultrup

Australia Adelaide Mission

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Heaps Good

G'day everyone.

It has been a great week. Sorry I am emailing on Thursday again. President changed our Pday so we could take Sister Cruz to Victor Harbour today, which also means this will have to be a quick email.

This past week has been really great! Quite a few funny and interesting experiences. While my companion was ordering lunch in one of the City food courts I was sitting at the table closest to her waiting with my food. Some guy bumped me (he looked a little disheveled) and I looked up at him and he apologized. Then as he was walking away he turned back around and came up to me and said, "Hey, do you want a cat?" He swung his backpack around and opened it up and I looked in and saw a little Chihuahua. It wasn't a cat but a dog.. But still.. Then he said, "He isn't supposed to be in here." I asked what his "cat's" name was and he said, "Come Here". I laughed so hard, then he walked away. Aussies are interesting. 

smilin' in the rain

 We found a few new investigators, and we able to have dinner with that Chinese lady that we found last Sunday. We have also continued to work with the PVC. This weekend we went to the Stake Relief Society with it and a Baptism on Sunday. It was really great. We have also been given a car so that we can travel around the mission for various PVC appointments! Heaps good!

We also got rained on heaps, again, as per usual. Soaked to the bone. South Aus hasn't had this much rain in 75 years!!!

We also went to the Temple on Thursday. Which was amazing. I love to see the Temple.

I cut my companions hair... She begged me too, her hair was so long and beautiful. I will send before and after photos.

before

Sorry for the short email. Talk to you all on Monday, quite sure the Pday won't change again... Love you all!

Sister Coultrup

after

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Sister Bethany Victoria Coultrup

Australia Adelaide Mission

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

New Assignment

G'day!

It has been a great week, definitely full of surprises and miracles. We were called during our studies on thursday by President. He told us to be at City Headquarters in one hour! Something special was happening! So we got down there as soon as we could and were introduced to Sister Cruz. She is a recent RM, she served in the Boston Massachusetts mission but she is from Brazil. Her mission was the first mission to have something called the PVC (Portable Visitors Center). We are now the second mission! So she has come to teach us the ways! We spent 3 full days practicing and getting to know the program to prepare for the fireside on Sunday. It was the big night where we had our reveal to the whole mission and all the members this great new tool we have to assist in missionary work.

PVC

The PVC is a display with a TV screen and an iPad. On the iPad is an app the outlays 4 of the basic things we teach as missionaries. The Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, Temples and the Life of Jesus Christ. It shows mormon messages and videos that connect to all of those topics. The PVC will be take to all sorts of activities and events to assist in teaching and helping others become more well acquainted with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Both sets of City Sisters will be taking on this new assignment of using the PVC's. (That means I get to do it!)

We had a very successful fireside, heaps of people came. We were able to show off all four PVC's and the members and investigators loved it. It was a little overwhelming, people swarming around you and everyone wanting to talk to you. But it was so cool!

We had a few miracles this week.

We're dressed the same, how embarrasing

One of our investigators got really sick, some sort of pneumonia and she coughed so hard she fell over, hit her head and split it open. We had arranged for the Elders to go over and give her a blessing for the pneumonia, but they had arrived literally a minute after she had fell over and whacked her head. They were able to call the ambulance. Then at 10pm that evening she gave us a call saying they put staples in her head and have sent her home and she had no way of getting home. She was not in the right state to walk to the other end of the City and she didn't have any money for a cab. So immediately my mind went searching for members who could pick her up at this time of night. A family came to my mind but they have really young children, it is 10pm, I argued with my self thinking it was inconsiderate to call at this time. But I just kept feeling like I should. So I called them and they said they are just on their way home and they are passing through the CITY!! They were able to pick her up, it was perfect timing, perfect placement as well. I talked to the Brother who picked her up on Sunday and he said he felt impressed to take a different way home that night, then I called and he knew why. This experience really strengthened my testimony of how mindful God is of us and our trials. He put everything in place so perfectly to keep our investigator safe, from having the Elders arrive when they did to prompting us to call a family that really shouldn't have been able to pick her up but they could. Heavenly Father loves us. How perfect the Spirit was at prompting us all at perfect times as well. I am still amazed.

We had another experience with perfect timing this Saturday where we walked out of a members house not in our area but our ward boundaries, and bumped into a couple walking down the street. We ended up talking to them.  Once the lady realized who we were she got all excited and pulled out some pictures she had just printed and showed us. They said, "Miracles Happen" She was convinced meeting us was not a coincidence and that in fact it was a miracle (which she was right about). She expressed how there is only one God and we all just worship him differently, I asked well, if there is only one God then doesn't that mean there should only be one church? She thought really hard and then asked, I don't know, are you going to tell me? We ended up teaching her pretty much the whole restoration and she was so interested. We asked if we could come by her house and share more. She said yes but she didn't live in that house, she was just there to visit her partner. We said we weren't from the area either and were just visiting a member of our church. She told us where she lived and she lived in one of the suburbs that WE cover!!! I was so excited. Here God had placed someone prepared to hear the gospel in our path, we met her at the perfect timing, if we had left the house a few minutes later or earlier we would have missed her. We have a dinner appointment with her for tomorrow.

You might think this was England

Fun fact! This winter is the wettest, coldest winter Australia has had in 75 years! Last summer was the hottest summer in 39 years! Of course I would have to be sent to Australia the year they have their most extreme weather!!!

It has been a great week, I am sure this following week will be just as amazing. God is good!

Heaps of love,

Sister Coultrup

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Sister Bethany Victoria Coultrup

Australia Adelaide Mission

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints