Mission

Serving in the Sydney North Australia Mission

Monday, April 14, 2014

Conference in Australia

Dear Family! How are you all? It has been so good to hear from you! I am glad things are going well and you are having fun with the things in your lives. Olivia! Your poor finger! My baby girl I hope you are ok! That definitely will get you outta piano. There is no way you can play in the recital ;) Booz sick pictures of LAX!! I heard about you gettin knocked down. It got my blood pumpin thinking about football when a 300+ lineman knocked me flat on my back hahaha good times man! Just get back up and go at it again even harder. It will make you stronger. That stick of yours mate, use the damn thing!! Smack some fools in the face and trip them in there legs! I am sure you are doing work.  Keep it up. I love hearing from you both!

Thank you for your emails Mom and Dad. The feeling of Love and peace overcame me as I was able to hear your love and the advice you have to give. I do agree dad, these stories and experiences I will talk about for the rest of my life. I realized how much I really love it. Yes it is hard but I love it! But I will tell you things are getting heaps better. We went to Sydney this last weekend for a follow up training meeting for the new missionaries. Things completely changed. Elder Tavalea and I had a great talk and are working things out. He is amazing. I really have come to see how hard a different language must be and the food and everything. I have learned a lot about the Tongan Culture and how DIFFERENT it is!! I love Elder Tavalea. He is so cool and wants so badly to have the spirit.  So many experiences and things have happened this week. I will start with just a few at the beginning of the week. For some reason I talked myself into finally listening to your talk on the Ipod from Womens Conference Mom. Why? I don't know. I possibly cried for 10 minutes... then I realized the fan was on so it was just making my eyes dry ;) But yes mom I agree, sometimes I wish the Gospel wasn't true. Haha But IT IS!!! The Gospel is True!! Another thing that happened that morning was I was reading the Book of Mormon for studies and just had heaps going through my mind and was super unsettled. I just had a feeling to keep reading and reading. I read for another 25 minutes when instantly I realized I was felt calm and at peace. That is my testimony to each of you this day. The Book of Mormon is true. It brings true happiness and peace into our lives at times of greatest need. It did for me and it was amazing. I love the Book of Mormon. It was such a neat experience. 

This week has been very good. Things are going all right with Investigators but even better with less active members and I continue to love them more and more. But what I would like to focus on is General Conference. It was truly amazing. The feelings that I have for that meeting and the Prophet and Apostles are indescribable. What joy and peace those messages have brought me. The message of the Atonement that was in so many talks was incredible. I was so in tune and have never enjoyed Conference that much. There were a few feelings of missing good Ole SLC. It is such a beautiful place!! It was amazing to see how so many of the talks related directly to me or directly to an Investigator. I have received so much guidance and love from each speaker. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the talk about trials and our afflictions compared to a tree and how the tree will grow strong and will be able to withstand the winds. The scripture mentioned many times this Conference Was Helaman 5:12. A few speakers didn't say it was Helaman but they used the wording and it is so true. Christ is our foundation and we must build on him so that when the whirlwinds come and the devil sends all his storms we can withstand it all. I have a problem with remembering all the speakers and what talks they gave right now but the other one that I loved was about the new truck that the man bought. He finally filled his truck with the wood and came unstuck. I loved that message. What are we filling our loads with? That is so powerful and so helpful in these days. There is so much corruption and wickedness now a day. We must fill our load with Christ and the gospel principles. Yes it was also good to see Ryan Jacobs on the Organ as usual ;) and Jay Atwater in the choir!  haha I have seen Jay more than I have seen all of you guys in the last 8 months! 

The Gospel is True. I love it with all my heart. I am reassured of our Savior’s love for us each and every day. Heavenly Father lives and loves us as well. These are the last days and we must build our foundation on Christ and we cannot fail. I love you all so much! You are in my prayers. I am doing so well and look forward to this incredible week as a servant of the Lord- Truly the greatest blessing in the world. I love you all!
Love Alex


Jana asked Alex in her letter if he is still obsessed with tattoos or if he had matured.  This is what his reply was:


 Know I am doing so well and am the happiest I could be. I still unfortunately am obsessed with Tats. They are beautiful. Yes I want to get one but No I will not. I love the Lord too much to do that to my body and that is Honest. I will have to stick to the Fruit Roll up Tattoos for the rest of my life ;)
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Elder Watts
Taree, Australia
Ether 12:27

Here are a few pictures Alex sent to us before Elder Imeson went home: