Christmas in Adelaide Australia 2015

We hope to have a baptism in two weeks

It’s been a great week and we have been really busy. The City Sisters had 2 people baptized yesterday and I had to interview them last week....first time in a room alone with a girl in a long time. It was weird haha.

We have been teaching a lot of people but they all are either going back to china for summer break (its that time of year here...weird eh) or else moving somewhere else to work. It’s kind of not ideal but its all good cause there are 1000000s of people to talk to in the city and honestly its really not that hard to find people to teach here. The hard part is finding people that live in our ward so we can teach them. Lots of times we teach them once or twice and then refer them to missionaries in there area that can take them to church. It feels like a sacrifice but I know that it helps other missionaries so I don't usually mind too much. Sometimes it is hard.

My companion is Elder Mikami he is from Oregon just graduated this year. He is the most willing companion I have had all my mission and very hard working as well. We get on really well, it’s been a great few weeks. We hope to have a baptism in two weeks with a man named Laurent but we might not because he his going back to china on the 3rd of January. It's the bishops call now.
Things are good for us now. Have a Merry Christmas,
Love Elder Hartley

 Love elder Hartley    

Today was another great day in the Australia Adelaide Mission!  Elder S. Gifford

Nielsen of the Seventy visited our mission while he was on assignment to

preside at a cluster meeting in the Marion Stake.  Our missionaries were very

blessed as he taught with great power and brought the love of the First Presidency.

Brent Malmburg emailed me today

Elder Pitcher, Elder Ruppe and Elder Hartley waiting patiently for dinner at the

mission home.  After dinner the new missionaries will find out who their

trainers will be. This is a fun, exciting night.

Its been a great week and lots has happened. My old companion was sent to the city south area and he is with Elder Henderson my old companion. He follows me everywhere its funny but we are really close. I have spent more time with Elder Henderson than almost anyone else here. I am still in the city north area and am training an elder from organ. Elder Mikami is great he wants to work hard and you would never know that he is knew its been great working with him this week. He is actually my first companion I have ever had in there first transfer everyone else had always visa waited. He have many people to work with and taught a great lesson to a man named Tsia this morning. He has been to church 4 times in a row and we hope that he will choose to be baptized on Dec 27 or Jan 10. I learned something new Wednesday night at the arrivers dinner when we were getting ready to leave. The Spirit was very powerful as the testimonies were born and I was taught more about the atonement in that moment. We have know idea how bad off we would be without it. I was sitting in the mission home and was feeling very grateful for all the wonderful people who were there. I am so grateful for everyone who has been placed in my life and have truly been blessed by the amazing examples from the people around me. I then learned that it is only through the atonement that the people around me are so great. Now not only am I grateful for the changes I have been able to make through Christ but I have even deeper appreciation because I realize that everyone I look up to and am grateful for is the way they are because they also use the atonement. It seems so simple now but I had never thought of that before. We never stop learning and I am pretty grateful for that cause I really like to learn more all the time now. I am so glad that everyone is so well off at home and that things are going well. Thanks for all you do (as always) you are all wonderful. Have a merry Christmas eh! 

Love ya...Elder Hartley

 PS Brent Malmburg emailed me today and says he is going to start painting a sign for me soon cause he is always 6 months behind so if he starts now it will be ready in time maybe haha cracked me up.

 Santa has arrived in Adelaide!

Lunchbreak for the new missionaries and their trainers.  The assistants did some

wonderful training as well as Elder and Sister Larkin. We talked alot about mission

firsts. Here is Elder Mikama and his trainer Elder Hartley.  Next is Elder Ruppe 

with his trainer, Elder Jacobson.  These missionaries will be trained well by these

incredible trainers. They are steadfast, valiant and work so hard. 

Listening intently as President Parker does some training on putting everything 

on the alter for the Lord. These missionaries are taking great notes so they can

let the spirit teach them as they review notes during companion study.