Avoid the ankle breakers!

19th June 2017

Happy Monday everyone! Hope everyone's week went great! Sorry I don't have much time to write this week but I just want to follow up on the invitation I left you last week to be TENACIOUS! How did you go with pushing forward with your goals?

This week was an awesome week full of adventures. We got lost heaps. Talked to lots of people. And met some of our members! They are all so great!

Sorry, short message this week! During a hike with Elder Boogaard (Senior Missionary) in Bathurst, something he said really stuck out to me when we got to a rocky part - "Watch out for this area! It's an ankle breaker!"

It got me thinking more about the definition of an ankle breaker. 

As you are hiking, you must be cautious of the "ankle breakers" along your journey. What is an ankle breaker? Well the Sister Roos definition is: a section of rocks that are all shapes and sizes that you must avoid getting stuck in or tripping on because it could lead to an ankle injury and other possible injuries.

Your ankle, if injured at this point by standing on an unstable corner of a rock, or stepping on one and slipping into the crack can cause your ankle to sprain or break. The definition of a break is an act or action of breaking; to damage or be damaged by separating into pieces after being struck or dropped; to stop working or to cause to stop working; to interrupt.

When you get caught in an ankle breaker an injury occurs; your journey along the path is hindered. Because of the injury, it may take you longer to complete the course or it may stop you completely from making it to the end. 

We too, are each travelling along our hike to the finish line. We too, have ankle breakers that stunt our progress, slow us down or in some cases prevent us from completing the course!

In life, we are all travelling along our path back to our Heavenly Father and there are sections that can be identified as "ankle breakers". What are ankle breakers in your life? Things that are hindering your progress along your path of discipleship? Some examples that I have thought about are pride, associations with others, media...and the list could go on.

My invitation to you this week is to identify the "ankle breakers" that you have which are keeping you from progressing to the end of your course. And once identified AVOID THEM! Make the necessary changes so that you will not get caught!

Just like Elder Boogaard warned us of the dangerous area, we all have a loving Heavenly Father who will lead and guide us, who will warn us of the areas we must be cautious around. When we follow and listen to his guidance we are blessed! We are protected! I know this to be true because I have seen how his merciful hand has protected me from my own "ankle breakers" and the happiness I have been able to experience as I avoided being caught in an "ankle breaker".

I love you!

Sister Roos xx (: (: 

There is simply no TEST until there is ADVERSITY!

13th June, 2017
To Liverpool I go - Goodbye Bathurst!

Hello! 

Happy Tuesday everyone! Transfers happened yesterday and guess who is in Liverpool now? Yes...I got transferred- Wattle Grove Ward is where it's at now! Let me tell you, I got a shock to see so many people, so many cars and so many buildings! hahahaha Bathurst can do that to you q: q: 

My new companion is Sister Taeu from Samoa! 
She has been out 2 transfers and I am super excited to be working with her here! We are shotgunning the area (starting fresh) all four of the elders got taken out and my soa and I are going to take over the area! So this will be a fun transfer! 

We have already been lost so many times; we even went to the wrong building and started trying to fit our key into the door and we were wondering why it wouldn't unlock and open....nekk minnit this guy opens the door and we were in the wrong building - it was the next door. It was so funny, so we introduced ourselves, explained what our purpose is and then invited him to learn more! He said no but heeeeey thats alright. So adventures are happening here in Wattle Grove Ward and we haven't even hit 24 hours!

Tenacity. Tenacity is persistence, perseverance, stubborn determination, a quality displayed by someone who won't quit - who keeps trying until they reach their goal. Tenacity is starting to be one of my favourite words!

We need tenacity in order to become TRUE DISCIPLES of Jesus Christ and to achieve the truly good goals! 

What good goals do you have? Our ability to be tenacious in all good things will determine whether we BECOME the sons and daughters of God that He knows we can and must become. We all have goals that we want to accomplish and sometimes things will not go exactly to plan in achieving it. When adversity, trials and challenges come, we must decide whether our faith is strong enough to continue and whether we will put our trust in God continually. 

We must always remember, there is simply no TEST until there is ADVERSITY!

Alma 57:27

"They (the stripling warriors) are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."

Alma 53:20-21

"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."

The terms valiant, courageous, strong, active and true are used to describe the stripling warriors. Do these terms describe you and your efforts to reach your goals? If they are, how can you better your efforts even further? If they are not, what changes need to be made for you to develop these characteristics as you seek to reach your goal?

My invitation to you is to be TENACIOUS as you seek to reach your goals - whatever it may be! I promise you that as you do this, you will get there. It will not always be easy, it will not always be in your timing but it will be worth the pain, worth the time and worth the sweat because the Lord has His time for everything. The blessings and the success that you seek will come. Press on. Journey on. Stay on.

Alma 26:27

"Now when our hearts were depressed and we were about to turn back, behold the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

The Lord promises us that as we bear with patience (prolonged obedience) our adversity, our set backs, our challenges and our trials that he will give us success. We must continue to be tenacious!

I love you!

Sister Roos

Wattle Grove Ward

Liverpool

I invite you to Make the choice to LOOK for the Good! To SEE the Good & To SEEK the Good!

Monday 5 June, 2017

Hellooooooo! Happy Monday! 

kangaROOS maROOnS sis ROOS                                       2 hour trek to the Glow Worm Caves

                                                                 This is OUR Playground 
                                                         
How was your week? I hope it was amazing! Everything is going great here in Bathurst! Getting colder and colder! Love it! We are hitting the negatives in the mornings now and today, when we left the flat, it was -2 Celsius. Life is great! The other morning when we went out for a run it was -4C. Winter is certainly upon us!

How did you all go with the invitation I left with you last week? To TRUST IN THE LORD and allow yourself to be changed by following him IMMEDIATELY? I hope that you have made necessary changes in your life to allow yourself to be changed by and through the Saviour!

This week I was on trade-offs with Sister Tysoe (who is amazing) and she shared a short story with me! And I felt like this would be something great to share with all of you too!

As A Man Thinketh

A wise man stood at the gate of an ancient city and greeted travelers as they arrived.

One day, a traveler asked him

"What kinds of people live in this city?"
The wise man answered with a question of his own.
"What kinds of people live in the city whence you came?"

The traveler replied:

"Oh they are very bad people; deceitful and devil-worshiping."

"You'll find the same kind of people in this city," sighed the wise man.

Sometime later, a second traveler came to the gate and asked the wise man the same question.

"What kinds of people live in this city?"

The wise man again replied with his question:

"What kinds of people live in the city whence you came?"

The second traveler replied:

"Oh they are very good people; hard working, generous and God fearing."

"You will find the same kind of people in this city" smiled the wise man.

Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything. 

Here is another story:

While looking for a new home, a young couple talked to potential neighbors about the neighborhood and the schools in the area. One woman they spoke to said of the school her children were attending "This is the most incredible place! The principal is a wonderful and good man; the teachers are well qualified, kind, and friendly. I am so pleased that our children can attend this wonderful school! You'll love it here!"

A different woman said of her children's school: "It's a terrible place. The principal is self-absorbed; the teachers are unqualified, rude, and unfriendly. If I could afford to move out of this area, I'd do it in a heartbeat!"

The funny thing about this story is that both women were speaking about the same principal, the same teachers and the same school!

We all have a CHOICE. We can seek the bad or negative aspects in others and in situations that we are facing. Or, we can choose to see people and experiences as opportunities to learn and grow; as something positive! It is our CHOICE!

My invitation to you all this week is to MAKE THE CHOICE! Make the choice to LOOK for the good! To SEE the good! To SEEK the good! I promise you that as you do this that you will be happier. You will be able to see the blessings that you have in your life more fully. You will be able to be a light to others as you make the choice to look, see and seek for the good in all things!

I love you!

Sister Roos (: (: xx

    

       5 degrees at 12 in the afternoon           4 degrees - it's freezin' in Bathurst

 

                                                        Glow worm hike - 2 hours later

                                                                    Gorgeous Views

                                                       Sister Back and Sister Malupo

                                 Setting up for State of Origin - NOT!! State of Training videos

                                                   President Back and some of the Zone