This week has been a great one!
So to start off I should probably tell you about meeting a member of the Quorum of the 12 apostles, I met Elder Russel M. Nelson and got to shake his hand!!! :D That was so cool! Elder Nelson and his wife spoke to all the missionaries in the north and south Sydney Australia missions! That's just over 400 missionaries! It was super cool to not only see him and talk to him for a brief moment, but what was really cool was his hour-long talk to us. He made it fun and interactive too so we weren't bored out of our minds just hearing him for an hour straight. My favorite quote that he said was this, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." Boom, mind bomb! Elder Nelson was talking specifically about missionary work and teaching people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it applies so well to life in general. Love comes first. People aren't going to listen to you if you don't actually care. Having compassion and love can go a long ways.
On the way home from the conference with Elder Nelson, we took "the long way home" and went through Sydney!! It was so cool!!! I saw the opera house, the harbor bridge, and the center of Sydney! I was so amazed, taking pictures like a mad man! Some of those pictures will hopefully be posted on here :)
One final announcement, I made it through another set of transfers! I will be in Narooma for another 6 weeks! After this transfer is over, I'll have been a missionary for 6 months!! Wow, it's going by so fast, yet terribly slow, at the same time!!
Sorry this is a short one this week! I hope all is well and I love you all! I will leave you with a quick quote to think about and apply to your life. It's from a man I love and respect very much:
"Be the answer to someone's prayer, everyday" -Corry Macfarlane
Don't waste away the precious gift of life on earth. Use that time you've been given to make someone's day just a little brighter. One act of kindness can start a chain reaction.
Love you all!
Elder Macfarlane

The "Long way home" looks pretty awesome!! Sydney, Australia-WOW!

More fun pictures from Tyler's baptism!! 

Thanks for sharing Australian friends and Elder Detton's mom!

Elder Detton and the Kamer's

Nick, Tyler and Elder Detton

Baptizing Tyler in the Ocean!

More pictures from Elder Detton of Tyler's baptism! Super cool!

Pictures of Nick and Tyler (who is getting baptized) in the Pacific Ocean!

Thanks to Leiana for sending me pictures of this special event!

Wow this past week has been super eventful! I have to say, the highlight of my week was seeing Tyler, the young 11 year old boy, get baptized!! It's been so great seeing him progress in the gospel and come closer to Jesus Christ! I was lucky enough to be the one he asked to baptize him too! I got to baptize him in the PACIFIC OCEAN!!! Is that awesome or what!? The waves were crashing down on us while we were performing the ordinance and it was just great! On top of the spiritually exciting fact that he was getting baptized and coming closer to the Lord and the mentally exciting fact that I get to say I've baptized someone in the ocean, I got to swim back to shore after the baptism was done! Normally missionaries aren't allowed to go swimming because we are obviously supposed to be helping people come closer to Christ, but on the way back to shore I rode a wave coming in! That was awesome! :) The next day (Sunday), Tyler was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and received the gift of the holy ghost! That was cool to be apart of that as well!

Friday was Valentine's Day and how did I celebrate it you ask? Just like any other missionary in Australia, of course! Having missionary training in the morning and later playing footie (rugby) for 3 hours with 22 missionaries! That was AWESOME! Rugby is a super fun sport. I've always been interested in it, but now that I live in a country where it's actually a popular sport, it is so awesome! We only play touch since we're missionaries, but it's still fun nonetheless!

Something that was super fun this past weekend was that I got to meet the legendary Elder Somsen! He was a missionary who served in Narooma about a year ago and was very well liked! He finished his two year mission and is traveling around all the areas that he served in with his parents! It was super cool meeting him and his parents! It made me think of my parents and how great it will be going around with them when my mission is over! However, I've still got another 19 months and 3 weeks, but who's counting right? ;)

Yesterday I got to go to Canbera with Sam and Mel Watt, two members of our branch. I was super excited because it's out of our zone and about 2.5 hours away, which means that normally I wouldn't be able to go there. The reason going to Canbera was so exciting is because I got to go to Costco!!! That is one thing that America takes for granted. After the wonderful experience at Costco, we went to the mall with them and pretty much just walked around looking at stuff and eating gelatin and stuff like that :) That night we had a pizza party at Islandview Beach Resort.. wow, that was just an all-around fantastic day! :)

Quick spoiler alert for next weeks letter! I get to meet and shake hands with a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles tomorrow!! :D If you are not mormon, you probably don't know what I just said. Basically, I'm meeting a mormon celebrity who is a spiritual giant and is an apostle of the Lord! It's going to be great!

Here's a quote from my dad that I apply to my daily life, "Be the answer to someone's prayer, everyday." I really take that to heart and it has a great message. Do all that you can to be the best person you can be and help others everywhere you go! You never know who's life you touch each and every day.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Macfarlane

 Racetrack in Moruya

Elder Macfarlane is serving in a beautiful area! So blessed and happy!

 Christmas Cordon Bleu

 Elder Macfarlane and Elder Coats 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Hello everyone!
This week has been an eventful one! We taught a bunch of lessons this week to people about our Savior and I loved it! We taught heaps of lessons to Tyler, the 11 year old boy who is getting baptized Saturday, and he's progressing wonderfully! It's been so cool seeing how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change someone's life! Hopefully Tyler's family will see his example and want to learn about the gospel too! It could really bless their life! We're teaching him the Plan of Salvation again tomorrow night and I think his family will really enjoy it if they listen in!

A memorable thing happened to me on Monday. I watched my first-ever SuperBowl!! Unfortunately it wasn't a very interesting game to watch and the commercials were Australian one's, not the funny american one's, but nonetheless, still a good experience to have under my belt :) haha Normally, that wouldn't be allowed as a missionary, but we got special permission!

We took a bunch of super cool pictures and videos this week of the beautiful scenery around the area! The pictures don't do this place justice, but at least you'll be able to get an idea of what kind of paradise I live in right now! :D

At church yesterday, we had around 50-60 people in our branch!! Normally we have about 30 so that was huge! The new people who attended were a bunch of sisters all around the south coast area who came down for Women's Conference. I'm not really sure what actually happens at these "Women's Conference" things, but apparantly they are really fun and very spiritually uplifting. We meet for church on the second floor, above an ice creamery, so we were packed in there tight!

Yesterday was my 4 month anniversary as a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! I can't believe I've been lucky enough to serve a mission in Australia! I am so blessed in so many ways I can't believe it! I've been out for 4 months and I'll be out for another 20! I love this church so much and for all the blessings that it brings! I'm thankful for the opportunity to be where I am and to devote two years totally to the Lord! I love you all and wish you all the best this week!

Love you all!

Elder Macfarlane

Kathy and Wayne's race...GO GO GO!

Nick's companion---Elder Detton