Nothing Beats Temple View

Alright fam...

Starting off, I just want you to know I'm STARVING right now! 1/2 off Subway and my stomach are having a long distance phone call or something... because I can hear it! So this will be short! 

This week we had a temple trip! Even though, being in Glenview, the temple "trip" is right around the block. But it was still amazing! I felt the spirit way hard when I heard them pray for the missionaries here and around the world! It made me feel much better! The temple is such a beautiful place.. I love it so much! New Zealand is a beautiful country, but there's nothing better than Temple View! ;) 

Last Monday.. We cleaned...and cleaned... and cleaned some more! The dang missionaries before us SMASHED the bathroom. There was mold all over the place! So we bought masks and gloves and cleaning supplies.. and cleaned THE WHOLE REST OF THE DAY! Smashed my whole dang P Day! But it looks like a whole new flat! :) 

We took our investigator George to the VC this week! Mean trip! Our investigators are sweet as! They're all our age, so it's heaps of fun. George is a university student who we've been meeting with for a while now. Really good guy! 

I have a few pics for you.. I think.. Maybe 1, but that's better than 0. :) 

I love you heaps!! Thank you for the wonderful emails I received today! I'm so glad Grandma and Grandpa Connolly were able to come see you guys! I miss them heaps as well! Cute little old couple! :) Love 'em! 

Don't be having too much fun without me alright? Thanks! Love ya! Chur!

Elder Butler 

This is our flat by the way… Pretty bad ;-)

Cleaning like a champ! 

Ah, Rats...

What's up, what's up?!

This week was another roller coaster! 

So first of all, I'd just like you to know that on P-Day last week I freaked all the bros out! I went up and threw down a one-handed, alley-oop 360!! Coolest dunk I've ever done! It was such a lucky catch though. ;) Haha, just thought I'd let you know!! 

Holden got married? Flip!! That's mean as! Funny story about that...Sometimes when I have extra time in the morning to study, I'll drop my pen on the list of talks from General Conference and read the one that it lands on. My goodness, I read four talks about marriage and families, fatherhood, and getting married without delay! And church yesterday...Sacrament meeting was all about marriage and families (talks given my a newlywed couple)  Then in the last 2 classes, I taught the law of chastity, and then we learned about the roles of mothers and fathers!! Haha, I was getting more nervous by the second!! I couldn't tell if I was feeling trunky or nervous as!! Haha, totally kidding! ;) 

We had zone meeting this week! Elder Rios and I totally smashed it! We had a 3 legged race to start if off.. to wake up the 22 missionaries in our zone! Now we owe the Morrinsville Elders 2 chocolate bars!! ;) 

We have the COOLEST family ever that we're teaching! I mentioned them last week I think! Elsie and Tena. The family from Kiribati that makes us eat every time.. on the floor! They are doing well and came to church yesterday! They fed us heaps again! Love it! I have pics too, don't worry mother!

We went over to another family's home the other day. And straight away I thought of Baylee!! It was the son's birthday party! And there on the table was a massive Mine-craft cake!! Unreal! ;) I'm sure she would love it, so I'll get a pic soon from Tina! 

 

Funny story... So we were tracting this week and found this Chinese girl. She seemed pretty nice! So I said, "Hello! How are you?" Blah, blah.. all the good stuff. And she didn't say anything! Then she says, "You're handsome!" and whips out her camera, takes a picture, and leaves! I was so confused.... ;) 

That's all for now! We're going through the temple on Thursday! So I'm way pumped about that! We're playing ball with the Zone Leaders from Taranaki at 5:30 tomorrow morning! I'm pumped about that also!! ;) (They're coming up for the temple as well, and they're good ballers!) That's all the plans so far! I love you all heaps and missin' ya bunches! 

Ka Kite,

Elder Butler

Elsie and Tena!! Check out my lack of flexibility!! I would get food all over my pants because I can't lean over to my plate!! ;) 

 

I found a nice Rat... ew

Just kidding.. It's Alex and Tina's! But I'm tempted to chuck it in a pot of boiling water and make some rat stew or something! That's how starving we are right now! No food at the flat!! ;) 

Smashin it with Elder Rios!

Whanau... listen up!! It's E. Butler here. 

This week though... Solid!

My new companion is Elder Rios from Lehi! He's the absolute man!! I knew him before.  We've absolutely smashed it the last few days! I'm so pumped! But I'm for sure leaving in 6 weeks, so I won't be with him for long. He dies in 2 transfers! (He's a baller!!) ;) 

This week I met a professional rugby player! Wow, he was huge! He showed us highlights of his last game! He knocked 2 people out in like 5 minutes, and almost broke a neck! So sweet!  I had to take a pic or 2 with him. His name is Loni Uhila.

Here's about the only story I have this week (because of hectic transfers, I was only in my area from Friday to Sunday). We met the coolest family from Kiribati (said... Kiri-bus). It's a part-member family. The lady went on her mission to Salt Lake, Temple Square! And the bro wasn't a member. We had nice footlongs at Subway right before we got to their house for a lesson, which was a stupid idea. Islanders make mean feeds...all the time! And it's disrespectful to turn down their offers. So of course, they made us a nice big feed. And we had to smash it! BUT... Kiribati culture is so beautiful! ;) They sit on the floor and cross their legs during dinner, and stay there until the head of house is finished. So being polite, I sat on the floor with my legs crossed. (I realized how flexible I am... which is... not even one bit!) I got up about 20 minutes later and pretty much fell back down! My legs were completely stuck! I hurt SO Bad! It was hilarious trying to hobble back down the stairs of the flats and walk all the way to the car! The family was cracking up, while I was dying! Oh, and in the islands it's polite to eat with your hands, so I'm smashing rice and chicken curry and baked beans. Just smash it into a ball and shove it on in! ;) The funny part was we had another dinner that night with a family from England. (so they're proper as!) and I get my food and start picking it up with my hands until I caught myself! Oops, I need a fork and knife! ;) 

That's about all for the week! Transfers was hard! The Glenview Zone Leaders, which is me, set everything up for transfers. Being a zone leader, we have to do all the logistics for everything! Elder Hopoate left me on Tuesday morning, and transfers is Thursday, so I had to do it all by myself! Everything went well, thankfully. So it was crazy as this week. But now, Rios and I will smash it here! SO PUMPED!

*Chur!! ;)

Elder Butler 

*When I asked him what "chur" meant, this was his reply: "HAHAHA "chur" is straight up... a New Zealand thing! Everyone says it! Chur bro... Chur cuzzy! Slang for cheers, I think! ;) ha!"

Loni.. the man!! #rileyinthefuture

Me and the big fella Elder Rios.. doing some Emailing!! #skuxas 

A Pig's Feet Farewell to Elder Hopoate!

Kia ora whanau!! 

This week was pretty good! Elder Hopoate goes home tomorrow! :/ I'm gonna miss the big fella! He is the man! But I swear, he's trying to make me trunky because the only thing he can think about is getting married. We get out of one of our member's homes last night, and they have a niece that stays with them that just got home from her mission, and right when we get in the car he says, "Elder Butler, she is the one!" "I know it! She's the one!" He was freaking out the whole rest of the night! :/ Haha it was hilarious! But I'm trying to keep him "working" before he goes! He is scared as to date! Haha because he hasn't done much before, so it's crack up as to listen to him! 

P Days are absolutely terrible now. Because of the new rules, we aren't allowed to associate with the sisters at all on p days. So... we stayed in our flat. I threw down a mean workout while Hopoate slept. Then... listen to this fun... I ironed my shirts! I...Ironed... :/

Lisa, Jing, and the Wu family fed us on Sunday. Hairy pigs feet!! (my mom will post pictures) Yum! They were pretty solid! Not as nice as chicken feet, but better than pigs ear, that's for sure! My poor mother was grossed out when she found pictures of them on FB! ;) But they fed us a mean meal last night! They are the bomb! 

Funny story! We took one of our investigators to the Visitor's Center last week, and we couldn't find any males in our ward to give him a ride.  So of course we call, the one and only, Lisa. Long story short, he hit on her the whole time! It was too funny! He was then, magically, keen as to come to church--which had never happened before??? 

We found some really keen investigators this week! Very excited about them! We went on Exchanges with the youth in our ward to show them how it's done! ;) And we totally killed it! Mean lesson with our new investigator! But poor Elder Hopoate and his companion were stuck without a car, in the rain, and their appointments fell through... and they had to wait for us to finish! ;) Poor fellas. 

I also went on exchanges this week with Elder Pene (from NZ) and Elder Manoa (from Hawaii). Lots of fun! 

That's all for now! Transfers are on Thursday, but I will find out who my new companion is today! So I'm way nervous, but very excited! Hopoatamus is bouncin' on out of the NZ and heading back to the states! Love the fella! That's all! Laterz!

Elder Butler

Elder Hopoate's farewell dinner. 

Dinner prep. This family is awesome! 

Lisa getting a little creeped out by the pigs feet. 

Elder Hopoate doesn't seem to mind that there's HAIR on this one. Ew! 

See?!

Elder Butler needs to read the chapter on the word of wisdom again. 

With Lisa's dog, Felicia. 

With Lisa at the Visitor's Center.