Ia Ora Na e Ia Oaoa outou i teie matahiti api!
(Hello and Happy New Year (in advance))
This past week had its ups and its downs but I was so happy
to talk to my family on Christmas. I was happy to see the Christmas tree and Christmas
treats because there wasn't a whole lot of that here. It was pretty much like
any other day here.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas, we had fun being Santa and
spreading Christmas spirit when we went singing for our investigators and
members and giving them either cinnamon rolls or little presents that we pulled
together between all of our little toys and stuff that we had accumulated. We
really felt the Christmas spirit when we did that so that was nice, so we had a
great Christmas.
Spreading Christmas Joy.
We also had our baptism of our little friend, Walina! She
was baptized on her 9th birthday and it was very rewarding to see because it
was her Dad who baptized her! When I got to Raiatea, they were inactive and
little by little they came back to church. Walina started the lessons and now they're
all active and they are preparing to go to the temple to be sealed for time and
all eternity.
Nothing is better than that for a Christmas present!
Walina chose me to give the talk on baptism and I talked
about how when we first met Walina, she was VERY shy and didn't talk to us at
all. We were obligated to talk through her Mom and have her Mom help us out in
the lessons. But because Walina committed to take the lessons, little by little
our friendship grew and we became good friends. I compared that to when we are baptized
and we make a covenant with God. At first, we don’t really know Jesus Christ
and our relationship is weak. But when we commit to take upon us the name of
Christ, little by little our friendship grows until we become good friends and
this friendship is what helps us during our whole entire life. Making Covenants
with God is how we come to know God and his Son Jesus Christ. That's why in
John 17:3, it explains that that is how we obtain eternal life.
It was really great to see her baptism but recently we've
had such a hard time finding new investigators, we are slowly falling into a
big slump with the work here in Avera. With the sickness and the holidays,
it's been slow. But that’s okay! This week will be better. Even though
everybody rejected us this past weekend, I know that we will find those who are
ready to accept this gospel.
We were really tried this past weekend but that's just how
it is in our life. We need trials in order to strengthen us. And thank goodness
for that as well.
Thank y'all for all of the prayers- I love y'all!
Have a great week and a good New Year!
This picture with Walina blowing out her candle makes me laugh so hard because of her little sister- Apetahi in the picture. Not sure whats she is doing but I got a good laugh with that picture.
Faaitoito,
Tuahine Taylor
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