Texan in Tahiti

Malo lava le soifua!

(That’s Samoan for Hello Everybody!)

I’m learning Samoan too.

Just kidding, not really at all, just the little words with Soeur Falesii.

This week was great.

We had the baptism of Heiarii, a teen that took the lessons with the missionaries before us but had to wait to get the authorization from his parents who live in Bora Bora. He was so happy to be baptized and he gave one of the most powerful testimonies. He knows that God lives and that he made the right choice in following Christ. There were so many people at his baptism so that was heartwarming for a missionary. His baptism was a great way to start off the month.

So remember when I was talking about a miracle that was in the works last week? Well it was one of our eternal investigators, Vahinetua. Remember when we went to go do Cobra (with the coconuts) with two of our investigators? Well she was one of them! Ever since we went with them to do that service project, she started opening up to us and she finally decided to take the lessons again. We've been doing the lessons and she has a very strong desire to be baptized. The only thing that holds her back is the fact that she smokes. Well after lots of prayers and fasts, SHE QUIT! She told us yesterday that she's getting baptized the 20th with Dewis and Laetitia as well as her daughter, Mihiura, who was scheduled to get baptized the 24th.

We were ESTACTIC.

I never seen her so happy when she finally overcame her addiction and she announced that she was getting baptized the 20th. Lots of little efforts really built up until she finally is ready to follow Christ by being baptized with the authority of God.

Que de bonheur!! (Nothing but happiness)

We have another investigator, Temanava, who is 11 years old and super active when it comes to activities. He is ALWAYS at the chapel playing with the other youth. He used to come to church a lot but for the past couple of weeks, we haven't seen him. When we had our lesson this past week we realized that he didn’t come to church because he didn’t have a white shirt and tie and didn’t want to come with his colorful flower shirt. We told him we would find one and not even 1 day after, we found one! We found him a white shirt from one of our neighbors and I had a tie that I had made from Mahina so we tried to find him that whole Saturday (because he's never at home) but we never found him. Finally, it was Sunday morning and when we didn’t see him at church, we headed out to go find him because he doesn’t live far from the church. Ha, we woke him up and gave him his shirt and in the end, we all made it to church (a little bit late but that’s okay).

It was rewarding to see him at the chapel and I know that it was definitely worth it to make the extra effort to go and get him because that is what Christ would've done,

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be onefold, and one shepherd. - John 10:14-16

Thursday night we had our sport activity and then right after the Christmas party for the Relief Society so that was kind of crazy, but everything went so well! For our sport activity we played water balloon volleyball (something they've never played here) and then played different games with balloons and it was so fun! (PS- If yall have ideas for good group activities, we're open because we are in need of some good ones) The only problem is that we were so gross after our activity but oh well, we went to the Christmas party and it went so well. There were so many investigators there and we met someone from Argentina! She married a French man who teaches here in Raiatea so that was way cool. I thought of you Dad, I wanted to speak to her in Spanish so bad but it’s too bad that I know NOTHING in Spanish. Whoops.