Week 19 - Mischeif and Miracles

I want to send you pictures, but wifi in Tahiti is literally so incredibly bad. I can't upload ANY pictures. If all of you send prayers specifically for the wifi, then MAYBE you'll get a selfie or two. I really wish I could, I'm sorry.

I just kind of have another mash of information to throw at you, so get ready. FIRST OF ALL, I think I already mentioned this quite a bit, but I love my companion. She's so incredibly funny and has somehow figured out exactly the right way to deal with all my sarcasm. I love her, and when she tells me stories about Canada, sometimes I don't believe her. The money there actually smells like maple syrup??? That's not a joke????? If someone could verify this for me, that would be amazing. 

Soeur Jensen also always has a single sheet of Canada stickers in her bag at all times, and they came in handy this week after one of our lessons. We finished with a hymn and I was about to say the prayer when I realized that there were about ten kids standing behind us. They had collected there as we were singing, and I said, "Okay, I'm gonna pray now" and one of them turned and went "Hey, she's gonna pray!" and they all folded their arms and I prayed for ten children. Soeur Jensen gave all of them stickers, which they put on their bikes and spoke to us in french that was way too fast.

Soeur Jensen and I are always on bikes, now. It's not particularly fun because of the helmets and skirts, but it pays off when you finish the day and bike back in the dark when there's no traffic at all. That's the most fun.

I was totally shocked the other day when we stopped by a group of people on the side of the road that I've never really talked to. They sell fruit, always yell at us when we walk by, generally drunk and smoking, and so I've been kind of afraid of them the whole time we've been here. But Soeur Jensen stopped by them and just started talking to one of them, and they offered to give us tattoos, so I think we might've made friends with them. My personal favorite piece of the conversation was when a girl from the group started telling about how difficult her life was. After all her stories, the conversation went like this:

Sr Jensen: Well, our little message for you is that God loves you, and you're a daughter of God.

Woman: No, no, he doesn't love me.

SJ: Yes, he does! He loves all his children.

W: But I'm not a daughter of God.

SJ: You are!

W: I am?

SJ: Yep, and he loves you.

W: Woah, you're right! 

SJ: Yep. He loves you!

W: He loves me! 

SJ: He does!

W: And he loves you! And you're daughters of God!

Tahiti is just taking it slow sometimes.

We also had an amazing lesson with Alexandre, who we met by complete chance. We were kind of wandering around, trying to find someone to teach, and we actually wandered right into someone's backyard. In fact, they were having a party! And they invited us in to eat, which of course we did, and this guy just started talking about religion, so we secured a lesson and lunch at the same time.

The lesson was incredible. The Spirit was so strong the entire time, and as we testified of the restoration of Christ's church, he felt the truth. You could see it. He was so excited that we gave him his very own Book of Mormon and that he can read and find out for himself if what we're saying is really true, and then. And then. We asked him to give the prayer at the end of the lesson. He had his eyes open the whole time, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say, but it's one of the most heartfelt prayers I have ever heard in my life. His desire to understand is so strong. One of the lines in particular that I remember was, "Please help me to find the light. I'm so lost right now, and if you could help me, I would be so grateful."

Anyway. A lot of mischief and miracles out here. Tons of love from this tiny island!

Soeur Sperry

Woah, another little miracle! Here's some pictures:

Me kissing a coconut on a particularly sweaty day.

Me at lunch at Alexandre's house! That's him in the background.

My awesome companion. I love her.

A rainbow at the chapel. We've seen so many rainbows here, it's crazy