Week 24 - Curiouser and Curiouser

Alright, some headlines for this week:

THE STRONGEST WOMEN ARE IN TAHITI

This is true. I've met the most amazing mothers in Tahiti - so many women who are left to take care of children on their own, who leave their relationships for the Church, who resort to true joy instead of drugs or alcohol. They are an inspiration to me every day.

SOEUR JENSEN FEEDS THE ORPHAN DOGS

Soeur Jensen bought dog biscuits at the store, so every dog who comes up to us gets fed a treat. Turns out the "rabid" dogs are actually just a little lonely and hungry. Every dog is now our friend.

THE MISTS OF DARKNESS TRANSLATE TO "DARK FOG" IN FRENCH

We talked about Lehi's vision with an ami, and instead of asking him if he'd figuratively seen the "mists of darkness"  in his life like Lehi had in the vision, I just asked him if he'd ever seen fog before. I promise the french actually is coming along! I'm not lying!

"THE LEAST THAT CAN HAPPEN IN PRAYING ABOUT THE GOSPEL IS 'GOOD THINGS'"

This is a quote from one of our amies in a lesson. She's Adventist, and so we asked her if she would pray about our message of the Restoration. She responded immediately with, "Why not? Only good things can come from it!" She has no idea truly how good the things in store are.

THE AC BROKE IN THE CHAPEL

Apparently it had something to do with water, and so we walked into the genealogy center, and it was flooding... from the ceiling. It was raining inside.

PAUL IS THINKING ABOUT MAY 11

We invited our ami Paul to baptism, with the date of May 11th. He said he'd think about it, and he then came to church on Sunday and said, "Can the stake president baptise me on May 11th?" We said, "Um, yeah!" And he just nodded and stared at the front with a smile on his face. Our amies are incredible. Paul's getting baptized next transfer! We're thrilled beyond belief.

SOEUR JENSEN BUSTED HER BIKE TIRE

Elder ma just assumed we couldn't fix it, and so they offered to fix it for us. When they came and took care of it, they tried to teach how until we told them we already knew how, and they just hadn't asked. Never underestimate the Soeurs.

THE PRINCIPLES OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST ARE "ENGRAVED" ON THE FAMILY REVA'I'S MINDS

We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, holy ghost, and enduring to the end. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see your nearest missionary) on Friday, and they invited us over for a Saturday tama'a (meal). We shared a spiritual thought on Saturday, and they shared that our teachings have really impacted them. It's so, so gratifying when you feel like your efforts have really made a difference for someone.

THE FAMILY: ORDAINED OF GOD

We had the most amazing sacrament meeting yesterday! A family of seven (a little bit like mine :) gave a musical number and then proceeded to, each one of them, give a talk about the importance of the family, love at home, etc. It was amazing! The Spirit was so strong, and I was reminded how grateful I am for my family and the efforts that both my parents and my siblings have made in showing love to each other and making good memories together. It's truly changed everything about my life.

That's the news this week! I hope all is well on the mainland (or wherever else you may be).

Soeur Sperry