Week 59 - Oaoa Noela...

....is the thing to say on a bright Tahitian Christmas Day! (If you don't know that song, ask my family. They'll tell you all about it.)

We had a wonderful Christmas out here, running around singing for people and eating oysters and sushi and smoked fish. It was great! We had a wonderful time. Thank you for your messages and love!

We had a baptism for our ami Taivini this week. He bore a powerful testimony afterward, sharing how impacted he was by the story of Joseph Smith after he first heard it, and how after a while, he finally decided to try it for himself, and truly received his answer. Taivini is awesome!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! We stopped by someone yesterday and just had the occasion to talk with her and hide from the rain for a second. She's a member, and that morning, she'd seen a video of the missionaries singing for Christmas that passed on the news. She said it made her feel like she wanted to come to Church, and we asked if coming closer to Christ was one of her and her husband's goals for this year. She said yes - she shared that 2020 is supposed to be a lucky year for them, that they're supposed to have a lot of luck this year thanks to this star chart or something.

In return, we shared something that I wanted to share with all of you. Soeur Winder shared that, yes, it might be a lucky year for them, but that those blessings and "luck" can be ASSURED with the gospel. That the joy, the hope, and the peace we seek every day can be assured as we seek Christ, and as we put Him at the center of our lives. This message is true! You and your families can have the best year in 2020 if you make efforts to seek the Son of God in your daily lives.

Some pictures:

(A beautiful view with one of our recent converts, Terai. This is his backyard! That island over there is Tahaa)

(The Christmas lights in our "city" out here. So cute, huh?)

(Taivini's baptism!)

(Soeur Winder, who went 3.5 kilometers without touching her handlebars. See the giant gutter on the right? If I tried to do that, I would fall in. Yikes. However, I CAN ride with just my right hand (not my left one), so

Merry Christmas)

Tons of love from across the Pacific,

Soeur Sperry