Week 65 - Balade

It's been an exciting couple of weeks out here! Sorry to leave you all hanging on the news - the big things that have happened are that Soeur Boseman and I had the chance to go out to Huahine this week, another island in our group of "Iles Under the Wind". We spent some time with the Soeurs out there and got to see the beautiful island, as well as meet some amazing islanders and eat some delicious poisson cru (raw fish, chopped cucumbers carrots and tomatoes, coconut milk). Truly, it was what we call a "balade" - kind of a joyride.

We went back to Tahiti as well for a day, and it was wonderful. Nothing like changing islands to give you a little perspective in your life :)

Other than crazy joyrides, we had a baptism this weekend. It's for one of our amis, Niauri. He's amazing - we've been able to see the amazing motivation for change that the gospel provides, especially with him. As he came up out of the water, he couldn't hold in the joy that he felt - I know he felt the true blessings in that moment, and he's still feeling them. It was amazing afterwards - at every baptism, the new member comes up front and all the members can come up and welcome him - and when Niauri got up in front, you could feel a continuous surge of love and support from the members as each one came and told him congratulations and welcomed him into the "family" of our ward. It was truly incredible to feel both the love and the Holy Ghost that filled the room. We truly were more unified, the way that Christ asks us to be in the scriptures - to "be one". It was palpable.

Otherwise, we've been helping all the people that we can right now. Another amie, Roberta, has chosen to be baptized at the end of this month, and so we've been (of course) teaching her everything she needs to know to be a great member. Our last lesson, we thought to bring one of our awesome members to help us, and she felt pressed to share her testimony from her baptism a few years ago. As the Spirit led her in sharing certain parts of her testimony, we found out that our member and Roberta have a lot in common with their stories of conversion, and it was amazing to feel the bond created between them as they strengthened each other. 

In short, thank you to every member who has ever done their part in missionary work and "open[ed their mouths]", whether that be in a missionary lesson or at a grocery store. There are, without doubt, people out there who need your testimonies and who are waiting for your help. Follow the Spirit, and find them.

And, all the photos. We've got a couple emails worth of these.

(I now realize that I said in my last email, "the rain is officially gone." These are false words - the rain is never officially gone. It's raining as I'm writing this! That said, this is Soeur Boseman and I trying not to get soaked in the rain! And getting soaked anyway!)

(Us four sisters on Raiatea - me, Soeur Bryant, Soeur Boseman, and Soeur Whitehouse - from an amazing view as we took a "balade" around the entire island of Raiatea. It took about 2.5 hours)

(The reef and main island from our view on the "motu" today. A motu is a tiny island inside the reef boundary of the main island, that is good for swimming - or, in our case, for finding seashells, playing with hermit crabs, and watching the water from the beach. Yes, we did get to take a boat out there. Oui, oui - quelle chance.)

(Me on the motu! It was so little and cute!)

(This is from a historical site, Taputapuatea. It's where the islanders did their sacrifices, back in the old days. This rock is a measuring rocks, because back then, the islanders were giants. If you weren't as tall as this rock, it did not mean good things.)

(Soeur Boseman and I on Huahine! You can see the head and upper body of the woman behind us. Isn't she lovely?)

(Niauri on the day of his baptism! He might be playing it cool, but he was really excited.)

(A beautiful tree at the sacrifice site. Even the trees in Raiatea are just so beautiful.)

A last thought - in that last photo, I felt kind of silly as I was looking up at that tree, and then Soeur Whitehouse, who was taking the picture, told me to smile at it. I said, well, okay, and felt even a little sillier. Luckily, the picture turned out. But, something I learned in a recent study, is that the joy in a smile, or in little moments looking at trees, at the sky, or reading the word of God - that joy is incomparable, and it is ALWAYS there. We actually have the ability to tap into that kind of joy at any moment, because God's love never leaves us! Of course, we cannot be happy all of the time - there's no one that's happy all the time. "But," President Holland says, "we can be happy most of the time." As I think about all the ways I've been blessed - not just in the past year and three months, but with my family, with my studies at school, with my friends, even with the chance I have to LIVE on this earth, I feel a smile come up, like the one in the picture. After thinking about all that, I'm left with the same thought every time - 

"How do we all not just smile all the time?"

You've got the power to smile whenever you like. It's kind of a great gift. Take advantage of it.

Tons of love from across the Pacific,

Soeur Sperry