Second Canal (the name of my new area)

Sista Manatau at Champagne Beach

This week has finally felt like an actual week of being a missionary again.  The last two weeks have been crazy so it was good to get back into our area and get back to work!

We've continued to work with Zino this past week and he was able to come to church!  A family was married and baptized this past week.  They were confirmed during sacrament meeting. In between their confirmations, Zino leaned over to me and asked when he could get baptized.  He is now set to be baptized on my birthday, August 27th!!  We're super excited!  He loved church and found out that he knows a lot of people there as well.  As an only child he's grown up following his parents, but now he wants to help his parents follow him.  He's amazing and such a blessing to Sista Manatau and me.

The marriage of Marta and Harry
this past week- one of Sista Manatau's
 previous investigators in Pepsi

 We had some great visits this week with quite a few less actives in our area and we thought they would come to church. . . but not one of them did!  On Sunday morning we walked around the area reminding and inviting all of them to come to church.  Some said they would come and others didn't answer when we sung out to them.  One man even told us that we were forcing him, and he was going to call the police because we were forcing him to come to church (that's a first ever here in Vanuatu!!).  We put together some plans for this week and have dubbed Saturday our "Rescue Day."  The areas of Second Canal and Sharpi are full of less active members so we have a lot of work to do!  The members in the Luganville branch are a huge blessing.  We have two members teaching with us today and another one teaching with us all day tomorrow.  They are so supportive and willing to help our investigators.  I've never had that in a branch before, so I am very, very thankful!

We just finished having zone training at the chapel.  We focused on the five steps to reach miracles:

1. Be obedient

2. Be faithful

3. Work hard

4. Achieve the goals you set

5. Never give up

The zone leaders taught the first two steps and then Sista Manatau and I taught the last three.  We finished the training with the Bible video called "Because He Lives."  If you haven't watched it yet, look it up.  It is amazing and teaches us that we can do all things with the help of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that this is true and although I don't know the meaning of all things, just as Nephi, I do know that God loves His children.  He is constantly there to help us if we accept him.

I was having personal study this morning and I found a scripture in Hebrews 12:1-2 that made me think of enduring till the end of the challenges we are given.  It says, "let us run with patience the race that is set before us."  My thoughts were then pulled to D&C 122 where we are asked, "He (Jesus Christ) descended above all these things, art thou greater than he?"  This hit me really hard because I have been struggling a lot with WHY Heavenly Father has given me this challenge with my ears. Even after doing all that can be done I still am in constant pain.  I have been on my knees praying for an answer and asking why over and over again.  But I've come to realize that it's not time for me to know the why.  It’s just time for me to trust.  And so that's what I'll do.  I'll continue trusting, and in God's time- not mine, I will know why.

I love you all.  Have a wonderful week.

Elder Hyatt at the clinic after he sliced open his wrist
with a bush knife.  He got five stitches.