Grace

We had a pretty normal week this past week.  We did a lot of finding, walking and teaching.  We continue to find, but are really struggling to find people who are really committed to changing their lives.  We planned on having  investigators at church on Sunday and visited them all on Sunday to remind them to come, and not one came!!  Sundays like that are always rough!  But we continue to work because we don't believe in giving up over here.

In Relief Society on Sunday, we were discussing the General Women's Meeting.  We talked about Sister Carole M. Stephen's talk.  Here is a short bit from her talk that I want to share:  

I have recently become acquainted with a remarkable young woman named Josie who suffers from bipolar disorder. Here is just a little of her journey toward healing as she shared it with me:

“The worst of the darkness occurs on what my family and I have deemed ‘floor days.’ It begins with sensory overload and acute sensitivity and resistance to any type of sound, touch, or light. It is the apex of mental anguish. There is one day in particular that I will never forget.

“It was early in the journey, making the experience especially frightening. I can remember sobbing, tears racing down my face as I gasped for air. But even such intense suffering paled in comparison to the pain that followed as I observed panic overwhelm my mother, so desperate to help me.

“With my broken mind came her broken heart. But little did we know that despite the deepening darkness, we were just moments away from experiencing a mighty miracle.

“As a long hour continued, my mom whispered over and over and over again, ‘I would do anything to take this from you.’

“Meanwhile, the darkness intensified, and when I was convinced I could take no more, just then something marvelous occurred.

“A transcendent and wonderful power suddenly overtook my body. Then, with a ‘strength beyond my own,’ I declared to my mom with great conviction seven life-changing words in response to her repeated desire to bear my pain. I said, ‘You don’t have to; Someone already has.’”

From the dark abyss of debilitating mental illness, Josie summoned the strength to testify of Jesus Christ and of His Atonement.

She was not healed completely that day, but she received the light of hope in a time of intense darkness. And today, supported by a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and refreshed daily by the Savior’s living water, Josie continues on her journey toward healing and exercises unshakable faith in the Master Healer. She helps others along the way. And she says, “When the darkness feels unremitting, I rely on the memory of His tender mercies. They serve as a guiding light as I navigate through hard times.”

I have been studying about the Atonement for quite some time and this really touched my heart.  Jesus Christ is real.  He lives.  He will help us through everything and anything we face in this life.  He will NEVER, EVER leave us alone.

I also want to share another clip from Elder Donald L. Hallstrom's talk "I am a Child of God" that I read this past week:

On a very hot and humid Sunday morning, we traveled to a rented meeting facility in the center of the city. Every available chair was set up, totaling 3,500 seats. The final count of attendees was 4,100. Almost all who came had to travel by foot or some form of inconvenient public transportation; it was not easy for the Saints to gather. But they came. Most arrived several hours before the appointed meeting time. As we entered the hall, the spiritual atmosphere was electric! The Saints were prepared to be taught.

When a speaker quoted a scripture, the members would say the verse aloud. It did not matter—short scripture or long; the entire congregation responded in unison. Now, we do not necessarily recommend this, but it was certainly impressive that they could do it. And the choir—they were powerful. With an enthusiastic choir director and a 14-year-old young man at the keyboard, the members sang with vigor and strength.

Then Elder David A. Bednar spoke. This, of course, was the anticipated highlight of the gathering—to hear an Apostle teach and testify. Clearly with spiritual direction, partway through his remarks, Elder Bednar stopped and said, “Do you know ‘How Firm a Foundation’?”

It seemed that 4,100 voices roared in response, “YES!”

He then asked, “Do you know verse 7?”

Again the entire group answered, “YES!”

The arrangement of the mighty hymn “How Firm a Foundation” sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the last 10 years has included verse 7, which was not sung much previously. Elder Bednar instructed, “Let’s sing verses 1, 2, 3, and 7.”

Without hesitation, the choir director jumped up and the Aaronic Priesthood–bearing accompanist immediately began to energetically play the introductory chords. With a level of conviction I have never felt before in a congregational hymn, we sang verses 1, 2, and 3. Then the volume and spiritual power was elevated when 4,100 voices sang the seventh verse and declared:

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

In one of the most remarkable spiritual events of my life, I was taught a profound lesson that day. We live in a world that can cause us to forget who we really are. The more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God. The Saints in Liberia have little materially, and yet they seem to have everything spiritually. What we witnessed that day in Monrovia was a group of sons and daughters of God who knew it!

In today’s world, no matter where we live and no matter what our circumstances are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as a child of God. Knowing that will allow our faith to flourish, will motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the strength to “be steadfast and immovable” throughout our mortal journey. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

These two talks have lifted me and carried me this week.  I know that this gospel is true.  I know it.

Miracles

After the Primary Sacrament Meeting program in our branch

This week started off with special training from the mission president and the assistants on Tuesday, taking place of district meeting.  The training focused on finding and baptizing.  Our goal for the month of October is to have 50 baptisms in our zone.  It's going to be a miracle if we are able to do it.  Sista Ouamambare and I have been finding and finding and finding!!  We found ten more new investigators this week and reached almost all of our goals for the week.  Miracles are happening every day here!!  This past week we made a goal to teach a certain amount of lessons.  It was the last day and we were 7 lessons away from our goal.  I thought that there would be no way we could reach it, but as we prayed together in the morning we asked for help and a miracle.  We were able to teach exactly 7 lessons that day!  We went home so tired and so happy.  God will keep his end of the deal when we do all that we can do.  I know it.

We continued to work with Shila and Kalo this week.  We had a wonderful lesson with Mama Suzanne as a member present.  It was perfect because she was Protestant before, as was Papa Kalo.  We taught them the Plan of Salvation and Papa Kalo just kept telling us over and over again how it all just makes sense.  He says other churches just leave out half the plan or leave out important parts.  Mama Suzanne was just the person we needed to have teach with us.  Strong members are such a blessing and we are so blessed to have a few very strong members in our area.  

As we were walking to church on Sunday I was praying to be able to have a miracle come to church.  On Saturday we had called or visited most of our investigators inviting them to church.  Although none of them came, Sabrina did come.  She hasn't been to church in over a month and so I texted her on Saturday inviting her to come too . . . and she did!  We talked and she told me that she had "failed" and didn't feel like she could come back to church.  Mama Joyce acted on a prompting and called Sabrina.  She talked to her and explained repentance again.  She repented and she even received a calling to be Relief Society Secretary!  I was so happy to see her again.  She was the miracle I was praying for.

Sunday night we also got to watch the general women's meeting at the Banban chapel.  Only a few of us were there, but sitting there in our natangura chapel watching conference in Bislama on a little computer screen was such a neat experience.  The spirit was so strong.  I felt like one of the main focuses of the meeting was faith and constantly working to increase it.  The talks were fantastic.  

Well, I think that's it for this week.  I love you all and I love this work.  The church is true!

Finding a Gold Mine!

Our district activity last Monday in Fanafol

So I'll start all the way back at last Monday!  Right after emailing I went with my district of 14 to Fanafol (a small village about an hour away) to go on a hike for a district activity.  Sista Manly, Rivera and I had previously been on the hike and were able to get us to the destination, a cave, within an hour. We then had the chance to play volleyball and play with the pikinini for a few hours before we had to head back so that we could be back at home before dark.  A few of the missionaries thought we should take another route back because we were running out of time and so we decided to follow them. . . even though they had never been to Fanafol before. . . we ended up getting lost and walking through the bush until we came to a water pipe.  We were able to follow the water pipe to a small village and the people there were able to direct us back to where our bus was waiting.  It was a miracle that we found the pipe and were able to get home before dark!  God was watching over us for sure!

We had exchanges this week and I was able to work with Sista Rivera in my old area, Second Canal.  It was really fun to see my old investigators and friends there.  Sista Rivera is a great sista and never fails to teach me something.  

Zone training with all the trainers and trainees

The rest of the week Sista Ouamambare and I spent working hard in the area.  We were able to find and teach 14 new investigators!  This week we are hoping to find 20.  Our area is full of people, but they haven't been reached out to.  Another major problem we are finding with our area is that it is an hour’s walk from the church.  This means people have to sacrifice either financially to pay for a taxi to go and come with money that they don't have, or walk an hour to church and another hour back.  We've talked with the branch about this problem and they have stressed the importance of helping our investigators realize that they need to sacrifice some things in order to gain other things of more importance.  All the members in Showground are solid and I really believe it is because they sacrifice so much to be part of this church.  On that note, yesterday in church the topic was sacrifice.  We had three wonderful talks about sacrifice.  One was given by Sista Terahati (the district president's wife), another by Mama Jocelin and another by one papa.  They all had amazing stories they shared and I learned so much.  We have so, so much and are so blessed, yet sometimes we fail to recognize our blessings.  I am going to work on recognizing them and thanking my Heavenly Father more often!

This morning I was reading in Alma chapter 8.  This is when Alma tries to teach, but the people reject him.  He prays and even "wrestles" with the Lord to soften the hearts of the people so that he can "baptize them unto repentance," but their hearts are strong and he seems to get nowhere.  He leaves the city but an angel appears to him, comforting him and then telling him to go back and teach again.  Alma immediately turns around and goes in by another way to teach once more.  He finds Amulek and is successful in teaching the people.  This morning the part about "entering in by another way" jumped out to me.  Sometimes we try the same tactics over and over again and pray that they will work.  We need to ask God for His point of view and then try it His way.  That's when miracles happen.  This applies to missionary work, personal issues and many other things.  We need to TRUST the Lord and His timing.  His thoughts truly are higher than our thoughts!  I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Giant spiders of Vanuatu

Showground!

Me, Ruth (She served a mission in Boise, Idaho) and her little girl

Right after I emailed last week, Sista Jeppson and Ouamambare and I headed out to Banban for a branch family house night to celebrate the work of Sista Jeppson, Sista Rivera and Elda Tuavao in the branch as missionaries.  President Tarihati gave a small lesson about all that our Heavenly Father has given to help us as we go on in our lives to do new, challenging things.  Afterwards all three missionaries had the chance to bear their testimonies.  It was very sweet.  Those three missionaries are each incredible and have done so much during their few months in the Banban branch, and will continue to do great things in their new areas.  We finished off the night with Vanuatu Kakae (food), baby powder, and lots of mamas crying. 

Sista Jeppson and Elda Tuavao

On Tuesday Sista Ouamambare woke up and was feeling super sick.  She said her heart kept beating like: boom, boom, BANG and after the bang she felt super sick and tired.  We called the mission nurse, but there are no doctors here in Santo for the next two weeks so she told Sista Ouamambare to just rest.  Sista Ouamambare slept for almost two days straight!!  I was super concerned and so was the mission nurse, but we didn't really have a choice but to just let her sleep.  She is slowly getting better and her heart isn't banging quite as much.  Hopefully by the time the doctor gets here we won't have any problems.  Please keep her in your prayers.

Mama Roda, Sista Jeppson and Julio

During the small time that we had to work this week we contacted the small family of Papa Kalo and Mama Shila.  We contacted mama during the day and she said she'd love to have us come over on Saturday because that's when the Jehovah's Witnesses come over as well.  We agreed!  The lesson went wonderfully and the spirit was so strong!  Papa Kalo is just like Papa Shem and is even a captain of his own ship!  We go back on Thursday so I will let you know how things progress.

We tried to visit Anna and Rudh this week but Anna was very sick.  So we'll swing by tomorrow to see if she is doing any better. 

Exciting news!!  Our branch was finally given a time to go to the Suva. Fiji temple in November of this year!!  All the members are getting ready to go and a lot have noticed many challenges coming into their lives, but they don't let that hold them back. These people teach me so much about faith.  They don't let anything get in the way of what they believe.  Their sights are set.  I love what I am doing and I love you all and hope you have another wonderful week!

Suva. Fiji Temple

A.J.

I hope you all had a great week!  This week was a pretty normal week, so this email will be short and sweet:)  

We had the chance to teach A.J. again, but unfortunately not Rudh.  A.J. expressed that she had a lot of concerns and the opposition she has been facing from her family and friends since she started taking the lessons and going to church.  She asked us why all this was happening when she is doing what she feels is right.  Sista Jeppson bore a powerful testimony of the power of God and that when the devil sees we are trying to become better, he hits hard.  He doesn't want us to be happy, he wants us to be miserable just like him.  We then read Joseph Smith History:

"I soon found … that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.

It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.

However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it."

It was a powerful lesson and we continue to work and pray for her.  She has the potential to do so much good!

Well, that's it!  We did a lot of contacting and found a few new people and will continue to do so!  My time is up! Love you all.

Showground Week 1

Zone Conference

 This week was full of contacting and getting to know my area.  We contacted a bunch of people and at the moment have six new investigators and a bunch of potential.  Two of our golden finds were Anna and Rudh.  Anna is 19 years old and Rudh is 21.  They live in Vila right behind the chapel at “Numba tu.”  They've watched all the people going to and from church for years but have never gone over themselves because they were scared.  They both came to church on Sunday and loved it!  The young women welcomed them with open arms as did the leaders.  We asked how class was after church and they said it was "lovely."  We then asked what the topic was and they said sexual purity.  So I'm glad they thought it was lovely and learned a lot! J  They're fantastic and are so interested in learning more and more.  I'll keep you updated on them for sure! 

A giant spider in our house!

Other than that, the area of Showground is very, very big and we walk soooooo much.  My skin is nice and red because of it, but it is wonderful and the people here are the best.  I wouldn't mind staying in this area until the end of my mission.  My companions are fantastic and we laugh so much together.  Sista Jeppson teaches me a lot every single day.  She is a master teacher and when she bears her testimony you have no doubt at all that she is 100% certain that what she is teaching is true.  Sista O. is slowly improving in Bislama, but is very timid and so we've continued to work with her.  She is so helpful and sweet and studies, studies, studies!  She wants to improve soooo much and I really admire that.

Well, that's all that I have for this week. . . I love you all and hope you make it a great week!

Sister O. and me

Back to the Bush!

So this week I got to meet my pikinini, Sista Ouamameare!  She flew in on Friday afternoon and is from New Caledonia.  She’s an absolute doll!!  She is 23 years old and just joined the church two years ago.  She is the only member of her family who has joined the church.   She has grown up Catholic.  She wants to work, work, work, and I just LOVE it!!  We moved into Showground (the name of my new area) with Sista Jeppson Friday night and stayed up late cleaning out the house.  I thought Banban was bad when I moved in, but this didn't even compare!  I've seen at least four super fat rats since I've been here.  I found a centipede in my running shoes yesterday morning. . .

I think I might die in Showground!  Sista Jeppson has had lots and lots of fun "chicking" me about rats.  One night I was lying in my bed ready to sleep, and as she was walking to her bed she stopped and looked under my bed.  Then she stood back up talking sweetly to a creature under my bed, "You better get out before Sista Draper sees you.  She doesn't like rats."  I jumped up on my bed and started screaming, "Kill it!! Kill it!!" and she just died laughing.  I didn't think it was too funny but Sistas O. and Jeppson sure did!

My first full day with my two new companions in my new area fell on my birthday!  Wahoo!!  I'm now officially NOT a teenager! J  We went and visited a bunch of investigators as well as a few less actives.  After teaching them we all decided the next two weeks will be dedicated to contacting every single house in our area.  Showground hardly ever baptizes, and we think one of the main reasons is because they have just been recycling investigators for years and years.  Finding is what we really need to focus on.  Showground is fantastic though!  I feel like I'm back in Banban and in the bush again!  The members are soooo solid and love working with the missionaries. So I am very excited to be here.  I also have loved being back in the Banban branch seeing the people I taught and baptized.  Thomas and Rosline are getting married and baptized this week!!  It makes me so happy to see the work continuing to go forward even after I transferred out.

That night a bunch of the sistas took me to dinner and made a cake to celebrate my birthday.  It was super sweet and thoughtful.  Thank you for all your sweet emails, letters and/or packages to make my 20^th birthday special!

Zone conference was Monday and Tuesday (that's why I'm emailing today).  We focused a lot on the mission map and the five steps to becoming a mission of miracles.  It was a lot of reviewing what we learned at MLC, but I still feel like I learned quite a bit and have a lot to apply and improve on.  We also played sports together and had a flour war which was pretty fun!

One quote has been on my mind a lot this week:  "Sometimes we have to fall down lower than we've ever been in order to stand up taller than we ever were."  Whenever we face hard times remember to FROG

F-forever

R-rely

O-on 

G-God

He's the only one who is there for us constantly!  We just have to open the door to Him.  I love you all, have a great week!