Happy New Year 2016

Pinch me!  This place can't be real!  This is where I live!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! I am so excited for this year and to work towards all the goals I have made!  2016 is going to be AWESOME!

On Monday night, Sista Tagini and I were getting ready to go to bed when the Zone Leaders called.  They told us that they had big news.  EMERGENCY TRANSFER!!  Sista Tagini was transferred to the Freshwota area, which is right next to the Ohlen area and I am staying in Ohlen and will be training a brand new sista, fresh from the New Zealand MTC and I will remain the STL (sister training leader). Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well that night! 

My new companion came on Wednesday night.  Her name is Sista Esther Sellesin and is from Samoa.  I love her to death already and we get along great!  Island companions are the best:)  She is 19 years old, the second of 8 kids and the first in her family to go on a mission.  She is such a hard worker and super tough and has a rock solid testimony.  I couldn't be happier to work with her.  Training her is going pretty well, even though most of the time I feel like she is training me, just like in D&C 50:22 "Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.” Bislama is hard to teach but she is starting to pick it up.   Now that I don't have Sista Tagini to speak and lead the discussions, I have to do it.  I am forced to speak when we teach and find.  My Bislama has rocked this week!  God is blessing me to be able to teach and our investigators with the ability to understand me.  Miracles happen!  

Sisters Draper and Sellesin

Earlier in the week, Sista Tagini and I did an exchange with the sistas in Beverly Hills.  I got to work with Sista Lemas who is from Belize.  She made me burritos for dinner after we worked in the area and that was probably the highlight of my week haha!  Mexican food is soooo good and they don't have it anywhere here.  She just arrived in Vanuatu a week ago, so it was good to talk with her about adjusting to life on the island.  I can relate because I was just there and know how hard it can be.  Her English is incredible and she will do some amazing things for this mission.

New Year’s Eve was pretty exciting over here in Vanuatu.  We had to be inside our flats by dark (6 p.m.).  Then around 8:00 p.m. I started to understand why!  Drunk people were everywhere and although we didn't see what was going on outside, we could sure hear it!  Around 9:30 p.m. we got a surprise visit from the Mission President, his wife and all the office eldas.  They brought us cookies and glow sticks to help us celebrate!  At midnight, the whole place exploded!  Fireworks were everywhere and people were screaming and yelling and music was blasting!  It was insane!!  

On New Year ’s Day we made the mistake of going to our area. . . .and it was saturated with drunk men.  We were only out for a few hours, but there were so many times when I thought we were going to die, but God was protecting us!  We got home safely and Sista Sellesin and I both vowed not to go out next New Year’s Day! The Eldas came over that night to fix our hot water.  It hasn't worked for over a month and now it finally does!  The funny thing is it's so hot I don't even want to take a hot shower haha!  Oh well:)

We got a referral this week from one of the eldas in Tana.  Our new investigator is Sonya and she is 11 years old.  She has been living with her grandparents who are members and has learned a lot from them.  Now she wants to join herself.  She knows all about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel to the earth.  Sonya came to church on Sunday with her Grandma and siblings and loved it.  We teach her again on Tuesday, so I will keep you updated on her progress.  

Well that's it for this week!  I love you all!  Thanks for all you do for me.  Have a fantastic week.