Wow already into November!!!!!!! Happy early thanksgiving haha:) I can imagine that the Christmas tree will be getting thrown up pretty soon!!!! No place like home!:) Hope that my love is been felt and continues to be felt throughout this holiday season!!!! Because I'm sending it all the way from Ha'apai!!!!
This week was truly a result of how we planned it. The week before we said we needed to start focusing on less active members and bringing them back and spend more of our time letting them know we care. As a result we were able to have 5 less active members show up to church it was a true tender mercy! Some haven't been to church in 10 months or more. We were so thrilled with the result and we only plan on watching that number increase, there are so so so many less active members here in Ha'apai that this is what will hasten the work here in Ha'apai.
I had a really cool experience when I went on my companionship exchange with Elder Hafoka from Hihifo. I have already sent a letter talking all about it so I will tell a little in short! We were giving a family as a referral. The mom is a member and the kids are also, but the parents go to the Church of Tonga and the kids go to the LDS school here. The mom and kids are the only ones that stay here in Pangai. It was incredible as we were teaching to see Elder Hafoka teach with so much power and boldness. He reminded me that when its the Lord's words, we have the right to act in boldness and in confidence. Elder Hafoka started asking for commitments and then as the spirit directed him to do so he was able to promise blessings that could have only come from the spirit. He went around the room and promise each kid individually and then the mom and the family as a whole that if they will but keep the commitments he made for them. It was beautiful.
My thoughts that follow are thoughts that I hope can help us all in our daily lives. For it is so very important for us all to listen closely as missionaries to what the spirit needs us to say at the right time and place to bless the investigators! Just like we all need the spirit daily, hourly and even in every minute for the Holy Ghost will guide us on how we should live our lives (the GIFT of the Holy Ghost). As a missionary it is very important to carry the spirit with us and there are still a lot of things in these small islands that try to take that spirit away from us as missionaries! There are distractions everywhere, and we all struggle with them. I often ask myself questions such as: Does what I'm doing have the appearance of evil, even if its not terrible, "or not that bad" does it take away value of the name I represent. For example for me as a missionary, language is always hard, not the aspect of swearing, but trying not to talk with slang language and trying to be proper in all aspects. In other words, talking like a guy that represents God instead of a street boy. There are so many things in our daily lives that if we change just a little the spirit will be able to dwell that much longer..... I think back to when I drove my car, and I ask myself if the spirit was ever there with the music I constantly played and did it ever reflect anything good to the others that heard it? Just some of the thoughts as I reflect on my own life and am realizing the importance of the spirit. We all live imperfect lives. I challenge you all to find one thing this week to work on, and next week I would love to see a little email from you next Monday in my inbox. I want to hear how the spirit changed your life that week. I promise as you do so, you will see the Holy Ghost have a bigger and greater role in your lives and you will feel yourselves closer to the Savior. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Ha'apai is going well. We are finally getting quite a bit of rain which actually turns Ha'apai into a really muddy place. The days it doesn't rain it feels like I'm back in Illinois walking through Adam Ondi Ahman. Hahaha, I'm sure the priests and Kurt, Bishop, Fraser and Jer Bear all know what I'm talking about!!! Except now I can't take of my shirt and wring it out.....
Its mango season now and pineapple season!!!!! If you can, you should have Fili make you guys some mango and pineapple otai!!!!! If not, I will make it when I get home!!!!! Oh wait, it's winter there.... maybe not then...
Everything is going good you are all in my prayers. I will send your letters tomorrow. Expect some letters in the mail soon!!!!!
Love You!
Mom 'Dude'
Brooklin SYST
No comments:
Post a Comment