Dec 9 - Ofa Lahi Atu

Aloha my lovelies!!!

Ofa Lahi Atu= I love you very much, in Tongan. Thank you for your emails, I love being connected with you even though we're so far away. :) 

Well this week has just been spectacular. My first week with my new companion Sister Latu and in these wards! Sister Latu is so sweet. She's from Salt Lake City, but she's Tongan and speaks the language, because her parents are from Tonga. And since there are so many Tongans it's really fun being around her! Plus, she's related to everyone. Literally all four Polynesians serving at the VC are related haha. 

It's kind of weird being back in a family ward after being in YSA and Married Student.... it's funny how different they are. (everyone here seems so old, even though I think it's just a normal ward haha). I definitely miss being on campus, but it's been really fun getting to know Laie 2nd and 3rd wards! So far, we've had some really great miracles. We have this one investigator named Ernest Golden. He graduated from BYUH and has lived here in Laie ever since...... and he's 93 years old.  So, as you can imagine, he's already heard a bit about the church. His wife was actually a member, but went super less active for the last part of her life. After she passed away last year, he became very interested in what happens to us after we die. So he's been meeting with the missionaries for about a year now, and to be honest I don't think he's ever been really progressing. But he is so passionate about this spiritual journey that he's on, and I really think he's getting closer.  I think the Lord sends non-members to Laie who He knows will soften their hearts after a lot of persistence. Because we don't have a boatload of non-members to teach, so any non-member who ends up here is very well acquainted with missionaries :) If anyone has the ability to be persistent, the Laie VC sisters do. Even though he's not technically "progressing" (YET!) according to our numbers, I know the Spirit is working on him. He's been slowly softening ever since the 70s, but especially in this past year.  So I'm really excited to continue to work with him! 

So this week was Mission Tour!!!!!!! It was AWESOME. Elder Daniel L. Johnson came to speak to us. All the missionaries on Oahu came together in Milliilani (an hour outside of Laie) for the training, and all the stake presidents and bishops and ward mission leaders were invited too (so I got to see some of my full-field humans!!!!!). In the middle of the training he had us do an activity. He told us to go with any leadership from our ward who had come, and we were to teach them one principle from PMG, and then ask them for referrals. So we went into a room with our two bishops, and we taught about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. We had absolutely no time to prepare, but it was amazing how much the Spirit helped and guided us. When we asked for referrals, and they were actually able to give us a good list of people! One of our Bishops gave us a name of a less-active man that he said he would never have thought to have us visit. It was really an indicator that it was the Spirit who gave him that name, that it wasn't from himself. We really don't know who needs the gospel, and we don't know who is prepared. Only Heavenly Father knows. That's why it's so important to always listen to and follow the Spirit, because He will always guide us to those who are prepared. 

Okay sorry this email is so massive. One more thing! So during the mission tour, Elder Johnson asked who knows more than 50 non-members... everyone raised their hand. More than 100 non-members... everyone kept their hands raised. Then he asked how many of us have introduced them to the missionaries...and almost every hand went down. So I didn't really realize HOW many people I know from home who aren't members, and I can't believe I never even tried to share the gospel with them. So, to my folks at home..... start introducing!! You won't lose friends, you'll just give them opportunities to be HAPPY and FREE. Heavenly Father is preparing people to receive the gospel, and YOU could be the one to help them to it. But you never know if you don't ask. THEY'LL never know if you don't ask. So start making your lists of people and start inviting! :) 

Oh, and mom to answer your question... nothing really different happened because of Pearl Harbor Day. At least in Laie... probably they did something big in Pearl Harbor/my old area. I know TONS of high school bands have been coming to the PCC because they're hear to play at the memorial. I actually kind of forgot about it until in Sacrament meeting when a cute old man bore his testimony and said how he was here when it happened. 

Well, anyway! I love you all sooooo much!!! 

Pictures:

1- Me and Elder Abquina (my zone leader for four transfers) (He's the Filipino one) and Elder Ewing from Waipahu Zone at MISSION TOUR! 

2- I think I already sent this picture... but it's the only one I have of me and Sister Latu! She's the beautiful Tongan below me in the purple. :)

3- This place is paradise.