Week 9

Kia Ora Whanau

This week was long but really fast. Long becuase so much happened but sooooooo fast. 

Last Monday I was still with Sister Petersen and now this Monday I am with Sister Jones. Tuesday is officially transfer day so we got up super early and drove the Sisters getting transfered into Wellington to catch their bus which left at 7:30am and flights which left at 8:30am. It was sad to say goodbye to Sister Petersen becuase I really grew to love her this transfer. I was so blessed to have her as my trainer and I learned heaps from her. But Sister Jones is so awesome and I already love her so much. She is powerful and concecrated. I appreciate that and admire it and hope that I will be able to learn from her so I can be as powerful as her. Tuesday we got to work contacting people and teaching which was so great. I love spending every minute doing the work. 

Wednesday was another great day. We got two new people to teach! They are this old couple that are formers and we were able to get them to commit to take the lessons again. They are really excited about it too. Wednesday we also had mission leadership council where we found out that Elder Garry E Stevenson has increased our mission goal of 195 baptisms mission wide in 2019 to 250 baptisms. It's a huge goal but I am so excited about it because it's going to push all us missionaries to work harder and it's also going to require us to have an increased amount of faith. But I know that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prapare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commmandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7).

Thursday was Zone conference which was also really powerful. The thing that I came away with was that we need to set bold goals and then have faith that the Lord will help us accomplish them.

Friday and Saturday were good. We did a lot of service but the real highlight is what happened Saturday night. So we got a call from President Soloai on Friday night telling us that a Sister from Tonga was coming he next day and was going to join the other companionship of sisters in our zone. On Saturday, we showed up at the other sisters' flat to welcome her and we received a call that she never showed up. Then that night when we were going to sleep I had an impression to turn the ringer on the phone to loud. Normally I put the phone on do not disturb but that night I made sure the sound was on. To be honest I didn't even recognize it was a prompting until after the fact. Then at around 11 (we had been asleep for about and hour) the phone rings and it's the first counselor of the bishopric in our ward. We answered and he told us he was driving back from the airport with a Tongan sister missionary. Apparently the flight from Tonga to Aukland was delayed so she missed her connecting flight to Wellington and got in 5 hours late. When she got to the Wellington airport some non members noticed she was upset and called the only Tongans they knew, the bishopric member in our ward, Brother Masima. Brother Masima came straight away to pick her up, not knowing she was a missionary, and then called us as soon as he found out. It just so happened that she was suppose to come to us. It was a miracle how everything worked together. It was amazing to see the hand of the Lord through it all. 

Sunday was another really good day. We got Sistsr Tui'onetoa all settled and organized. The main thing that happened was that we had a hand over lesson with Sam, one of the people we are teaching, to the Samoan speaking elders. We had 4 missionaries in that lesson: Elder Tonuma'pea, Elder Moaga, Sister Mamea, and me. The lesson was done completely in Samoan so I had no idea what was going on and I couldn't really participate. I realized that while I couldn't participate in the teaching, I could pray for everyone. So that's what I did. I prayed for an entire hour that those teaching would be prompted to say the things that Sam needed to hear and that Sam would recognize and accept the truthfulness of the gospel. I prayed that the spirit would be there and that it would touch his heart. I felt a lot like Enos. At the end everyone bore testimony of the restoration. I bore my testimony in English but I was able to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon in samoan. Ou te iloa o le Tusi A Mamona e moni (I know the Book of Mormon is true). The lesson was really great. Sam said he is so grateful we knocked on his door and that we are sharing this message with him. The elders will continue to teach him now but I'm so excited for him! This experience really made me realize the power of prayer and that when we feel we are helpless and can't do anything, we can always pray because Heavenly Father can always do something. 

Another cool thing that happened on Sunday is that a non member friend of one of the youth in the ward came to church and told us that she wants to know everything! So we have an appointment with her on Wednesday! She is so keen and golden. She came on her own too! Her friend had only mentioned church in passing and she walked by herself to church! She is so golden! It'll be awesome getting to teach her. 

My spiritual thought this week comes from 1 Nephi 11:16-17. Here the Lord asks Nephi is he knows why Christ will come to earth. Nephi reponds that he doesn't. He says "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." I love this because no one knows everything, and that's alright. The most important thing is that we know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us perfectly. This is the first principle we teach people as missionaries because if you have a testimony of this then you will be able to endure until you gain a testimony of other principles of the gospel as well. This week I really felt the Lord's love for me. I have felt it in my heart and I have also felt it in the way that I have felt towards those I have met. His love is perfect and sufficent for all. This Christmas season just remember that He came because He loves you.

Manuia le Kerisimasi (Merry Christmas)

Ofa Atu

Sister Olson 

Saying goodbye to Sister Petersen

A giant bumblebee that few into our flat

Me and Sister Jones waiting for Sister Tui'onetoa to show up