Week 29

Kia Ora Whanau

This week was crazy and not in a good way. 

It started off really good, and ended not so awesome. We were in Dunedin on Monday and Tuesday for a combined district council. During the meeting, we did this activity where we talked about what a privilege it is to be able to serve a mission and then we each went and said an individual prayer thanking Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve. I was so emotional and so grateful to be here on my mission. I honestly don't know what I would be doing if I wasn't on my mission. Coming here has been the best decision I've ever made. 

Sister Tu'i'onetoa stayed with us Tuesday - Thursday because her companions went to Nelson for an appointment. It was super fun to be working with her. We worked so hard. 

On Wednesday, we went to Temuka (another little town in our area) and walked all day. We had a lesson with a less active and non member and we talked about the Book of Mormon. The less active member wasn't super into it, but the non member was really interested and said she would read the Book of Mormon! We also had a lesson with Oceane. She is really nice and had a baptisimal date once upon a time, but has been moving backwards instead of forward lately. We went back to the basics with her and had a really good talk about prayer so hopefully we'll be able to help her start progressing by focusing on the basics. 

Thursday morning is when the week got bad. At around 9am we got a call from the AP's telling us that Sister Tanuvasa was no longer going to come to join our companionship and instead I was going to get moved to Oamaru and Sister Vui was going to come to Timaru. Sister Tapumanaia and I were honestly so mad. We couldn't believe it and we were so frustrated because we work so well together and didn't want to get split up. I still am frustrated about it. We were told we would be making the switch on Saturday.

We were in shock so we decided to just go out and start working. We biked all day long and it was so fun and we had so much success. We met with Theresa and were able to have a really good lesson with her about the restoration. She is interested, but very shy and so she struggles to open up and to come to church. We also went and saw a less active family and did some service for them and invited them to come to the Relief Society activity that we were having that night. They both came which I honestly wasn't expecting! Heaps of less active members and people we are teaching came! It was so exciting. Mata, a lady that we are teaching also came with her member sister in law which was so exciting for her to be able to start making friends within the church. She is so golden. 

Friday was honestly the most powerful day ever. We biked all day again, and had so many great lessons. We had a lesson with Mata and we talked about the restoration. The spirit was so strong and Mata said she would for sure come to church. We also started teaching a new person, her name is Olive and she is so kind and grateful for our message. 

Friday night, we went to the home of a AofG minister who has 2 less active return missionaries living with him and his family. They welcomed us in and fed us dinner and as we ate they started to ask questions about our church. We were able to teach them about the restoration and a little bit about the Plan of Salvation. His wife was into it and definitely recognized the truthfulness of our message. The  minister was fighting with the spirit a little bit more. We left a copy of The Book of Mormon with them and the wife said she will read it so hopefully she does and something comes of it. They would be so perfect for the gospel. At this point, it was late so they offered for us to lock our bikes at their house and then they would drive us to our next appointment. As we drove, in their white mini van, they were playing gospel music and then all of a sudden the beat dropped and all these lights started flashing in sync to the music. It was so funny, such a islander thing. 

Our last appointment on Friday was with a family we are teaching. When we got there, they were doing karaoke and  the grandfather was singing "You Raise Me Up". As he was singing, he went a little too hard and his dentures fell out. It was sooooooooooooo funny. After he finished we were able to share a really good message with them. There was probably 20 people there, it was crazy. 

On Saturday we had a ward activity car wash and sausage sizzle. Sister Vui was there and told us that she was trying to call president to tell him she changed her mind and doesn't want to come to Timaru, but he was ignoring her, the damage had already been done. The activity was really good, we had heaps of less active and a couple non members come which was great, but none of the bishopric came which was so weird. After the activity, we had lunch with a part member family that we did heaps of service for the week before. We had a really good conversation with them and planted some seeds. It was honestly such a cool discussion where we were able go share gospel truths in normal and natural ways. Then after the lunch we drove to Oamaru to make the switch. Me and Sister Tapumanaia were so sad. 

So now I'm in Oamaru in a trio with Sister Tu'i'onetoa and Sister Tu'i'onetoa (they're cousins). They are both from Tonga and they both served for a year in Tonga before getting reassigned here. They also both have 1 transfer left. We cover 2 wards and there is so much work here to do. They are currently trying to whitewash one of the wards, but it hasn't been going the way it should. The wards are both strong and there is so much potential. We still have heaps of work to do in the next 3 weeks which is really great. 

I'm still a little unsettled about getting transfered to Oamaru, but I will go and I will do, that's mission life. The work goes on. 

Today we went to Mount Cook with some investigators from the Timaru area and it was so so much fun! It reminded me a lot of home which was cool.

This week as I was reading in John 10, I noticed how many times it says that Christ's sheep know his voice. I thought about how we can learn his voice and the answer was very simple, read the scriptures daily. If we want to know his voice and be counted as his sheep, we must consistantly study the scriptures and not be casual about it. I love getting to study the scriptures daily while on my mission and I challenge all of you to study your scriptures daily so that you can know his voice as well.

Ofa Atu

Sister Olson 

Koutou Katoa Ra 



Me and Sister Tapumanaia at combined district council

The Southland Zone

Me, Sister Tapumanaia and Sister Tu'i'onetoa

Everyone who went to Mount Cook

At Mount Cook

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