Sept 5, 2016 - Mireta & Tera are baptized & married!

Ia ora na tout le monde,

Donc, Today was super busy but a super great Pday. We were able to do a chasse au tresors (scavenger hunt) with a few other zones before Soeur Lavelua finishes her mission with a bunch of others. We played taxi driver today and had to go en ville (Papeete) to depose les autres missionnaires a les autres endroits.

BUT, this past week was super great! This past week Mireta got MARRIED and BAPTIZED!!! 

On the mission you are blessed to watch those you have taught be baptized and be washed clean of any taches they may have. All baptemes are special, but there are certain baptisms that help you love the mission even more. Mireta is one of those people. She is so cool and so willing to make her life better. And may I say that her and her husband Tera are pretty much one of the cutest Tahitian couples EVER!!!

Other than that we continued to teach other amis de l'eglise. For a while we have been teaching a brother and a sister, Taumaha et Kelhane. They were wanting to get baptized at the end of this week, but their papa doesn't want them to. We refixed another date for them to get baptized for farther away in date, to give their dad time to accept their desire to be baptized. They did tell us that they have been reading the Livre de Mormon together ever since the first lecon and they are at the end of 2 Nephi (the second book in the Book of Mormon). Even though they are permitted to come to church yet because of their parents they still tell us that they want to Persevere!!! I know it'll take time for their dad to give them permission to be baptized, but when he does it'll be a GREAT AMAZING MARVELOUS day!!!

So this transfert is almost faaoti (finished) which means that I will tearfully soon say goodbye to my Tongan Kiwi companion Soeur Lavelue which means that this week is gonna be TOTALLY AWESOME with creating great and memorable memories!!

Je vous aime beaucoup!

Nana until semaine prochaine,

Out looking for new people to bring the gospel to!

Marriage of great friends!

-Soeur/Tuahine Morrill :)

Sept 5, 2016 - Mireta & Tera are baptized & married!

Ia ora na tout le monde,

Donc, Today was super busy but a super great Pday. We were able to do a chasse au tresors (scavenger hunt) with a few other zones before Soeur Lavelua finishes her mission with a bunch of others. We played taxi driver today and had to go en ville (Papeete) to depose les autres missionnaires a les autres endroits.

BUT, this past week was super great! This past week Mireta got MARRIED and BAPTIZED!!! 

On the mission you are blessed to watch those you have taught be baptized and be washed clean of any taches they may have. All baptemes are special, but there are certain baptisms that help you love the mission even more. Mireta is one of those people. She is so cool and so willing to make her life better. And may I say that her and her husband Tera are pretty much one of the cutest Tahitian couples EVER!!!

Other than that we continued to teach other amis de l'eglise. For a while we have been teaching a brother and a sister, Taumaha et Kelhane. They were wanting to get baptized at the end of this week, but their papa doesn't want them to. We refixed another date for them to get baptized for farther away in date, to give their dad time to accept their desire to be baptized. They did tell us that they have been reading the Livre de Mormon together ever since the first lecon and they are at the end of 2 Nephi (the second book in the Book of Mormon). Even though they are permitted to come to church yet because of their parents they still tell us that they want to Persevere!!! I know it'll take time for their dad to give them permission to be baptized, but when he does it'll be a GREAT AMAZING MARVELOUS day!!!

So this transfert is almost faaoti (finished) which means that I will tearfully soon say goodbye to my Tongan Kiwi companion Soeur Lavelue which means that this week is gonna be TOTALLY AWESOME with creating great and memorable memories!!

Je vous aime beaucoup!

Nana until semaine prochaine,

Out looking for new people to bring the gospel to!

Marriage of great friends!

-Soeur/Tuahine Morrill :)

August 29, 2016 - Another Week - Flooded our House

Ia ora na chers tous,

J'espere que tout va bien avec vous tous!!

This week has been super slow, but as I was reviewing the work from this past week last night I found myself rather content with the work Soeur Lavelua and I did!

We didn't have a ton of lecons, but I loved the lecons that we did have! Quality over quantity.

But as the title of my email says...yes our house did get flooded. why? well it's not a cause of the 2 weeks of intense rain. It's because our toilet broke....yes our toilet. We were about to leave to do contacting in our secteur when we hear this weird gushing sound coming from one of the bathrooms in our house. Soeur Lavelua goes in and lifts up the tank lid and tries to resituate one of the handles but instead of fixing it the toilet explodes.....don't worry it was clean water haha. So we run out screaming and run next door to our propriétaire's house to tell him, BUT he isn't home. By the time we get back there is water in every knoock and cranny of our house. So we called Elder Hauata (who works in the bureau) and he instructed us on how to turn the water off so we could de-flood our house. It took a good 4 hours, and afterwards we couldn't take showers chez nous so we called a membre, la famille ANIHIA, et sped on over to clean ourselves up so we could head out into the secteur.

This week not a lot happened BUT we met this super sweet famille. Titaina, Heimana, and leur fils Hitinui. They live super far back into the valley and have never met the missionaries until we came by one evening. They are croyante but haven't been attending church for a few years now. They love that the church is centered on the Family and we can be sealed to our famille for time and ALL ETERNITY. They asked us to come back and the last few times we went back they had a huge plate of PRINGLES ready for us to munch on during their lecon haha. They are so sweet. They are a famille and I know it will be hard for them to accept the gospel BUT when their testimonies grow a little more they will seriously be amazing converts and willing to follow Christ's example #blessed

Maururu ia outou no te mau parau poro'i no faaitoito! I love y'all so much and hope this week passes by just swimmingly.

peace, love, and hugs,

-Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

 Zumba on "P" day = soreness the next day

Just some of the locals hanging out

August 22, 2016 - Another Week - The Hand of God

BONJOUR tout le monde,

I sure hope that y'all passed a really good week!

This week was super great comme d'ab! We were able to see and spend some super great time with our amis and help PLAN the WEDDING for Mireta who is getting married and baptized on the 2 of Septembre and may I mention that it's also her birthday that day! Hip hip hooray!

So we have an amis! Super great amis! And he's getting baptized this Saturday #praise! But before it was a little rough sailing for him. He lives with his sister Vaiana and for awhile never had a super strong relationship with God or even a strong croyance. UNTIL HE MET US!! He's super nice and open in accepting the gospel. For a while he never really noticed the work of God in his life. As the lecons continued we urged him to put Christ at the forefront of his life and all would work out. I myself am still reassuring myself that the work of God is amazing and He can work miracles in all of our lives. Well he told us that ever since we engaged him to put Christ first in his life he has 1. found a job     2. his sister has found a job  and 3. he dug up his paka (weed.....xD ) farm that he had hidden in his back yard (it was his side job and a little fyi weed is ridiculously illegal here and people here go to jail here for the amount of time that murders go to jail in MERICA....talk about a big deal)!! So hey....Nephi is super cool and throughout these past few months teaching Nephi I've noticed God's hand in his life. CAN'T Y'ALL SEE IT! When we put Christ in the front of our lives EVERY THING will fall into place. It's a huge blessing and I seriously love my Father in Heaven for the miracles he has put into my life but the GINORMOUS blessings he has placed in the lives of my amis and familles and friends back home!

Y'all....this gospel is great! I love this mission! And my love for this place continues to grow every day! #peaceloveandhugs

J'espere que vous passez une bonne semaine! Have some fun! Study hard! Pet a cat and drink chocolate milk for me y'all while I'm gone. #3.5months

I love y'all mucho!

-Tuahine/Soeur Morrill

p.s. I read a BYU devotional talk one day by Michael D. Brown(a PDBio professor) and he quoted Gordon B. Hinckley our recent beloved prophet before President Thomas S. Monson! So naturally gotta post this quote!

"I [ask] that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we “accentuate the positive.” I [ask] that we look a little deeper for the good."

Anther Week: Taumaha et Kelhane - August 15, 2016

Chers tous,

J'espere que tout va bien avec vous tous!

This week was SUPER SUPER!

We have been teaching a brother and a sister, Taumaha et Kelhane. They are super cute and super sweet and super open in learning about the gospel! The other day they told us that they wanted to get BAPTIZED! So they OKed the 10 Sept as their bapteme dates BUT we have to wait for the OK from their parents! These two kids are so cute and started reading the Livre de Mormon and praying before we even engaged them to do so #blessed

Other than that this week has been busy with doing splits. A mini transfert is happening this week due to missionaries going home, so my fille Soeur Tuihani will be getting transfered to my old secteur TARAVAO 1 as she continues to wait for her visa. Soeur Lavelua and I will officially be back down to a duo BUT we are still the STLs of Paea and Taravao, so I will still be able to see Soeur Tuihani a little now and then these next few weeks.

This past week we had Conseil des Dirigeants, so we were back up on the mountain chez President. We had multiple formations (trainings) from President and Soeur Bize, assistant ma, et Couple Caldwell. The Caldwells finish their mission this Thursday actually, and so they took a little time to talk to us during CdD. Elder Caldwell expressed his gratitude for our desire to serve, our love for the Savior, but also for our willingness in trying to be obedient and change. As always, y'all know me, I have to leave y'all with two quotes that Elder Caldwell left us with:

"There is nobody else on this earth that is doing or can do what you all are doing right now. What you are doing is UNIQUE."

"The missionary sets out to help others change their lives, but really the biggest change that happens is the missionary. You change the most on your mission."

I will be forever grateful for that missionary couple. He helped me comfortablize myself (if thats even a word) on my ability in driving stick (other than my dad...THANKS DAD) here in Tahiti. Soeur Caldwell was there for me to talk with, teach me how to properly sing, and as always provide me with food when ever they came by to visit us at the house!

So to narrow down this week: I LOVE being a MISSIONARY!! Time is flying by, and I don't know how I feel about that! J'aime ma famille et mes amis. Maururu no to'outou mau pure et to'outou here! I love y'all mucho!

I pray that y'all have a magical and fantastic week!!

bisoux,

Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

July 11, 2016 - August 1, 2016 - Another Week or Three, Everyone Thinks I am From France

Iaorana tatou,

I hope y'all have been fantastic!

This week has been super duper great! And also we got other transfer calls this past friday!

TRANSFERS: I stay and my companion goes to Faa'a, so I get Soeur LAVELUA! She is Tongan, but grew up in Nouvelle-Zélande, so she is a straight kiwi! She is so funny and full of energy! I can't even describe how happy I am to work with her! She finishes her mission in Septembre which means that I will continue to rester in Temarua for a little while longer!

This past week we were also able to do splits and I worked in the trio with my fille Soeur Tuihani et l'autre soeur, Soeur Lehartel (who by the way left early this morning for her actual mission in Perth, Australia so we were at the aeroport at 5h45 this morning). We had some super great lecons together and worked super hard.

We had another lecon with Mireta this week! She's a young adulte who is 19 and lives with her boyfried and her little boy! The first time we met her was through normal porte a porte. We walked up to her house and she instantly says "no sorry we are in the process of getting ready to leave." so we obviously took that as a no and kept on going. The second time we saw her we were sitting in the car before getting out and going to a lecon juste en face de chez elle. She comes up and taps on the window. She then tells us that she actually wanted us to come back, but she never saw us again until that day! WHAT A BLESSING!!! Stuff like that rarely EVER happens! So we've already done quelque lecons avec elle, and she told us that she wants to be baptized and she wants to get married to because she wants to be sealed with her petite famille! HOW CUTE IS THAT!!! She knows that the gospel is true and that Joseph Smith restored Christ's church on this earth; now all it takes is her putting her desires into actions! Her faith is so strong, and chaque fois we visit her she shows us what she has read in the Livre de Mormon and the notes and highlights she has made. Our last lecons with her this past week she told us "It just makes sense; this gospel."

People like Mireta are called miracles. They show this desire and instant love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They strive to change their lives instantly once they hear of His restored gospel and the blessings that are promised from resting fidele a ses commandements. They strive to become better and more like the Savior. They know that His atoning sacrifice was for them indiviually and that they can always turn towards Him for help and peace. It's such a blessing and testimony builder seeing those you teach to personally build that desire.

So to finish off I read this RIDICULOUS TALK about Christ's atonement. Some of you may be asking yourselves "why was the atonement necessary?" "what would have happened if Christ didn't atone for our sins?" ....well my fellow famille, friends, and readers I read the talk that will repondre aux deux questions! It literally blows your mind!

It's called "A Personal Search for the Meaning of the Atonement" by W.Cleon Skousen.

https://rcronk.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/a-personal-search-for-the-meaning-of-the-atonement/

I read it about 4-5, and as always pulled some quotes that I really loved:

"He’s telling us all good-by and He’s about to go down into the amnesia of the second estate. So He won’t even know who He is. You don’t even know who you are. I don’t even know who I am. Isn’t that exciting?"

“I want you to understand more about me. I want you to understand I’m not way off, a mystical being. I’m your loving Heavenly Father and I operate in an atmosphere of cause and effect and in a universe of law. There’s nothing magic about what I do. Everything is based on a science and I’m trying to teach it to you gradually.”

I really hope y'all read the talk! It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!

And I hope y'all pass a good semaine!

peace, love, and hugs; nana

-Soeur/Tuahine Morrill :)

July 11 - Another Week in a Matchbox of a Secteur

Hello tout le monde,

J'espere que vous avew passe une BONNE semaine!

This week has been good, but comme d'ab nothing super out of the ordinary!

Around the end of this week we had a lecon with one of our amis Sabrina! She super nice and asks super great questions. She told us one of the first lecons that her husband wants nothing to do with religion or Christ in general. She told us "if I want to change, then I will change by myself." One of the strongest women I have met on my mission thus far. So we had our lecon, and out of no where her husband, Noel, comes and sits down next to her for the entire lecon. He was so into it! He asked such great questions, and the Spirit really helped guide us towards the responses. At the end of the lecon he expressed interest in our Church! He told us that it'll be slow with him, but he'd like to follow his wife and change too, afin qu'il puisse create a better life for their little famille! Having Noel at the lecon continued to affirm to me that people are capable of change, and will when the time is right in our Heavenly Father's plan!

Saturday night I was able to road trip it back to Nuuroa for a baptism! His name is Patrick, and beyond one of the nicest et most humble people I have taught. He was finally able to get baptized, and at the end bore his testimony on humility and that it's our duty to change and grow on this earth in order for us to return to our Heavenly Father again! #puissante

This past thursday was Conseil des dirigeants (leaders Council...I think) for the dirigeants of the mission. It was pretty cool, but the one thing that really hit home for me was the formation by Sœur Bize. She posed us all a question: Qu'est-ce que vous empêche a être une meilleur missionnaire? (what is keeping you from being a better missionary?) ....It really struck me that there is nothing that is keeping me from improving as a missionary but also as a normal living breathing human being. There are times on the mission where I am absolutely fiu, and want to "laisse tomber" every thing and just stay at home, but I know Heavenly Father didn't call me here to do nothing. He knows my struggles and is there to help me and others around me, alors why not use Him to help me become a better missionary. I only have about 4.5 months left, so I better make the best of it.

This gospel continues to bless my life and I know it blesses so many others too!

Je vous aime! Ua here au ia outou!

- Tuahine/Sœur Morrill :)

July 4, 2016 - Their Needs Before Your Own

Chers tous,

So as my FIRST thought for the end of the day: HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!! I can't be anymore proud to be an American than what I am now!  I hope everyone had a great fête and shot or watched some sick fireworks!!

This email will be short, but hopefully give y'all the "low down" on this week.

Let me just be honest; this week was weird. We were blessed to find some great new amis and get some great laughs out of our lecons that actually went according to plan!

We are teaching this jeune couple named Marama et Cynthia. Great couple et super funny! Marama is a HUGE soccer fan, so during the EuroCup they fixed their lecons before or after the games have ended for the day hahaha. He, however, forgot about the Germany Italy game this past Saturday, so we showed up right at halftime haha, but we were able to have a super good lecon about the Book of Mormon with them both. It's been about 2 weeks now that I have been in Temarua, and Sœur Bamba said that, even though it doesn't seem that Marama et Cynthia have changed, they have. The past lecons we have had with them have been just full of the spirit and we can see their testimony growing every day, and they've started to READ the BOOK OF MORMON!!

Another little update on my new secteur and my calling as a missionary: my companion and I are STLs which is a dirigent en la mission tu peux dire, and it requires us to be flexible with our days. STLs s'occupe other companionships of sisters in one maybe two zones. For us we s'occupe 2 zones right now but will take 3 zones by the end of this month when the pieu (stake) of Taravao is created. Now we take care of about 12 sisters and their secteurs. We are given the great opportunity to work with them in their secteurs and help them with any soucis (worries) that they may have in regards to the secteur and life en general. It's super time consuming...not gonna lie, but I am super grateful for this opportunity that P. Bize has given me to help other sisters on the mission. The title of my email rings true not only for the well being of our amis but also for the other sister missionaries that Sr Bamba et I s'occupe maintenant. I love this experience that I have to get to know other sisters on another level and help them out as much as I can; even if that means having little time for talking with famille.

I don't really have much to say about this week except that I have a feeling it's gonna turn out pretty great!

Je vous aime! Passez une bonne semaine et bonne vacances pour tous ceux qui on termine l'ecole!

Ok...that's it!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

-Sœur/Tuahine Morrill :)

p.s. what did the American flag do when he saw the other American flag? Nothing...it just waved...#freedom