August 31, 2015
Hello Hola Bonjour,
So this week has been pretty good but also really hard.
To start off: on Monday we had another lesson with Elie and
we brought a member (Hina) with us who is fluent in Tahitian and who is
preparing for a mission, so it was gonna be me and her teaching in
Tahitian bc my companion is working at getting her Tahitian back. So the rules
our mission president told us is that we aren't allowed to leave the house
until 10 because our studies are super important. We left at 10, picked up
Hina, and drove up the mountain to Elie's house. The first thing Elie told us
is that we were late and to start the lesson. The Spirit was definitely not
there but began anyway. Half way Soeur Spackman spoke up and asked her what she
wanted out of the lessons and if she ever wanted to get baptized. Her
response..."no." She just liked listening to our message and was
trying to support us on our mission. In the end we had to put Elie on standby,
because 1. she wasn't progressing 2. wasn't willing to change around her life
3.had no desire to be baptized. It was disappointing for sure, but we planted a
seed, so maybe one day she'll be ready.
Next: Not even an hour after Elie's lesson we went to Matai
who is a converti recents and before we even got out of the car she came to
Soeur Spackman's window and told us that she didn't want us coming back to
teach her anymore, turned around and walked back inside without an explanation of
why. So apart from our first disappointment with putting an amis on standby we
also get rejected. We later found out from bishop that Matai may have felt
pressured by her family, because they don't like the missionaries, so she
started going back to the Adventist church.
However: Two days after that Soeur Spackman and I got to
help our paroisse (ward) set up for Martine et Simeon's wedding. So we helped
braid coconut branches to decorate the fences and the reception tent. And in
French Polynesia it is law that Tahitians have a civil marriage first and then
(if they are members of the church) they can go to the temple for their temple
marriage. BUT at their civil marriage I got to experience my very first foreign
WEDDING CRASHER...the belle fille of Simeon. We later learned that the tears
Simeon and Martine were crying were not happy at the time but sad, because
Simeon's belle fille was there to tell him how upset she was that he was
getting remarried. BUT apart from the upset at the wedding the reception at the
church was great...there were tons of carbs to eat which is big (which rice and
pasta and bread) here.
The next day: We had FOUR BAPTISMS. Stanley, Martine, and
two little kids from the Toofa family (their new to our ward in Fare) were
baptized in our ward by the elders from Haapu (Elder Tama and Elder Toame) so
we had to drive over to Haapu to pick them up.
But: The baptisms went great. It was hot and humid like
always, and I played the piano for the program and Soeur Spackman directed the
music. So as a little reward for the baptisms me and Soeur Spackman and the
elders got pizza! BUT on our way back to Haapu to drop off the elders we
got...A FLAT TIRE. and someone decided it was ok and we didn't need a
flashlight in the car, so the elders fixed the flat tire by the light from
inside the car and the hazards that we had flashing from the head and tail
lights.
Last: On Sunday we finally had a lesson with the Toofa
family who had just moved to Fare. BUT when we drove by we saw Toofa (the dad)
with 3 French police officers, and we later found out that while we were all at
church a drunk neighbor had climbed that huge muddy hill they lived on and TORE
DOWN all four of their (tin) walls of their makeshift house. So that night they
slept without walls around them and with only one big mattress to fit 3 kids
and their mom and dad. We got to do a "get to know you" with Toofa
and his "wife" concubine and found out his "wife" prefers
Tahitian which is awesome bc we are really trying to stick with our Tahitian.
But Toofa the dad was super intimidating at first. He had literally memorized
the entire Bible in Tahitian and had taught a lot to his kids when they were
young and was starting to memorized the Book of Mormon too. He, however, was
being super difficult and kept saying "give me a reason why I wanna be
baptized." SO we read 2 Nephi 31 with him which explains a lot of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, and Soeur Spackman was getting a little more frustrated
than I was and said "you KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true, and I know
that you know it's true and that is what the Holy Ghost just manifested to me.
You KNOW it's true. so WHEN you OPEN your HEART and let the Holy Spirit soften
your heart to it's truthfulness and you accept the fact that the Book of Mormon
is true will you be baptized on SEPTEMBER 19th by someone holding the proper
priesthood authority?" He laughed and then told us that he knows he's
going to be baptized but he needs to save his youngest son first (and get
married) before he can be baptized. he then told us a dream his
"wife" had about their youngest son and how all of them were in the
church but their son was surrounded by the worldly things in life like drugs,
alcohol, smoking, etc. But we emphasized that the best way for him to help his
son is for him to get baptized (and married) first and then be the one to
baptize his son. Toofa and his family are so great and golden and I know they
all will someday be baptized and later sealed in the temple.
That was pretty much the events for this week. Thank you
again for your prayers. They really do mean a lot!!
Until next week!
Ua here au ia outou!
Tuahine/Soeur/Sister McKenzie Morrill :)
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