Another Week - Temaura Time - June 27, 2016

Hey y'aII,

J'espere que vous avez passe une bonne semaine!!

This week I started over; in a new secteur; with new amis de I'egIise; with new membres.

It's aIways a IittIe rough when a missionary starts over in a new secteur. We go from buiIding reIationships with the membres and amis, et then we get that transfer caII from assistants. If you're a missionary who Ioves their secteur, then hearing the news that you're getting transfered wiII probabIy feeI Iike your entire worId is crashing in around you.

TRUST ME!! I know the feeIing; every missionary does. "On a tous passe par Ia." haha

BUT I do Iove transfers; it gives me another opportunity to meet other peopIe and bring the message of Christ into their home, or to the edge of their porteiI haha. Either way we pIant a seed!

This week I met Sabrina! A woman who is searching for answers in her Iife; a woman Iooking for more peace, comfort, et a bigger happiness than what she has in her Iife at this moment. We were abIe to visit her and get to know her pretty weII. She toId us that she has famiIIe that qre members of the church; she watched "that change" in her famiIIe, et desires the same thing. Her husband is not croyant, but she doesn't care. She toId us she wouId do anything to experience "that change" in her Iife and if that means going against her husband then she said she's wiIIing...to find that happiness!

What a bIessing she is, et it was amazing seeing the Spirit working through her as we taIked. Her heart changed et we couId see a Iight come into her eyes as we taIked of HOPE et putting trust in Christ et our HeavenIy Father!

This week was super great, but RAINED a TON!!! which i can't compIain I've missed!

Y'aII...don't forget HeavenIy Father Ioves you and cares for you! N'oubIiez jamais ca!

Je vous aime!

-Soeur MorriII :)

p.s. went to the docteur about my cough et he toId me that I have a respiratory infectinon. But HAVE NO FEAR!! I am getting better

p.p.s. The IceIand vs EngIand soccer match was on today at a members house, so I may or may not have watched a few minutes....saw England loose

Transfers!

HELLLLOOOOOO tout le monde,

So as the title of my email suggests, YES we had transfers! And let me tell you...it's a big one. I've only been in Nuuroa for 10 weeks, but I received a call from assistants and was told that I am now assigned as STL (sister training leader) in the mission with Soeur Bamba. I leave for the zone of Paea to the secteur of Temarua today! I'm thinking I'll be staying near the presqu'ile of Tahiti pretty much most of my mission!

This week, naturally, was full of work, but for quelque raison my head cold has turned into something more than my normal seasonal sickness. Let's just say that sometimes it sounds like I'm coughing up a lung, but Tahitians have their natural remedies (ra'au Tahiti), and so far every thing they have given me (not sure exactly what) has worked so far, and haere maru haere papu, petit a petit, slowly but surely I'm getting better. 

ALSO, we had a great opportunite this week to hear from a few general authorities of the church. Sister McConkie (1st cons in the Young Women presidency), Sister Reeves (2nd cons in the Societe de Secous presidency), and Elder Kevin W. Pearson (President of the Pacific Region). I loved every talk, but Elder Pearson's struck home for me. He talked of urgency in hastening the work, and the Livre de Mormon. 

"The more you understand the Book of Mormon, the more excited you will be for when Christ comes again." -Elder Pearson

"Lord help me, or I will fall. Help me, so that I may fly." - Elder Holland (Quorum of the 12 Apostles)

Every week has its challenges, and miracles. This past Thursday we went to the end of our secteur to recontact some old amis, Eteta, Manurai, and Kevin. 

We found Eteta easily, and she was super sweet and asked us to come back another day and continue the lecons. BUT while we were talking to Eteta, this huge GOOSE came out of nowhere. He started coming toward us, screeching and flapping his wings (granted this is the first time I've seen a goose here in Tahiti). What did Eteta do? Just calmly stepped between us and the goose and continued to watch him the entire time we talked to her.

Afterwards we continued searching for Manurai and Kevin. Unfortunately they weren't home, but the people we talked to were super nice. At the end we met this young man named Moho. It walks with us and shows us where Manurai lives. He then tells that he has a lot of friends who are membres of the church and some who had just finished serving missions. He told us he'd love to follow the lecons, but after the Heiva (the big dance festival here in French Polynesia) at the end of July!

The Lord works in mysterious ways, and if we just put our faith and trust in Him, then He will put those people, who are ready to hear the gospel, in our path. Every day I've come to see His hand in helping my amis, and the way He touches their lives. 

I'm excited for this transfer, and though it's only been 10 weeks I can't help but feel like I'm leaving a little bit of my heart here too!

Je vous aime! Et j’espère que vous passez une bonne semaine!

Bisoux,

Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

A Week of Blessings - June 13, 2016

Chers tous,

J’espère vous avez passé une bonne semaine avec vos familles et amis!

This week we have been blessed with finding more amis, and also fixing a bapteme et mariage!

For a lot of our lecons we used one of the talks from Prophet Thomas S. Monson when he spoke in this last Conference Generale this past Avril! The talk was "Les Choix"...."Choices." We have a lot of amis who have strong testimonies and know the church is true, but are too scared to get baptized, because they are afraid that they will chuter (fall) again into the worldly things they empeched them from getting baptized in the first place. But what is humbling about our amis is that they already worry about their "after baptized life". In Monson's talk he said:

           "Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek."

Our goal in life is to return to our Heavenly Father again, and by so doing depends on the choices we make in life. My amis de l'eglise have already expressed their worry about rechuting after baptism. What we told them is that "si tu as peur de rechuter apres ton bapteme, c'est sur tu ne vas pas le faire apres tu es baptise." (if you are already scared or falling after baptism, it's sure that you won't do after you are baptized.) And for the most part it's true, because my amis know the choices that they make in life can affect their life for eternity, and our eternal goal is to "obtain celestial glory" and live with our Heavenly Father again!

I really enjoyed this week, even though it was BLAZING HOT half way through the week. The Spirit was so strong during lecons, and I know my companion and I were blessed with the gift of tongues, not just in French et Tahitian, but in what to say to them.

Comme d'ab I love this gospel with all my heart and couldn't be happier serving these people in the middle of the south pacific. (Some people forget that Tahiti even exists, because it's always covered up by that big box they put on those big maps that you hang on walls)....Anywho:

Je vous aime! J'aime mon Pere Celeste et je sais il vous aime aussi!

Keep on keepin' it real! 

Ua here au ia outou et maururu no to'outou here e mau pure!

Gros bisoux a vous tous (pas vraiment)

-Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

Another Week and a Surprise Baptism

Ia ora na tatou!

This week was filled with many tiny miracles and in the end an amazing baptême took place.

First: Flora and Muriel are getting baptized. They are amis that I haven't really had much time to talk about, but I couldn't be happier for them! #blessed

On the mission, we have a plan every day to do something every hour until the end of the day, and sometimes none of those plans work out exactly. That is the mission, and I've learned to just "go with the flow." The mission is stressful. As missionnaires we have stresses at home and stresses here on the mission; to work at improving ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. I've learned to put my trust in my Heavenly Father and have Him guide me, my comp, and our amis. My testimony grows every day grace a son amour pour nous tous. This week we were beyond blessed to find out that Wailani was getting BAPTIZED. All of her famille are membres of the church and they were all sealed in the temple as a famille éternel; but something happened that caused them to go inactive. For a long time the mom and dad wanted nothing to come back, because they were offended by others in the church (it's sad). They fell away and welcomed the harsh things of the world to enter their home. My comp and I spent a few hours chez eux one day listening to their story. They received multiple blessings from other wonderful missionaries and loving worthy priesthood holders of the church, and slowly they accepted their daughter to be baptized. Wailani was baptized by her dad this past Samedi. The Spirit was so strong that evening that my heart filled with love to finally see an éternel famille return again to the church grace a leur fille qui a voulu se faire baptiser. 

We must thank our Father in Heaven every day for the blessings and little miracles He has given us every day. Why not talk to our Father in Heaven every day? 

I love this gospel with all my heart, and I CHOSE to enter the church. I was not forced, but wanted what my sisters and parents have in their lives...the love and blessings of His everlasting gospel. My testimony has grown throughout my life, and it continues to grow. I have built my life on His rock that is His gospel and you can NOT me bouger! 

I love y'all so much! Puisse Dieu vous benir! 

-Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

Another Week in Pictures - my one year celebratory burning of something!

May 30, 2016 - Another week and hitting the one year mark!

Ia ora na te mau hoa no te chez moi,

I hope y'alls weeks were just dandy and Memorial Day was extravagant!

So this week was challenging. It was super hot. My bike broke, and a dirigent in our paroisse told us that we "don't pray as much as we should, we make poor decisions, and are not intelligent missionaries." So that was kind of rough to endure, but hey...C'EST PAS GRAVE!! I am my OWN missionary!! #dontletitgetmedown

Of one story I can think of that stuck out to me was not one of a lecon with an amis, but a story the premier counselor of the stake presidency told of his conversion. His name is President Valenza: 

For 6 years Valenza attended church, participated in other activities, and even went to the church's institute classes, but never got baptized. He wouldn't get baptized...why? Parce que there was something personal that "blocked" him. For 6 years he never prayed, and for those 6 years he didn't want to be baptized until one of his last lecons. At the end of this lecon one of the missionaries asked if Valenza would close with a prayer; naturally he said "non." In his words (translated) Valenza said "this elder was smart and had figured out my block...how? by listening to the Spirit, by discerning my needs. the elder said 'non you can do it,' so we knelt and for 15 minutes we knelt in complete silence, neither of the elders looking up but continually having their heads bowed, eyes closed, and arms folded, until I uttered the first prayer of my life; a week later I was baptized. After that prayer my temoignage grew and I gained a better and firmer knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ."

Ending Valenza's story I continue to pray to help discern the needs of my amis and others around me. Now that I have a stronger hold on the language I feel more sure of myself when I feel I have a "whisper" from the Spirit. 

Even if we aren't a missionary, we are still able to increase our gifts, be it the gift of tongues, gift of healing, gift of discernment, etc. The list goes on for eternity, but we all have gifts, and Heavenly Father didn't just put us on this earth to twittle our thumbs to pass the time. NO, He put us here to progress and improve and discover our heavenly ordained gifts. 

Like President Valenza, doing something new can be scary, but if we put our trust in Him "all things are possible." Bien sur, the first step back to Him is by having FAITH in Him.

Je vous aime! Maururu roa no to'outou here!

Until next week my fellow famille and friends! #peaceloveandhugs

-Tuahine/Soeur Morrill :)

May 24, 2016 - a week in pictures - we are blessed with beauty all around