6/26/17 Week 2 - Huahine - English Class, Giovanni, Paul, Andre and Sam, Tahitian Sacrament Talk,
Iorana Everyone!
Touring the Island that Inspired the Movie "Viana", not Moana
Teaching English Class
Our Investigators - Giovanni, Paul, Andre and Sam
We
are in for a lot of baptisms! Giovanni had been taking lessons for a
long time but stopped when I came because he was so sad the other sister
left. I guess he had a change of heart after a member talked with him
about his own conversion story and he'll be baptized this Saturday! The Saturday
after we have three baptisms that I'm super excited about! I think I
told you about Paul and how he can't hear, speak, or read, but we've
been teaching him and feel he understands the covenants he'll be making.. He always gives us some fruit grown in his garden when we teach him and he is so excited to be baptized! Andre and Sam are brothers who we met
because their sister is a recent convert. Sam has always known our
message to be true, but we had to work a little bit with Andre. He is
really accepting, but wasn't sure if he had fully repented. Luckily
Soeur Wissocq was inspired and shared the story of Saul/Paul. She talked
about his conversion process and it really helped him realize that he
has repented.
Total Ward Participation
Beautiful Beaches & Little Shacks
Touring the Island that Inspired the Movie "Viana", not Moana
This week has been crazy awesome! After I emailed on Monday
we went with the Elders and a couple members and toured some of the
beautiful beaches here! I wish cameras could capture the beauty of
Huahine, but it's just not possible. You're just going to have to
picture everything 100 times prettier and then maybe you can understand
the beauty I'm surrounded by constantly! Also, fun fact, I'm on the
island that inspired the new Disney movie Moana. How cool is that? My
island is kind of shaped like a sleeping pregnant woman (like in Moana,
except I don't think she was pregnant)... I wish I had a picture, but
I'll get one for next week! Also, Moana is actually a boy's name here so
in the Tahitian version they changed that name to the female version,
Viana.
 |
| Exact Drawing of Human Body with Important Words Like "Tummy" |
Mom always said that I would teach an English class on my mission... And she was right! It's so weird teaching English when I can't even speak their language. We went over body parts on Tuesday and it's so funny to hear them try to pronounce words like ankle and elbow.
Our Investigators - Giovanni, Paul, Andre and Sam
We
are in for a lot of baptisms! Giovanni had been taking lessons for a
long time but stopped when I came because he was so sad the other sister
left. I guess he had a change of heart after a member talked with him
about his own conversion story and he'll be baptized this Saturday! The Saturday
after we have three baptisms that I'm super excited about! I think I
told you about Paul and how he can't hear, speak, or read, but we've
been teaching him and feel he understands the covenants he'll be making.. He always gives us some fruit grown in his garden when we teach him and he is so excited to be baptized! Andre and Sam are brothers who we met
because their sister is a recent convert. Sam has always known our
message to be true, but we had to work a little bit with Andre. He is
really accepting, but wasn't sure if he had fully repented. Luckily
Soeur Wissocq was inspired and shared the story of Saul/Paul. She talked
about his conversion process and it really helped him realize that he
has repented. |
| When You Need a Bite to Eat...They Give you a a baguette-full |
On Friday
we had another ward activity in which we played sports! The goal was to
get a lot of amis de l'eglise (Friends of the church, or investigators)
to come, and we had the whole ward and a couple investigators there! We
played volleyball, basketball, and some weird game that was a mix of
volleyball and soccer. It was awesome! Also, apparently I wowed everyone
with my super impressive volleyball skills (jk, I'm not that good) and
everyone kept asking if I played volleyball in the U.S. How do you
explain to someone that all your training is from young womens or from
playing everyday in the MTC?
Beautiful Beaches & Little Shacks
So let me put
the record straight, to those of you who think I'm just here teaching
lessons on the beach drinking from coconuts... You are absolutely right.
But I also teach in shacks that are so small and I have no idea how
people manage to live in them. We have so many luxuries in the U.S. that
we don't realize others don't have! This week, count your blessings! It
can be something as big as your health or job, or it can be something
as small as a flushing toilet, or AC.
Where I Live, Being Spoiled
I live in a pretty nice house by the airport! (The airport is on the north end of the Big Huahine. See map.) I am actually in an area with a car and I don't have my bike yet, so we drive everywhere. I know, I'm spoiled. A typical day? Hours of study, 2-4 lessons, and eating with the members. I haven't gained any weight yet, but with how much I'm eating and that fact that we drive everywhere I'm sure that will change. Our appliances are pretty much the same except our shower is the worst. The water does get hot, but only a trickle comes out. It's like showering from a hose. ;) At least we have a shower though. In some areas the Elders get to shower using buckets.
First Sacrament Talk in Tahitian and Colorado's Reputation Apparently Travels Far
I gave a talk in church Sunday. It went pretty well and at the end I bore my testimony in Tahitian. Everyone loved that part and kept telling me that my Tahitian was better than my French even though I only know like 50 words in Tahitian. ;) It's just easier to pronounce. Also, Colorado has a pretty good reputation here. Not for the mountains or anything like that, but for the weed. I've had a couple members and nonmembers ask me about weed and if I've ever smoked it. Apparently it's a huge offense here and a lot of people know Colorado for that. It's a good conversation starter for talking about the word of wisdom and obedience. ;) Also, some of the members say they love me because I'm not from Utah. They say they like having missionaries from the "real world."True story."
Where I Live, Being Spoiled
 |
| Map Added from wikipedia.com |
I live in a pretty nice house by the airport! (The airport is on the north end of the Big Huahine. See map.) I am actually in an area with a car and I don't have my bike yet, so we drive everywhere. I know, I'm spoiled. A typical day? Hours of study, 2-4 lessons, and eating with the members. I haven't gained any weight yet, but with how much I'm eating and that fact that we drive everywhere I'm sure that will change. Our appliances are pretty much the same except our shower is the worst. The water does get hot, but only a trickle comes out. It's like showering from a hose. ;) At least we have a shower though. In some areas the Elders get to shower using buckets.
First Sacrament Talk in Tahitian and Colorado's Reputation Apparently Travels Far
I gave a talk in church Sunday. It went pretty well and at the end I bore my testimony in Tahitian. Everyone loved that part and kept telling me that my Tahitian was better than my French even though I only know like 50 words in Tahitian. ;) It's just easier to pronounce. Also, Colorado has a pretty good reputation here. Not for the mountains or anything like that, but for the weed. I've had a couple members and nonmembers ask me about weed and if I've ever smoked it. Apparently it's a huge offense here and a lot of people know Colorado for that. It's a good conversation starter for talking about the word of wisdom and obedience. ;) Also, some of the members say they love me because I'm not from Utah. They say they like having missionaries from the "real world."True story."
Anyway, I love you all and can't wait to tell you more about Huahine next week!
Comments
Post a Comment