Fourth of July Fun

Sorry again no pictures! It still isn't reading the card!! But this week was awesome!!!!!!! Elder Haleki and I were the first people in the world to celebrate July 4th in 2014! We stayed up, just til midnight, to celebrate!! It was awesome haha! He made an American flag when he was in Niua so we put that up, sang songs about 'Merica, and ate cookies before heading to bed haha! I love the 4th of July!! Our neighbors have fireworks so we shot some off on the 4th and the 5th!!! It was awesome1 All the kids at our neighbors house were having a blast!

One of the kids who stays with them sometimes is a student at Liahona but he is from Papua New Guinea. He stays in the dorms there but on school breaks they go out to like "adoptive" families so that they don't feel too far away from home! His name is Tinirau and he is really funny. We always talk about Papua and his life and stuff when he comes over. Even he was excited when we were shooting off the fireworks, mortars and everything! haha Last night the Liahona rugby team came and ate over at our neighbor’s house because the kid my age there is the team captain. So they all ended their fast together last night as a team with so much food!

This area is weird to me cuz they don't expect us to do that much anyways or have that much work! They understand that it’s hard, maybe cuz other missionaries slacked off before but they just love that we had 3 baptisms our first transfer! We have another one planned for this week so we are hoping that that still goes through!

The language is still a struggle but I have realized something on my mission.... I am the most average person I know! There is nothing I am "great" at and nothing I really "suck" at! I am just average... so I have accepted that I will never be the best at something, but if I don't try, there is no way I will ever be anywhere with that thing! So I just do my best and the Lord will bless me with the rest that I NEED not what I WANT....

It was really weird not being home for the 4th, but hey you guys better save me fireworks next year!!!! We will light some off when I get home next July 11th!!!! haha I need to do it. I love fireworks!!!  I wish I had real American burgers here. The ones here taste like meatloaf.  We didn't eat anything exciting this week but I never get full anymore.... I could eat for DAYS!!!!!  You thought I could eat like crazy at home....... not even close haha!  Good thing I work out some or I would be FAAAAAAAAAAATTTT!!!

Love you all!

Elder Mani

Slow Week

We had transfers but I get to stay here with Haleki. This week was really slow... all of our lessons flaked on us or hid from us so we had to find random stuff to do! We SUPER cleaned our house and we just did random things to help us be productive! It’s hard living in such a small village and not being able to do much or go anywhere! We have been searching hard but haven't found any new investigators recently so these next 6 weeks I am hoping that someone pops up! We need work!! Haha but one girl we almost have ready to be baptized. It’s just hard for people here to see that church isn't a social thing it’s an eternal thing. So hopefully when we teach her later today we can get her committed to either this week or next!!

We try to find service to do. We helped one lady a couple weeks ago cut some trees in the bush and take them and put them in her yard for a clothes line and bishop wasn't happy that she asked us and people would like stare and tell us to stop.  I don’t know why they won’t let us serve them.

Sorry my letters are always so lame! I am just a lame person haha ;) just kidding! It’s just really slowwwww! But anyways hope all is well as usual at home! Love you all!  Sorry I can’t get pictures to load.  :(

Elder Mani

Two Baptisms- No Pictures

So this week has been good! We had two baptisms! They are two sisters named Paea and Sui!  Sui's full name is 15 names!!!!!!!!!! I could not memorize that so Elder Haleki held her record in front of my face so that I could read it while I was performing the baptism! It was crazy! But it was good! We are baptizing their older sister either this week or next and hopefully the same with the kid! So the kid who was smoking wouldn’t come to any of our lessons or talk to us so we saw him at the Ward Conference yesterday. He says he is just shy because it is so hard for him to stop and he is scared or something. So we gave him a blessing yesterday and we are going to fast for him tonight til tomorrow night. It should be good! I am just hoping he has that true desire! The work has been good! This week went soooo fast so I honestly can’t remember much! I have just been studying hard with the language but stilllll struggling! O well! Hope all is well at home! All is well here! Love you tons!

Elder Huntsman

Some stuff you can send:  elastic work out cord is something I need! Mine is breaking.... and I actually work out! Haha and some recipe cards so that I can do flash cards with vocab words!! I think that will help a lot cuz I struggle with memorizing words!!!! But ya that’s all I can think of that I need that I can’t find!  Mainly cuz I am not in town anymore or I could find the cards. And some more envelopes. I ran out a while ago and haven’t written any since December!

Musical Fireside

Sorry mom, pictures aren't working today. I don't know why! Happy father’s day!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't even know when it was cuz here they celebrate the week after mother’s day...... but thanks for everything Dad!

This week was a slower week cuz most our lessons fell through! One night we didn't have our fafanga so we went and got some noodles like ramen then went to our neighbor’s house to cook them and I added some mesquite seasoning she had to some canned corned beef and cooked it up! Then mixed it with the noodles and it was BOMB! Still doing my cooking in Tonga! ;) haha I wish we got to cook more....

Our 5-6 baptisms we had planned........maybe just one is getting baptized this week so that's no good but we are working hard with them! The only big thing that happened was the Fireside! Yesterday we had a Musical Fireside that we put together to get our members to invite people.  Our chapel was Packed! More people who were invited came than the actual members so it was good! It’s easier for me to talk to the kids cuz they don't think I am an idiot if I don't understand like the 16+ people do haha but at the Fireside I gave my longest malanga or talk and it went good! And it was all just me thinking and talking about a topic I had never tried explaining to people so last night I REALLY felt the spirit! It was awesome!

Great Harmony & Beautiful Testimony

Warning to Dog Lovers: This Is Tongan Life!

So this week was just somewhat of a typical week, teaching a few lessons a day and getting one kid ready for his baptism Saturday. We were able to help Sosefo 'Ofahulu become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have the opportunity to return to our Father's Kingdom. This other kid we are working with named Tani is having a hard time with smoking so that has been something that we are struggling with is helping him to stop by this Saturday so that we can baptize him. We have 5 people committed to be baptized on the 21st so we hopefully can help them to progress and be ready for that day. We taught a man named Moni yesterday and he is from Salt Lake but got deported. We get to teach him in English so that has given me more confidence haha. He is really interested in the Plan of Salvation so that has been something we had to focus on last night. It went good and he seemed to understand, even volunteering to take us to lunch someday this week! That's really it for workwise I guess haha.

To answer your questions…we haven't found any new investigators but our ones right now seem to be moving along. The less actives are hard cuz they seem committed one week but not the next so it’s a struggle to get them to understand it is an all the time thing, not just once a month or something. It was really cool seeing the kid we baptized bare his testimony at only 9 years old but still do good! It was a big Spirit moment for me. So I am not really knowing what I am studying that much in the BOM cuz I am trying to read it just in Tongan now. But I just read about Nephi breaking his bow then making a new one to find the food and follow where his father was told to find the food. Just teaches diligence and following what the Lord wants for us. The average day for us is full of just walking around finding people and talking with members. From 6:30 to 11 is studying, 12 lunch, 1-3 we usually have a lesson with Tani or someone, 4-6 we are visiting members, 6-7 we teach a lesson, 7 dinner, 8 sharing spiritual thoughts with members then 9 o'clock being back home! Today we are just netting than playing basketball with a flat basketball cuz we can’t find a pump!  :(   I try and exercise usually at night. Breakfast we don't get. Sometimes we eat just once a day. We just drink filtered water from our neighbors when we are at home. The sickness is all gone Mom so don't worry haha!

This is our next door neighbor Clifton.
He is the drum major for Liahona's marching band. 

They all did a huge march through town and stuff for the opening of Parliament this past week!

Our baptism this week. 

We had dog again!!! Soooo good!!!

I didn't kill it! We were driving back from our baptism and 

we saw the guy who was gonna be feeding us that day walking down the 

street dragging it behind him! He had someone shoot it for him.

The dog once it is cooked! Looks just like beef but tastes even better!   :)

One day we saw Oreos at the store here so I had to get them with some milk!!! 

It tasted so good even though the milk here is gross haha.

Pizza and chocolate chip cookies we had for our fafanga one night! It was the sweet pizza thing again and dark chocolate in the cookies but I still ate it haha.

Blow Holes, Investigators & Dengue Fever

Sorry this week’s letter isn't going to be as fun filled with pictures. My whole idea for a picture a day didn't work out hahaha. But the blowholes were pretty cool! Not as cool as I thought but it wasn't bad. Nothing else to do out here anyways! Today we are just staying at the church. We found a basketball but it’s flat so no playing against each other… just shooting around!

To answer your questions…The new area is great! We have 5 baptisms planned but we are probably pushing them back to the 21st because that is when our Ward Conference is and here Ward Conference is a BIG thing! They have so many things planned for it! But the work is going good. We have 10 investigators/inactives we are working strongly with and a couple more we have just taught once. My comp is good! It’s just me getting over stupid little things like noises he makes when he eats and what not but that's with everyone hahaha. He goes home on August 9th-ish so his homecoming would be either the 10th or the 17th. The ward here is somewhat small but we are having good turnouts this month because of all the Ward Conference preparations. My memory card has 5GB of the 16 left so if you could send one it would be good just in case! I can’t think of anything else I need! This area is good with everything. If I need something the members will give me it! But ya the work is good! I have never had this many investigators at one time before! I have never had more than two at one time before haha!

So Mom, read Alma 26. It’s the best chapter in the Book of Mormon about missionary work! I need to read it again. It has been a while but I love that chapter! It has been the biggest factor of keeping me strong and willing to faithfully serve an honorable mission! Sorry I am so boring though.  I promise to start writing in my journal so I can remember!!! I need to. But that's good that all is well at home! Keep Karissa out of trouble! Love you tons!

Elder Huntsman

(Still having pain in your leg? No but I just got the disease again..... My arms have the spots and I have had a headache behind my eyes since Wednesday or Thursday.... and my body aches....... so yeaaaaaaah. I might call the mission nurse tomorrow.)

The blowholes! We didn't get to see any massive ones.
We were too early in the day.

My comp climbs coconut trees just for fun.
I still haven't tried it haha!

My disgusting feet..... the reason I am getting a pedicure
when I get home no matter how femmy I might feel.