Iaorana tatou!

First of all, PARDON for these last few weeks. Things kept coming up and I kept running out of time. But I've got an improved system I hope so I should be able to write and still read your emails :) Still going strong here on the northern tip of Tahiti! Fun fact, the secteur of Matavai is the northernmost tip of Tahiti and contains the only good old fashioned lighthouse on the island. We haven't had any baptisms since my last update, but the work is really picking up and we have two in plan for this Saturday! Please keep them in your prayers for this last week before their baptism, along with my cousin and her family! I was so happy to hear the news that they've also made the choice to take upon them the name of Christ and be baptized this Friday.

The first is Papi A. He's pretty adorable. He quit smoking with almost no problems and is excited for this Saturday. The members of our ward really made the difference for him - when we first contacted him at the beginning of May, he was closed off and didn't talk much. But ever since he came to church a few weeks later, and met some of the other members, especially our ward mission leader, he's been a lot happier! Members, reach out to the amis de l'eglise in your ward!

The second is J. This kid is a miracle. He's about 19 years old, but he doesn't actually know his birthday so we're not sure. He's had a rough life it sounds, and pretty much lives on the streets. About two and a half weeks ago, we went to visit a Papi, and J was there with the papi's nephew. We talked with them for a while about God and the Restoration, but the nephew was pretty cynical which made things difficult. But we bore our testimonies and when we asked them if they'd be interested in meeting again, J said sure. The nephew laughed and asked why, and J just said, "hey, I was touched okay?" Soeur T met with him again a few days later while we were on exchanges with the sister training leaders, and well we've had lessons almost everyday since! Sour T told him to quit drugs, and he hasn't touched them since the second lesson. Every engagement we give him he accepts. He told us last Saturday that ever since we met him, he was impressed by how happy we seem, and wanted to be like us. One of my favorite experiences with him was when we taught him about the Holy Ghost. We were having difficulty describing it, and it sounded pretty weird to him. (He doesn't have much of a religious background) But after we pointed out to him a few times he probably felt it - like that first lesson when he accepted to meet with us again, or all the times he said "Wooooow" after we read a scripture or bore a testimony - he immediately understood. "That's what you're talking about? It's powerful, huh?"

Yep, c'est puissant.

Je vous aime!
Sœur Ladd