Iaorana tatou,

Well it's been an interesting few days. Transfers have come around again, and while as of Friday night Soeur Lu- and I were meant to stay together in Mahaiatea, at our ward activity on Saturday I got a call from the assistants. There was a last minute change in the transfer, and therefore I am now writing this email from... Mahina! Mahina is the secteur right next to my first secteur, Matavai, so i'm back in my old house - it's really weird! I did several exchanges in Mahina and I'll surely run into a lot of my old friends from Matavai. I'm also now an STL, or sister training leader, so i'll have more responsibility but it's a good opportunity to serve my fellow missionaries. But the biggest change is the reason for the last minute transfer - I have to drive! My big brother made me promise to get my drivers license before going on a mission just for this reason but I was really hoping I wouldn't have to use it because I don't know how to drive stick shift cars. Well now I do, because I got my first crash course in manual driving this morning - don't worry, there was absolutely no crashing involved. It'll be a few more days before they can give me the keys, but i'm feeling better about it now. I might just get the hang of it. But please pray for me, as well as Soeur An- who's in the same situation, so that we can quickly and safely learn how to drive! This is probably the biggest transfer any of us have ever seen in the mission. Almost every companionship has changed. It was really sad to leave Mahaiatea and Soeur Lu- so quickly! I was only there for six weeks but I really enjoyed it. Soeur Lu- is an angel and I'm proud to call her my daughter. And my old comp soeur K- is replacing me, so I have no doubts that they will rock it in Mahaiatea. My new companion is Soeur J-, my first French companion, and probably the sweetest Farani alive! (Farani=French)

Sorry for the short email, but it's been a long day. But hey, guess what? Last Saturday the Terakauhau family was sealed in the temple! They're the big family of recent converts that I taught almost every week in Matavai. Remember the whole singing with lamplight at sunset in a little hut on the beach moment? That was them. So proud :) Other good news, Th-, A-'s friend that we taught almost every day FINALLY came to church, and at family home evening with the W- S- family, he said that he knows the church is true! That is any missionary's dream - to hear their investigator say those words!

I know the church is true too!
Soeur Ladd

[editor's note: it wasn't her first crash course... she had 2 hours in a borrowed car the day before she entered the MTC.]

[editor's plea:  please pray for her!!]