Je Vous Guiderai le Long du Chemin
1:43 PM |
| Picture sent by a former missionary's family visiting Tahiti - THANK YOU! |
Iaorana tatou pauroa!
Voilà mon dernier mail en mission! (peut être, je ne sais pas si j'écrirai la semaine prochaine)
To- is doing well, we had several lessons with him this week and he's progressing! He's reading, he's praying, he's repenting. It was cute, we did a practice baptism interview with him and for every question he gave great answers and shared his testimony. And when we asked what repentance means to him and if he feels he's fully repented he said "Yes. Well, mostly. There's just (counting in his head) ... two things left and then I'm ready." It was just funny the way he knew what he'd overcome and what he still needed to work on, he had a plan and he could see himself progressing.
So I lost my voice after the concert last Sunday and it made things a bit comical, especially when I attempted (and quickly abandonned) singing or yelling "Iaorana" at houses we're trying to tract. Soeur Ni- compared me to the poor tenors when they have to sing some really high notes in some of our songs at the concerts. Up until Saturday I was still in what I call "dying cat mode" but through lots of prayer and hot water with lemon and honey I was able to regain it enough to sing my duet at the concert last night, and even carefully join in some of the other songs. I think if I wasn't a missionary and didn't have to constantly use my voice to teach and preach and work as missionaries do, it wouldn't have lasted so long, but I don't mind because opening my mouth to share the gospel is most important.
I just want you all to know how much God cares about us. The big things and the little things. This is a silly story but there's a good point:
So here in Tahiti almost every night member families feed us, a huge blessing of serving here. However, last Sunday we noticed that with the new month it seemed like nobody had noticed that our calender had not been filled for the week. But we weren't about to go ask them to feed us, so we just got a bit of extra food at the store on Monday hoping it would last us a week. We did have a "faatamaaraa" (meal) for Tuesday, but the rest of the week was empty (don't think that's ever happened to me). But first of all the member on Tuesday offered to buy us McDonalds because he couldn't invite us to eat with them. Soeur Ni- and I joked all day that this was the perfect opportunity for us to try the new Cookie Butter McFlurry that they're selling here. When the member called us that evening and asked us what we want, we told him burger etc and he said okay, anything else, salad or anything on the side? I was not about to tell him McFlurry when he asked if I wanted salad so we said no, that's all. Then 5 or 10 minutes later he calls back, tender mercy of the day, and says "Hey Soeur ma! I forgot, what about desert?" It was delicious, thank you. I hope they have those in America too. Honestly, it's the silliest thing ever but it felt like Heavenly Father knew we'd had a rough day and were in need of ice cream. And THEN, not even 20 minutes later, the brother who's in charge of our faatamaaraa planning (who we had said nothing too) called us and said, hey, here are your faatamaaraas this week! So we did have food every day and it was so clear that Heavenly Father cared so much about us. And a few days later I read Doctrine and Covenants 84:80 "And any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail not to continue faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed. And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst." He cares so much about us, makes me think we ought to care a little more about Him.
Well anyway... see you soon! I need to go now but I'll send you a "final testimony" next week or when I get home. I love you all!
Some of my favorite scriptures: (links:) D&C 68:6, 1 Nephi 17:13, Alma 26:29, D&C 78:18, D&C 6:34
Ua here au ia outou. Ua ite au e, ua here roa to tatou Metua i te ao ra ia outou.
Soeur Ladd
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