Week 20 on the Island of Eua

Hey Mom and Dad,

Glad you were able to get that pic. from Mele. The language is good. Elder Tafoya will start to pick it up quick. Training is not that bad, just a lot of being on top of things. I'm feeling like I have a lot of responsibilities in the area, but it's good to be busy. 

The typhoon didnt really do anything to us. Just a ton of rain and strong winds. The internet still works haha.  

I'm ready for snow. I wish I was getting home from that cruise right now. I miss that trip. That was so much fun. I can't believe it was already a year ago. I hope the next one goes by just as quickly.

I hope Hogan has a Happy Birthday and that he's doing well. I can't believe that next year he'll be driving. Thats so weird, I bet he will fail three times just like me. Sorry Hogan but I think Jack got lucky! Mom you should feel very old, theres no problem with that haha. Im turning twenty this year.

Its nice to hear about everyone wanting to know about me haha. I hope they are all doing well.

Mom, good to hear that you're still doing lots of haircutting and stuff too. I need a haircut pretty soon.

The new area is pretty good. Still getting used to it. You'll read about it in my journal.

Love you all, Love Tay

2-15-16

I don't think we are going out in the storm today asides from our dinner appointment. Tafoya doesn't have an umbrella and we can clean up our MQ. We had to figure out a way for our clothes to dry after we washed them. We took the line from outside and hung it in our bathroom. Our bathroom looks pretty funny right now. Clothes all over the place. We watched the light post outside short circuit and explode. That was pretty cool. 

2-16-16

It was freezing cold and the hurricane that hit last night was nuts. The wind kept hitting our house. I was worried our MQ might not hold up against it. The luvas above Tafoyas bed fell and water was spraying everywhere all around the MQ. We fixed that and a bunch of other stuff around 1 am and at 2 we both woke up because of a huge earthquake that hit. Things fell down and I was starting to worry it was going to break down the house. It lasted for maybe a whole minute. We also found out that the termites had returned and so we got tape out and started going over all the holes again. And then I discovered that the wall near the ceiling is just paint. The mites have completely eaten all the way through the wood and stopped at the paint. I accidentally poked a hole through it.  

2-20-16

We had Fafanga at President Havea's tonight. It was so good. They gave us roasted puaka and really good marinated cow. The pulu was really soft but dense and it was delicious. They also had really good freshly squeezed lemonade there too. Jen, one of our investigators showed up with freshly baked garlic pretzels. Mele who sent my mom and Natalie pictures this last week was there, and insisted that we got some pictures together. 

I got great news today, I was told I can go and be apart of Finau's baptism, back in the Tongamama'o area. And that Mele and Muli the investigators from my previous area have moved and I will be able to continue to teach them because they are in my new area now. We were able to get a ride to Tongamama'o, I love traveling by truck bed. 

It was great to be back in my previous area and getting to see all of my old members and friends again. It was so good to see Finau getting baptized.  

Had lots of great appointments this week and lessons. Felt like they went really well. Some asked us when we were coming back before we could even bring up our next appointment. Makes you feel really good that they can feel the spirit and know what you are teaching is true, and want to know more. On our way out the door of one of our appointments they offered us the dog they had just prepared. Sione who was teaching with us grabbed a bagful of dog and manioke for us and we headed to the church. We waited for our appointment that wasn't there yet so we feasted on dog for a good while. It was soooo good. I wasn't a fan a couple of months ago but now I can see why they talk so highly of it. Watch out Hank!