Week 36 on the Island of Eua

Hi Mom and Dad,

    This week has been good and bad. We were supposed to go to MLC in Tonga on Monday and we got a ride to the airport from Falemasiva. We waited for the plane to come with the sister missionaries for a good while, we had a great time talking and laughing. Then we watched the plane fly in... and pull off. Too windy to land, so the flight was canceled. We didn't get to go to MLC. We really wanted to be there for the last one with President Tupou. We left the airport, dropped off the sisters bags and then we went and bought ice cream and noodles and a bunch of food to hangout at the stake center. We talked a ton and then found ping pong stuff and set up the ping pong table and Tafoya, Betteridge, and I played while Vimahi emailed. I decided to reach under a window for a ball and hit my head on the window. My head was bleeding for a while so we took care of that with a first aid kit. 

The rest of the day we hung out with sisters just talking and hanging out. We were all really bummed that we couldnt go to Tonga. The sister's FHE canceled on them and their Fafanga brought them food to the church, so Sister Vimahi made us all grilled cheese-kapa pulu sandwiches that were really good. Then we cleaned up the church offices and headed back to Ohonua. We had a great time, the sisters are awesome. 

    After our lessons on Wednesday we were invited to have Pizza at the Big Ovava Resort. It's starting to get cold here in the evenings and mornings. Do you like my new hat?

    On our way to pizza we stopped at a store to warm up for a bit. At the Resort the pizza was  delicious, so good just like last time. This time we were given bowls of fruit with almond ice cream, really good, and I got Tafoyas also because bananas were in it. 

After dinner we sat down talked with Mosese, reviewed the last lesson and taught about baptism. He is afraid to baptize because he thinks he would be kicked out of the house by his father who is a Tongan priest. But his brother was baptized and had to move out, but did it because he knew what he was taught was true. 

     Later that night we got a call from the AP 's and told us we are having MLC tomorrow with Vava'u zone leaders and sister training leaders. They told us we check in at 10:30 the next day at the airport. So we were going to Tonga after all for a mini MLC for all the zones that couldn't make it because of bad weather on Monday. I called the sisters and they freaked out. We packed and went to bed. When we woke up the next day it was pouring and windy. It was sketchy whether or not we would be able to go or not. We got a ride from Tonga Faeamani and we picked up the sisters on the way. We then hung out at the airport for about 5 hours. Our flight got delayed until 2, and then a flight came at 2 but the passengers who were supposed to get on the first flight had priority so we had to wait.  Then, of course the next flight was canceled. So no MLC for us. Weather was fine and we didn't get any explanation of why it was canceled. We did get to hangout with the sister for 6 hours, and that was fun. Joked a bunch and talked about college and lots of other stuff. Then we carried all the luggage back to the sister's MQ. Then we got a ride from old President Havea. 

     We visited a couple investigators and then went to the store and loaded up for a massive feast, of cookies and cream ice cream, cookies, bread, and cokes. We ate good. Didn't get to go to Tonga but we still had a fun day. 

    Found out the next day that President Tupou is flying out here for zone conference since we couldn't make either MLC. So we at least get to see him before he's gone. 

     Friday we were able to help Fotu Fili build his little store. We put the front window door thing up and finished the drywall on the front. Fotu talked with me about how our program inspired him and how he was surprised at some of the bishops reaction and comments about it. He said I will have you over for fafanga and have an investigator for you to teach. It was nice hearing his support and being able to build with him. I'm excited to build things in the future. 

     We later met the Pangai sisters to get the baptismal records for the Tongamama'o area. Sister Betteridge told us they got the rat out of their house today that Betteridge woke up to on her pillow Wednesday night. She said it was about the size of a football. Makes me think of the rat that scurries around at night inside our walls and in the ceiling. Not cool. 

     Saturday morning we went to the church to prepare the church for our baptism. It was really windy, cold, and raining. Had to climb over the chain link fence to get to the cliff face wall of the church, and then had to inch around the ledge around the outside windows in the wind to the font. Cleaned out the font, had to find the right vial to get the water turned on. Tried my hardest not to fall in while I turned the valve for the baptismal font drain to stop. Kind of sketchy. But was able to fill up the font. Then swept and put up chairs. We returned to the MQ when Tafoya told me he couldn't  leave the MQ today because he was so sick. So we are going to miss our own baptism. Tafoya was knocked out on his bed. I listened to conference talks while it poured outside. Tafoya was out the rest of the night. He felt better in the morning and church was good the next day. Baptism went well without us. We filled out Loloma's baptismal record and then headed back to our MQ. Fed Rufus and planned for district P-day. 

     Hope you have a good week, thanks for all the pics. 

Ofa atu, Tay