Week 85 in Vava'u

This week was great. On monday we got to call home for mothers day. So that was awesome. Really nice to talk to everybody and joke around. Easily the highlight of the week. ​

Lots of walking and talking.

On wednesday we watched a bunch of kids get into a fight on the road. Entertaining. Also helped our stake president build his rockwall. 

On saturday I woke up to our next door neighbor lighting fires in a literal circle around our house to get rid of our trash.... what the heck. Very smoky. Excited for fresh air soon.

Also on saturday, our next door neighbor went crazy and started telling everyone that he was Sihova (Jehovah). Very interesting. He tried to preach to us but he would continually interrupt himself.

We got up at four this morning to go climb a tall mountain and got cool pictures of all of Vava'u. Here is the worlds first sunrise.

 I'll send more pictures next week

ofa atu kiamoutolu!

Taylor

Week 84 in Vava'u

Pretty good week this week. Highlights: 

Tuesday: My comp and I were both finally feeling well and so I finally got to see more of my new area. It is awesome. Huge area, and really cool views. That night I met one of our new members, who is from Hihifo in Ha'apai (my last area). So that was awesome. Got to talk about all my favorite people over there with her. 

Wednesday: We had zone conference with the mission Presidency, and it was great to see so many old missionary friends that I haven't seen in forever since I was in ha'apai. Prez is the coolest too. I love that guy. Want to be like him someday. He's such a great example for all of us. President Fetani (one of presidents counselors) did something about us being proud of representing our countries and had everyone sing their national anthem. New Zealand did the Haka instead. After the meeting Vele'ika had the district leaders give a fakamalo after our food, and so Ieni got up, and he gave his fakamalo in mandarin... haha he threw in little tongan words here and there though and it made it pretty funny. "chinese.... ongo AP.... chinese.... eva noa ia" hahaha we were all dying when he said that. That night we set up two new appointments and got four new investigators, so that was sweet. 

Thursday: Met a woman who is family with Sione Kauvaka, my old ward mission leader from Ohonua so that was cool.

Friday: Watched a pig run in front of a truck and get destroyed. Also, we did a companion exchange and so I went to Tefisi, they had HOT WATER!!! So that was awesome. I took my first hot shower in over seven months. Felt soo good. 

Saturday: Traveled all around Tefisi and talked to a lot of cool people. Tefisi is freaking beautiful. Cool sights. 

Sunday: Mothers day, Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there! Church was good, Fafanga was even better... Our fafanga prepared a massive kaibola for us (feast). And I'm not exaggerating at all, they prepared two full tables of food for the two of us to eat... homemade pizzas, mashed potatoes and ground beef and cheese and crab salad and clamshells and so many other good things. Ice cream and american chocolate cake afterwards. Delicious. I haven't eaten that well in ages. Later that night, we had to go and help the Tefisi boys get a ride, so we rode in the back of Muhus uta truck up there, no hands mom. I love riding in the back of those trucks. I had to use the bathroom while truck bed surfing, and looked at the situation as a challenge to be conquered, and I'll tell you, it wasnt easy to do on those bumpy roads going 50+, but I was succesfull. Good times.

Great week. Hope everyone back there had a great week too. 

ofa atu kiamoutolu katoa! ofa pe ke mou ma'u ha sapate fa'e lelei! Kai ke mate, oua fo'i!​

Taylor

Some more pics of our Zone Conference

Week 83 in Vava'u

Hey Guys,

This weeks been rough. I got off the plane on Tuesday and it was raining really hard, also the other two elders in the mq below us were staying with us for some reason while they waited to move to their new area. Then, my companion got super sick and was bed ridden for the remainder of the week. I've left the house twice for a combined total of maybe 2 hours, including church... 

Its been very boring, and makes me miss Hihifo in Ha'apai a ton. I'm just hoping I don't get sick now cuz I have a migraine right now... not fun. 

Hopefully good things to come soon. This week I've literally just studied, and I figured out how to solve the rubix cube in four new ways. I just cant wait to finally move into the place after it gets cleaned up and I can feel somewhat more at home. I've gotta go, it hurts my head to look at the screen, sorry I dont have more for you this week. Hopefully more next week. 

I hope your week went well! 

Ofa atu kiamoutolu, Taylor

Week 82 in Ha'apai and heading to Vava'u

Hey guys, This week has been great. 

GHighlights: 

Tuesday: Sickkkk. No guda. 

Wednesday: Still sick. I found out why everyone was laughing so hard during our ward council meeting though...

One of our less actives is pretty much universally called Tevita Pupu by the people in this town... but apparently (unkown to me) thats just his nickname. His real name is Tevita Tuifua. But anyway... 

I referred to him as Tevita Puupuu during the meeting, and everyone erupted in laughter. Siale told me on wednesday why: Puu is a really crude way of saying uncircumcised, or calling someone a little child since no one goes under the knife until they're older here. Pretty sure its a curse word. but, when its said together twice like Puupuu, it becomes another curse word that basically means someone is incredibly tiny in that general area... Sooo.... What I actually said is "tic tac dic* Tevita"... Hahaha oops. 

Tongans are very harsh with their nicknames...

Friday: Was overcome with Gratitude for how great my life and family and friends all are. So grateful. I'm a lucky guy. Finally got to listen to the Saturday morning session of conference too, good stuff. Lots of good teachings. Taught an albino man. Cool dude. 

Saturday: Made Pasta again! good stuff. 

Sunday: Transfers, I'm going to VAVA'U! Plane leaves tomorrow. New island ki ai! Gonna be fun. 

It also was really hard saying goodbye to the people here. I'm going to miss them all a lot. Gotten pretty close with em all. Great people. 

All in all, Great week! Hope all of you guys are doing great! 

Ofa atu kiamoutolu, Tay

Week 80 & 81 in Ha'apai

Good couple weeks: 

Quick rundown: 

Two weeks ago: Had a family home evening where the lady gave a 12 minute prayer..... I'm not even kidding, the Dad of the household and the investigator both fell asleep during the prayer... I kept looking up and looking around because I couldnt believe it. I think she asked for blessings for everyone in the town... I specifically remember her even talking about the inmates at the local prison. That was interesting. 

One of our investigators is a straight angel from heaven. Awesome!

On sunday one of our member kids just walked into our mq unannounced, and set our dinner on the table (it was 10 am), opened and took a drink out of our fridge and left, all without saying anything haha. Tonga. 

Easter Weekend was awesome. Three feasts were had. Lots of delicious awesome food. Good stuff. We ate with the area seventy also so that was cool. 

This week:

On monday, we were told that one of our members sons was in the hospital after trying to commit suicide... that was sad, we went straight to our bishop and informed him though, and then the three of us went to the hospital. The family asked us to give him a blessing while he was still in critical condition. It was the hardest blessing I've ever given in my entire life, and will probably hold that place until I die. Not because I was speaking or because of the situation or anything like that though. His bed was against two walls, and his head was in the corner while he laid down. Pisope stood right next to him, then my comp, and then me.. so in order to get my hands onto his head, I was leaning super far over his bed, balancing on one foot like a ballerina and stretching all the way out with my chest parallel to the floor. Try doing that for a three minute blessing.... my body was shaking tremendously and my side killed afterwards haha. But it was all worth it. Right after the blessing, the kid sat up in his bed, and immediately demanded some milk. All was well.   

ALSOOOO WE ATE PASTA FOR FAFANGA!!! Fafanga wasnt lava so we went to the store and found american pasta sauce. Del Monte, the good stuff. So we bought it not knowing how to cook it cuz how could we pass that up, and some noodles. Thirty minutes of trying to figure out how to heat it up with only a teapot... but it worked, and we had the best pasta meal that I've had in nearly two years. It was sooooooo good. We ate a pound of pasta in under four minutes. Good stuff.

Ate octopus again at one of our fafangas. Delicous stuff. 

Found out one of my old investigator families is getting baptized soon. Good stuff. 

Oh, and yesterday I found myself wondering whether or not Creed from the office was ever mentioned traveling to Tonga.  Because, I've recently started buying onions to un-bland the food we eat in our mq. When theres nothing much to eat, onion makes the crackers better believe it or not. And so yesterday our knives were missing, and so I'd take a bite out of the onion, and then the crackers..... and it reminded me of the office episode where they bet whether or not Creed will notice the difference between an apple and an onion or a potato. Cuz I can now say I've done that. Little bites of course. 

Anyway good weeks. 

Ofa atu kiamoutolu, Elder DeSpain

Week 79 in Ha'apai

This past week was pretty good as usual. Not much new though. 

On Tuesday we got round 2 of mashed potatoes. That was absolutely delicious and this time I went another three plates full of em. So good. I miss american food. Can't wait to eat breakfast again. 

We didnt have many teachings in the beginning of the week, but towards the end we got some good onesWeee. We're preparing a girl named Mele for baptism, and her teachings have been going well. 

On thursday Siale and I found ourselves discussing old tv shows, focusing on the Power Rangers. Brought back that memory when I was four or five in mexico, and I think Whitney was visiting, we drove past the outdoor playset park with all the wood chips and then stopped at a movie rental store and I got the power rangers movie of the time. Went down the stairs to my room in the basement and turned it on in the old vcr tv that sat on the dresser. Good times, good memory. I remember that time specifically because I was drinking red cool aid on the bed while watching and I spilt it all over, so I took precautionary measures in hiding the spill from mom. Anyway that was a nice memory to have. a little throwback. 

Friday we taught a girl named Alisi about the restoration of the gospel. It was a great lesson. She loved learning about the apostasy because she had always wondered why there were so many different churches and sets of differing christian beliefs, when the original church that Christ established through his apostles taught one set doctrine. Good lesson.

Friday night, we were able to teach Naki and Taufa about the gospel and the atonement and so on. It was a great lesson. One of those lessons where they start out wanting to argue things and not really wanting to listen, but then you're able to get away from that and by the end of the lesson you can see the light and understanding shining from their eyes, it's awesome. Such a great great great feeling. Truth has a way of testifying of itself. It was just really cool to see the change in the entire way that they held themselves and from wanting to debate to wanting to listen and learn. At the end of the lesson, Taufa asked us "when are we going to speak again?" and added "I want to know more about your church." That, is one of the best feelings in the world. 

I love teaching, especially when the spirit can testify to these people of truth and you can see the understanding and desire in their eyes. It is the most fulfilling work I have ever been a part of. I'm going to miss teaching when I get released back home. 

General Conference was also this past week here in Tonga. So that was awesome. Conference is like Christmas for us out here. Always great to listen to the living Apostles and Prophet.

Okay, and now one of the coolest parts of the week.... Before we left home on Friday after studies, Siale was shuffling cards, and so I said "wait let me pull out some cards from the top of the deck" (just wanting to do it noa ia and see what I get, nothing really in mind) and then I pulled out the cards, which read of the exact time of day to the minute (straight coincidence). and I told Siale "look at the time." we were both blown away, but then I tried to play it off as if I did it like a magic trick. He didnt believe me though.  But Siale has been trying to figure out "how I did it" ever since. Pretty funny. 

Good week. 

Ofa atu kiamoutolu taki taha, Taylor

Week 77 & 78 in Ha'apai

Hey everybody, 

The past couple of weeks have been good. Slower than usual so theres not a whole lot to say, but its still been pretty good. Mostly me and my new comp have just been getting to know each other more and more and having tons of great conversations and good laughs. Its been really fun. 

Gardiner and Grant flew to Vava'u two weeks ago, so we've been missing them.  Last saturday, we went to a stake service project and helped to build a new church at the prison for Ha'apai. There were sooo many members there though and not enough tools, and Tongans, being how they are, wouldn't let any of us work. So we just watched a church get built and then afterwards the prison warden and people invited us to attend a big feast. That was fun. 

On monday, we had a family home evening with a new family in our area. They invited one of me and Grants old investigators to be taught (Tonga, who we prepared to be baptized but then his dad stopped it), so I led the family home evening focusing on the family and him, but then Tevita and Siale kinda honed in on Tonga and said a bunch of stuff and made promises about what he can gain from listening to the missionaries and so on. It was really awkward because he and I were the only ones that knew he had already been taught everything, and so yeah, it was awkward. When I finally had a chance to speak I said that and their faces went embarrassed as. Haha. Yeah... 

We go and pet our pet horse Shilo everyday near Mele Vaivelas house. 

We've started doing our studies in the AC in pisopes office at the church instead of in our mq because its sooo freaking hot. Thats nice. 

Got interviewed by President on thursday, and that was great. I love Prez. He told me a bunch of really cool stuff and it was just awesome. Then on Friday we had our zone conference with all of them. It was cool to go to the wharf and hangout with the APs too. It was nice to catch up with Pakalani and Soakai. The meeting was great. They did a funny activity where they had us all form a tunnel and hold a string in between us, representing mists and darkness or whatever (tree of life comparison), then they had the zones blindfolded and the APs were supposed to guide them through the path so that they didnt hit the string. But the funny thing was that once they got blindfolded we took away the string and so Paka and Soakai were just getting them to do a whole bunch of funny dumb stuff for no reason until they made it to the tree of life. It was hilarious. The rest of the meeting was great too. Makes me want to be more like President he's the best. Sister Tui'one is the best too. I'm so grateful for the both of them. Such great people and such great examples. 

Also, perhaps the happiest and most awesome moment of the past two weeks: we showed up to fafanga at the new member family's house, and they had mashed potatoes prepared...... I haven't eaten those since I left. It was heaven. I ate three whole plates full of only mashed potatoes. It was sooo good, delicious. Man I miss american food so much. It was awesome. 

Finished the book of mormon another time, started again. 

Yesterday we went to a priesthood leadership meeting, and it was hilarious. I wish I could elaborate but you just had to be there. Siale and I were replaying it over and over again last night in the mq and couldnt stop laughing. Really funny stuff. Good couple weeks. The works a little slow. But we're still making the best of it. 

Hope you guys are all doing well. 

Ofa Atu, Tay