This week:
- We had a little companion swithcheroo with two soeurs in Paea- I went and stayed over there for three days, and one of the soeurs came here with Soeur C. It was lovely. I got to go back to biking for a little - man, I forgot how good it feels to bike during the day! Even in a skirt, even in the rain! It was so nice to sing and look around and exercise. And the area reminded me of my first area in Papenoo- so, so calm and quiet. I loved it. It was like a little vacation. Except no relaxing. I had a really great lesson over there where I felt like I was actually speaking by the Spirit. We were teaching a lady and her brother, just sitting around a little table outside in the dark with a little light from their garage. And I felt myself just speaking right from my heart - we talked to them about changing and weaknesses and strengths and the power of the Atonement. At the end of our conversation, the lady said she felt hope. Yes. That is the message of the gospel. That is exactly what someone hearing the gospel ought to feel.
- I had a big realization this week in my personal study about humility. I always wonder about this word. What is humility, really? I think we sometimes twist it and turn it into what it's not. I noticed that in my study the counsel to "humble yourself" popped up over and over and over - it just kept jumping from the page no matter where I turned. So I decided I better figure out what that means. I looked it up in the bible dictionary and was directed to Mosiah, chapter 4, verses 9-12, and it was like a light switched on. Verse 9 is the favorite verse of Miss Japan, Courtney Elise King, so I've always loved it, too. When I read verse 9 in the pursuit of understanding "humility," it took on a whole new sense. So try that. Read the explanation in the bible dictionary, then read verse 9. Maybe you will feel the same thing I did.
- This picture is of a delicious meal we made today! Everything you see on the table was prepared by our own sweet li'l hands. And it took 4 people 3 hours to prepare. I realized why eating is such a big deal to Tahitians - it's because preparing real Tahitian food takes actual labor and sweat. Like literally. We were so sweaty. Isn't their little garden beautiful? The girl on the left is Soeur C, the girl on the right is C, a less-active member that we visit to help her and her husband get on the path to Temple marriage.
- We had an awesome conversation with an investigator this week! His name is AC, a 22 year old guy who works on his family's egg farm. They are Chinese, and although they are Catholic, they still practice a lot of the ancient Chinese traditions. Last week they had a holiday where they take food and money to the sites of their ancestors graves. He was talking to us all about this ancestor stuff,and I was kind of thinking, man, this is way different from our religion, this is all ancient Chinese-y... how can we relate our message to him? Then I realized, Duh! We are all about ancestors in our religion! Its totally similar! We build huge beautiful Temples all over the world so we can perform saving ordinances for the dead! So we pulled out pictures of the Temple and the baptismal font inside and taught him about genealogy and Temple work. He thought it was super interesting, and we offered him a Book of Mormon, which he told us he would start to read. There is always a connection. I learned that in my college religious poetry class- pretty much everyone knows something about spirituality and truth. And we can always find a connection, even if our beliefs are different.
Jesus Christ is truly the Savior and our Example. I believe Him. I believe everything the prophets and scriptures teach about Him. I have felt His love, and I know that because of Him, we can all have eternal life. I love the Lord.
Life is beautiful!
All my love,
Soeur Mann
P.S. Amelia - YES! Ha ha, yes! You are living it! You are living the missionary dream! I love you! Are there still the scratchy tan blankets and the silky blue ones? I miss those guys. The ladder is on the side of the bunk, you just have to detach it and move it to where you jump up. Give your comp a hug for me!
P.P.S. Court - You are going to have a truly beautiful experience this week. I will be praying for you, too. Know that your best friend loves the Temple. It really is a little piece of heaven on earth. Above all, allow yourself to just feel Heavenly Father's love for you. You are His daughter, and it is His house. You will feel it.
Happy week!
