Week 1 July 1-8, 2018

What a week!
We touched the ground running and it was absolutely great.

Sunday July 1st 2018 we met the members of our ward and shared our testimony.  Then off to the mission office to meet the office elders and go over the transition with President and Sister Granger.

Monday we spent the day at the mission office conducting the first office meeting and counseling with the elders and assistants.  I took a break and went with the mission nurse to discover the mama's market and the Au Bon Marché supermarket.  We joined the senior missionary couples after dinner for a family home evening with them.  They are great.

Tuesday we met the missionaries from the Efate zone, in Vanuatu.  While Benoit interviewed all 32 missionaries one at a time, I sat outside the office and visited with their companion.  That was a treat!  
Wednesday we woke up at 3:00 am and left for the airport at 4:00 am en route for New Caledonia where we met the 2 zones of missionaries ( a total of 34 missionaries ).  Same scenario of Benoit interviewing and me visiting with each of them.  And we did it all in French there.  We also met some members who told us they were anxiously waiting for us to arrive.  We are the first French speaking mission president and wife in a long time.  The stake president took us to have dinner in this nice restaurant at the top of a tower.  Too bad it was already dark outside.  We could still appreciate part of the view.  We had steak and frites, a very french dish.

At the end of the meal, it was time to head off to the hotel where we crashed, sure that we could sleep for 24 hours.😌  But miraculously, on Thursday, we left the hotel at 7:45 am renewed and ready to tackle the new day.  We had some apple patisseries for breakfast ( I love French food) with a lychee beverage (very good) Benoit had  exit interviews with a senor couple finishing their mission and a young sister missionary also finishing her mission.  We loved New Caledonia.  It felt like coming back to France.  I know where we will spend our few days of vacation throughout our three year stay.  Then off to the airport to come back home in Port Vila, Vanuatu.  This mission home is huge. It's a long walk every time I forget something in our room.  We were used to our cozy little apartment in Utah.  And the view from the back patio is breathtaking.

Friday we left for the airport again, this time a domestic flight  to Santo , a bigger island of Vanuatu.  

There we met with 29 missionaries and after had the interviews/visits with each of them.  Before we took the flight back home we also met with the leadership in Santo (district president, branch presidents etc.)  Some of them speak French, but most of them speak Bislama and a little English.
For the domestic flights it is quite interesting.  There is no security check.  After you check-in for the flight, you go pay a tax of 200 Vatu each (about US $2). So for the two of us and two-way flights it came to 800 Vatu in taxes.  If you do not pay attention you can miss the boarding because they have no speakers to announce the flight and no screen at the gate.  The gate is basically a door leading to the tarmack.

Saturday was our preparation day.  A day to relax, do our shopping and explore the island of Efate.
See the pictures for that day.

Cemetary

   

Sunday, today, we were asked to speak at Sacrament Meeting on the Book of Mormon.  I gave my first talk in Bislama.  It was very short as 5 young ladies from BYU Hawaii who just came in the ward at the same time we did were speaking also.  We actually met them at the airport in Fiji and flew on the same flight to Vanuatu.  Then I spoke and Benoit then the stake president.  The members were grateful that I gave my talk in Bislama.  In reality, I read from the Book of Mormon in Bislama and included very short comments in between.  I was happy to do it and I can't wait to be able to communicate in that language and understand them completely.

2 Nifae 31:20

" From samting ia, yufala I mas wokbaot fored wetem strong bilif long Kraes, wetem wan stret mo klin hop, mo wan lav blong God mo blong evri man.  From samting ia, sapos yufala I gohed strong, kakae gud long toktok blong Kraes, mo stap strong kasem en, luk, olsem ia nao Papa I talem: Bae yufala I kasem laef we I no save finis."

Mi save se hemia tru.

 I also drove the car for the first time today.  It is quieter on Sunday on the roads.  You will see in the pictures all the mini vans ( buses here in Vanuatu).  There are no trafic lights, very few stop signs, just a lot of round about with these buses coming from everywhere.  If you are engaged in the round about, you have priority.  It’s getting in the round about that is scary.  But the people are very friendly, even on the roads.

I am sorry I cannot put a lot of pictures on this blog.  It is very slow downloading them.  It took close to 2 hours for these.

Mifala i lavem ol yufala tumas!
We love all of you very much!