Week 7 13-19 August 2018
Olsem wanem evriwan?
How is everyone?
Have you been busy? We sure have! We flew back from New Caledonia Monday night. I received a new car last week. I will have to take a picture. We left it bright and shining at the airport. It was absolutely filthy when we came back. It is so dusty. The parking lot is a dirt road. Someone had even written “saleté” meaning “ dirty” on the back window. Since we were leaving it again Friday for 4 more days while we are in Santo, it did not make sense to wash it before we left. I did remove the word dirty from the window. I am afraid I am not a good example for the missionaries, as far as keeping the car clean 😝.
Tuesday and Wednesday we had zone conference and interviews for the zones of Efate and Tanna in Port Vila. I enjoy zone conference so much. I love feeling the spirit as we discuss, share and teach one another. It’s the best. We love the missionaries! We rejoice in their successes and we are sorrowful at their challenges and yes sometimes their disobedience, just as we would for our own children. For lunch we went to a sea front restaurant with very good pizza. It was really nice to the eyes and stomach.
I was speaking with a sister training leader in Luganville, Santo,Friday, while Benoit was interviewing her companion. She was telling me that when she leaves in March 2019, 9 other sisters are leaving at the same time. Then in September of 2019, 14 elders are leaving including our present assistants. I got all choked up. It will be so hard to say goodbye when the time comes. I just don’t want to think about it.
We have been in Santo since Friday and we are returning to Port Vila Tuesday. Monday, we will have zone conference the last of this series. We have already started to plan the next series last Thursday and Benoit worked also on the next transfers in two weeks. We will have 6 missionaries returning home and 14 new missionaries coming in!
Saturday we spend the day on very bumpy roads touring the island to visit the members of the island of Ambae who have been relocated to the island of Santo because of the ashes from the volcano that have destroyed their gardens, houses and polluted their water. Such courageous and sweet people. I will let the pictures I took, speak for themselves.
The branch president of Apopo branch from Ambae, giving his own money to help members eat. A food order has been made to feed the 124 families that have been relocated to Santo.
A comfortable bed for this sweet girl.
Those lovely children have an easy smile. One was just humming. I tried to record him but when he saw my phone he just stopped humming.
A member decided to name their street Bountiful (in the Banban area)
Some live in tents, some in a makeshift pavilion
The roads we had to travel to visit the Ambae saints and the land that has been cleared for them to settle in. They will live in tents for a while. we need to get two tanks of water before they go there, which should be sometime this coming week. They will also continue to clear the land as more people come and also cultivate gardens. They all had big gardens in Ambae to feed their families and sell the produce to make a living.
this tank of water is next to the missionarie's apartment in Palon, on Santo
We tasted some amazing fruits like Sack (breadfruit) and pamplemus(grapefruit). Swit mo fulap wota blo pamplemus (a sweet and juicy grapefruit) And also one of my favorites: green coconut water. All freshly picked! What a paradox to witness the result of the devastation caused by nature and the abundance it also provides all on the same day.
It is always a treat to meet the members on Sunday. We attended the Luganville branch. They have a very nice chapel.
Benoit gave great instructions. I shared my testimony in Bislama. I am slowly understanding more but I still have a lot of work to speak it. The little children are so adorable. They are eager to shake your hand and they have such beautiful smiles. They light up their faces and ours.
This is a bush chapel for the BanBan branch
One of the senior couples, the Robisons, are in Santo for auditing. We are staying at the same hotel so we have been sharing meals with them. That has been real nice. They will come to the zone conference tomorrow. Tonight, we will be eating with the Ipsons at their apartment. Their calling is with seminary and institute. So they teach youth and young single adults. We appreciate their work and help. Even though there are challenges here that we might have never encounter before, there is one constant with everyone we are serving with.
In the Book of Mormon we read: “Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.”
Mosiah 8:18
The one constant is the great love we feel in our hearts as we serve the people. We are all trying our best to be of some benefit to our fellow beings. We might not feel sometimes that we are doing much but as I read this scripture, I realize that as we try to do our best and exercise our faith we are seeing some miracles happening but we might never see the miracles. It does not mean that they are not happening. Either way, we are filled with joy and love as we serve. I think we probably are a greater benefit than we may realize. It is always a wonderful feeling to know we are an instrument in the Lord’s hands. 👍🏻
We love our experience here. And most of all we love the people we are meeting and serving!!
We send our love to all of you. Bisous à toute la famille.
How is everyone?
Have you been busy? We sure have! We flew back from New Caledonia Monday night. I received a new car last week. I will have to take a picture. We left it bright and shining at the airport. It was absolutely filthy when we came back. It is so dusty. The parking lot is a dirt road. Someone had even written “saleté” meaning “ dirty” on the back window. Since we were leaving it again Friday for 4 more days while we are in Santo, it did not make sense to wash it before we left. I did remove the word dirty from the window. I am afraid I am not a good example for the missionaries, as far as keeping the car clean 😝.
Tuesday and Wednesday we had zone conference and interviews for the zones of Efate and Tanna in Port Vila. I enjoy zone conference so much. I love feeling the spirit as we discuss, share and teach one another. It’s the best. We love the missionaries! We rejoice in their successes and we are sorrowful at their challenges and yes sometimes their disobedience, just as we would for our own children. For lunch we went to a sea front restaurant with very good pizza. It was really nice to the eyes and stomach.
I was speaking with a sister training leader in Luganville, Santo,Friday, while Benoit was interviewing her companion. She was telling me that when she leaves in March 2019, 9 other sisters are leaving at the same time. Then in September of 2019, 14 elders are leaving including our present assistants. I got all choked up. It will be so hard to say goodbye when the time comes. I just don’t want to think about it.
We have been in Santo since Friday and we are returning to Port Vila Tuesday. Monday, we will have zone conference the last of this series. We have already started to plan the next series last Thursday and Benoit worked also on the next transfers in two weeks. We will have 6 missionaries returning home and 14 new missionaries coming in!
Saturday we spend the day on very bumpy roads touring the island to visit the members of the island of Ambae who have been relocated to the island of Santo because of the ashes from the volcano that have destroyed their gardens, houses and polluted their water. Such courageous and sweet people. I will let the pictures I took, speak for themselves.
The roads we had to travel to visit the Ambae saints and the land that has been cleared for them to settle in. They will live in tents for a while. we need to get two tanks of water before they go there, which should be sometime this coming week. They will also continue to clear the land as more people come and also cultivate gardens. They all had big gardens in Ambae to feed their families and sell the produce to make a living.
We tasted some amazing fruits like Sack (breadfruit) and pamplemus(grapefruit). Swit mo fulap wota blo pamplemus (a sweet and juicy grapefruit) And also one of my favorites: green coconut water. All freshly picked! What a paradox to witness the result of the devastation caused by nature and the abundance it also provides all on the same day.
It is always a treat to meet the members on Sunday. We attended the Luganville branch. They have a very nice chapel.
This is a bush chapel for the BanBan branch
One of the senior couples, the Robisons, are in Santo for auditing. We are staying at the same hotel so we have been sharing meals with them. That has been real nice. They will come to the zone conference tomorrow. Tonight, we will be eating with the Ipsons at their apartment. Their calling is with seminary and institute. So they teach youth and young single adults. We appreciate their work and help. Even though there are challenges here that we might have never encounter before, there is one constant with everyone we are serving with.
In the Book of Mormon we read: “Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.”
Mosiah 8:18
The one constant is the great love we feel in our hearts as we serve the people. We are all trying our best to be of some benefit to our fellow beings. We might not feel sometimes that we are doing much but as I read this scripture, I realize that as we try to do our best and exercise our faith we are seeing some miracles happening but we might never see the miracles. It does not mean that they are not happening. Either way, we are filled with joy and love as we serve. I think we probably are a greater benefit than we may realize. It is always a wonderful feeling to know we are an instrument in the Lord’s hands. 👍🏻
We love our experience here. And most of all we love the people we are meeting and serving!!
We send our love to all of you. Bisous à toute la famille.
You guys look great in this picture! I am convinced you are doing a lot of good around you! Since faith precedes miracles, and you have so much faith, no question the miracles are there!
ReplyDeleteWe love you!