Week 15 (9-14 October 2018)

😥😀 These emojis best describe for me, transfer week.
Two of our missionaries were at the conclusion of their mission and they returned home.
One of them returning to the province of Québec, Canada.  We have one québécois missionary left.  I hope we will have more come and join us.

Nine missionaries arrived to start their missions in the field. (5 elders and 1 sister in New Caledonia, 3 elders on the island of Malekula).  One of the elders going to New Caledonia is from Belgium. J’ai pensé à toi Serge quand j’ai vu son nom.  Metdepenningen.  I asked him if he spoke Flemish and he said he did not.  Then I asked him with a name like yours surely someone in your family speaks Flemish.  He said his grandparents did.  I told him about my brother who served his mission in Antwerp, Belgium.  He asked me if my brother thought it was hard to learn the language.  I told him to my knowledge it was not.  I think my brother has the gift of tongues.

We also had to say goodbye to Elder Hable who has been serving as an assistant to the mission president so he can continue to serve in New Caledonia.  He will be a fine trainer for one of our new missionaries there.  We will ever be grateful for his service in helping us adjust to our new responsibilities.  He has a special place in our hearts.  Joining Elder Lamont as an assistant is Elder Gunnell.  The more we work with these exceptional missionaries, the more I dread the time when we will have to say goodbye as they return home.

                                        Elder Gunnell

Elder Hable

                                          Elder Lamont

It is mango time and we have many mango trees on the mission home property.  😋 Yum!  The house guard, Alerd, brought us two papayas (popo) from his garden.  He also went around the mission home picking for us some mangoes and one popo that was ripe.  I have been cutting a lot of mangoes and some popo this week to freeze.  We ate  a lot and I brought some for the missionaries in the office. It feels like the Garden of Eden.

That popo had a baby 

We bought some peanuts at the market.  They taste and look a little different but I like them.  I wonder how they would taste like boiled? The southern girl in me tells me that I should try it.

I am always amazed and scared sometimes at the mode of transportation here.  I was following these two trucks at different times and I just had to take a picture.

Picking up the kids from school.  I was nervous for these little boys and praying they would make it home safely.

                                                        Going to work in the morning

These are new signs on buses and on the road, inviting people to wait for the bus at the bus stop

This weekend was district conference in Tanna.  We arrived Saturday morning and the sisters were working hard preparing decorations for the chapel.  They braided the leaves on these branches .

We stayed at this resort called Evergreen.  It was quite nice!  Simple and peaceful. Tanna is such a beautiful island.  You have to go to a resort to find a restaurant.  People live from their gardens and farms. I was speaking with a man with a security shirt on.  He told me by December they will have built 3 more buildings.
We could see a few areas that were barely finished like the pools.

                                         Very peaceful and relaxing.

The main attraction here on the island is an  active volcano.  Benoit was hoping that we could go Saturday evening to visit but the tour bus is full.  I was relieved.  I know it’s the opportunity of a life time.  But I still need some time to get use to the idea of approaching an active volcano.  There is not an adventurous bone in my body. 😩
The little receptionist gave us a quick tour and a few explanations then when she took us to our bungalow she told us she was a member of the Church and that she would be at the district conference the next day.  The Church is growing here in Tanna.  The district president is so dedicated.  He has a great love of the gospel, his people and his island.  He told us the first time we met him that the desire of his heart is that all the people in Tanna will hear and accept the gospel.  He told Benoit this time around that he has started training the return missionaries to become leaders.  We feel that they will be made a stake before we leave to go back home.  I especially like to think that one day a temple will be announced

in Tanna.
It was a great district conference.  The people are so nice. The members are so dedicated.  They love the Lord and His gospel.

These sweeties were waiting to give us laies of flowers.

1,011 members were in attendance

Going back home

The district president's wife prepared this lunch for us.  She also worked hard with other sisters decorating the pavilion for the conference.  Other members were in the chapel next door and some were outside looking through windows and next to the pavilion.  The conference was broadcasted in the chapel.

Training the sisters in the chapel after the conference.  The district relief society president, young women president and primary president each had a 15 minute training and I was the concluding speaker while Benoit was doing the same thing with the priesthood brethren.
So far they are the best organized district. It is exciting to witness.

                                           Alé tata. Lukum yu.  Allez, au revoir, à la prochaine.
                                           Goodbye.  See you later.