Week 20 (12-18 November 2018)

Writing this blog is helping me sort out the days and the weeks and seeing the hand of the Lord in this great work.  We started the week arriving in Santo for zone conference.  I enjoyed spending some time Monday with the sisters for a special training.  We are discussing President Nelson’s prophetic plea to the sisters of the Church.  I am so excited by the wonderful experiences and understanding they have received as they applied his teachings.  Since we are not a media mission, these sisters have decided to apply the fast to listening to music.  They made a concentrated effort to listening less music and closely following the directions on Music in the missionary handbook.  They reported feeling the Spirit more and receiving His help in their missionary work.  They could help the people they are teaching much more.  They have felt more unified as they have helped each other with their goal.
Tuesday was zone conference and we love feeling the Spirit together as we discuss and learn.  At the end of each zone conference we ask “What now?”  And we put it on the board.  We ask what they have learned, what the Spirit told them to improve on from what was discussed and shared.  We always hope they will recognize the Spirit teaching them from one another’s comments.  We were really happy to have some missionaries sharing how they were touched by other missionaries comments.  One said that he had heard the principle many times, that we teach people not just lessons, but today he can say that he has finally learned it.  That is what we are hoping for as we hold zone conferences.  We pray they will take what they have learned and apply it.
Wednesday we were supposed to go back to Port Vila but our flight was cancelled and we were reassigned to take it Friday evening at 10:00 pm arriving in Port Vila at 11:30 pm.  The problem is that we need to be in New Caledonia for zone conference and we have a flight scheduled at 6:45 pm Friday from Port Vila.  We got the news of the cancellation as we were on our way to the airport.  I even checked the flight status before leaving and it was still on.  Note to self:  bring more clothes than just what I think we will need. 🤪

So we did what we had to do and that was get a taxi, air taxi that is.
Thursday morning we got on this small plane (4 seats and since one seat had some luggage on it papa/grand-papa sat next to the pilot up front).  I am so thankful for Heavenly fathers' blessings.  He takes away my fears.  I am just amazed that I feel so calm.  I just know He is watching over us so we can do His work.
It is quite expensive to fly that way.  206,000 VUV or $2060.00 USD😱.  It was that or skip New Caledonia Zone Conference.  It is also Stake Conference that weekend there.  It is very tricky to plan for these Zone Conferences.  In December, Elder Nattress, second counselor in the area presidency is coming for a visit.  He will only come to see the missionaries in Efate and the ones in New Caledonia.  One day each.  That will take 4 days to accomplish if all goes well with the flights.  We still have to fit the four zone conferences in December. They will be special Christmas zone conferences. It will all work out.
Vendredi on a parlé avec Melanie, Coralie et Dylan. Nous nous sentions en paix après notre conversation.  On sait que Père céleste va guider les parents pour prodiguer les soins que Coralie a besoin. On vous aime nos chéris!
So we were able to attend zone and stake conferences in New Caledonia.  It was a spiritual feast
I did receive some answers to my prayers as I was listening to the different talks on Sunday. 
The Stake president's wife was speaking about taking care of the spiritual needs of the family and I applied her words to taking care of the spiritual needs of our missionaries that is a main concern for me right now.  I am finding a lot of guidance in my study of the Book of Mormon.  The Spirit really blesses us to receive direction as we apply the teachings of this great book of scripture.  I love the Book of Mormon.  It contains the word of God.  He gave us this book to help all of us now.
The Stake President spoke of where do we want to go and what do we truly want.  He suggested to put the destination that we want in the spiritual GPS in our heart.  With this desire in our heart we will want to be obedient, diligent, charitable and the Spirit will guide us to our destination.
He said also that we have already made the decision to follow Christ when we were baptized so let us be faithful to that decision. 

We also ate some lychees as a bonus after the Sunday session and the following interviews with the sister missionaries. Mmmmm

This tree and this fruit is called "soeurette"  It is right outside the office in New Caledonia.  You can make jam with it.  I hope the sister that works at the office gets a chance to make some and I can taste it. :)

We enjoy being with the members in New Caledonia.  We had dinner with a couple, the Vergoz, Saturday night.  We went to "La creperie Bretonne"  It has been a long time since we ate at this kind of restaurant.  It was delicious and in very good company.  He is a member of the Stake high council and she is the Stake Primary President.  He also works as a police officer, gendarme, and was very helpful to guide us for the safety of our missionaries before, during and after the referendum. The senior couple, the Hunters, were also with us.

Tomorrow, we are going back to Port Vila after the remaining interviews with the Elders and my special training meeting with the sister missionaries.
It is quite an experience to serve as mission president and wife.  Sometimes we wonder if we will be able to keep up that pace for three years ( we think that way especially at night)  Then we wake up the next morning and we are ready to go some more.  We love the missionaries and we want to give them our very best.  We pray all will be willing to receive.
Allez, tata.  Yufala gat wan gudfala wik! Have a great week.  Bonne semaine.