Week 21 (19-25 Novembre 2018)

What a week!  Some spiritual growth was necessary for me so you can guess that we faced some challenges.  And it also was Thanksgiving week.  Good timing!  It helped me to concentrate on what I was thankful for.  I can honestly say I am thankful for all the challenges we had this week and what I have learned from it.  If I keep it up, I should be a better person when we return home.😁

We came back from New Caledonia on Monday.  Before we took the plane papa/grand-papa had some interviews with the New Caledonia elders while I was meeting with the sisters for a special training.  We did that for the other two zones where we have sisters.  We discussed President Nelson’s message to the women. 

Tuesday, I met with the 4 sisters from New Caledonia who are going home so we could have the special training they had missed. We also met with all the missionaries going back home, including the mission nurse. A total of 12 missionaries.  

 Since I did not have time to cook for them, we went out for dinner and had dessert at the mission home with a testimony meeting.

 I came up with a paper for them to fill out as they are waiting to meet with the mission president in the morning.  I took their picture to put on it and asked them to write what they have learned on their mission that they want to continue doing. What Now?  And also write their testimony.  I made it in 3 languages and they choose which one they prefer.  I made a copy for myself to keep and gave them the original.  I am just sorry I did not think about that sooner. 

Tuesday was pretty busy and on top of that the water was shut off.  It came back on Thursday evening.  So you do not feel too bad for us, we had a trickle, no pressure because there is an emergency tank on the ground but no hot water. We took a trickle shower Tuesday and Wednesday night.  Yes, that was one part of my growing  (more patient).  We were told the bill was not paid.  The office said we did, the water company said we didn’t.  Anyway, the FM group went to pay the bill and we got our water back.  We will let them figure it out.  Another tender mercy of the Lord on that day is that we got the package Audrée sent us with drawings, sweet notes and a poem from Halle, Bella and Jaden.  Merci beaucoup mes amours.  I put them all on the refrigerator and the missionaries who came made very nice comments on all of them.  The assistants were touched by Halle’s poem.

Wednesday we found ourselves at the airport a little earlier than expected (6:30am) because one sister leaving had a visa issue (a mistake from the government visa office 6 months ago).  Once that was settled we came back home for a quick breakfast and back to the airport to greet 3 of our new missionaries.  We went back in the afternoon to greet the other 6 missionaries.  Before we left I received a call from a panicked sister who wanted me to quickly come to their apartment because one of the new sisters who should have been taking a nap because of the jet lag, had gone working and was now exhausted and throwing up.  I gave her some counsels and reminded her again that today was a day of rest for the missionaries arriving.  I saw our nurse who was leaving at the airport after that incident and told her she was not yet gone and I was already missing her very much. 😊 So our 6 missionaries step out of the plane and we see the mission nurse coming back from customs, it seems that there is a mistake for her visa also.  She finally made it to the plane and five minutes later we got everything squared out with customs.  Pfff.  All is well.  

Alerd, the house guard, helped by picking some mangoes.  We brought some to the mission office and we have a lot on the kitchen counter waiting to ripen.

Thursday we had a great orientation with the new missionaries and a nice meal at the mission home.  There was a dead tree in front of the mission home that was finally cut down.  It looked like the workers were cutting through a cake.  I am relieved because cyclone season is starting and we have heavy rain and winds and I did not want that tree to be speared though the front door. 

Friday I could finally do the laundry because we have water! Yeah!  I also got the Christmas decorations out and started putting them up. 

They have finished replacing the roof!!! Now

it will be clean up time, hopefully this year. 😊

Saturday we had a Thanksgiving lunch with our senior couples that remain.  

One of them is leaving December 19^th.  It was also Stake Conference in Port Vila.  We attended the adult session at 3:00 pm. 

Sunday, Stake Conference, I gave my testimony in Bislama and papa/grand-papa gave a short but very good talk. Now I am relaxing, writing the blog.  All through this week, what I failed to mention is that we are dealing with disobedience issues.  Some small and one not so small. It makes our heart ache to see some missionaries make very silly then harmful decisions.  We both have been discussing together how we can help them.  During our discussion, I started to understand what I could do.  The more I think about it, the more I know the Lord has a solution and a plan.  I am feeling very excited about it and will let you know in the future how it helped.

I came across this quote from Neal A. Maxwell that helped me this week.

When in situations of stress,

we wonder if there is any more in us to give,

we can be comforted to know that God,

who knows our capabilities perfectly,

Placed us here to succeed.

No one was foreordained to fail

Or to be wicked.

When we have been weighed and found wanting,

Let us remember that we were measured before

And were found equal to our tasks;

Therefore, let us continue

But with a more determined discipleship.

Mifala lavem yu tumas!