2019 Week 11 (9-17 March)

We came back Friday March 8th in the evening from our mission tour.

The next day we were welcoming four missionaries ( mid-transfer) who stayed longer in New Zealand to study English.  The two Elder are visa waiting in our mission.  They are both from Vanuatu and they are waiting to go to South Africa.  The one next to grand-papa has been waiting since June 2018.  I think we will request him to stay with us.  It was quite unusual because he went to the MTC in January 2019 after serving in Vanuatu for 7 months.  The two sisters are from Kiribati.  One mastered English a little better than the other one.  Luckily they arrived at the same time and one could help the other understand the orientation.  From what we have seen, the missionaries learn Bislama quite fast and loose the little bit of English they have learned.  We are excited to have them with us.

This little angel fell asleep during Relief Society last week.  He had a sucker in his mouth.  His mom took it out before I had time to take this picture.  He looks comfortable as if he was sleeping on a cloud.  

Monday we received the new table that was built just for the mission home.  I think I mentioned that the other one was broken and housing termites.  It is 1,53m x 4m (5 feet x 13 feet).  I think we will be able to seat up to 16 people.  We just need new chairs now.  And my next project is to sew a big tablecloth.

Update on the pool.  He finished installing the ceramic around the pool on Thursday.  Next step I guess is painting inside the pool.  I hope I can show you the finished product next blog.😀

Another big project that was started Tuesday.  Replacing the patio door in the dining room.  They left to go to lunch at 11:30 am and came back at 1:30pm.  I was thrilled that they left this big opening for two hours, inviting all the critters of Vanuatu to come in.  Actually, I was a little freaked out and almost emptied a can of bug spray in that room.  

  The almost finished product.  they had to come back the next day to caulk around the door.  They arrived around 10:00 am and something was wrong with the caulk.  So they left at 11:15am and did not return.  One of the senior couples serving with us in Vanuatu is a builder by trade.  I will ask him to look at the caulking job and see if he can help.

Friday I verified if the door was locked before we retired and part of the handle stayed in my hand.

and the other part fell on the ground outside.  I promise I was gentle.  Actually I barely touched it.

I better ask our builder missionary to have a look at this also.  We have decided to invite the senior couple missionaries to come for dinner tomorrow (Monday).  The agenda is not about fixing things 

but, hey, if we have time and it has not been fixed yet...😏

Thursday, Benoit went on the island of Tanna to do some temple interviews.  I stayed at the mission home to cook food for our upcoming transfer week.  He was scheduled for 16 interviews.  When he got there the district president told him it was 26 and he ended up having 54 interviews!!!

He was a little tired when he got back. 

Look how hard it was raining and the sun was out. That was yesterday.  It happens a lot here and then we have beautiful rainbows.

This is Soeur Tinomoe.  She is from Tahiti and she serves in New Caledonia.  She hurt her ankle last September.  A month later her knee was hurting and she had 10 sessions of physical therapy to help her.  The doctor told her after the sessions were over in January to be wise and not overdo it.  

Last Wednesday she went on a four hour hike with her district.  She can barely walk and now she has back pains.  She saw the doctor and she has to have 10 more sessions of physical therapy and an x ray of her hips.

She was scheduled to finish her mission in June.  Because it is a second injury and it would take more than 2 weeks to get better, she will be going home on a medical leave this coming week to get better.  😵

Never a dull moment in the mission field.

 In closing, encouraging words from Elder Uchtdorf  I read this week:

"...being mortal is synonymous with mistakes.  Mortals fall short again and again.  Mistakes are merely events on the timeline of your life.  They don't define one's life.  They don't define you as a person or as a child of God.  However, what you do about your mistakes by using the gifts given to us by Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, will go a long way in defining the person you will yet become...Your mistakes have not disqualified you from heaven's reach.  If God answered the prayers only of the perfectly obedient, He would have to shut down heaven's entire prayer-answering department."

 " Be assured, God reaches out to His children when they are struggling and failing."

Thank goodness!

Ale Tata!  Yufala gat wan gudfala wik!

Lavem yufala!