2019 Week 45 (4-10 novembre)





We came back to Port Vila last Sunday and Monday morning I saw the "Au Bon Marche" store where we do our grocery shopping, all decked for Christmas already.  😲 Wow.  We do not hear Christmas music yet but I have to admit it got me excited.  I am counting the days when I will put up the Christmas tree and decorations in the mission home (16 days)😁.  We will be at the mission home only 12 days here and there in December before Christmas but I still want to decorate for our second Christmas in Vanuatu.


 Look at these cool trucks and cars and huge balloons.  I do not know where the kids here could ride the cars.  The roads are full of pot holes.  I am sure Calvin would enjoy himself with this digger here.


We started the week with a zone conference in Efate, which mean we stayed home all week. It was great as always.  We also said goodbye to Elder Hoose who finished his mission.  He worked with us at the beginning of our mission with travels and he was a wonderful blessing to us.  He is ready for what comes next.





The senior sisters are heaven sent to help with the meals.  Sister Carlson (on the right) is the master mind of the operation.  What a blessing they all are!!! 



A lot of you saw snow this week.  The rainy season has started here and so we started seeing gorgeous rainbows!  I wish we had a camera that would capture the brilliance of the rainbows like we see them.  Amazing!








The missionaries working in the Mele area of Efate will be moving to this brand new apartment.
We will keep a close eye on how they keep it.  It better be spotless. 😎





 This is the view they will have.  I think a lot a missionary from now on will be wanting to work in Mele.😄


This weekend was the Port Vila Stake Conference.  The Stake President, President Basil, speaks French.  He is wearing a beard because his father passed away in September.  The custom here when a loved one passes away is that the men do not shave for a year.  So the cultural center was rented again for Sunday and the conference was well attended.  As we sat down on the stage in the front with the leaders, the counselor in the Stake Presidency leaned over to grand-papa to ask if we could share our testimony.  We thought it might be a possibility and I tried to prepare a few words in Bislama the days before.  I always have to write what I am going to say in Bislama.  But nothing came to me so I figured I would not have to speak just grand-papa.  I was wrong.  So while the talks were being given, I prayed for help and tried to put together a few things I could say.  It was a great experience.  I was testifying that the Holy Ghost always helps me, every day, and that it was exactly what He was doing right now.  My mouth was opened.  The words flowed easily.  It was short and I am so thankful that I could tell the members how wonderful the Holy Ghost is in their language with His help.

It was a very good week and an opportunity to study and learn the important teachings we received during General Conference last month.  I would not have any trouble filling this blog with what has filled my heart and that I want to share with our loved ones.  I will share only one thought from Elder Budge's talk.  He used the Jaredites' experience to explain some principles:" The Jaredites,' when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water...they got aboard...commending themselves unto the Lord their God' Ether 6:4 To commend means to entrust or to surrender.  They got aboard because they had learned to trust in the Lord's power, goodness, and mercy, and they were therefore willing to surrender themselves and any doubts or fears they may have had to the Lord."
We can relate to this.  He added: " As we commend ourselves unto the Lord and consistently and resiliently trust in Jesus Christ and His divine purposes in our lives, He will visit us with assurances, speak peace to our souls, and cause us to " hope for our deliverance in Him." ( Alma 58:11)

We pray our children and grandchildren are paying attention to this testimony that we are sharing now.  We know these words are sure and true.  We pray you will trust in our experiences until you experience it on your own and know for yourself as strongly as we know.

Mifala lavem yufala so very much.


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