2020 Semaine 3 (13-20 janvier)

Week 3

It was a busy transfer week saying goodbye to some missionaries 😥😁

We are sad to see them leave but we are excited for the next part of their lives

We welcomed 5 missionaries that are ready to work.  I just love to feel of their excitement and trepidation for starting this wonderful experience.

 

The wonderful team that makes it all possible (the intricacies of transfer week)
Elder Ramsey holding what we affectionately call the guide to the galaxy prepared with his companion Elder Minty and our super sister Carlson.  She is the author of the organized board behind them and making all the flights arrangements.  They are our hosting elders picking up and driving around all the missionaries moving that week.Our heroes!

Saturday we left for Malekula for a district conference Sunday.  The District Presidency was reorganized.  It was an uplifting meeting.  Elder Marvin G. Ashton, who was a member of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles said once that: "A change is as good as a rest."  The previous presidency gave their all and now it will keep going forward with this new presidency.  We could feel the energy and enthusiasm of the new presidency.  We can see already that they will be a blessing to the members.  Exciting.

 Efate                                                                               Snug as two bugs in a rug.

 Malekula                                                                          Waiting for our luggage

                                            Turns out our suitcase arrived before we did.  I could see it had been opened.  Fortunately nothing was missing.

The previous district presidency put this sign on one of the offices in the district building

 Subject:  Always pray First
We invite you to pray first before you start working to do your work on your computers.

They had a little snack after the interviews.  They are sweet.

 Our room in the new bungalow that was built last year.  It was our first time staying in this one called a studio.

 The view from our room.  The new bungalow has three studios.

 A little balcony to enjoy the view and the breeze.  It is very, very, very, humid this time of year.

Visitors around the bungalow.

 The owners Edna and Paul are so very nice and talented.  They made these.

Right next to the bungalow is the cafeteria where we can eat.  Edna makes the food in the little back room and serves us our meals.

 
Pamplemousse (grapefruit) tree                                  Au revoir Malekula.  These are all coconut trees

As soon as we arrived in Port Vila, we stopped at the  mission office to welcome the two new missionaries who arrived Sunday afternoon.  They could not leave when expected because of a volcano eruption in the Philippines that cancelled all the flights.  We are very happy they could make it, but disappointed we could not meet them at the airport because we were in Malekula.  After their interview with the mission president we took them for dinner.  Tomorrow they will come at the mission home for orientation and after

they will go to their area (one staying here, the other flying to Tanna)

We plan, get everything just right, always something different that happens to change the plan and in the end it all works out.  It's pretty amazing!

My goal this year is to write in my journal every day.  So far so good.  What is amazing about that, I see the hand of the Lord in my life every day.  There is a lot of tender mercies and miracles happening.  Let me share one that happened last Friday.  We were having dinner and I get a message on Messenger from the Mission Facebook page.  I do not recognize who is writing us a message, but I often receive messages from parents whose child will be coming to serve with us.  Her message was accompanied by two pictures of a bracelet with engravings on the outside and inside.  The message was:

" Hi there.  We picked up this bracelet at Au Bon Marche Numbatu (food store) this afternoon.  I'm sure it is of value to someone."

I recognized the name of a new sister that just arrived this week on the bracelet and the inside said endowment with a date.  This sister missionary was at the airport as I am reading this message and she is on her way to New Caledonia.  I responded that yes I knew who it belonged to and thanked her for posting this.  Then I asked her how we could retrieve it.  She said that they were new to Port Vila and she did not have transportation and would it be possible for us to collect it? Then she said she lived in Elluk. 

 We live on Elluk road.  But I am not sure then if she lives on Elluk road also or if she lives in an area that I do not know called Elluk.  So I answer her, we live on Elluk road.  Where are you?

She then explains she is close to the Warwick resort at the top of the hill on Elluk Road.  

So I wrote: " I think we are neighbors.  If we both go outside on the road we will see each other."

Sure enough.  They live on the other side of the road two houses from us.

So she told us that her little boy saw the bracelet on the ground next to a parked car and took it.  She then went home Googled the sister's name and found the entry I made on the Mission Facebook Page at the beginning of the week saying that sister had just arrived.  She then sent me the message.  We talked a little.  She is from South Africa and her husband is working for a company that makes and fixes boats I think.  They have been here for two months.  We told her a little about us and why we are here.  I hope we get a chance to share more with her and her family.

How about that!  Have you counted the number of miracles in this experience? To be continued...

Mifala lavem yufala tuuuumas