2021 Month 1: 4 (18-24 January)

 

Monday, grand-papa came back from the district conference in Malekula.

Meeting in the natangura in Pinalum, Malekula

It was a wonderful conference.

This is the Litslits chapel.  One branch of the Malekula District

He enjoyed his association with humble and diligent members.

The following picture is a good indication of how hardworking these people are.

Yep!  He did all that with a hedge trimmer and in the blazing hot sun.  

Grand-papa lost a few pounds in sweat and was the main course of bed bugs for three nights.  We made sure the snack stopped in Malekula and did take all the precautions for that to happened.  After explaining the details to Halle during a messenger chat, she told me her mom was "satisfied with your precautions"  😁  Rest assured, no little critters will follow us home.  He is doing well and the marks are slowly fading away. It is now a story to add to our adventure list.

I could sum up the week with the following words:

great zone conference, lots of laundry, lots of rain , two marriages and 5 baptisms in our ward... and a sore ankle from the heat and/or all the walking while doing all that laundry. 😕 Oh well!  I probably picked in the eternities the sore ankle and my knight in shining armor took the bed bug bites. 😘

This sweet sister walking up this muddy road is Margret.  She cleans the mission home and mission office.  On Thursday, she agreed to clean a missionary house close to the mission home.  This house will be empty for a couple of transfers and it needed to be cleaned.  We took her there and helped a little bit.  I took all that needed to be washed with me to the mission home (hence the "lots of laundry this week" mentioned before)  It as raining pretty hard as you can see from the pictures.  We took her home after.  Unfortunately, because of all the rain, the last road to her house is so muddy and wet that we cannot drive up that hill.  She had a 30 minute walk left before getting home.  She talks about it like there is nothing to it.  No complaining.  She just said when she comes down that road to catch a bus on the main road, and the weather has been quite wet (rainy season), she has to bring a bottle of water to rinse her muddy legs and feet before getting on the bus.  These wonderful, humble people have all my admiration and we need to pay them more.

Like it often happens here,  these two couples were married yesterday and after a celebrating meal three of them were baptized (one is already a member).  

I stayed home with my sore ankle.😒

Life in Vanuatu:

I like these weaved baskets the mamas make to sell their produce at the market.

Looking outside the side window from the mission home.

Are these giant asparagus?

The neighbor had the bamboo trees cut on their property a few weeks ago.  Vegetation is growing real fast here.  I just thought they looked like giant asparagus, but it is the bamboo trees starting to grow again.

Things are not always like it seems.  I am reminded of what the Lord told Joseph Smith after the loss of the 116 pages:

"For behold, you should not have feared man more than God.

You should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.

But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work." 

D&C 3:7,8,10

Feared, an interesting word.  Fear of the disapproval of people, fear of not being liked or loved anymore, fear of being judged,  fear of being humiliated and of not measuring up to others expectation...

Faithful.  Full of faith.  The opposite of fear.  The most important and comforting part of this scripture is for me, God is merciful; therefore repent (or come unto me) and He will help us again accomplish what we came here on earth to do.  I know we are never too far from the loving reaching arms of the Savior and His power to save us.  

They are not asparagus.  They are growing bamboo trees.

Mi talem yufala bakegen se:

Mifala lavem yufala tumas.