2021 Month 4: 2 (12-18 April)

April 18, 2021

Christmas is here!

We finally received the calendar you sent for Christmas. We are so thankful it arrived before we leave.

We will miss the ginormous and succulent pamplemousses (grapefruits) here.

It was a busy and grandiose week!

We enjoy studying with our missionaries. Friday morning we joined the missionaries in Pango for companionship study. In the afternoon they were going to teach the word of wisdom so we decided together to study D&C 89.

We discussed why the word of wisdom, and that the Lord always has a blessing attached to what he requires of us:

"sent...by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days__given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation" D&C 89:2-4

Promise: " And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures..."D&C 89:18-19

"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Colossians 1:9

"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge..." 2 Nephi 21:2

Being obedient invites the Holy Ghost which is the greatest blessing we can receive. He is the one who sanctifies us, comforts us, gives us treasures of knowledge and wisdom.

This week our zone leaders/assistants went to the Island of Tanna to review the teaching and interview 74 of our Heavenly father's children that the return missionaries had been teaching the last 3 1/2 months. They were all baptized and confirmed. Below are pictures of some of them. We are amazed to see the Lord's work going forward despite the pandemic. It reminds me of what Elder D. Todd Christofferson said at the April 2019 General Conference: "...we should pause to remember that it is the Lord's work and He is doing it. He is the Lord of the vineyard, and we are His servants. He bids us labor in the vineyard with our might this 'last time' and He labors with us. It would probably be more accurate to say He permits us to labor with Him."

It brings much joy to everyone to work with the Lord. We love our mission. We love these beautiful people. We love our missionaries.

We woke up at 12:45 am to have the privilege of attending the historical moment, on line, of the Mont St-Hilaire ward in the Longueuil Quebec Stake. The Lord called tonton Etienne to serve as the new bishop. We are so thankful for his willingness to answer the call and we rejoice at the wonderful blessings the Lord will pour over him and his family as he humbly serves. It is kind of weird to think that because of the pandemic and the new way of meeting through technology for a year now, we were able to share this moment with him. This is one way to see the good in these difficult times..