2021 Month 4:3 (19-25 April)

By Kate Lee

"A mother's faith can lift her family through times of challenge, trial, and heartache.  Her faith can give encouragement to, bring hope for, and inspire confidence in her children."

 

President Nelson :" I invite you, my dear sisters, to create a home that is a place of security.  Simply said, a place of security is anywhere you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and be guided by Him."

Bella and her mom made this doll out of a clothespin and a glove.  The project was the story of an immigrant, Bella's mom.  Doesn't the doll just look like her?  I think it looks absolutely great! I miss being a part of these projects but I am so thrilled they did it together and it turned out so well.  Yes girls, you do have the creative gene!

I started the week scrubbing the baptismal clothes brought back from Tanna.  It took all night soaking and all day scrubbing and it was a little better but mostly still stained.😥

Horror of horrors, Monday night and Tuesday morning, I had another encounter with centipedes!  If it wasn't for these creatures, it would be a lot harder to leave Vanuatu.😜  It will be hard to leave but I want to get as far away as I can from these little centipede monsters  and closer and closer to our little sweethearts.  They don't look too bad all squashed and dead and far away, but up close, alive and wiggly it paralyses me with fear.  Then my knight in shiny armor with his sword/worn out sandal, slap them good (as you can see in the following pictures).

I have been praying that I will not see any this weekend because my knight and his worn out sandals are in Tanna for a district conference.😬

The next picture has nothing special for the rest of the world but it was our first time wearing a mask to go shopping this week.  The prime minister made an announcement that for three days everyone should wear a mask because of the body of a dead Philippino man washed out on the beach close to where we live and he was testing positive for COVID-19.  He came from a supply vessel and 11 crew members also tested positive.  The cashiers all wore those big protective viser. We were the only ones in the store wearing our masks...

It was a wonderful week of training with the mission presidents and their wives.  Our last Mission Leadership Seminar.  We shared our testimonies with the five other couples finishing.  Reflecting on what I have learned and what I could share the thought came to my mind that Serving Refines.  It sure does.  We are still not complete and so we will continue to serve until we return to our heavenly home.

I had to take a picture of what we do at dinner time.  We sit in the reclining chairs and watch a show called the chase while we eat dinner.

On Friday, we were taught by Elder Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We shared a meal together at the conclusion of our seminar.

It was 6:00 pm Thursday in Salt Lake and Idaho, it was 11:00 am Friday in Vanuatu, 1:00pm Friday in New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, 11:00 am Thursday in Tahiti, 8:00 am Friday in Perth Australia, 10:00 am Friday in Sidney Australia and Papua New Guinea...Some were having dinner, others an early or late lunch, others breakfast and others just a light snack.  We miss the days when we were all together and eating at the same time.  We are thankful for technology that still brings us together. 

We are also thankful for the little gifts we would usually find in our hotel room that find their way to where we are from the Area Presidency and their wives.

After lunch, we got ready to go to the office to welcome our newest missionary, Elder Lui from Vanuatu.  He was called to serve in Brisbane, Australia.  We hope he will have the opportunity to go one day but for now we are very grateful he will be serving with us.

All in all, a wonderful week.

Yufala i kat wan gudfala wik tu mo 

mifala lavem yufala tumas.