Samoa

Samoa

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Saying goodbye to Amanave, Hello Annuu!

 So to answer your questions Yes I am very safe as always, the move went very smoothly and we love our house, and yes the group is the same. Its just me and Elder Damuni, the sisters and sister Schwenke. President said he'll send more if he has missionaries available but for now its just us 5. all is going well though we said goodby to Amamnave on Sunday
and came here all in that one day. I miss Amanave but I'm also very excited to come here to Aunuu and be a part of all the exciting things going on here. The people are great and the branch will be a ward in no time! :) I have no doubt. There are so many people who are members with no records herein Aunuu and then a ton more people who are attending that haven't been baptized and those we've been working with already are making a lot of progress towards baptism. 
We don't teach school over here and even if we did it just got out like today or yesterday I think. At church we teach sometimes but not really because the church units here are pretty self proficient its just content that isn't the best a lot of times. 

The package still should get here in a bout the same amount of time but the Jordans will have to bring it over to us because we're not allowed to leave the island till the work here is done. Presidents order. ;)



Wednesday, May 17, 2017

May 17

That's a landslide that was blocking the road to fagamalo the village all the way at where the road ends. So they're WAAAAAY out there. That in the pictures is Brother Hamilton and his daughter Tiana who just moved in from salt lake and because their nice house their uncle promised is super messy and a bit destroyed they're living in the middle of no where where sister Hamilton's family is from. So that day we felt like we should go visit them and did. actually ever since word of the storm we've been felling like we should visit but every time we went in our car we couldn't get through due to the HUGE landslide but our car is in the shop so that day we decided to walk and found them all in the house with no food or water and apparently sister Hamilton had been "fasting"/not eating to save food for the kids since Sunday and that was Tuesday noonish.... So yeah that's basically the story but no the branch is helping them out and they've got what they need to live and their house should be getting renovated this week so they can move in next week. So yeah... That's the story. They're recent converts of about 5 years and got sealed within the last year or 2. Super powerful visit. :) Just listen close and the spirit tells you where to go. :)





Monday, May 15, 2017

Mothers day was so awesome

I received so many pictures this week end and I just wanted to save them for Robert and share them with you. I also got to see 4 videos where he is teaching at the visitors center about the first vision and the book of Mormon and baptism. I wish I could share those with you too but they are not mine so I can't save them. But here are the cool pictures.






Wednesday, May 10, 2017

May 10

So right now we're working a lot in this area called Fagalii and most of that village is related in some way or another. We have 2 families where miracle have been happening left and right and as expected satan is coming as well in full force. So one family is a mother Maletina a husband Tuufuli and their 6 kids. About a year ago Maletina was searching for the truth and asked god in prayer where his true church is and then missionaries showed shortly after. I don't exactly know why she didn't gt baptized yet but since we've been here much has happened. Sister Schwenke the senior sister is living there by our choose. We wanted to send her in to go and convert the family to build up the branch. after the first day she found out by doing their Gafa that her and Maletina share a relative which makes Schwenke her auntie. We shared the 1st lesson with her and she told us she knows its true and then we gave her a BOM to add to that testimony and she caught fire. She told us she cannot deny the truth and has had multiple visions in the last couple weeks. Along with sister Schwenke. all these visions are die to her husband who refuses to be baptized due to their callings in their old church. So all these miracle have been going on to bear her and us up while we work in patient faith on the father. He's slowly coming around. This lad though is amazing and she has been slowly converting her children one by one. They've each had questions about the church and about why she wants t get baptized and leave their old church and she all she ever does is answer them with a lesson pamphlet or the BOM and an invitation to go and find out for themselves. Its amazing.
To be honest this story sounds lame on email but I'll have to give more details in person. 
Theres also other families like hers too who are feeling the power of God in their lives for thee first time and wanting to be cleansed through baptism but can't due to things like family or church ties. We've had another preacher from a different church talk to a lot these people who are converted and tell them to stop coming to the mormon stuff because the preacher wants to start holding servces in their house. Its pretty crazy but all is well and they will all be baptized without a doubt these huge families. :) and they will be forever. 
So yeah that's a story for ya about all the crazy things that are happening. :)

Aperila 26

So to answer your questions...
THe amanave saints are just like most of samoa a lot of good and a lot of bad but its nomal stuff to work with. I like them a lot though especially the branch president and his wife. THe president is super obedient which is very rare to find in church leaders here so he is reaping so many blessings as he is taking the branch into a ward. His wife though is my favorite because she is really good at baking and she told me last night as well is that she will never get tired of baking for us as long as we're here in their area. :) I was so happy! :) tHE branch is all pretty excited about thw ork thats going on and are pretty okay to help too. :) 
Callings? No the branch has been a branch for along time. Its not like we got sent to start something new from scratch we went to go and support the branch that already has its callings filled to bring in enough people to where they can be a ward now but its not like a brand new are of smaoa that hasn't been touched byt the church. All of samoa has been reached but the untis are just weak a lot of times so president felt like this would be a great way to help and really establish the church where in samoa to be strong in the priesthood. So after we leave too they'll just keep doing what they've been doing and The 2 elders who have been there for a while will stay to help maintain it for a while. 
THe font? Yes technically because we do baptisms in the ocean but the first baptism will be this saturday and then we wont miss a week without baptisms and man its so exciting everyone in the area is talking about this thing and I honestly feel like most of the people in each village is thinking about it. I love it. :) 
Bonding? No not really bonding is just like doing the work... THats one lesson I've learned thanks to president in the work as a missionary you don't need comradery or like bonding stuff because if we're all focused on CHrist then we are united in him but the second we bring in all that other junk like bonding then the work becomes about us christ gets pushed aside and no one comes unto Him, and the work doesn't move forward because now its centered on the wrong people so yes we do bond but staying up in the night and doing those types of things are unnecessary if we are really truly converted to Him and his atonement. 
Mothers day? I don't know anything about it. I'm sorry but it hasn't crossed my mind but until its closer itwon't realy matter because we'll be getting transferred soon to anew area after this branch is a ward so if anything is set up while being here then it'll be wasted once we move but don't worry we'll work it out because its american samoa it'll be way easier. :) 
I like these questions. :) It gives me someting to write about. :)