I am the new STL backagain...haha. I was one in Malakula and now I am the one for Santo and Ambae. I will now have to travel to the islands to train and exchange with each sister on the islands. I thought I was going to be able to relax these last two months! Misstem!
Man, I thought I was a worry wart...haha just kiddin, love ya mom! But yes I am alive and well! We been gat some pretty bad rain and weather, but I am swimmin in the soft mud and lovin every second. I gat to be dirty and swim in the soft mud!! Literally..i swim in it… because I am just as graceful as I was at home... I pretty much fall down every two steps..it been become the big joke of the place now...But other than that I no been feel any something like earthquake or whatnot! Vanuatu is a huge place! So no worry! I am safe! Tellem Caroline Goodbye for me and tell Becky she'll be just fine! Papa God protects ALL his missionaries, no matter where they are at. I can promise that.
Last week I got transferred out of my area in Litz Litz. Those were probably some of the hardest goodbyes I have said so far. Litz Litz been hardest area for me on my mission...by far. We faced just about everything there is to face in that place. I never been work more hard in my life than I did in Litz Litz. But I never been learn more in my life than in Litz Litz. I have come to realize that I am a professional seed planter. After years of no baptisms in Litz
Litz there will be the first baptism on Saturday...and I wont be there to see it! Thomas has been investigating the church for many years, and we have been teaching him the whole time I have been in this area. There have been some sometimes that I just wanted to give up, but the spirit said otherwise. No effort is ever wasted. We also have one previous less active family that is now preparing to go to the temple at the beginning of next year! I could not be more happy! After months and months of hard work and prayers things are finally moving forward. There are now no less actives in Litz Litz branch. Everyone comes to church close up every time. I have been waiting to see progress like this for ten months, and now here it is. I know that sometime yumi prea and prea but it looks like Papa God isn't answering. But sometimes He is quiet to teach us lessons and to help us learn how to excercise agency of yumi right. But He does answer. In His own time and in His own way. God's timing is always better than ours. As we strive to fulfil His will instead of our own, we will see the blessings and miracles he will pour upon us.
Funny joke of the week: We were teaching Alfred, one previous less active about Buk Blong Momon: "Brata Alfred, why do we call the Book of Mormon the book of mormon?" Him with full up confidence smiles and answers, "Mormon...the book will bring More Men to the church" (me)..."Umm...yeah, that's really true!"But let me tell you another reason...Bahahaha. Gotta love it! :)
Have a great week!!! I love you all!!
Sista Brown
my branj
digging ground to carry to fill up the new church house..bekegen..
Family!!!
Sorry too much that I havent emailed! Things have been pretty busy! But it looks like you all have been busy as usual!
These past few weeks have been pretty busy... I am not sure where to start. The two sons of the Chief got married this past week, one chief dead, huge rain storms...we have had it all. This past week was Malampa Dei.. the dei that Malampa became a province. So that was kinda interesting. Well a holiday here in Malekula is more like a Holiday week. They have a futbol torny for the full week and programs every day of the week until dark until Friday the 10 which is the actual holiday. Well a week before the Malampa dei tufala son lida bin receive a invitation to come and give the "morning devotion" about the LDS church on Malampa dei. Well the Elders were nice enough..or mean enough...to ask my companion and I to make half of the "devotion' Every morning of the week the government lidas invited a different
church to do devotion. This was the LDS church's first time to do the the devotion. Well Sista wamura and I were pretty nervous…speaking in front of everyone on the big mic...Well we decided to make a question box and leave it at the field for the whole week and then
answer all the questions during our segment of the Malampa die program.We were pretty nervous, but everything turned out pretty well and it was definitely an experience we will never forget. It was successful and it was an awesome opportunity to share about our
beliefs with the people that attended.
The week before last week we held the first Young Women Value Naet. It was a huge success. Here we are trying to start personal progress with all the young women. We were able to hold a value neat where the young women presented different items about each of the young women values. There were many dances, skits, and other activies. It
was taff we taff. I will try to send some fotos whenever I get a chance! :) It is amazing how the programs inside the church are exactly the same no matter where you travel in the world. what a blessing it is to be a part of a world-wide church.
Our investigators are progressing like crazy. We are actually preparing for the first baptism in Litz Litz in the past 7 years.. I cannot believe I am actually saying that. There were times after being in this area where I began to doubt that it would ever happen. But it is happening! Thank you too much Papa God! Thomas is an investigator we have been working with for the past 10 months. We have actually dropped him 2 different times because he was not ready. Well Thomas is the prime example of change. The gospel has completely changed his life. This past week we asked him to share his testimony and he shared the most amazing testimony of him about the Buk Blong Momon. He said, "This is how i came to know the church is true. There is power in this book. I used to drink and smoke every day.
Now that I read my Buk Blong Momon every day I don't have any desire to drink or smoke. My friends offer and I just don't want it anymore. I know that it is true. I feel it every time i read it." These are the moments you live for as a missionary. Every one in the village has
noticed the change in him. His sister came and told us, "I used to go into Thomas's house and look a pack of cigarrettes by him while he sleeps. But now the cigarrettes are gone and he sleeps with his Buk Blong Momon near by. No effort to help others is ever wasted. Never give up on someone. You never know when they will change and come to accept the gospel in their lives. He is ready to be baptized. We are just waiting for the approval of the chiefs...(work on the islands is a lot different)
I have much much more to tallem yu, but time is short. So I just want to finish by telling you thank you thank you thank you thank you too much for all the packages! I receieved them last week and they were amazing!! Thank you too much for all of your support. And thank you
too much for the ties! Honesti! I gave a tie to each of the Prishud in our branch. One in particular..Alfred. When I went to go and give him his tie he held it close to his heart and said, "Sista, I have never had a neck tie. This is my first one and i will never forget it thank you thank you thank you. I will look after it well." He didn't know how to tie and and so he tied his neck tie like a shoe lace and just had the biggest smile. I didn't know how to tie it either and so our branch president tied it for him. He was so grateful. Every time he would talk he would straighten his tie first.haha. It touched my heart that these men were so grateful for these hand-me-down ties. As I sat in that sacrament meeting with all those prishud men wearing ties that I recognized as dads and mikes it really hit me hard. As
our branch president got up to conduct wearing dad's tie it made me think about the many years I watched him sit on the stand at church wearing that tie. And now many years later a branj president of a small branj in the islands is wearing that same tie. Thank you too
much for everything. They all send their love and appreciation.
I love you all!!!! Sorry I have so much more to tell you but time is
short!! :) Continue doing FHE and family skripja studi!! :)
