Week 26 - Sev'ral timez

2013!

Wait what the heck that was 10 years ago

So mardi gras/carnival happened this week, and carnival was pretty dang wild. Apparently one of the traditions is cross dressing. Also 3 people got knifed to death. Small island

YO this week we got a message on WhatsApp from someone.. It was in English... And IT WAS AMAZING! So there's this American family who are members of the church and they sail all around the world and they sailed here from Europe and they were like every country we go to we always find the sister missionaries! WOOO so they took us out to dinner twice this week, they were SO NICE!!! We were praising the heavens

Best thing this week though was our friend Johnathan, he's someone we found on Facebook and we had our 2nd.. Maybe 3rd? Lesson with him this week and he was SO cool! I related to him on many levels, from video games to random things like wanting to go to Japan. WAY WAY COOL GUY!! AND THEN HE CAME TO CHURCH!!!! I hope things keep looking up for him

OH also this week I got sucked into family history stuff for who knows why. I was reading up about William Felt and i was like this is cool this is cool. (he was one of my ancestors) Then I found out Howard W. Hunter was the one who approved the sealing (marriage) of William Felt and whoeva he married, and i was like NOOOOO WAYYY cus Howard W. Hunter is my favorite latter-day prophet, cus he teaches SO many truths about marriage/gender roles and all that, but I especially like him because you can tell he LIVES and LOVES those truths. So that was way cool.

Then a few days later our branch president was like you guys should look into family history stuff... I just feel like you should

so If i see a ghost this week im calling it. no jk jk

we recorded our part of a music video we're doing for a facebook ad, I started editing it, that was fun.

There was a lot of good things I learned this week but.... in this very moment I do not remember them.

Oh i know, there was some things. Love isn't the question, it's the answer. "TIME DEVOTED BY ONE INJURED TO ENSURE THE OFFENDER IS PUNISHED IS TIME WASTED IN THE HEALING PROCESS." - To be Healed, Richard G Scott May 1994

Here's a long one

"When you are worthy, a challenge becomes a contribution to growth, not a barrier to it. Yet no matter what the source of difficulty and no matter how you begin to obtain relief- through a qualified professional therapist, doctor, priesthood leader, friend, concerned parent, or loved one- no matter how you begin, those solutions will never provide a complete answer. The final healing comes through faith in Jesus Christ and His teachings, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and obedience to His commandments."

including a random screenshot from the music video ad thing cus the vid is too long to add

Week 25 - YET YOU THINK WE'RE THE SAME THE SKYYYLINE FAAAALLLSS AS I TRYYY TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALLLLLL I TRY TO LEARN ALL OF YOUR SECRETS BUT TURNS OUT THERESSSSS MOREEEEE

Apart of my divine nature is being emo, I've decided

This email is like when all you have in the fridge is leftovers so you throw it all in a pan and call it food btw

On Friday I had a dream that was a reality check and I was like dang

In short, I'm trying to enjoy right now

I've had a wack dream like everyday this week

God always seems to take us back to square one, and it's probably because we're not even supposed to leave square one in the first place

Yeah so I gave a talk on Sunday-LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT!! Because you know, all week I was like MAN, gotta give this talk in French, gonna look like a fool, WHATEVA. But you know, I kept my head up and was like actually there's literally no WRONG way to do this, because I'm doing my best. (I did not believe that) 

So come Sunday I'm like okay okay let's do this. Except I wasn't even done writing my talk. I was in the church parking lot Google translating sentences about backpacking cus the French language doesn't really have works for backpacking. I was scribbling out words I'd never seen before, then I quickly went inside and eventually gave my talk. All was well, then I got to the part that I google translated and had to read. And OH MAN. I had to read the word "rythme". So it's the same word in French. Except with French pronunciation. Which was apparently impossible for me. I LITERALLY COULD NOT READ THAT DANG WORD. so I just stopped, looked up at everyone, and said "I don't know how to say it, it's R-Y-T-H-M-E" and then just waited. After a few seconds, people started shouting the word, and I heard it most clear from a guy on the stand behind me said "Rythme" and I said " yes, that!" and pointed to him and everyone laughed. So I said "when I do that, you know what I mean" as I pointed at him. So I was like okay okay good. I kept reading, but then THE NEXT SENTENCE HAD THE WORD AGAIN!!!! So when I got to the word, I didn't say it, I just pointed at the guy, and everyone BUSTED UP LAUGHING. And I was like okay this is cool. Then there was another word that the congregation helped me with, and it was all fun and games, then I ended and sat down 

and then elder Nawahine stood up and gave his talk in PERFECT French! And I was kinda like dang, It would be nice if I could just easily speak French like that, that's all I was worried about all week! Sigh

But then It hit me and I was like wait... It's BECAUSE the French was a bit rough that I was able to make that fun moment with the branch!

But even more! I guess the French wasn't too rough cus afterwards, some people were saying very nice things to me about it =) 

POINT IS!!!

I learned there really IS no wrong way to do something (within limits) ! We're always gonna have a strength and a weakness when we face something, and righteous always beats evil. Satan wants you to focus on the weakness so that you won't even put up your strength against the weakness, because the strength will win. And he doesn't want that. But you know what? Sometimes you just gotta let that weakness be exposed so that the strength can do its thing.

One line from my talk

Our role as children of God is not to save ourselves. Because that's not possible. Our role is to follow the one who saves us; to follow our Savior.

So yeah, do that

Cool area president of the 70 guy or something like that did a devotional for this mission (elder Brent h Nielson), he did it on Barbados and all us islands zoom called in. Very good! His wife was the powerful speaker of the whole thing. Differences do not equal not red flags

Honestly I want to jump in this ocean that's in front of me the hop out and lay in the sun and listen to Leith Ross but instead I'm being forced to listen to David freaking Archuleta every day of my life

I didn't really talk about friends in this email, but that's kinda cus we're still trying to figure out if our friends ACTUALLY believe. Because EVERY ONE here is like "yeah it's the truth! I believe!" but it's just cus they will believe anything that has to do w Christ, they don't actually wanna act on it. Tough

One more "je vous écoute" where they DON'T écouter and I'm out jk

OH LOOK AT HOW CUTE MY VALENTINES DAY OUTFIT WAS!!!!

And look the elders are still in love

LISTEN TO ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU THERE'S A REASON I'M CALLING YOU OUT IN YOUR ROOM

Week 24 - LET'S GET THE MULES UP HERE 🗣️🐎❗

"Though we may feel we are “like a broken vessel,” as the Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind." (Like a Broken Vessel, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2013)

Also. Ether 3. the most powerful part of the whole story is the making of the stones. He put in all his heart into those stones because though they had no worth, He knew Christ had all the worth. So the WAY HE PREPARED THOSE STONES FOR CHRIST represented his faith in that power of Christ. 

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING YOUR STONES? 

Honestly I am realizing that there's lots of things I don't  understand, so I'm excited for when I get smacked with that revelation 

Cool MIRACLE, I engaged in meaningful conversations with the members here at church and made them feel listened to; good connections, really GREAT! 

ONE OF THE MEMBERS IS FROM THE DR! I was like check out my Larimar ring she was like !!! And I was like !!!! 

Really great

Do not fear God ever, especially when you sin

I promise missionary work is happening, there's just nothing crazy that stands out to share with you all

Happy Valentines Day tomorrow!

I might send more pics today depending on what we do :) 

Week 23 - Freaking Grenada with all their answers🙄

OH MAAAAN

Tuesday: flew from Guadaloupe to Martinique with elder nawahine. Cool to be without a companion for a few hours

 

MARTINIQUE: like Gwada but different. High mountains! 

MISSIONARIES: Are whole zone is our district. 3 sisters, 4 elders THAT'S IT! So small! 

but the wackest part is WHO the missionaries are. What the heck. It's the most random group of people. I have no idea if I wanna slap them with one of those flat baking pans that cookies go on, or if I wanna make friendship bracelets and play truth or dare. I can't explain it but PRAY THAT I DO NOT GET DRAGGED DOWN

I do miss the Guadeloupe elders  VERY MUCH! 

OH BUT There's an elder here- Elder Beaman- he's SO funny, actually when I first got off the plane and walked through to meet the missionaires here, he was sitting at an empty desk pretending to work at the airport, AND PEOPLE WERE COMING UP TO HIM AND ASKING QUESTIONS AND HE'D JUST MAKE UP ANSWERS AND POINT THEM IN RANDOM DIRECTIONS!!! BUT THEY THOUGHT HE WAS LEGIT CUS THE TIE AND TAG! THIS IS HIS 3RD TRANSFER! He is so funny. UNREAL

COMPANIONS:  Sœur Hepburn (From Jamaica) and Sœur Williams (FROM California). Idk why everyone says trios are hard, it's been great great! 

I think the biggest miracle in the story of the brother of Jared and his glowing stones was the process of him MAKING the stones, just imagine him taking ALL that time step by step making the stones, and being like "okay I gotta make these perfect for God to touch". Having his lil moment pondering about God. I think that's really where you can find the brother of Jared's "perfect faith". 

Honestly like all our lessons canceled this week sooo uhhh no too crazy stories

EXCEPT! Wow I forgot. WE HAD AN ENGLISH LESSON! Member mom and ehr son. That was wack. They were from Dominica so they still had that cool Caribbean accent. But the son at the end asked if we've ever felt like our foundation on Christ has failed. OHHH MAN. then the room was on fire, I was like bang bang bang testimony, cool words. And sr Hepburn did the same. SUUUPER COOL!!! Nice to feel that again.

Ça va, et ça va aller

If I hear one more "I forgot how to say that in English!" no the freak you did not I promise you you're clowning yourself rn

Anyways 

Oh yeah look at these pics, I'm pretty sure these elders kiss each other goodnight just after punching each other

And our ghetto church

And a screenshot of a Facebook convo with a random person Sœur Williams sent a message to share the gospel with (i gave her the dog Pic to send as you know from previous email) 

Went to the top of martinique today, it was a black sand beach