Mission life and mission lovin'

Frere Hapairai came to the center

Soeur Stastny and me

Recent converts, Dacia and Manu Cucovaz

16 Fevrier 2015

This weeks miracle was found in a part member family. The mother is inactive and the father is Protestant. They have eight kids and they started to take the lessons, to learn more about the church. They have a newborn in their home, so there is already a special spirit when we arrive. The miracle is that their hearts are soft and they are open to hearing the message of the gospel. We are so excited to help this family, to see what happens in the coming weeks.

I am grateful for the small miracles and tender mercies of everyday. They give us the strength and hope to go on, to keep trying to spread the good news of the gospel, that families can be together forever.

And that is the good news of the gospel.

Soeur Spackman

Take the Plunge

We lost some investigators with a lot of potential this week too because members of their family are against the missionaries. That was hard.

BUT! I am grateful for those people we contacted this week who have been brave and used their agency to start the following the lessons. It takes a lot of courage to do that. And it's always exciting to see what happens... to see if they'll take the plunge into the gospel.

The Gospel Binds

In a recent Ensign article it shared a quote about pioneer sisters crossing the plains. "They found spiritual strength in each other's love and compassion... As they suffered trials of illness and death, they prayed in faith for each other and comforted each other. The love of God flowed from heart to heart till the wicked one seemed powerless in his efforts to get between us and the Lord, and his cruel darts, in some instances, were shorn of their sting."

We have sisters from America, Austrailia, France, and Tahiti, but despite these cultural backgrounds, there is a bond of strength and love. I'm grateful to have felt that bond more profoundly this week as we comforted each other in trials and delighted in success and the good choices of others.

The gospel binds.

Dancing and Laughter

Yesterday, I was laughing really hard because we were showing sister Tamahahe all of our lame American dances. Here in Tahiti at church dances everyone knows how to cha cha and waltz and fox trot. It's the real deal. And it was fun to laugh all together.

Jesus, Redeemer of mankind

We stopped to say a prayer and ask what the Lord wanted us to do, to find someone who needed Him in their life that day. After the prayer the word ''member'' came into our minds. Two seconds later, Sister Stastny saw a member of her ward leaving her house. She ran over to talk to her and ask for the info about the apartments. The member gave us a few names and then thought of a part member family, but she didn't know the exact apartment number... We decided to start trying and go knock some doors.

The first door we tried two people came out, shocked upon recognizing us as the missionaries. They asked, "how did you know we were here?" Kind of a scary first sentence. And then, "wow, even when you move to Babylon, the Lord doesn't forget you... we were actually in the middle of drinking...give us two minutes...." The brother and sister invited us inside and we started trying to talk to them, to find out their story. Sister Stastny shared a scripture about the Lord never forgetting us because we are engraven in the nailprints of His hands. The brother started to cry and left for the balcony to calm down. When he came back, he said, "I just have one question, if someone drinks, if someone smokes, if someone commits adultery, tell me, is there a redemption for them?" The Spirit was so strong as all of us bore testimony and shared experiences about redemption for those who have strayed off of the path. He left the room again.

When he came back and asked, "I have one more question... I smoke. I drink. I have broken the law of chastity. Tell me Sister Stastny, is there a redemption for me? Tell me Sister Spackman, is there a redemption for me? Tell me Sister Tamahahe, is there a redemption for me?" How strong and precious the Spirit as we, representatives of Jesus Christ, were able to say, yes, there is a redemption for him. Yes, that is why Jesus Christ suffered in the garden, why He died on the cross, because He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world.

Sometimes we lose our way in this life, sometimes we are burdened down by our poor choices and we turn away from God, but I testify that this is not the end, that there is always a second chance, and that Heavenly Father cannot wait for us to turn to Him again. I love Jesus Christ. I love the Atonement. I love the warming embrace and hope that repentance brings. I know that Heavenly Father never forgets His children, and when they are in Babylon, there are people who are praying for them and searching for them to help bring them back.

12 Janvier 2015

Christmas Day

Sister's Sleepover

Tahiti Temple Visitor's Center