So Elder Tuua........ Is staying... And Elder Larsen is.................. not staying. He is going. Going to church on sunday. With Elder Tuua. Because he didn't get transferred. :) Yay! So we are sticking together for at least another transfer!
This past week was pretty great. Let me tell ya about it!!
The thing that I am most grateful for right now is a car
So the thing that I am most grateful for right now is a car. Yesterday, we were told that we could go get a car from Mortdale during transfers, one of the cars from a sister companionship's area that is shutting down. Wow! What a blessing!! For the past six weeks, we have been hoofing it, walking, busing, training, biking everywhere! And for long-distance travel, that is super inconvenient!! Even just yesterday, having a car was such a massive blessing, because we are still able to walk when needed, especially if we are looking to find more people to teach. Yet we can also get around to appointments all over our area, which is massive!! Thank Goodness!!
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| Elder Larsen, cracking coconuts in his first area |
Family scripture study adds to, not replaces, personal studies
Advice that I would give to my younger siblings for scripture study: Always begin and end with a prayer, and always have a question to answer, so that you can receive revelation! And then sit back and watch the miracles happen! There are many great ways to study. But these two things have helped me monumentally in my mission. I wish I would have taken my scripture studies more seriously. My testimony would have grown sooo much faster! Take my advice, guys! And even more than that, you can't miss a day of personal scripture study. Family scripture study is just as essential, but it adds to, not replaces, personal studies. It is comparable to companionship studies on a mission (ask Dad). You need to strengthen your personal relationship and faith in Jesus Christ through personal study, and you need to strengthen your relationship with your companion (family) through companionship (family) studies of the scriptures.
"You nose who?"
Top 3 moments that made me smile and/or laugh this week:
1) Elder Tuua's new favorite knock knock joke:
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"You[r] nose."*
"You nose who?"------
*by this point, he is laughing super hard, so we never get to hear the end of the joke. Or maybe he is saying "You know", but saying it "You knows". Who knows? You nose! :D Hahahaha it cracks me up every time!!
"Did I talking to me?"
2) A zone-wide inside joke that has been getting a bit out of hand...... I think it started with one of our Zone Leaders and a Tongan elder in the zone. But basically, someone will make a statement about anything in normal conversation, and then someone will say "Did I ask?". E.g., "Man, my stomach hurts." "Did I ask?" It is actually pretty vicious, but it is pretty funny, especially when it is used over and over again. What makes it funnier is Elder Tuua's new learned response to someone that says "Did I ask?". He heard me say (jokingly of course) "Was I talking to you?" after one of my zone leaders said it. And since then, Elder Tuua's response is "Did I talking to me?" Read it out loud. It is so funny! Ahhhhhh..... Good times as missionaries.
3) At transfers, a missionary got a few sasa's (hiding) from another missionary. And he showed us his bruises. On his muli (bum). Hahahahaahahahaha!!
I felt God's love
A recent experience where I felt God's love was at a fireside that our ward hosted on Saturday. The fireside basically was a number of musical items and Mormon Messages in a sequence to tell the Plan of Salvation, which I and a sister missionary in our ward narrated. The missionaries in the zone all contributed to provide the musical items. I sang in a couple of them, but the way that I felt God's love was how through the preparation and the delivering of my talks/narrations I was able to feel the Spirit testify to me and through me that the things that I was saying were true. That "Because of God's love, He provided the Plan of Salvation, for you and me. For all of us, so we can live with him again." I was able to feel a small portion of how Heavenly Father feels when he looks out over all his children as I stood at the pulpit and shared with members and non-members alike what God has in store for them. The Spirit moved me greatly. Combined with the messages from the prophets (in the Mormon Messages) and the beautiful music, I knew and know that God loves me unconditionally. What a choice experience!
Afterwards, we had a massive feed put on by our ward for the daughter of our ward mission leader, who is leaving tomorrow to serve a mission in England. I also felt the love of God through those members who sacrificed so much for us! And put all 20 missionaries who attended the fireside at a table of honor, where we, alongside the Stake President, were served before everyone else. What great love!
Funny, yet confusing Samoan experiences
My favorite teaching experiences would have to have been last night. We had two fun experiences. I will tell you the one that was funny first, and then the other which was great because of the actual teaching.
So, last night, we went and visited the minister for the LMS church and his family, and we caught them right in time! The brother has been at the doctor's all day. His health unfortunately is not great, so he has dialysis 3-4 times a week. We got there just after they got home. We were able to help them move some tree branches out of their front yard and across the street to an empty field of grass, following which they invited us inside. We sat down for a couple minutes and then the brother said "You don't mind if we speak in my native tongue? Sorry, but you see, we normally at this time have our family prayer meeting, and do so in Samoan." I was interested to see what they would do, so naturally I said "Of course!".
They grabbed a couple little books that I thought were bibles, but turned out to be hymnals. And we sang two hymns in Samoan. Fortunately they were two hymns that I know the tunes to (one was "How Firm a Foundation's tune, I can't remember the other). Then the brother said a super-long prayer, that probably lasted a good 5-7 minutes, which was super cool, I definitely felt the Spirit as he did so. But the funny yet confusing part was right as they said "Amene" they all started saying some sort of prayer or something in unison--and to my surprise, Elder Tuua joined in. I was sooooooooooooooo confused. In my mind, I thought it was like the "My Father" or some other ritualistic prayer. And Elder Tuua was joining in too! "Soa! What are you doing?," I thought! Hahahahaha.
Later, Elder Tuua explained to me that they were reciting Psalms 23 (which I would know if I spoke Samoan). Elder Tuua used to go to the LMS church before he got baptized in 2006. Haha! That's funny! We had a good laugh about that later.
Why wouldn't their illness be taken away if Jesus suffered for them?
Our awesomely spiritual teaching experience was with J*nior and K*llini. That family is just good!! We were finally able to teach the family the entire Plan of Salvation last night, which went reaaaaaally well. They all admitted that they had never thought about the questions: where do we come from? why are we here? and, where do we go after this life?. So it was super cool to see how the questions they subconsciously had were answered. J*nior asked an awesome question as we taught about the Atonement. "You guys said, and the Bible teaches, that the Atonement is for all pains, afflictions, and sicknesses, as well as sins, right?" (I respond affirmatively) "How does it apply to those that have cancer for example? Why wouldn't their illness be taken away if Jesus suffered for them?" (Next week can you guys give me your best response to that question?)
I shared with him the experience about how I was on the phone w/ the guy that tore me to shreds, and I compared how the Atonement helped me to be comforted and healed to how sick people can be assured and given strength through the Atonement. We said that God will not take away the trials, because he wants us to grow from them, but He will give us strength, comfort, and peace to be able to endure. We then had a wonderful two-way discussion about it, and J*nior and K*lloni shared their experiences too. The Spirit was so strong then.
"I like it when the Elders come and talk about God"
After the lesson, the entire family (kids included) expressed how they felt good (the Spirit) and how they were able to answer questions they never knew they had. Their 7-year-old daughter made a cute remark "I like it when the Elders come and talk about God". Awww! What an awesome family! We have a follow-up visit this Friday, so hopefully we will be able to relate the things that they learned to what they need to do as a family to achieve the blessings promised in the Plan of Salvation. What an awesome family!
My favorite food of the week
My favorite food of the week: Would have to be the homemade meal that J*nior and K*lloni provided us, where they had a sauce as a side to mashed potatoes and chicken. It was a white-sauce with prawns (shrimp). MMMMmmmmhhhhh......... Either that, or turkey tail. That was super yummy, we had that at a members home on Sunday evening.
Today many of the sister missionaries that came out with me are flying home because their visas expire before next transfer. Wow! That was fast!!! The rest will go in six weeks. That will be 18 months for Elder Larsen too!!!! Ahhhhhh!!! That's soooooo weird!!!!! What the heck!!!?? Time flies. The past six weeks were soooo fast. It was crazy.
Anyways, that's my week! Love you guys heaps!
Alofa atu!
Elder Loseni
PS I got my Samoan name tags this past week! So now I am officially in the club!!! :D
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