Sunday, March 27, 2016

This Week in the Lord's Vineyard

Lo'u Aiga,

Man... this week was ''fun''

After we left emails and went back to our sister training leaders flat, Sister Lualua stepped out of the car wrong and hurt her ankle. So all of us stayed in so she could rest it and played phase 10... I won just in case you were wondering ;)

The next day after district meeting Lualua was still limping like crazy and trying to pretend like she wasn't in agonizing pain (She thought she was being sneaky but I'm not blind). This is the second time she has hurt her ankle so I was very worried and she said it only hurt when she put weight on it... to me that sounded like a fracture but what do I know about medicine? NOTHING!! Bahahaha!!! So we called sister Rudd and got permission to take her to the hospital. We were there ages! Man socialized medicine is the pits!! They said no fracture, just a bad sprain and told her not to walk on it for 3 days. Neither of us were very happy about that...

After the doctor, we went and checked on our flat which we were supposed to move back into on monday but definitely didn't. IT WAS SOPPING WET AND SMELLED LIKE WET DOG!! HECK NO AM I SLEEPING IN THERE!! AND THERE WERE DEAD BUGS EVERYWHERE!!! THE WINDOWS WERE SHUT THE WHOLE TIME!!! WHERE DID THEY COME FROM!!???!??!?!?! I vacuumed them all up and we went back to Sister Lewis and Sister Frederick's flat.

To make a long story longer, we didn't move back into our flat until friday. Sister Lewis didn't want us to leave so threw my favorite yoplait vanilla yogurt at me while I was getting into the car!! LOL!! this is the picture after we got half of it off already!!

Speaking of cars! We will get a brand new one on friday!!!! YAY!!!! Friday is our temple trip!! So after we finish and are about to leave we will go to the mission office and switch cars!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! 

Investigator updates:

Faleata- between our crazy week and his daughter getting married we were only able to see him once, and very briefly :( but he's still progressing so that's good!1 As soon as we teach him word of wisdom i think that's when he will have problems progressing..

Kika- is crazy busy still... is she avoiding us? maybe..

John- John is the man! We couldn't meet with him this week but we were texting him!! His girlfriend (our less active) says that he just always wants to talk about the plan of salvation and prays all the time now! Then she told us that he asks her so many questions about the gospel that she has started to ignore him.. *facepalm*

Tino- met with him on saturday, hes good! Taught him lesson 1. He recognized himself that he was feeling the spirit! Agreed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith but didn't want to come to any of our wards activities this weekend.

Those are the main progressing ones.

Benjamin is still trying to get used to the English ward. He keeps trying to just keep coming to our ward and activities... we get dirty looks from the ward council every time they see him. He came to an activity last night and he told me that he just loves the people in our ward even though he doesn't understand. BENJAMIN! GO TO THE ENGLISH WARD!!

Yup I think that's about it eh? Have a great week!! Look for miracles!! Happy Easter!!!!

Alofa atu,
Sista Peo


This is Sister Lewis with the yogurt!!

She is from Southern Utah! We spent the whole week trying to figure out how we know each other, but we definitely don't... that's embarrassing eh!! But we both felt like we knew each other before hahah!!!

My favorite Sister Lewis quote from while we stayed with her:

She was reading a letter from home and she said "whelp I'm glad my mom thinks we got the flat bombed for fleas! I'll just let her keep thinking that!"

LOL!!!! She's a crack up!! I'm so blessed to have her as my sister training leader eh?
2nd email....
Man sorry I'm such a crazy emailer eh? My thoughts are all scattered!!

I finished the tusi a mamona on the 16th of March!! YAY!!!! I'm now trying to read the New Testament but it is so hard! 

Since its Easter over there I will also bear yous my testimony.

I know God is our Heavenly Father.
I know Jesus Christ is his son, our brother, and suffered for our sins. He waits for us with open arms. He wants to help us. All we have to do is turn to him. 

Please turn to him. Run to him. "cleave unto him as he cleaves unto us".
The tomb is empty. He has risen. Happy Easter!

Alofa atu,

Sista Peo

Sunday, March 20, 2016

maggots and mayhem

Lo'u Aiga,

This was an extremely eventful week and I haven't written any of it in my journal yet... HAHAHAHA!!!!! Oka I am a bad journaler...

I will start with the last 24 hours..

We came home from church yesterday and found MAGGOTS ALL OVER OUR FLOOR... I WAS DYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sister Lualua and I are very tidy. There was NO reason for maggots to be everywhere. It seriously looked like a plague of Egypt in our sitting room!!! I started vacuuming them all up and called Sister Lewis (sister training leader). She and Sister Freddie (Sister Taituuga left me to go to Sister Freddie in Hamilton, then Freddie got transferred up here same time as me) came over and helped us clean and spray the flat but nothing was helping they just kept HATCHING OUT OF THE CARPET. YOU. ARE. JOKING. I. WAS. GOING. TO. DIE. 

Sister Lewis called Elder Saunders and got it all hooked up to have pest people come by this morning, then they had to leave for their appointment. So me and Lualua packed up the car to go sleep at their flat, and emptied out all of the cupboards so the pest people people could spray everything. Then the zone leaders stopped by, they are sick of coming to our flat I swear!! They have come by like 3 times this week!! Anyway, Zone leaders came by to give us a mouse trap (we found something that looked suspiciously like mouse poop... seriously?) and then left with all of our taro! Bahaha!! They told us that the house inspector guy is coming tomorrow at 9 and he is crazy!! That we should just stay away from the flat and try to avoid him!

So this morning after studies, house inspector guy calls us, mad as, and says he won't do anything until he talks to us. Ugg. We were scared as. He has no authority over us but he likes to pretend like he does I guess... He kept a whole zone of elders in one pday because their flats were messy and president was so mad I guess! OKA! So Lualua stayed with Freddie in the STL flat because she was scared and me and Sister Lewis went. When we got there, no one was even there!! So we hung out and called Sister Saunders who said that he would be there in a minute and wished us good luck and said she'd pray for us (thanks for the vote of confidence Sister Saunders). 

It wasn't so bad though. He tried to growl at us but we wouldn't let him! He just wanted all the furniture moved onto the tile. So me and Sister Lewis did that... took us ages eh. But then we left and went back to the other flat. Hopefully we can move back in tomorrow... personally I just think we should burn the flat down and build a new one. 😝

In other news we went on exchanges this week and I was with Sister Lewis in the palagi area!! It was a blast!! We had a giant dog following us around the whole day (no worries he was nice). We named him Bulldozer.

Oh when we slept at the sisters flat last night, they were late getting home, so I balanced a chair on their deck stairs and climbed through their laundry room window and we hid in their closet until they got back!! It would've been really good if Lualua had been able to control her laughing...

We don't have anyone set yet... cry. But its all goods everyone has been busy with Polyfest (I thought it was like Polynesian Swiss Days... that is not what it is!! Its a dance competition!) so hopefully this week we can get plans all settled out!! We have several new investigators this week... (8) and one of them is named Tino. He's the man!! He's catholic and wants to know more about Joseph Smith. Another one is Lualua's uncle!! I swear half the houses we go to she is related to them somehow! Samoans eh? 😁

Whew that was a long one! and it didn't even cover everything!! Oh well all goods!! 
Look for miracles! Have a great week!!
Alofa tele atu,
Sista Peo

Monday, March 14, 2016

What happened this week?

Is it really P-day already?
That was rather fast wasn't it?
It's kind of like a cruel joke... I get to hear from yous which makes me excited but then I have to try and compile all of my thoughts and actions into an email and send it home... its basically impossible isn't it?? 😝

I can't even really distinguish this week from the one before..?

Sorry if I repeat information..

Kika is still talking to her mom about what day she will get baptised. She can't be baptized on the 26th anymore so we are aiming for the 3 Saturday in April.

Benjamin (Sis. Lualua taught him in Hamilton and he has friends in our ward) came to church and a members house yesterday! He still reads the Book of Mormon! We are going to set him tonight for the 26th of March! He is so ready! But when we reported to ward council last night they don't want Benjamin in the ward because he doesn't understand Samoan, but 2 of his 3 hours in church are in English (YSA and classes) so I don't get it. They are making us refer him back to the elders.. :( But its okay! He is still getting baptized!! Team win!!

NORTIA SILVA WAS BAPTIZED not this Saturday but last Saturday!! I asked for permission from the AP's and president to go but was told no... President felt bad I could tell. BUT SHE WAS BAPTIZED!!! YAY!!!!!! I am so excited!! We have been working on her for so long!!!

I dunno what else to say BAHA!! I will finish the Tusi a Mamona this week on Wednesday!!! We are working so hard!! We are having a little bit of trouble with the ward but we are praying and fasting!! Sister Lualua sends her love!

Remember to look for miracles this week!!
Alofa atu, Love yous,

Sista Peo

here's a pic of me and Nortia

this is my favorite mug to drink koko samoa in at the Tovio's house

Sunday, March 6, 2016

I dunno about you...but I'm feeling 22

Lo'u Aiga,

How are yous?
Sorry about last week! I feel like I had so much to do but nothing got done... *facepalm*
I have more time this week so that's good eh? 

SO my new area is right next to my old area! It's literally just the stake over!! When I got to this area we had one progressing investigator (that's good...) and two investigators total. What...?
Sister LuaLua said when she got there they had no investigators, and she found these two by herself. AND our area book is ridiculous. There are no progress records since Taituuga left this area to train me... That was well over 7 months ago. So we have had a lot of work to do. 

My first couple of days we went through the area book and wrote down everyone's name and address (half the time the address was missing) and contacted everyone. And when I say everyone I mean everyone!! Crazy hard work! Lots of rude people, but also lots of nice people! But it paid off! 8 new investigators (that are keen) (there are others that aren't so keen but invited us back anyway). Kika is 14 and came to a baptism and fireside with us last Sunday (not church this Sunday though dang it!) and we taught her and invited her to be baptised! She said yes! her and her mom are just working on the date! Hopefully we will have FHE tonight!! AND we found Benjamin who sister Lualua taught in the Visitor's center! her and her companion set Benjamin for baptism before Christmas and then he moved here before he could be baptised!! SO WE FOUND HIM! HAH! He thought he could escape eh? Jokes on him!! He came to church with us yesterday!! 

Sister Lualua is the man!! She is called to the English program but served in the visitor's center and now serves with me in the Samoan program! We work so hard!! But we also play and make things fun, which is nice!! In Samoan, Lualua means "two two" So thus the title of this email... Because I don't know about you but I'm feeling twenty two 😝

I have a different car in this area and it hates me. It is old and sketchy as! And our driveway is at a 70 degree angle... so that's exciting to try and back up every single morning! BAHAHA!!! If I am not flooring it, I roll forward... fun fun fun!

I think that's about it... Thank you so much for your love and prayers! We are working miracles in this area and could use all of your prayers every minute of every day. I pray that we will stay spiritually strong enough to continue to work such mighty miracles! Mormon 9:24 and 25 is a great scripture about miracles... That's what I was studying this morning before sister Lualua ate taro that gave her hives and we had to rush to the health clinic!! LOL!! That's a whole nother story!! Just read the verse eh??

LOVE you all so much!!! Look for miracles!!!
Alofa atu,
Sista Peo


(note from Mom about the pictures: Sis Saunders is a senior missionary in the office and either Alley or her companion took Sis Saunders phone and took a ton of selfies, Sis Saunders posted so many crazy pictures of Sis Peo and Sis Lualua this week on the mission facebook page...here are a few, including one of them with Sis Saunders)