Sunday, October 30, 2016

na Mapeva lo'u vae


Lo'u Aiga,

This week was a bit of a disaster in the health department!!
Sister Ulu gave me the flu and I thought I could work through it but it made my asthma act up and I went to the hospital last Monday... Did I mention this last week??

They told me to rest until Thursday... ugg so long in the flat!!!
Wednesday night I woke up fast and tried to walk, but my foot was asleep.... ya I totally fell and twisted my ankle. Sister Cummings just told me to stay in for a few more days and keep it iced and elevated... I did that but tried to go proselyting on Friday afternoon... we ended up going to the hospital that night.. BAHAH!!! They made sure it wasn't broken and taped it up for me!!! They told me to rest and I told them that I was SICK of resting, so they gave me some crutches! I HAVE BEEN ROCKING THE CRUTCHES!!! People who don't normally let us in TOTALLY LET US IN on Saturday because of my crutches!!!!

We had a really cool experience with one of our less active families who hasn't been to church in years, and whenever we go we always just talk at the doorstep. BUT THIS TIME I was on crutches so they let us into their house, and we were able to have a really good conversation about some of the doubts the Father had about the church. He didn't believe that Joseph Smith could have seen Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father because it says in the Bible no man can see God and live. I had an investigator express a similar concern earlier in my mission so I was well prepared to open the scriptures and explain it to him! I shared how Moses saw God face to face and spoke to him as man spoke to a friend, and how in Deuteronomy it says if there be a prophet among you I will reveal myself unto him in a vision or a dream! I also explained that the verse he read was incorrectly translated and what it means is that no NATURAL man could see God, only HOLY men or worthy men can see God. He was very happy that he finally understood and we recommitted him to read the book of Mormon and pray to know if it was true. Then his daughter felt confident in our abilities to teach and confided in us with some of her questions. We set a return appointment to come back and reteach her the lessons, and she is going to try and invite a friend for this appointment!! WHAT A BLESSING!!!!! I now have a very strong testimony that everything we experience is just preparing us for success in the future! When my investigator asked me that question at the beginning of my mission I had no idea how to answer, so I spent hours studying it! Look how much of a blessing it has been to me later in my mission!

I also learned a great lesson from my health problems... They came because I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't letting my body take the rest that it needed to cope. Our bodies are temples of God, the spirit dwells in them! We are expected to take care of them! Also Jesus had to rest... He repeatedly retired to the mountain sides to pray... AND HE SLEPT THROUGH A STORM THAT WAS SO BIG IT MADE HIS APOSTLES FORGET THEY WERE WITH THE SON OF GOD. Everyone needs to rest, including Sister Peo....

That is it for this week...
Love you all so much!!!!
Look for miracles!!!
Don't forget to let yourself rest!!!
Alofa tele atu!!
Sista Peo


 Sister Seuili, Sister Tui (ward member who took them to the hospital) and Sister Peo



 Proselyting on crutches








Friday, October 28, 2016

Tele vavega i lenei vaiaso!!!

Lo'u aiga,

Heaps of Miracles this week!!!!
We've got lots of new investigators and a couple of them seem keen as, which is so exciting!!!
We went on exchanges with Sister Taugaele and Sister Ulu on Tuesday which was so funny!!! Sister Ulu came with me to my area and Sister Seiuli (my companion now) went to Sister Taugaele (my last companion). That was really fun!! Sister Ulu and I went crazy trying to remember all of our old investigators in this area and try to recontact them all!! When Sister Seiuli came back she told me that they just talked about me the whole time!! HAHA PUNKS!!!!

Sister Ulu got me sick so that has been fun!! We had a ward "Idol" like American Idol... but also dances on Saturday! We got some investigators to come and 2 investigators came to church!!!!

The other highlight to this week is that we were able to talk to Gese, who is my convert that is preparing (or was preparing) to enter the temple in February. When I first came back to this area my Bishop told me that she wasn't coming to church but she always pays her tithing! We went and visited her and I could feel that something was wrong but she wouldn't tell us what it was! Last night, we went and she opened up to us finally!! She could tell that her husband hated it that she would go to a different church than him and that she wasn't supporting him in his calling in his church, so she said she knows our church is true but she always just wants there to be peace in their marriage. That's why she stopped coming! She had made up her mind that she would go to his church and support him. But we talked to her about the temple, reminded her about her goal and the blessing her family would receive from the temple. Then we set up a plan to have family home evenings with her and her husband with her visiting teachers and their families! I am so happy I am to serve in this area again and help Gese and her family! It is truly a miracle!

I KNOW this gospel is true and that through the covenants we make in the temple we can return to be with our Heavenly Father, we can become like him, and we can live with our families forever!! There is nothing more important that we could fight for!!!

Alofa tele atu!!
Manuia lou vaiaso!!
Sista Peo
 
ME and all of my mission daughters...
Sister Seiuli and me
Fafaga at the Tuimalatu's
Lole Saina
ward activity
Seiuli and me again!! ~ oka se fia aulelei lo'u soa aye?? ;)
 


Sunday, October 16, 2016

Oketopa

Lo'u Aiga,

This week was prime as!!!
We had quarterly interviews with President Cummings on Friday!! We got there 10 minutes early and no one was there so we just started my interview a little bit early!! Which is good because we also finished 10 minutes late!! BAHAHA!!!! President and I had a fun time discussing the situations in this area and the tactics I was using to find people to teach!! He gave me some great counsel for working with less active members that really seems to be working!!! It was such a strong spiritual experience, I felt like some one was pouring warmth into my heart the whole time we were talking. Loved it.

We also had a missionary fireside for the ward last night!! I gave a talk!!! YESSSSSSS! It is the first talk I have given on my mission!!!! I talked about John 14:6 and related it to the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, enduring to the end...) and explained how enduring to the end only means keeping our covenants and keeping the Holy Ghost with us at all time. Then talked about how in our baptismal covenant we promise to take Christ's name upon us.... just like how the missionaries wear Christ's name on their badges! Then I talked about the 3 steps Elder Oaks talked about in his conference talk last week for everyone doing missionary work: 1)pray for the will to do it 2)keep the commandments and 3)pray for the inspiration on what you can do in your life! It was a nice fireside!! I am making referral cards right now to give members in our ward!!

What else?

I went down to Hamilton on Tuesday and got to see SISTER MAIRE!!!!!!!!! (Who came from the Provo MTC with me here!!!) She is Sister Training Leader at the Visitor Center right now!!! I drove down with Sister Green (she served in Redoubt Zone with me at the beginning of my mission and was in my psychology class at the U) and Sister Hazelet (my Sister Training Leader last transfer). Sister Seiuli stayed with Sister Ulu and Sister Taugaele in Manurewa 1st!!

My zone leader (we only have one) Elder Van Theil (he from South Africa--and hes white as) called me this morning to tell me that I have a package and that he read on the customs notice that there was chocolate inside... BAHAHA... SO thank you for whoever sent me the chocolate!!! I will get the box today but the chocolate might go to the elders!! BAHAHA!!!

I love you all so much!!! Hope everyone is doing well and looking for miracles and missionary opportunities!!!! 

Alofa tele atu!!!
Sista Peo
 Sisters Seuili and Peo



Sisters Maire and Peo



Yay Vaai!!


Sunday, October 9, 2016

ALEMA

Lo'u Aiga peleina,

I was transferred this last week! I found out on Tuesday, President called and asked me to go back to my very first area:

ALEMA

I was there for 6 months but I guess that just wasn't long enough!! HAHA!!! My new companion Is Sister Seiuli!!! She is from Austrailia, my first companion not straight from Samoa!!
The ward was thrilled to see me Thursday night when we showed up for our missionary meeting!! It was fun to get randomly hug attacked while walking around the chapel! Word spread pretty fast that I was back and then people were basically hunting me down!

Wasn't conference so awesome!! Every single talk was a principal from a missionary lesson... Sometimes the talk WAS a missionary lesson! And there were TWO talks dedicated to MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK!!! What a blessing!!!

Women's Conference was also amazing!!!! I loved Sister Oscarson's talk!!! How inspiring!! And of course President Uchtdorf ... fourth floor... last door... So perfect!!

This week has been absolutely bonkers between conference, transfers, and starting up this area again!!! We got heaps of referrals from our MCM meeting but most of them wound up being LA's (less active's)... so I got to push them for some investigators!!! One of the investigators we do have is Faava Vavau who I worked with when I was here in February!! He still isn't baptized because of his partner's divorce paper (common problem in South Auckland... no one is married! They just live together!!), but that is supposed to come this month!! So hopefully we can get his baptism planned out!! :)

I love you all so much!! I hope everyone ponders the revelation you received from conference! Especially ponder about Elder Oaks talk... he explained very well the "how" of member missionary work! Pray that you will be able to know how YOU can do missionary work in YOUR life!!
Look for miracles!! They happen every day!!

Alofa tele atu!!!
Sista Peo

Day one in the new area... no food but a double rainbow!! Ya for rain!!!


Last pictures with Sis Taugaele and first with Sister Seuili



Sister Taugaele


and


Sister Seiuli!



Last day in Manuwera 1st

My last day in Manurewa 1st was also KA Leapai's birthday!! So we celebrated at their house!! Here are her pictures of that :)