2nd to last email

Sista Péo's Homecoming Talk will be Feb 12th at 11am, .  You are invited to come back to our house following Sacrament Meeting to visit with Sister Péo.  A light luncheon will be served.  As an FYI, next week will be her last email home.  If you would like to send her a quick email this week, her address is alley.peo@myldsmail.net  Thank you for your love, prayers and support for both Sister Péo and her family.  We certainly have felt the blessings of having a missionary. --Delise

Lo'u aiga peleina,

This week was absolutely bonkers!!!

Monday- our family home evening fell through so we just went to see Jackie!! MIRACLE!!! We were able to talk to her about her commitment and read the Book of Mormon with her!! We had a great conversation about preparing for baptism and the importance of knowing the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon!!! BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME WE GOT TO TALK TO HER THIS WEEK!!! NOOO!!!!

Tuesday- MLC (Mission Leadership Council), Sister Taugaele stayed with the Samoan Sisters in Papakura and I drove down to Hamilton with Sister Lewis and Sister Clegg! SISTER LEWIS MY SISTER TRAINING LEADER FROM MAUREWA 2ND!!! YAY!!! Elder Cardon from the 70 spoke to us and it was amazing!!!! After MLC, we picked up my companion and then they dropped us back off to our car. I opened the boot, put the car keys inside and my companion's bag with the phone in it and slammed the trunk shut. I realized as I was slamming it what I was doing but it was to late, I locked our keys and phone in the boot!!!! NO!!! And we were stuck in Papakura!!! THE ONLY AREA IN SOUTH AUCKLAND I'VE NEVER COVERED!!!!! Yup, so we went door knocking and borrowed someone's phone, luckily Sister Taugaele remembered Sister Ulu's number. So we called them, and got the Zone leader's number, and called them to call Sister Lewis and Sister Clegg to come back!! There is so much more that happened to this story but to make a long story a little bit shorter, we got help and about 3 hours later a towing company came and unlocked the car for us in about 10 seconds. It made me question the security system on cars... hahaha!!!

Wednesday- We had splits with some missionaries in the English as a second language program in the MTC. We took them out with us for about 6 hours!! They chose us thinking they would be Samoan sisters... they were all from Taiwan... that was very interesting... but it was fun!!! I was able to share my testimony with them that Our God is a God of miracles and if he asks us to learn a new language he makes it possible!!

Thursday- Zone conference in Hamilton again!! We drove down early and came back around 4, this time I didn't lock my keys in the car!! It was so inspired!!! I got some great insights from President and Sister Cummings and also Elder and Sister Cardon!! I feel so much love and peace!!

Friday- Business as usual, planning and trying to catch up from the 2 days of not working in our area!!

Saturday- Business as usual but we also got 2 new investigators which is so exciting!!!!

Sunday- We had the program for Sacrament Meeting about goals!! So I spoke about the ward mission plan for this year in Alema!! But right after Sacrament Meeting, I got really really sick and I made us go home. My companion was worried about me and called Sister Cummings. She told us to cancel all of our plans and rest. I passed out for about 6 hours. I was so sick!! But luckily I'm doing much better now!! :)

Today- we are going to drop by Jackie again, and also James!!!! VAVAU IS FOR SURE GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 4th!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!! We will see him on Wednesday!!!!

I used to get really nervous and upset when I thought about the end of my mission. But President Cummings advised me to think of it as another transfer, I am just getting transferred to an area I've served in before and I don't know who my companion is. Ever since I've started thinking about it like that, I have felt so much peace. I am no longer worried. The Lord needs me to serve and do his work in Utah next transfer... but that doesn't mean I slacken my pace now. It also doesn't mean I speed up and try and squish more in. It means I just keep doing what I always do: try my best to do the will of the Lord, nothing less, nothing more. I am in such peace and happiness right now. I am on the brink of some big changes in my life as i know it, but I find strength in just doing the will of the Lord right now, whatever that may be.

Alofa tele atu mo otou!!

Sista Peo

Manuia le tausaga fou!!!!!!!!

Lo'u aiga peleina,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so sorry I neglected to send a big email last week!!! One job Peo!!!

I will just start with Christmas!!!! Sister Seiuli and I spent it with the Tui's (our ward mission leader), The Frost's (our Bishop), GESE and Manuia (I baptized Gese last year), and we went around sticky noting peoples houses!!! It was a blast!!!!!!!! And so fun to talk to my cute family on Christmas!!!! :)

Sister Green  and Sister Hazelet finished their missions!!!! So I was the only sister training leader in South Auckland for a few days, which made things really interesting!!! I picked up Sister Namerial and Lualua on Tuesday!! They stayed with us for a night and then we took them to the airport on Wednesday!!! Which was quite the process!!!

Tuesday night our Zone Leader didn't call to give us the news, but the Sisters I cover called and told us. Sister Taugaele is my new companion and Sister Seiuli is going to Sister Moli in Papakura! Which means Sister Ulu is follow up training Sister Sherer. I think it was a very smart transfer for President to make but it made both Sister Seiuli and I very sad.... we wanted to be together until we finished...we didn't really sleep that night. Mostly we cried.

Thursday was transfers and I was running around all day, which was good, it kept me busy!!! Friday I certified Sister Sherer for driving in New Zealand... that was fun!! There were a couple of times where I was convinced I wouldn't make it home after all and really would die on my mission but all is well!! And now she is used to driving on the left side ;)

Saturday and Sunday, Sister Taugaele and I were really able to buckle down and introduce her to the ward and to our investigators!!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with Sister Taugaele again!!! I love her so much and she has grown heaps since when I trained her!! She is such a spiritually strong and powerful missionary and I am so proud of her!!!

Alofa tele atu mo outou!!!! 

Manuia le tausaga fou!!

Sista Peo

Me and Sister Seiuli's last picture

dropping Sisters to the airport

goodbye Sister Lualua

Taugaele, me and Gese

Sticky note Christmas!!!

 

 

 

Sister Taugaele and Sister Peo; Together again!

Koekiki Kirismasi

Lo'u aiga peleina,

It's almost Christmas!!!

We have still been doing lots of finding with the Light the World pass a long cards but everyone just gets busier and busier in this Christmas season and that always makes things tricky!! It's like Satan know this time of the year everyone is more spiritually awake, so he tries to combat that by make everyone busy, busy, busy!!! :)

We had a service project on Saturday that was.... awesome? scary?

Elder Van Theil called and asked if we could come join them for his service project (Saturday) and said that it would probably be from 8-12 and they needed as much help as possible, we were just cleaning a house. We thought that sounded good!!

Saturday was the day we all decided last week would be the day for our zone car fast- we all go 24 hours without using our cars. So naturally we biked there!! HALF WAY to the service project the zone leader drives by in their car..... we got there and EVERY SINGLE COMPANIONSHIP in our zone drove their car. BAHAHA!!!! Sister Seiuli was so mad at me!!! It was crack up as!!! Obedience points!!!!

Okay so the service itself.... There was HEAPS of stuff in this house!!!.... There were boxes of stuff piled up to the ceiling. We made a line and just passed everything outside so the family could sort through it and we could clean the rooms. We were only going to do 3 rooms that day Bathroom, Toilet (toilet is a separate room in almost all New Zealand houses), and the kitchen. So as soon as one room was cleared of stuff people would jump in and clean it.... I was in charge of the toilet and I spent the whole 4 hours in there... "when ye are in the service of your fellow men ye are only in the service of your God" ;)

That is mainly what happened this week!!!~ I hope everyone is gearing up for Christmas!!! Look for miracles in this beautiful season!! Love you all so much!!

Alofa tele atu!!

Sista Peo

alley.peo@myldsmail.net

We wore our Samoan dresses to church yesterday :)

Sorry no pictures of the service!!! :(

 

Photos from Sisters Ulu and Taugaele (exchanges):

 Kopai from Sis Taugaele

Pictures with Sis Ulu

That awkward moment when you almost forget to write the big email...

Note from Mom: Alley comes home on Feb 7th and her homecoming talk is on Feb 12th at 11am in the church near the Draper Temple.  I know she would love to see any of you who are able to come hear her speak about her mission experiences. Thank you all for your support and love to Alley and also her family!  We are blessed and you are appreciated beyond measure!


Lo'u Aiga peleina,

Busy as week!!!!

We did exchanges with Sister Ulu and Sister Taugaele!!! This time I was with Sister Taugaele in Manurewa 1st!! Members were very excited to see us so that was fun!! I also got to see Beverly and Napolean for a minute and we visited Povalu, an old investigator!!! Taua has been reset for baptism on Christmas Day, hopefully her paper will come through! But exciting things are happening in that area!!

We also did exchanges with Sister Moli and Sister Sheerer!!! Sister Sheerer came with me into Alema!! She is doing a great job with the language!! She has a very solid foundation and is keeping a little notebook of words every time she doesn't understand!! She will catch Samoan really fast with all her hard work!!

Mariah is MOVING TO AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooooo! She leaves on Wednesday!! But she is doing good!! She is reading the Book of Mormon and praying but she says she isn't getting an answer. But she said the reason she's not getting her answer is because she is too worried about moving... there ya go! She answered her own concern!! I think it will be good for her to go there... the Lord will send missionaries to her because she is ready for them!!!

Other exciting news: VAVAU and UAINA recieved Uaina's divorce paper!!!! SO THEY CAN GET MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO VAVAU CAN GET BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have seriously been working with them for almost a year now!!!! We just found out yesterday so hopefully we can get everything all sorted out this week!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

I love you all so much!!! I loved the talks from the Christmas devotional.. especially elder Holmes's talk about how ridiculous it would be if we were to look at our Christmas presents and excitedly talk about them but never end up opening them... and how we do that sometimes with the gifts our Heavenly Father gives us!!! I love the light the world program this Christmastime because it helps me recognize gifts that I have been given, that way I can open them this Christmas Season!!!!

Alofa tele atu!!!!

Sista Peo

Other fun things:

We rode bikes a lot this week~!!

Sister Seiuli flooded the laundry room at like 10pm last night and then took pictures of me cleaning it up hahah!!! Thant punk!!! ;)

 Soa Seuili and Peo

 Sisters Peo and Taugaele

 Sisters Peo and Taugaele

 Sisters Peo and Seuili

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

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?? ;)