Transfer week

Lo'u Aiga,

It's transfer week again! No clue about who is staying and who is going. But for those of you that are just tuning in, I am still in my first area and I have been here for 6 months now. So if missionaries were betters everyone would have their money on me leaving

I dunno how I feel about that. But I will do whatever the Lord wants me to do. If He needs me somewhere else, I will go with my chin up! "I know the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he prepareth away for them to accomplish it" ;) (sorry if it's not word perfect quote)

Gese was confirmed yesterday! Which was interesting because we had the kay star singers (from Utah) sing songs about the Book of Mormon for our sacrament meeting. So there were 3 wards combined for this sacrament meeting!! Gese was scared as!! But all was well!!

Our week was busy with service! Love it! we helped people with lawns, and moving houses! I love doing service! You get filled with a great spirit and feel more love for everyone around you! (not to mention the fact that you get to wear sweats )

Oh and Sister Frost came home! They threw a party for her! We took our investigators! It was so fun to see her! They had Drummers and dancers come and perform! It was seriously the coolest thing!! WHY AM I NOT SAMOAN???

Which reminds me, I am super tan right now!! But you will never know because every single picture I'm in I just look glaringly white! BAHAHA!!!

I love you all! Hope all is well! Remember to look for miracles every single day!

Alofa TELE atu,

Sista Peo

AHHH!!! I got my package mom!! Thank you for the watch and the book (it smells amazing)!!! Mitchell..... fia poko oe eh?

Thank you so much Grandpa Jeff, Marilyn and Megan for your cute card!! It made my day!!

This a picture of me drinking koko samoa from a Samoan flag mug!!

Additional stuff from a letter to Mom who had just sent her a package and asked her about zika outbreaks:

the box was like almost destryoyed when I got it, it was all bent and crazy looking but the tape held everything together nicely!! HAHAHA!! Yous need to stay healthy eh?? COOOOOOME ON!!!! Naw I stupidly left all of insect repellent in the MTC.... I'm not worried about mosquitos though! Just fleas! Man I went to somebodys house yesterday and left with like 20 bites!! What the heck?!?!?! but none were in my clothes so that's good! No fun food stories but someone did key our car yesterday!! Bahaha!! At least we got off better than the other sisters a couple transfers ago! Someone keyed "blood" onto their back windshield. LOL!!! perks of living in South Aukland

I was goiing to take pictures, but Puaina told me not to because "South Aukland is not what New Zealand looks like" LOL!!!

sooo...fleas are a thing

Aiga (family, because we're all family right??)

How are yous??

Just forewarning: this keyboard has no letters on it... so we are relying on Sista Peo's memory... we all know how that is ;)

I bet you're all thinking this email will be boring because we just skyped on Saturday... WRONG!!!!

When we came home for the day on Saturday night Disaster struck!! I was wearing a bright yellow skirt that I got for Christmas, and I was preparing to get in the shower when I saw a black dot on my leg.... FLEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I quickly caught it with my ninja powers and killed it in the sink. Then I actually looked at my skirt.. FLEAS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!! 

There was like 5 but i only caught and killed 3.... Sister Taituuga found 1 and disposed of it...

I am sure there are lots of others... I can feel them,,, with my flea senses...

So today we are de-fleaing everything... yay!

In actual news we have a new investigator: Alietta!! She is so good!! We are just doing how to begin teaching but she texts US first almost everyday!! We are so excited!! 

Love you all!!  Hope you had an awesome Christmas!!! If there is snow on the ground where you are, play in it for me ;)

Alofa tele atu!!

Sista Peo

 In Christmas Eve Pajamas

During Mission Conference

After Mission Conference

Pinata they made for the District

Photo Sister Taituuga sent but I don't know who is in it 

Dead flea

5am Christmas morning (Alley told us when we skyped with her that they woke up to open their gifts at 5am so they could still go play basketball with the Tongan Sisters)

Santa Tai

District in matching outfits

Valea

Tagata,

Thank you for your concern concerning my fleas (bedbugs?)!! We sprayed and washed everything!! All seems well... we will have to see if they are just lulling me into a false sense of security so they can kill me in one fell swoop OR if they are truly gone ;) I will keep you posted!!

We had exchanges this week!1 I STAYED in my area with our sister Training leader, Sister Boligor, she is Filipino and 4'10" so we probably looked really funny walking around!! She is in the palagi program!! Ya Thursday was interesting trying to teach and converse by myself in Samoan... I did okay though I think! Everyone took sympathy on us and tried to speak English, then asked me every ten minutes when Sista Taituuga was coming back!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!

We have another set for the 28th!! Lol!!! A family we are Re activating has an almost 9 year old daughter who will be baptised on the 28th with Caroline!! 

The work is so strange!! Our investigators are struggling and a couple are progressing but SUPER slowly. But people keep falling out of the sky for us to baptize ;) not really but we are kind of blindsided by them. I wish our other investigators would progress though!!! Everyone has there agency...

Yesterday after we blew through half of our plans in half an hour we saw a short cut that we thought would lead to our next appointment, so we took it! LOL!! NOPE!! It took us to the botanical gardens!!! LOL!! it was cool though!! 

Some fun things I don't think I told you:

My church building shares the parking lot with the Aukland MTC! man it's tiny!!! Only 50 people in there right now! I'm so glad i went to the Provo MTC ;)

Sister Taituuga sends her love!!

Alofa Tele atu,

Sista Peo

P.s. It is pouring rain right now and my hair is not to be contained ;)

*Extra questions Jeff asked her this week that I thought I'd include*
1- how many discussions do you teach in a week?
2- are they always in Samoan?  if no, how many in English vs Samoan.
3- you haven't mentioned struggling with the language lately.  I'm sure it is still hard.  how is it coming along?
4- how many Samoan speaking sisters are there in the mission?
5 - is the ward conducted in Samoan?

1- this week we had 12 other lessons and 18 LAC lessons  and 8 member present

2- No, it depends on who we visit. for example Caroline our baptism doesn't speak Samoan, but she understands it. Her family speaks Samoan and she is attending Alema which (my) Samoan ward. So we teach her in English so she can for sure understand completely. there are other people we visit that are fia-palagi (want to be white) and will only speak to us in english. Right now i would say half our lessons are English (just because of how many lessons we are having with Caroline ;))

3- I am awful at Samoan. I can hardly understand anyone. BUT I am working hard and trying not to get discouraged! :)

4-Right now there are only 3 sets in the mission. Lots of people were called to the program apparently but requested to be moved out because they were struggling too much with the language.

5- Yup all of my meetings are in Samoan. Primary and YW are in English so when we have taught those we speak English but aualofa (relief society), gospel doctrines, and sacrament meeting is all in Samoan!!

 All the sisters in my zone (Sister tai, fifita, green, boligor, davison, me) (yes i'm fat..:(

 Sister Taituuga straightened my hair a few days ago.. (I immediately put it in a ponytail after this)

 pine trees in NZ

weird birds

FA'ANOANOA

Friends, family, loved ones,

I bear sad news... *sob*

Sister Taituuga and I... Are fighting a noble battle. Spiritually.. yes! But also physically. You see... I have.. FLEAS!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Those itchy bumps were flea bites. We are out for blood! MAN! I HATE FLEAS!!! Sister Taituuga only has like one bite on her whole body... I HAVE THEM EVERYWHERE!!! GAAAAHHH!!!! It's okay though!! We are going to get some poison and put it all over everything! Should be fun!! ;)

THIS WEEK WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE COOLEST THING HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So our companionship goal for this transfer is a baptism!! We have been talking A LOT about baptism in district meetings and zone meeting because the baptism numbers for the mission are SOOOOOOOOOOOO LOW :( Our district leader challenged us to pray about things we can specifically do to progress our investigators for baptism! I was doing that Thursday morning when I received revelation that IF I did everything i needed to do (Sister Taituuga and i had just been discussing things i could improve on in lessons) in the lesson and continued to do my absolute best, we would have a set by District meeting on Tuesday!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????!!!!!!!! 

We fasted on Friday!! And on Saturday our district leader called and said that they ran into the Esekia family in our ward and they had someone for us to baptize. We thought he was kidding, but went over anyway! HE WAS SERIOUS!! Her niece is 10, her name is Caroline and her mom is less active but asked Sister Esekia if she could get the missionaries to give lessons to Caroline and baptize her!! WHAAAAT!?! Caroline has been going to church with Sister Esekia!! We taught her the first lesson yesterday and SET her for the 28th of November!! Her mom is okay with that date and we meet with her again on Wednesday!!!!! So good!!

I know that Heavenly Father love us. He knows exactly what we are going through and how to help us. He has so many blessings to give us if we will only ask him, and be willing to work!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Serve the lord and receive your miracles!!! ... and fight the fleas  (pretend this hammer is a sword)

ALofa tele atu!!!

Sista Peo

alley.peo@myldsmail.net

(Fa'anoanoa means sad)
(I am sad about the fleas not about the baptism ;))

Do you think Alma and Amulek had fleas when they suffered all manner of afflictions?? If so that alone qualifies them for the celestial kingdom in my opinion ;)