Sister Peo singing some Samoan Songs

Her favourite Samoan Song...

Talofa/Hello

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!!!

Baptisms and Spirits

Lo'u aiga,

Happy Valentine's day for yous!!

Gese's baptism was yesterday!! It was awesome!! We were worried because it was announced in church to be at 5:30 not 5... *face palm* but HEAPS of members came!! We were so happy!!! when I say HEAPS I mean HEAPS  we printed out 40 programs and ran out 15 minutes before the baptism!!! Yesssssss!!

Gese was so happy! Her husband and her cousin came an supported her! She cried through the entire program! And held Sister Puaina's hand the entire time! She made me practice how to hold her hands for the baptism over and over and over. She is amazing. I am so honoured to help her receive the gospel. She will be an amazing servant of our Heavenly Father.

Something else interesting happened this week. Gese has a 2 year old son who always wakes up at 3 am. He wakes up, get out of the room and wanders around. One night this week they woke up and went outside to find him completely naked in the living room singing songs by himself. To me it sounded like an over active 2 year old, but it freaked her out. She called us later on in the morning crying asking if we could cast out spirits. We grabbed our Ward mission leader and went over there right away and he gave MJ a priesthood blessing. MJ has not woken up in the morning since then.

I asked Sister Puaina if MJ was possessed, and she said no, he just had a bad spirit inside of him. Interesting eh? The Samoan people have so much faith it is astounding!

Love you all so much!! Have a great week! Your Heavenly Father loves you! Thank him for the miracles he gives you!!

Alofa tele atu!!

Sista Peo

Gese's baptism with Sisters Puaina, Ulu and Peo

Photos of their flat

ta'aloga

Lo'u aiga,

Sa matou toe faia ta'aloga i le taeao. faamalie atu lava!!

(we did sports again this morning! Sorry!!)

OUR INVESTIGATORS NAME IS GESE NOT NESE!!! JEEZE!! ALL THIS TIME!!

Gese is getting baptized this Sunday!! Sweet as! So fun!! She is the man!! She's been having dreams about her anscestors, so we again talked about family history work and about the spirit world. She was crying as, we were crying as, everyone was crying as, eeee ay eeee ay oh! 

She can't wait to go to the temple! She asked us when she could start her family history work and we were like "oh what about right after your baptism?" and she was like "thats waaaay to far away!" (isn't she the greatest!! ) So we are going to try and work on it with our family history consultant on Wednesday!!

Between her and Vavau we have been booked lesson wise! It has been so fun!! We are nearing the end of our mission prep lesson with Mara L'io though! and that is so awesome! They are going to go get sealed in March!! eeeek!! I will probably be transferred by then though 

Yup! thats pretty much it for me! This week is crazy with the baptism, ward conference, and ward activities every day leading up to conference! We had Heaps of non members come to the games this morning! Our bishopric was very pleased with us!

Love you all so much!! Look for miracles every day!!! Heavenly Father gives you heaps!!

Alofa tele atu,

Sista Peo

Visit from Elder Christoffersen

At a Conference in Auckland with Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Alley was able to see Sister Taituuga again!  Happy reunion!!

 left to right: ? not sure (Sis Fredricks--Tai's companion?), Sis Taituuga, Peo, Ulu and Puaina

True Discipleship

Lo'u aiga,

Miracles miracles miracles.

I have had this obscure goal that I haven't really been able to find a decent description for revolving around being a missionary that can be trusted with miracles in the mission. This week I finally found the perfect description.
TRUE DISCIPLESHIP.

That is my goal. That is what I'm gunning for. That is what I eat sleep and breathe for. If I don't have anymore baptism for the rest of my mission, but I can look back and say "I was a true disciple of Christ" I will be ecstatic.

I have been fasting a lot this week, for my language, for our investigators, and for other things. Miracles are become much more frequent! We soft set Nese and committed her to pray for a date. We received revelation that her baptism will be on the 20th.. on Tuesday we will see what her revelation was! She also is taking with her family about her decision! Fun stuff! Also we are making progress With Nortia (who was supposed to be baptized with Caroline). She will be baptized on her dad's first day off in February.. hopefully we will also know that this week too! We have several other investigators we want to invite to be baptized this week too!

The work is going well! My language is... coming? LOL! I made a goal to learn 20 new words a day. I have been averaging about 40 ;) so that's exciting. And I am on track to finish le tusi a mamona on march 16th! I can read all 6 pages in half an hour now.

I hope everyone's week has been splendidly primely amazing! Heavenly Father loves you! Keep your hearts and hands clean! Look for miracles!

Alofa Tele Atu,

Sista Peo

Mom I got my package!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DEODORANT!!! MIRACLES!!!!

Note from Delise, here are some things she wrote in a private email that I thought everyone would be interested in knowing:
"Sister Puaina is from American Samoa, so she is used to American products too. so I gave her one!! Lol!! Ulu is good.. she talks a lot so I don't teach as much as I used too ;) LOL! Oi!!! We got a letter and Puaina and me are both training Ulu... so that's exciting!! Taituuga goes home in May. We haven't gone on splits lately, my companions don't know the area well enough! Actually we went on splits with the kids in the MTC. Ours was from Vanuwatu (where Elder Sears served) and she said she knew him!! How cool is that? Her name was sister James!"

l to r:  Sisters Peo, Puaina and Ulu

Transfers

Lo'u Aiga,

It finally happened. We all knew it was going to happen eventually.. 

Sister Taituuga got transferred down to Hamilton. Temple view. She didn't go back to the Visitor's center, she's just in the palagi program. How depressing.

Funny story! We were going to go say goodbye to our old Ward mission leader the morning of transfers and we were both crying as in the car together. I was waiting to turn right onto their street when I look up at the review mirror and a car is zooming at us from behind! Before I can respond she rams into the back of us! LOL! Terrible timing! We probably scared that poor lady that hit us! She probably thought we were crying because she hit us! There was no damage to our car! But her car had a giant indent from the hitch thing where we hook up our bike rack! The funny thing is our hitch thing is super loose, so it shouldn't have been able to stop her car. Miracles! They happen every day!!

Sister Puaina (Sister Corrigan [my companion in the MTC's] Trainer!! and Sister Taituuga's companion before me!!) is my new companion. Sister Ulu is also still my companion! Sister Puaina is training Sister Ulu, and I'm basically their Chauffeur around the area ;) (Note from Mom: She said the chauffeur thing was a joke...)

I'm not going to lie I was terribly sad when Sister Taituuga left. Maybe a little depressed. I dunno how that feels but maybe you could call it that. For a few days I wasn't able to read my tusi a mamona (book of mormon) because my brain wouldn't understand. I am disappointed in myself that I allowed Satan to have that tight of a hold over me. No worries, I cast him out and can now read again. I miss Sister Taituuga but I am holding my sadness in check. There is work that needs to be done. Not my work, the Lord's work. And if the Lord saw it fit to give me a new companion, so be it. That is his choice, it's his work! He knows what I need more than I do!

Miracles have been on my mind a lot. I know that I say miracles happen every day. They do! But I am thinking about big miracles. I read that if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, we are worthy, and we have the spirit, we should expect miracles to occur. I want to become a missionary that can expect miracles to happen every day. That's a little insight into my brain I guess for you ;)

I Love you all so much!! Thank you for your love and support and PRAYERS!!!! They are deeply felt!! Your Heavenly Father loves you!!

Alofa atu,

Sista Peo

Malo soifua

Lo'u Aiga,

I feel like I just wrote you yesterday... Is it already Monday again? I don't see how that can be possible...

Anyways, it's transfer week this week and no one knows whats happening! We got an email saying that there will be no transfer meeting in Hamilton, so people being transferred will take the bus (rather than being driven by their companion to the meeting). Transferring missionaries will not be able to take their bikes or blankets on the bus with them  :'(  They will need to use the ones at the flat in their new area. .... Hopefully I'm not being transferred ;) Optimally that will never happen because all the Samoan wards are in South Auckland... 

Other than that I'm trying to think of new news to share... It seriously feels like I just wrote yesterday.

Our Relief Society 2nd counselor came with us this week, but since there are 3 of us we had to split up (its rude to go to house with 4 people). So I went with her and Sister Ulu and Sister Tai went together. That day it was POURING RAIN. And when I say pouring I mean POURING rain. SO I was thinking that Tai and ULU would be sopping wet because they were walking and we would stay dry because of the car. NOPE. ONLY 3 PEOPLE LET US IN ALL DAY!!! 7 hours!!!!! ONLY 3 PEOPLE!!! We were drenched! One of our less active members gave us towels to sit on in the car (Mara... bless her!!)!! So we go pick up the other two and they are DRY AS!!!!! YOU ARE JOKING!!! Everyone except 3 people let them in!! What the heck!! LOL!!!! 

We got a new investigator! We were contacting a referral and Sister Taituuga and I turn around and a house jumps out to us! She points at it and says we need to go to that one! We were halfway across the street before Ulu noticed what was happening! LOL!  Her name is Mercy! She is way cool! We had a SUPER long first lesson where she agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its truthfulness. She told us to come back Sunday  night because all of her cousins we be over and they would want to talk to us. So we went last night With Vaai (YSA who always comes with us) (Its Vaai's birthday today... Happy birthday Vaai), her cousins talked to us and asked us tons of questions but have a firm belief in their own faith. One of the questions they asked was why was Joseph Smith so special that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when the other prophets weren't able to see them? The closest prophet was Moses. Interesting question! And he also asked how Joseph Smith was able to see God when in the bible it says that no man can see God. That makes it seem like they were bible bashing... They weren't! They were just curious on our views. They invited us back next weekend to discuss it more!

Wow. That was a long one! Sorry about that! I love you all! Heavenly Father loves you the most! Look for miracles! 

Alofa tele atu,

Sista Peo

It was raining so please excuse my crazy hair... No amount of hairspray can tame the mane (there's not a lion emoji...)

Extra photos that have been posted on the mission facebook page

These are from Sister Peo's first moments in New Zealand, 

fresh off the plane where she had asthma troubles almost the entire flight :(

 Everyone kept getting these two mixed up.  The other sister is serving in the visitors center at the temple.

Picture of Sister Peo and Sister Taituuga at the font for Fagamanu's baptism

 After a mission conference--in the van

In December 2015, the New Zealand Hamilton Mission did a mission Haka.  Here they are performing it.  Sister Peo is right behind the last row of Elders in a dress with black and white triangles.  

The Missionary Haka which is called “Tiororangi” meaning the piercing cry from heaven.

   Here are the words and meaning (in Maori and English).    When I asked Sister Peo about hakas in general, here is what she said, "They are used to unify the members and intimidate everyone else. It is disrespectful to smile during a haka. Boys make their eyes big and stick out their tongues, girls make their eyes go wide and do a dramatic frown. We do it in pictures all the time so if i sent you a picture and we were doing that, that's what it is! It is called pukanah (spelled wrong! Sorry!)"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

Here is a youtube link to 2 missionaries performing it for their families on Christmas Day, there is supposed to be a professional video coming out and I'll post that when I find it. 

Elder Egbert and Timu performing the Hamilton Mission Haka 

New Zealand Christmas Day 2015

Preparing for the barbecue at a members house

 Skype photos of our Christmas Day 2015, Sista Peo's Boxing Day

Such a happy time!!

Sister Sogialofa posted this picture on facebook, my favorite surprise of today! Jan 2016

"Love her smile"

 Sister Tuimalatu posted this picture--Jan 2016

The new Trio, Sistas Taituuga, Ulu and Peo

Whazzzzzzzzz uuuuuuuuuuuuuuupp?

Lo'u Aiga,

Very exciting news!! WE ARE A TRIO!!!!!!!!!!! 

I had a feeling last transfer that we'd be in a trio! Nailed it!! ;) 

I know what your thinking: was it transfers already?

Nope! Transfer is on the 14th!

Our third soa (companion) is sister Ulu from the MTC we went on splits with them a few weeks ago! She finished her six weeks in the mtc and is in a trio with us until she gets her trainer at transfers!! Exciting stuff! So we've had fun guessing who her trainer could be (she is called to the Samoan program, so we have a 1 in 6 chance of getting it right ;))

We SMASHED it this week numbers wise!! We had Sister Tui (member from the ward) come with us, so Sister Tai and Ulu would go together and I would go with Sister Tui! It was so effective! We got so much done!! Sister Tui and I visited lots of less actives! It was so good! Sister Tui doesn't really speak english... I mean she does... but doesn't..

So initially I was a little worried. But my Samoan has vastly improved!! We were chatting away the whole time! Yay!!! Mind you there were lots of hand signals involved, and we could only talk about little things, but still! It was good!! I imagine from her perspective it was probably like talking to a giant toddler BAHAHA!! ;) 

Miracles happen EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!!!! Don't forget to look for them!! Follow the spirit! Remember who you are and what you stand for! Thank you for your prayers and love!! 

Alofa atu,

Sister Peo

PS from Delise: I don't know how to turn these upside down pictures around, sorry!!  :(

l to r: Sistas Tai, Peo and Ulu