27 July 2016 – Week 37: The miracles are flowing!!!

Bonjour tout le monde!!! Ca va?? [Hello, everyone! How’s it going?]

This week was AWESOME!! You know why?? Because there are real miracles happening here in our mission, the Great VPVM! [Vanuatu Port Vila Mission]

First, William is getting baptized on August 6th!!! We invited him on Thursday during our lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and at first he was like, "maybe, yes.” I kept asking if it was a real yes or an iffy yes (a "oui oui" or a "peut-etre oui") and finally he said OUI OUI!! He's been progressing SO FAST and he has A SUPER STRONG TESTIMONY! I love it because for him, the Gospel is logique [logical] and that's why for him it's easy to accept all the commandments and everything. He even prayed to know who to ask do to the talks and everything for his baptism. He's already a member!! And today for our district activity we're going to go play Laser Game again, and we invited William and Joyce and Moise and they all want to come play with us! William especially is super excited :)

Another miracle: The daughter of the Maruhi family, Lisislena, is going to get baptized on August 27th! She's nine, so she's technically a convert even though she grew up in the church. We have been teaching her the lessons and set the date with her and her mom. We're hoping that the dad will start coming back to church because of her baptism! And they invited us over for la soiree familiale [Family Home Evening] next Monday! Woo hoo! 

AND NOW THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF THEM ALL! Manu, the ami that we had invited to be baptized WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY back in May is going to get married and get baptized August 27th!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) We hadn't been able to have lessons with him regularly because he works a ton, but we'd see him at church on the weeks when he could come. So when he told us on Monday that he and Nysia (his girlfriend who's an inactive member coming back to the church) are getting married and that he's getting baptized, we jumped for joy! And their goal is to be sealed in the temple one day! Miracles people, miracles!!

This weekend we had stake conference with Elder Haleck, the Area President, President and Sister Going, the New Zealand temple president (and also the famous All Blacks rugby player NBD), and [Mission] President and Sister Granger. The whole conference was all about missionary work, and it was awesome! We're hoping that this will make the stake move and get going! All the members want a temple and talk about it all the time, but they have to put in the work first. And something Elder Haleck said was to treat the missionaries like your own kids (because there are actually a lot of missionaries serving from New Cal). After that, a bunch of members gave us food. Like, A LOT of food. So don't worry, I'm definitely not going hungry. 

And for the conference, a member had called us to ask Sister Rooarii if she knows how to make flower necklaces, or couronnes de cou, to give to the temple president and his wife when they came. Soeur Rooarii said yes, and then one day we went out searching for flowers with Soeur Michele Tetuira. That was an adventure because we weren't really sure if we could take the flowers from certain places or not. But we trusted Michele because she's a policewoman, haha. Then Soeur Rooarii and I made the necklaces on Friday night so they'd be fresh and pretty still for when the Goings came. It was fun to do a crafty-type thing. I have missed that!

Last Thursday, we did a service project at the chapel to help with the gardening. We dug around all the trees and did some weeding. The member who's in charge of all the chapels promised our district pizzas for having helped him. So yesterday after our district meeting, he brought us two gigantic pizzas and juice! (Like I said, don't worry-I'm being fed!)

And today for our district activity, we're going to have lunch together at a park in Dumbea and play volleyball and then go play Laser Game! Like President says, "Work hard, play hard!" :)

Well, that was my week! And just so y'all know, the transfer call is coming this week so I tell you next week if I'm changing or not!

JE VOUS AIME!!! :)

Soeur Matheson

The couronnes de cou that Soeur Rooarii and I made for the New Zealand temple President and his wife.

Our district after district meeting (and killing time while waiting for the pizza!).