Monday, August 29, 2016

transfer #5 in Kolovai and Fo'ui... and I'm training!!

Hello Everyone,
Yes, I am finally going to have a brand new missionary to train! I talked to someone at the office and apparently all the Americans are training the Tongan missionaries from Tonga, so I don't know who it is yet, but I think my little trainee will help me learn a lot. I have not yet been companions with a Tongan who completely grew up here. As long as she doesn't try to hold my hand and touch me 24/7, I'm gonna love it :) (yes, idk why they do it, but tongan girls are VERY touchy... Audrey is laughing at the irony of this right now as she reads). 
Honestly, i am shocked to know that I will be spending another 6 weeks here in this area. It's a great area, but i have been here for a while and mentally prepared to move on after almost 6 months here, but the Lord has other plans. My work is not yet finished here. There are people who still need me, so maybe i need to work a little harder in this area than I have before if I will ever get out of here... hahaha :).
This week I learned about the power of sacrifice. We are starting a program with our members here related to the meals we eat with them every day. It is a program our mission president suggested. The members are supposed to have someone at their home for us to teach when we come to eat- a less-active member, or a non-member. If there is no one there, we don't eat their food, we say a prayer and bless their family for preparing food, but we begin a fast instead. The program was just announced yesterday at church, and for the first time, i actually saw the members motivated! they we all checking their calendars and looking for people to invite! Tonight will be the first experience with the new program. lets hope we won't be fasting. I am excited about this program because A) i know it will really motivate the members, because lets be honest this country runs on food and making the missionaries go hungry is NOT okay... B) i think some of the missionaries around here might lose some weight ;) and C) i know that the Lord will bless us and the members with miracles because of our sacrifices. 
One other experience- we had to postpone a baptism because our investigator was still smoking and did not tell us, BUT Kalolo, our investigator, is coming along sooo well :) We taught him about tithing and fast offerings this week, and even though he is not baptized yet, I saw him dilligently filling out his tithing slip yesterday at church. He is committed to quit smoking in 5 days even though he has been smoking for YEARS... so we are praying for him, and i really believe his desire is strong enough, so i am not worried about his baptism happening next week. I guess I am excited to stay here and see more of the fruits from months and months of our efforts. 
Challenge for this week- sacrifice a little more of your time for the Lord. Call the ward mission leader, or talk to the missionaries in your ward and ask them how you can help..... then FOLLOW THROUGH. 
Love you all <3


-Sister Bever

a picture from a resort where we had a zone pday activity last week. i just though it was pretty.


Sister Betteridge and I at the airport as she got ready to go to Vava'u. I guess Tonga couldn't handle the twins for too long.

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