July 25, 2011

In two weeks I'll have been on my mission for 18 months. My district's trying to figure out if we should extend our mission or just finish at the normal time. We'll see; we've still got a while. So the work goes on here in Vairao. We should be splitting our ward next week meaning an even bigger sector and even more Jehovah's Witnesses to preach to us. I don't have a whole lot to report. But we had two major successes this week. We fixed the baptism for our investigator Toto for next week. They chose me to baptise him. His last name is really super long Teriiteporouarai and his real first name is apparently worse. Whaterrr. Then his son will get baptised probably two weeks after (hopefully by his father) and then our investigator Poni will get baptised two weeks after that. So we are having baptisms consistently about every two weeks. Also there was one this week and the one two weeks before. Success! Things are really moving along here. I love the work, but I just hope that we'll be able to keep finding people. That's the hard part. We look for help but don't really find it. But I know they try to try. So yeah basically the mission is awesome, hard, but awesome. We'll see what the next few months have to offer.

July 18, 2011

 I've been wondering if it would really be worth it to go to Rurutu. Expensive stuff. I can't believe that President Smith called and/or had anything nice to say. Just kidding but seriously.. I'm moderately shocked. I've always done my best but I didn't think he ever saw or noticed. Sweet. Tell him what up if you talk to him again. That guy's such a boss. Love him. K well I just got pressed to go so I will give you only the purest and most important information (there's not a lot). Last week for P-day we rode bumper cars for an hour and a half and ate cotton candy. I felt like a child at a circus because that's exactly what I was. Tuesday we had a ton of lessons and got a surprise call to take an elder all the way to Papeete for a transfer because he kissed a girl the night before at midnight in the mission house. Yeah, okay. And that's the least of his problems. So as punishment he got sent to an awesome island with Elder Ferrin. Poor Ferrin. We did a lot of looking again this week and just a teensy bit of finding. But we had success on the side of baptisms. One of our not so prepared investigators had a few spiritual visions this week and is now ready to be baptised. So this Saturday he'll be baptised. I'm way super stoked and I'll tell you all about it next time. Well now it's off to the Noni factory and then off to save some more souls. Seeya next week. Also thank you so much for your support.

July 11, 2011

                                                       President Benjamin Tauraa Sinjoux

The work here continues. July is by far the hardest month of the year here cause everyone is on vacation. But we have managed to keep it moving. We do lots a looking and just a teensy little bit of finding. But this week we have seen a lot of miracles in that all of our investigators are taking the decision to be baptised. We have four baptisms fixed for this month and August with at least one more coming this week. Therefore making us by far the highest of the zone. Miracles still happen. Monday we were in Papeete the whole day which was kind of lame. But it was all worth it cause we ate at McDonald's. Wednesday we were in Papeete once again for our zone leader meeting dealy with the new pres, President Sinjoux. He's legit. He isn't really going to change anything but he'll make adjustments where it's necessary. So we all really like him. His wife was a big politician before coming on mission.  She doesn't talk, but she rather forcefully puts her words into your ears. We'll see though. Friday we have a Zone Conference and we'll be talking about a "surprise subject". Normally surprises are great but this one bites. Thursday we drove around in circles to get everyone interviewed by president. I tried and succeeded in my fast and furious skills. And finally Friday we had a baptism for our investigator Rahei. From day one she wanted to get baptised and after a long struggle in finally happened. Everything seemed to be against us but it happened. Normally she is way super timid and stuff but as soon as she came out of the water she truly was a new person. Happy and confident. Also the baptism touched one of our eternal investigators who was there, so after he came up to me and he said he's ready to get baptised. Sweet! the spirit rocks. Don't forget it.

July 4, 2011

Family, I'll try and be brief cause our normal email place is closed and it's really expensive here. But basically after your emails I am way super stoked for next year's 4th of July. I'll have you guys I know I celebrated the Fourth here with something even better than blowing up a piece of America. I blew up a piece of a french country! We burned our garbage in our yard as a celebration. And I guess we totally forgot about a can of aerosol so it exploded like our whole neighborhood and my companion screamed like a girl. I was singing the national anthem during the whole ordeal. America rules! Wario is good and the work is hard. Our new president isn't as evil as everyone says. I loved the conference. Our entire mission was there except for two guys. Yeah sorry I'm not gonna have any money for food later so I'm gonna go. We'll be in Papeete today to take someone to the doctor. Lame. Oh yeah one last thing. This week we went to Fenua Aihere to see some members. Look it up on google maps. It's after the end of the road so we had to go on foot in flip flops through the ocean and through rivers. Just like in the movies. Two guys in white shirts going through the jungle. Just know I'm still kickin. And you guys are living the dream life. Keep it up.

June 27, 2011

There isn't really that much to report this week. Just a bunch of lessons and a ton of looking for new investigators. It's the summer vacation meaning pretty much everyone is gone. A good amount of our investigators have already left on vacation and it's only the beginning. So the work is harder than normal. It's moving along though. Our lessons are as powerful as ever. Our investigators can always feel the spirit and they make changes in their lives. The guy who was mad at us last week was also mad at us this week because we got to his house early. But once again we totally blew him away with the spirit and he accepts the Book of Mormon. Also finally the little girl we teach named Rahei got an answer to her prayer about Joseph Smith. She has always wanted to get baptised but she would never ask by prayer if it was true. Well she did it, dangit, and she said the words I'll never get tired of hearing "I got and answer to my prayer......it was a warm feeling." Way to go, spirit. She will be getting baptised next Saturday. Saturday we fasted and went with the ward to reactivate inactive members. It was sweet. Although with one I came a little bit behind the others cause I had to pee and they had already started. So when we first got there they were only talking to her in Tahitian. When I got there they told me to give the message. So I shared a scripture and gave this whole lesson in Tahitian but she was real quiet. I asked her like three times what she thought and she didn't respond. Finally I asked in French and she looked up and me and says "I like this scripture but.. I don't understand a word of Tahitian." Dang it all! So we had to re-explain everything. Well that's about it. Except for I finally found the identical twin of my companion. Wario from Mario Cart. He looks, acts, and grunts like him. Gotta love the mission.

June 20, 2011

This morning I wanted to shoot myself in the face because we taught an Adventist couple. For the first 45 minutes she just talked and told us stories about how evil Mormons are. Then my companion tried to bear testimony and she came back with about 50 false-doctrinal comments and questions. It's not the first time but it was DEATH hearing all that false doctrine.Life here is pretty much the same. Tuesday we had our final zone conference with President Smith. It was sweet, he talked a lot about finding new people to teach and encouraged us to take the "low hanging fruit". It's true, there are tons of people already prepared in our areas. When go looking for people that have no interest whatsoever in what we say? So we had a lot of success this week in our efforts to find people. Saturday me, my companion and a ward missionary from the other side of the island got called to do a funeral service. The bishop and his counselors were no where to be found so it was up to us. We had no idea what we were doing. We got to this little house with like 40 people in it all crying because there was a dead baby in a little coffin in the middle of the house. Uhhhhh okay. So we went in and sat down on three prepared seats before everyone. Then we did what is called pataha noa, meaning we just winged it. It was incredible. We bore testimony to this large group of non-members about the plan of salvation and the restored church. They stopped crying, even the father and mother kind of looked at us like "Really? The baby is saved? We'll see him again?" Everyone in that room saw very clearly that what we taught was the truth and what the other faiths had taught them was completely false. They even told us after. So we totally comforted them and they even managed to smile. Then I blessed the grave, that was a first. The spirit totally knocked the socks off of everyone. The next day we saw the family at church and the Dad told the bishop he wants to be baptised. He has no doubt. So yeah, the work moves on. Also I went to my first sector on a split Friday. It was way weird to be back there. We had some serious success while I was there. Finally this wee we were able to participate in two baptisms and one marriage this week for the other Elders in our zone. Cool stuff. So things are good here. Despite all the crappy stuff that happens that I don't write the mission is awesome. It's DEFINITELY worth it. I have no doubt of that.

June 13, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfDlycsPGBg

Elder Oldroyd SINGS!

Well this week was just about the same as any other week. We taught a bunch of lessons; 19 actually. So basically every week has more lessons and new investigators than the one before. Success! Also I got a call from the Ariiotimas (who love you) and they said that at least two of the people we taught in Rurutu are getting baptised soon. The prophet Hearii is having his baptismal interview today. So basically nothing changes, all the fruits come after I leave sectors. I'm way happy about that cause at least there's fruit. We got a lot of potential new investigators this week by working with ward members. Saturday was like the MTC all over again. Me, my companion and our ward mission leader all sat in a room and had different non-member couples come and sit down in front of us. We had to quickly get to know them and think of an appropriate lesson. Soooo sick. I loved it because this time I was ready and this time it was real. So yeah, total success here in Vairao.

June 6, 2011

This week was moderately awesome. Monday we had a way powerful blessing for an old 99 percent dead grandma; I dunno why but the spirit was way super strong. We also played tennis therefore breaking mission history for me. I thought of mom. Also we totally killed two kids in a pick-up game. Wednesday we had our last  Zone Leader meeting dealy with President Smith. Bummer. My whole district was there except Ferrin. Thursday I taught a bunch of Protestant people how to sing with better accents. What an experience that was. They're singing songs from Glee. Do you guys still what that? Saturday we had our Stake Conference and the coolest thing ever happened. I ran into William. My first ever contact. Since we started the lessons he got baptised and Sunday he was getting the Melchizedek Priesthood. It was legit. He told me that before with the other missionaries he could never accept the lessons but that day it was different. He said and I quote "it was because of you... It was because of the spirit and you." And at that moment I realised, along with my current studies in Preach My Gospel, that that is exactly what we're supposed to do. In fact that is what we do all day everyday. We work according to the spirit. It's both Him and us that make the difference in every investigator's life.

May 30, 2011

Things here continue as normal. Almost every day this week we worked on finding old investigators and contacting people. We had a lot of success especially with our ward mission leader. We've got a lot of following through to do this next week. Also I guess we drove like four times too far last month in all of our business. They probably should have told us that there even was a limit before giving us the keys.. Since we have a huge sector and a zone that covers half the island I guess it was bound to happen. Well now we've got to find a bike for Elder. Where as my bike is looking sweeter than ever before. Otherwise the work moves on. We've got more and more people committed to baptism every week. And we have at least two baptismal dates fixed for June with a third and a fourth possible. Things are looking good before the dreaded month of July. I love seeing so many of our investigators come to an understanding of the gospel and know that it's true. Things are really moving along here. Just to end on a non-spiritual note- The chickens around our house are getting bolder every day. There's this one that keeps flying up on an old fridge right by our front door and every time I walk outside it spazes out and flies away. Well after about the fifth time of me trying to kill it with water bottles and brooms I was angry and disappointed. So this morning after chasing it into the jungle I hit where it sleeps with the broom and splat, I ruined breakfast. Little did I realize it had been laying eggs there. Well next time I'm eating the chicken and the eggs, cause we're going to borrow a blow gun from an Elder in our zone. I'm totally stoked on the idea of eating my problems instead of throwing things at them. Here's my finally goodbye thought for the week. Yesterday was Mothers day and everyone lied in there testimonies cause they said there mom was the best and most beautiful. They hadn't met mine. Seriously though mom, it's only after coming here and cleaning up after a bunch of slobs that I have realized how much you did for me. I will NEVER leave a dirty dish in the sink again. Neither will I put anything anywhere it doesn't belong. Thanks for your days of sacrifice but it's over when I get home. Happy Tahitian Mother's Day and remember that you smoke them all.

May 23, 2011

Ia ora na family. Uhhhh, let me just start by asking- what the crap happened to our ward?! Then I'll move on because I'm actually way super bummed about that. Good job on the marathon. People here are always amazed when I tell them you run those things since like no one here does. Can you also send the way super cool new Joseph Smith movie? And also The Other Side of Heaven. I don't know if I can watch the latter but I know our investigators/ward can. Everyone who has ever seen that movie here finds an instant testimony so i think that would be a major success. That's all. Thanks so much. There are three Zones here on Tahiti and then one huge one that covers all the other islands. There are two districts in each zone. Our zone (Zone 3) covers about half the island. It's just the wild less peopled side. In my sector and the one on the other side there are places only accessible by foot; where you have to cross rivers and stuff. It's pretty cool, actually. I don't talk to president all that often, he's a busy guy since he finishes next week. Then we'll be over-taken by a Chinese guy. I speak a little English with the few people in the ward that know how. Otherwise I talk to the American Elders a little when I see them around. Oh by the way Elder Coulson (the only smart one in our district) is now assistant. Therefore proving all of our assumptions. Well this week was just as any other. We went golfing Monday and I have got some pretty funny videos from it. Also we had a big meeting Wednesday with all the leaders from the whole mission. My whole district was there EXCEPT Elder Frischknecht. Poor guy. He missed the A-46 Boyz Reunion. Also Thursday the only Australian missionary in our whole mission got sent home. It was sad cause we were good buds and then I had to take him away. Having a car can suck too. Yeah so basically the whole first half of our week we did no lessons because of that stuff.Friday Saturday and Yesterday were full of lessons though so it was great. This sector is doing well, we've got a ton of new investigators and a ton of baptisms coming up. Hard work pays off. Also this week I got really lucky and saw a lot of old friends from old sectors. Even the work I did over a year ago is still paying off. Almost everyone I have ever taught has been baptised by the other missionaries and I couldn't be more stoked. Also Our neighbors in Hitia'a are still waiting for us next June. Well that's all for this week. Hang in there family. I'll speak to you guys by phone in 7 months, then I'll come home like right after.. I can't believe It's already been 15 months and soon to be 16. Well anyways I'll seeya