PONDERIZE for the week: Alma 26:27. "He will grant us success." :) It's grand! :)
It's still amazing to me how certain days—or WEEKS, in this case—can seem long. But.... the mission still is just flying by. 13 months? What? Where did that time go? Was it not just January 2015 yesterday? Weird.
Anyhoo. Regardless of how long the week has been, it's still been good. Just chaotic with transfers and moving people and saying GOODBYE to people, and alllll the things! "Killing" missionaries [saying goodbye] is still the hardest of things for me I think. But it's part of life :) And it's all good. And if you haven't already guessed by now, Sister Lemalu and I have not been transferred.
Last MONDAY we went BOWLING. I'm still really bad at it, but I enjoy it :) It's always nice to just get out and do something to shake things up a bit. It was also the wish of Sister Taylor to DO something for her last P-day :) Saying goodbye is....always hard. Especially with Gila, and now Rarawa and Taylor. But, we have pictures. So that's all okay :) And... it just means that I'll have to go to Melbourne and Fiji one day now, so..... #WorldTravels
TUESDAY we picked up my dear Sister Boiteux from the Sunset Sister's flat as she was dropping her companion (my granddaughter, Sister Fonua) there to be picked up by Elder Garth. Because... Sister Fonua finally got her Visa to go to Mississippi! Wooooo Visa's! So, my posterity is officially being continued on in a new mission :) Exciting things! So we were lucky enough to have Sister Boiteux with us for the day, until she got her new companion at transfers. We all went to District Meeting - to find.... Sister Anitema!!! (She was companions with Sister Hoiesi for the day, since Sister Taylor and Rarawa were at orientation at the Mission Home before leaving.) So... Anitema and Hoiesi decided to come to our district meeting instead of chancing missing Anitema's in Henderson. We also said our goodbyes to the elders leaving the zone... specifically our district.... Chatwin and Murdock. Gonna miss them!
Then we had lunch after district meeting, and I got to catch up with Sister Anitema on the Hendo life, before they were off to their crazy lives, of moving flats!
Tuesday afternoon. NEW INVESTIGATOR! Brendon :) Yes, as in New Zealand's "Brendon Thomas and the Vibes!" [Look them up.] Hahaha...... We've been dropping in to say hi, and last time we stated our real purpose and he said it was "cool" and that we could totally come around and share things! We haven't actually met his mum yet, but his dad is lovely and we're hoping to meet all of them :) They're South African like so many in this area. He's actually the most CHILL person you'll ever meet, but he's also keen to LEARNING - so power to him!! And there will be interesting things in the future. He's already brought up the Word of Wisdom thing so we'll see how continuing things go! :) Ha. He invited us into his house (and since there were THREE of us that day, we could, even though his mum didn't seem to be home). And then he invited us into his part of the house - aka: his bedroom. He told us to "make ourselves comfortable" (in his super chill surfer-dude type voice). Haha.. He's hilarious. And so... we awkwardly sat on the floor. But he's good. And he's understanding more now what our purpose of missionaries actually is. So that's all good too :)
Tuesday night....we had to say our LAST GOODBYE to our dear Sister Taylor. Gonna miss that one! But she's served a brilliant mission, and it's her turn to go about the new adventures back home in Melbourne now ;)
WEDNESDAY. Transfers! And all the confusion thereof. Dropping Sister Boiteux off, picking up new sisters — originally thinking we would end up having to drive back to Panmure to pick up MORE sisters after driving out to Waterview.... but no worries. It all got sorted out and we only had to do a little bit of crazy running around. It was a bit sad in the sense of "I didn't get to bring my baby (Sister Boiteux) to the bus stop to pick up her new companion" — aka: Sister HOBBS. But it's all good :) Ha. I love how all my companions have been companions with each other for the most part now. It's great.
Later we had volleyball in Hibiscus with a couple of the potential investigator non-members, and ....they even got me to play this week. Haaaaa. Struggle is real. Haven't played in AGES. But, they were all very supportive and loving and cheered me on, even though....well...me and sports. Enough said! Ha.
THURSDAY... struggle. Sickness. It's fine. No worries. And to answer the question you asked last week — no, no aches or pains anymore, just get itchy still :) Ish. A little. No worries. It's nothing the clear pills you sent aren't taking care of for me :)
FRIDAY! Planning. Saw Philip, and Sister Lemalu's family – Hahahaha. And with Sister Lemalu's parents "waltzing in," as you put it, no, it's definitely still not allowed. It's just a thing with Islander families "happening to be in the right place at the right time" Haaaa.. But it's all good :) If I somehow do run into the Ostenson's when they come, then, ya know - power to it! Haha. Aaaand... We had a sort of appointment with our NOW, NEW INVESTIGATOR. Her name is Linda. She called us about a week ago, asking if we would have any use for an air hockey table at our church. We asked around and found someone to take it (Sister Lemalu's family) so -we all went to pick it up :) We were able to stay a bit after and get to know her a bit. She said we should come by again soon for a "cup of coffee or something" (hot chocolate? ha.) But, apparently neither of us felt prompted to actually set a for real appointment.... But it was a blessing in disguise, because later that night she texted us asking if we "could come over tomorrow for some takeaways or something, and to chat" .... :) The Lord's timing. It's the best when people get to act for themselves, instead of us just prying into their lives. (Okay, not prying, but sometimes prying.) A lovely member lesson with our dear Sister Erin Matla followed :) And it was just grand. Love her to pieces.
SATURDAY our lunch date with Linda — and this is how prepared her heart is. We went out to Pita Pit, and her first sentence to us as we sat down to eat was, "So.... tell me about your faith." :) She's brilliant, and we're just so excited to keep working with her. :) Miracles always abound. It's true. And they keep us going and going :)
Oh. And Torbay Ward activity. I learned to check the oil and change the tyre of a car. Haaaa. It was good :) (The whole activity was based on self-reliance with little workshops on education, health, car maintenance, food storage, etc. complete with a bit of zumba and a potluck at the end!)
SUNDAY. President Balli came to the Hibiscus Ward to speak :) And it was exciting and brilliant and according to Brother Maire, he's already seen a bit of change in excitement to get into the life of missionary work from some of the members. So.... all the excitement :) There was also a brilliant talk given by one of our members (Sister Greening) in which she mentioned a portion of this quote....and it's just one of those things that you NEED sometimes.
"You are LOVED. You are dear to your heavenly parents.
The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! ... He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you TODAY with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. AND STILL HE LOVES YOU." —President Uchtdorf, Ensign November 2014
Brilliant. Isn't it? We are LOVED, no matter what. And that's what He needs us to know. Through His servants and apostles. So - Sunday was good. We also had a brilliant dinner with our dear Elli Duncan :) (less-active, with many-a-goals in coming back), a brilliant meal (but also with a lot of dairy, which resulted in Sister Lemalu being...rather ill, regardless of the tablet she took. Ha. Sad things. But also not surprised). And... it was just good getting to know her and her needs even more.
One of the main things I would say I've learned on this mission is just how IMPORTANT the LITTLE THINGS are. It's not the big things we do that keep us strongly standing within this gospel—I mean, no doubt that the big things are what help us grow and gain the most—but it's the LITTLE THINGS that keep us grounded in order to gain that little bit of strength that we need each day. CHURCH. PRAY. READ. Our SPIRITUAL CPR. Church: for us to renew our covenants, and to uplift and strengthen us each week. Pray: to always have that connection with our Heavenly Father and to learn through personal revelation. And Read: Well - 'cause we need that knowledge and revelation through the scriptures DAILY, for our testimony and foundation in Christ to be strengthened. It's so simple. And I KNOW that these are the things that our Heavenly Father needs us to do to return to him. I still have yet to figure out/remember/go back through my notes to figure out what apostle said this - but, "If you read the Book of Mormon EVERYDAY, you will never go less active." (I'm fairly sure it was shared at either a mission conference, or the regional conference...or some sort of conference we had.) But I DEFINITELY have gained a testimony of that. It's there for us for a reason, and we need to STUDY it's brilliant words.
Anyhoo. You're all lovely, and wonderful and I love you and miss you heaps. I hope your upcoming week is filled with joy and happiness, and that all your wildest wishes come true ;)
Alofa Tele Atu, (This one's Samoan for "I love you all heaps!") #SamoanCompanion
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Showing posts with label Sister Hobbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sister Hobbs. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Transfer Week!
Can you believe it's transfers this week again already?! 'Cause...I definitely can't. We'll find out tonight if we're being transferred or not! Any guesses?
I'm going to ATTEMPT to keep this email a bit more ...brief than usual. Ha. Just because we're going out with the Masiasomua's today! Yay! They're going to bring us around to a few places in the Zone, including "Crystal Mountain" and Arataki.:) So...we're excited.
It's been a good week. Along with a bit of sickness again for me. I had the beginnings of a cold last week Monday... mid-day-ish, which I was thinking was just allergies. But then by that night I could just tell it was there. So I took a bunch of things, apparently not enough. Ha. So... the struggle was real. All goods though. We're on the mend :)
So last MONDAY was fairly relaxed. Just hung. Shopped. The usual. That night we had dinner and a lesson with the Masiasomua's. Oh how wonderful their family is :) Funny side note about dinner: We were having burgers, and I decided I wanted another small one - but...without the bread life. So I put it between two pieces of lettuce, and brought it to the table. ...And that's when I got "the look" from President. You know- that "look" of "please don't tell me you're one of THOSE girls." Haaaa. I started laughing and Sister Hobbs lovingly seconded (is that a word?) my need for less gluten sometimes. Haha. The look he gave me though. Priceless. :)
We had put together a "Jeopardy" version of the Plan of Salvation for the family that night. So they split into teams — Team Moroni: Sister Masiasomua, Tanner and Kahlii. Team Ammon: President, Aejah, and Kira. Even though we ended up having to cut the lesson short we had a good time with the family, laughing hysterically at the end when the points were tallied up to find that team Mornoi had won by 100 points, regardless of President and his SURETY that their team had taken it by a long shot. A testimony that cockiness gets you nowhere ;) —Until you're humbled at the end of your cockiness. Haha. #CheekyMan
So, like I said, by the time I got home Monday night, I suddenly had a cold. It kind of felt like it came out of nowhere, 'cause it honestly did feel like allergies at the beginning of the day. But oh well. Life moves on.
By TUESDAY I was exhausted. #ColdLife. But we had district meeting, then met with Aroha Henare, and then over to Marion's to help her in the beginnings of cleaning out her humble abode more. (Once again. Liz, can you just come help us clean her house? Haha.) Luckily she decided she wanted to start with the kitchen, which was much better than jumping into the rest of the house, not having a clue where to put anything. The kitchen is at least a contained area. (But please, my dear family. If I ever seem to be going in the ways of becoming a hoarder, please tell me to stop!) We had dinner at the Haeata's, and then visited Ivan that night. Miracle of the day? The amount of members that LOVINGLY gave us rides... pretty much everywhere. #Grateful #LoveThemAll — Sister Joseph, Sister Leato, and Sister Haeata. 'Cause I couldn't move very fast, and... there wasn't any way I was biking without being able to breathe. It's hard enough up some of those hills when you DO have the ability of breathing out your nose, let alone when you don't.
WEDNESDAY. #Sickness. But we still had a comp study with Elder Hunter and Gulliver. I just probably looked like I was going to fall over a little. Okay. I really wasn't that bad. But you all know what it's like when you have a cold. I also didn't sleep much the night before, so I was zombie like. Anyhoo. We still made it out that morning, I forced myself to bike, otherwise we wouldn't have made it to and back from where we wanted to go before lunchtime. But...alas. All the people we planned were not home. So we tracted. And met one lovely man – who's super Muslim, but also stopped to talk with us! He's the first super Kiwi man I've met that's muslim. Aka: He married into the religion. But he taught us some fun things! So that was good. We had our lunch break — I slept. We had dinner with our dear Emere Joseph at Pita Pit (have I mentioned that they have that here too?) and...we had some lovely conversation :)
Comp study with the Zone Leader (Elder Saulo, and his comp/trainee, Elder Vaioa Salanoa) began the day THURSDAY. Fun times there, as they also came over partially to try and steal the Samoan potentials from our area book. Ha. We gave them quite a few to contact, but...there's also a few that they're not allowed to have. Namely: Dora, her mum, Sia, and Vale........ Nope. All ours! Sorry! Also, Dora doesn't even speak Samoan, so, it wouldn't really work for her to go to the Samoan ward. We then had to rush on over to our lesson with Vale – and we taught her the Plan of Salvation! Fun things :) She seemed to enjoy it.
We stopped back by the flat for lunch after our lesson with her, and then out to visit Ivan and tract a bit. And...here's where Ivan surprised us. He told us the week before that he had gotten us a gift, yeah? Yup. He was going to wait, but then decided to give it to us before we left before it was too late. HE GOT US GREENSTONES! Or "Pounamu" in Maori.
Here's a little background of why this is a SWEET AS gift. Not only is it a crazy cool necklace, but greenstones are technically not meant to be bought for yourself, but rather - gifted to you by someone else. Ivan had ours carved by a man in his hometown up North, (Karetu) then they were washed in HIS river (the Taumarere River) and BLESSED on HIS Marae grounds (the Ngati Manu Marae). So: the significance in this is the fact that because it's been washed and blessed in his land and marae, the Ponamu has his ancestors with it. So - we carry Ivan's ancestry wherever we go now, 'cause... both Sister Hobbs and I have been wearing them since he gave them to us. He spoils us. He said he wanted "to thank us for all we've done." ...Oh, Ivan. It's WAY more than we deserve, but we are grateful - because, he's just brilliant. #BestConvertEver Love him to pieces.
We went to the Frost's for dinner and a lesson that night. They're just wonderful. It's still funny to me sometimes that David is my same age. Not sure why it's so funny to me... but it is. Anyhoo. We taught the Restoration to them, and had a lovely night. They just spoil us with smiles and greatness. And little Avery, man, It's like I'm getting a chance to watch Brody grow up - but... not, obviously. Ha. 'Cause Avery's now 8 months old? Almost. So... ya know, a few of the months I've missed with Brody. ;)
FRIDAY was weekly planning, lunch, walking and talking with people around the mall and down the rest of Great North Road to the "Manna Christian Store." We've been wanting to go in ...the entire time we've been here - but alas. So finally it happened! And we found REAL JOURNALS!! I've been struggling with this - 'cause...I've liked my nice actual journal-like journals, rather than just... notebooks. The journal I"m currently finishing up is kind of a journal, but more note-book-ey to me. Anyhoo. We found pretty and, ya know, Christian-themed journals. So I have one with lyrics to Amazing Grace on the front, and another with Phil. 4:6 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And that one is pretty, embossed leather. And, yes, I know I'll fill up both of these journals before I come home! #AllTheWriting
We visited with Aroha Levi and the kids - it went... alright. Ha. We're still struggling to figure out how to bring her kids to a level of focus. We had them for a bit - teaching faith with "growing animal capsules" but... we're not sure how much they actually got the gospel relation to the lesson. We just need to get them to church, and all will be well :) Just making that step will be good for the family. It's amazing watching how something as little as going to church helps in peoples lives.
Our night was filled with tracting on Pakira Ave (Ivan's street) and finding a couple of little miracles. Anita and Poonam. Both lovely and willing to talk to us. Poonam is Hindu, and helped us in understanding the symbol they have that goes along with Ganesh (Hindu deity) that looks a little bit like a swastika. ...And I'm assuming this is actually where Hitler got his symbol of "good luck" or whatever. Anyhoo. It was fun to talk with her, and she gave us tips on if we ever go to India - where to go and when to go (not during the summer apparently...haha). Anita was...insanely excited to see us though. She's recently become Christian, and said she wants help in Bible studies! - As, with her job(s) she struggles to find a bible study class that works with her different hours. So she said, "Oh, it's like you've been sent to me!" Haha. #Blessings. Excited to go back and visit her :)
SATURDAY I was just sick of being sick. But we still got out, talked with people, then came back for a lunch break - which I slept during again. The afternoon resulted in ...all our plans not working out, but then finding the blessings in visiting the Josephs instead :) We got to spend time with Arihia, and...we just love her to pieces. We talked books and movies and just got to know her a bit more. We love the friendship life. We all also decided to compile movie/book lists for each other, so that was pretty exciting. I'm still working on Arihia's...
I'm slow. Ha. Love her. So much.
We then dropped by the Masiasomua's for a "toilet break" as Sister Hobbs called it (ha) — but really we were just too tired to be bothered to go back to the flat for dinner (and I didn't really care, as I didn't have that strong of a desire to eat anyhow), and because our dinner hour was even technically over at this point. But the Masiasomua's were home (miracle) and took us in, let us stay and fed me salad. We planned our p-day together (today! woot!), and they drove us home, lovingly letting us store our bikes at their house.... to be picked up at some point. Ha. We were going to pick them up last night. And then maybe tonight, but... that just doesn't seem like it's going to happen. So Tuesday then. ;)
SUNDAY. SISTER GAITAU HAS RETURNED! Both Ramona, and her beautiful daughter, Alisha, who's just returned from the England, Manchester mission :) She's the cutest of all cute, and we're excited to get to work with her in all of her returned-missionary glory. There was a GIANT feast after church Sunday, and poor Alisha was just... exhausted from all the travel and jet-lag-ness. Ha. But she seemed happy, and then told us later that night that she "hadn't broke down yet" — but that she probably would soon. Poor girl ;) We're ready and excited to help her adjust by throwing her into more missionary work with us though :) It'll be grand.
OH! And: OTHER exciting news about Sunday: We HAVE A WARD MISSION LEADER! Now that we've been here for 12 weeks, they've found someone to fill the calling. Brother Tuatonga - their family has just moved here from Christchurch (city), and he's super excited to work with us, and we're super excited too! :D
So... there's the week. Slow at times, and I"m sick of being sick, but... "It will all work out" :) (Thank you President Hinckley - and then Sister Marriott.)
Life is grand. Henderson is beautiful. And.... we'll see if I'm sitll here next week at this time :) Or - even in 2 days time! #Weird. I definitely feel like I'm not ready to leave yet, but I keep having this feeling that SOMETHING is going to change.... so, we'll see.
A scripture for the week:
"And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." —Mosiah 18:21
*And here is now my "not amused face" with myself* as, the WRONG SD CARD is in my camera at the moment... so you don't get a picture of my greenstone (sad face). But... next week. We'll make it happen.
Funny story: Sister Hobbs knows all our family by name...for the most part, and I'm just barely learning her siblings names. Why? 'Cause I've actually seen pictures now of them all separately and I can put a face to the name. When she was showing me pictures last week our convo went like this:
Hobbs: How is it that I know all YOUR sister's names and you don't know any of mine yet?
Me: Once again, I'm a VISUAL person. You know this now.
Hobbs: ...Yeah. Okay. #ThingsNotEveryoneUnderstands
And, I saw the Leap Year bunny on Google too! When I got on the computer last week! (The Internet opens to the Google page.) It made me super happy :) I realized AFTER i got off the computer that I had forgotten to wish you guys an early happy Leap Day! Haha.
And it's good to hear about Sister Hatch news :) I totally understand her, "Where did my mission go?" 'Cause... I was just thinking about that last night. I'm almost to 9 months! Crazy! Sad about her comp though :( But lil' Ri's got a good positive head on her, doesn't she? So excited for her :) You'll have to give her a BIG hug from me and tell her how much I miss her, and how grateful I am for her example to me in going on a mission!
Oh. And RANDOM QUESTION for the day: Why do we have basements in America? I get asked this quite often... people think I'm crazy for living in the BASEMENT. Haha! #ThingsIveNeverThoughtAbout
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL HEAPS! ;) Hope you have a brilliant week!!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
I'm going to ATTEMPT to keep this email a bit more ...brief than usual. Ha. Just because we're going out with the Masiasomua's today! Yay! They're going to bring us around to a few places in the Zone, including "Crystal Mountain" and Arataki.:) So...we're excited.
It's been a good week. Along with a bit of sickness again for me. I had the beginnings of a cold last week Monday... mid-day-ish, which I was thinking was just allergies. But then by that night I could just tell it was there. So I took a bunch of things, apparently not enough. Ha. So... the struggle was real. All goods though. We're on the mend :)
So last MONDAY was fairly relaxed. Just hung. Shopped. The usual. That night we had dinner and a lesson with the Masiasomua's. Oh how wonderful their family is :) Funny side note about dinner: We were having burgers, and I decided I wanted another small one - but...without the bread life. So I put it between two pieces of lettuce, and brought it to the table. ...And that's when I got "the look" from President. You know- that "look" of "please don't tell me you're one of THOSE girls." Haaaa. I started laughing and Sister Hobbs lovingly seconded (is that a word?) my need for less gluten sometimes. Haha. The look he gave me though. Priceless. :)
We had put together a "Jeopardy" version of the Plan of Salvation for the family that night. So they split into teams — Team Moroni: Sister Masiasomua, Tanner and Kahlii. Team Ammon: President, Aejah, and Kira. Even though we ended up having to cut the lesson short we had a good time with the family, laughing hysterically at the end when the points were tallied up to find that team Mornoi had won by 100 points, regardless of President and his SURETY that their team had taken it by a long shot. A testimony that cockiness gets you nowhere ;) —Until you're humbled at the end of your cockiness. Haha. #CheekyMan
So, like I said, by the time I got home Monday night, I suddenly had a cold. It kind of felt like it came out of nowhere, 'cause it honestly did feel like allergies at the beginning of the day. But oh well. Life moves on.
By TUESDAY I was exhausted. #ColdLife. But we had district meeting, then met with Aroha Henare, and then over to Marion's to help her in the beginnings of cleaning out her humble abode more. (Once again. Liz, can you just come help us clean her house? Haha.) Luckily she decided she wanted to start with the kitchen, which was much better than jumping into the rest of the house, not having a clue where to put anything. The kitchen is at least a contained area. (But please, my dear family. If I ever seem to be going in the ways of becoming a hoarder, please tell me to stop!) We had dinner at the Haeata's, and then visited Ivan that night. Miracle of the day? The amount of members that LOVINGLY gave us rides... pretty much everywhere. #Grateful #LoveThemAll — Sister Joseph, Sister Leato, and Sister Haeata. 'Cause I couldn't move very fast, and... there wasn't any way I was biking without being able to breathe. It's hard enough up some of those hills when you DO have the ability of breathing out your nose, let alone when you don't.
WEDNESDAY. #Sickness. But we still had a comp study with Elder Hunter and Gulliver. I just probably looked like I was going to fall over a little. Okay. I really wasn't that bad. But you all know what it's like when you have a cold. I also didn't sleep much the night before, so I was zombie like. Anyhoo. We still made it out that morning, I forced myself to bike, otherwise we wouldn't have made it to and back from where we wanted to go before lunchtime. But...alas. All the people we planned were not home. So we tracted. And met one lovely man – who's super Muslim, but also stopped to talk with us! He's the first super Kiwi man I've met that's muslim. Aka: He married into the religion. But he taught us some fun things! So that was good. We had our lunch break — I slept. We had dinner with our dear Emere Joseph at Pita Pit (have I mentioned that they have that here too?) and...we had some lovely conversation :)
Comp study with the Zone Leader (Elder Saulo, and his comp/trainee, Elder Vaioa Salanoa) began the day THURSDAY. Fun times there, as they also came over partially to try and steal the Samoan potentials from our area book. Ha. We gave them quite a few to contact, but...there's also a few that they're not allowed to have. Namely: Dora, her mum, Sia, and Vale........ Nope. All ours! Sorry! Also, Dora doesn't even speak Samoan, so, it wouldn't really work for her to go to the Samoan ward. We then had to rush on over to our lesson with Vale – and we taught her the Plan of Salvation! Fun things :) She seemed to enjoy it.
We stopped back by the flat for lunch after our lesson with her, and then out to visit Ivan and tract a bit. And...here's where Ivan surprised us. He told us the week before that he had gotten us a gift, yeah? Yup. He was going to wait, but then decided to give it to us before we left before it was too late. HE GOT US GREENSTONES! Or "Pounamu" in Maori.
Here's a little background of why this is a SWEET AS gift. Not only is it a crazy cool necklace, but greenstones are technically not meant to be bought for yourself, but rather - gifted to you by someone else. Ivan had ours carved by a man in his hometown up North, (Karetu) then they were washed in HIS river (the Taumarere River) and BLESSED on HIS Marae grounds (the Ngati Manu Marae). So: the significance in this is the fact that because it's been washed and blessed in his land and marae, the Ponamu has his ancestors with it. So - we carry Ivan's ancestry wherever we go now, 'cause... both Sister Hobbs and I have been wearing them since he gave them to us. He spoils us. He said he wanted "to thank us for all we've done." ...Oh, Ivan. It's WAY more than we deserve, but we are grateful - because, he's just brilliant. #BestConvertEver Love him to pieces.
We went to the Frost's for dinner and a lesson that night. They're just wonderful. It's still funny to me sometimes that David is my same age. Not sure why it's so funny to me... but it is. Anyhoo. We taught the Restoration to them, and had a lovely night. They just spoil us with smiles and greatness. And little Avery, man, It's like I'm getting a chance to watch Brody grow up - but... not, obviously. Ha. 'Cause Avery's now 8 months old? Almost. So... ya know, a few of the months I've missed with Brody. ;)
FRIDAY was weekly planning, lunch, walking and talking with people around the mall and down the rest of Great North Road to the "Manna Christian Store." We've been wanting to go in ...the entire time we've been here - but alas. So finally it happened! And we found REAL JOURNALS!! I've been struggling with this - 'cause...I've liked my nice actual journal-like journals, rather than just... notebooks. The journal I"m currently finishing up is kind of a journal, but more note-book-ey to me. Anyhoo. We found pretty and, ya know, Christian-themed journals. So I have one with lyrics to Amazing Grace on the front, and another with Phil. 4:6 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And that one is pretty, embossed leather. And, yes, I know I'll fill up both of these journals before I come home! #AllTheWriting
We visited with Aroha Levi and the kids - it went... alright. Ha. We're still struggling to figure out how to bring her kids to a level of focus. We had them for a bit - teaching faith with "growing animal capsules" but... we're not sure how much they actually got the gospel relation to the lesson. We just need to get them to church, and all will be well :) Just making that step will be good for the family. It's amazing watching how something as little as going to church helps in peoples lives.
Our night was filled with tracting on Pakira Ave (Ivan's street) and finding a couple of little miracles. Anita and Poonam. Both lovely and willing to talk to us. Poonam is Hindu, and helped us in understanding the symbol they have that goes along with Ganesh (Hindu deity) that looks a little bit like a swastika. ...And I'm assuming this is actually where Hitler got his symbol of "good luck" or whatever. Anyhoo. It was fun to talk with her, and she gave us tips on if we ever go to India - where to go and when to go (not during the summer apparently...haha). Anita was...insanely excited to see us though. She's recently become Christian, and said she wants help in Bible studies! - As, with her job(s) she struggles to find a bible study class that works with her different hours. So she said, "Oh, it's like you've been sent to me!" Haha. #Blessings. Excited to go back and visit her :)
SATURDAY I was just sick of being sick. But we still got out, talked with people, then came back for a lunch break - which I slept during again. The afternoon resulted in ...all our plans not working out, but then finding the blessings in visiting the Josephs instead :) We got to spend time with Arihia, and...we just love her to pieces. We talked books and movies and just got to know her a bit more. We love the friendship life. We all also decided to compile movie/book lists for each other, so that was pretty exciting. I'm still working on Arihia's...
I'm slow. Ha. Love her. So much.
We then dropped by the Masiasomua's for a "toilet break" as Sister Hobbs called it (ha) — but really we were just too tired to be bothered to go back to the flat for dinner (and I didn't really care, as I didn't have that strong of a desire to eat anyhow), and because our dinner hour was even technically over at this point. But the Masiasomua's were home (miracle) and took us in, let us stay and fed me salad. We planned our p-day together (today! woot!), and they drove us home, lovingly letting us store our bikes at their house.... to be picked up at some point. Ha. We were going to pick them up last night. And then maybe tonight, but... that just doesn't seem like it's going to happen. So Tuesday then. ;)
SUNDAY. SISTER GAITAU HAS RETURNED! Both Ramona, and her beautiful daughter, Alisha, who's just returned from the England, Manchester mission :) She's the cutest of all cute, and we're excited to get to work with her in all of her returned-missionary glory. There was a GIANT feast after church Sunday, and poor Alisha was just... exhausted from all the travel and jet-lag-ness. Ha. But she seemed happy, and then told us later that night that she "hadn't broke down yet" — but that she probably would soon. Poor girl ;) We're ready and excited to help her adjust by throwing her into more missionary work with us though :) It'll be grand.
OH! And: OTHER exciting news about Sunday: We HAVE A WARD MISSION LEADER! Now that we've been here for 12 weeks, they've found someone to fill the calling. Brother Tuatonga - their family has just moved here from Christchurch (city), and he's super excited to work with us, and we're super excited too! :D
So... there's the week. Slow at times, and I"m sick of being sick, but... "It will all work out" :) (Thank you President Hinckley - and then Sister Marriott.)
Life is grand. Henderson is beautiful. And.... we'll see if I'm sitll here next week at this time :) Or - even in 2 days time! #Weird. I definitely feel like I'm not ready to leave yet, but I keep having this feeling that SOMETHING is going to change.... so, we'll see.
A scripture for the week:
"And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." —Mosiah 18:21
*And here is now my "not amused face" with myself* as, the WRONG SD CARD is in my camera at the moment... so you don't get a picture of my greenstone (sad face). But... next week. We'll make it happen.
Funny story: Sister Hobbs knows all our family by name...for the most part, and I'm just barely learning her siblings names. Why? 'Cause I've actually seen pictures now of them all separately and I can put a face to the name. When she was showing me pictures last week our convo went like this:
Hobbs: How is it that I know all YOUR sister's names and you don't know any of mine yet?
Me: Once again, I'm a VISUAL person. You know this now.
Hobbs: ...Yeah. Okay. #ThingsNotEveryoneUnderstands
And, I saw the Leap Year bunny on Google too! When I got on the computer last week! (The Internet opens to the Google page.) It made me super happy :) I realized AFTER i got off the computer that I had forgotten to wish you guys an early happy Leap Day! Haha.
And it's good to hear about Sister Hatch news :) I totally understand her, "Where did my mission go?" 'Cause... I was just thinking about that last night. I'm almost to 9 months! Crazy! Sad about her comp though :( But lil' Ri's got a good positive head on her, doesn't she? So excited for her :) You'll have to give her a BIG hug from me and tell her how much I miss her, and how grateful I am for her example to me in going on a mission!
Oh. And RANDOM QUESTION for the day: Why do we have basements in America? I get asked this quite often... people think I'm crazy for living in the BASEMENT. Haha! #ThingsIveNeverThoughtAbout
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL HEAPS! ;) Hope you have a brilliant week!!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
He Prepares a Way
It's been a good week :) Lots of things happening. And ....lots of words to explain it all! Haha.
THE WEEK BEGAN with the usual –MONDAY emails, printing photos, and shopping. However, we did get some news to "mix up" our week a bit! "Stern talkings" from President Balli. Not directly to us, but we got a text from our District Leader with the hashtag of #PresidentJustRebukedUsInDistri
Anyhoo. Monday night we had a visit with I. :) It had been a bit since we had seen him, so it was good. Really good, 'cause we had received a message from him the previous Saturday, basically saying he wouldn't be at church because of some disturbing things he'd found out about the church and he couldn't bring himself to come. — Aka, these are the moments where you just want to yell at Satan for pulling out stupid things to throw off the minds of the people you love so much! Anyhoo. We visited, and he shared with us what was going on. Apparently there was a man up north somewhere that was caught and is being put on trial for... attacking 13 young girls. :( But - the part about it that really threw Ivan through a loop (and is once again a good reminder that "satan can get into the mind of ANYONE") is that this man was associated with the Church – some sort of higher leader, like a bishop or something I believe. Either way, I just came to us saying, "How could this man go and do something like THAT, when he's a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH, and supposed to be leading these people around him and representing this gospel?"
Honestly, I don't remember much about what we said. But - I DO know that the ponderise scripture I had chosen last week was TRULY sent from Heavenly Father—along with the verse before—both which I'd actually chosen to write down as my personal ponderize scripture.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice until thee; yea I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen. —2 Nephi 4:34-35
I shared that with I, and Sister Hobbs and I talked with him about how Satan can truly get to anyone, and that's why we have to continually be building ourselves up. I also shared with him that I know it can be hard to get through times like that when people know you're associated with the Church and so they judge you, based on the actions of other people (relating it to the Seminary principal at LP that was discovered to be having an affair with a student when I was in high school). So... it's interesting how puzzle pieces of life continually fit into place of "why I experienced that one event at that particular time" — so that it could come into play in my life NOW, and I'd be able to share it with someone else in need. – If that makes sense at all. I just LOVE that everything happens for a reason! Even if that thing doesn't really make sense until 5 or 6 years later! All the experiences and challenges we have help us so we can become stronger and help others along our way!
The other brilliant thing about this night with I? Our Sister Training Leaders had just returned from South Auckland, and brought with them a letter that Sister Gila had written to Ivan. Thank goodness we remembered and brought it to his house that night, because when we got back home Ivan texted saying that Sister Gila (she was one of the original Sisters that started teaching Ivan) had given him this KILLER quote....
"When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future, because he has none!" —Author Unkniwn
So... The Holy Ghost works in miraculous ways. :) There's no way Sister Gila could have known what was going on in Ivan's life to know that he would have needed that letter from her and that little quote at that EXACT MOMENT. It's just brilliant! I love it :)
After Monday night with Ivan and the Spirit that testified to us all that we can overcome anger and be comforted by the Spirit, TUESDAY was filled with MIRACLES!! We stuck to our plans that we had made Monday night, as close as we could ('cause, sometimes it's difficult without a car), and even though most of the actual people we had down to visit weren't home, there were OTHER PEOPLE placed in our path around the areas we were sent to. Therefore, we not only met, but surpassed the goals we had set for ourselves that day! #Brilliant #FeltSoGood
Mainly, I think the "sweet-AS" part of the day began with the fact that we thought we had District Meeting, when in reality.... we apparently didn't. HaHa. So... therefore we had nothing planned for the morning! But –blessings come through the Spirit to those that want to teach! Sister Hobbs texted one of our potentials, Vale (Vah-lay), who we've been trying to meet with for a while now. And: Miracle – she was FREE! So, we rushed our little selves over to her house, met her and 2 of her children, and were able to teach the Restoration to her. She's super keen and open and it's just brilliant. I honestly think that if we hadn't THOUGHT there was District Meeting, that we wouldn't have ended up at her house! And: She's now officially a new investigator for us!! So... the Lord blesses us with new investigators when we're seeking! :)
The day continued with some tracting around different areas, and meeting Sue, Yaman, and Lina. :) (Who's name instead turns into "Linda" every. single. time. I write it down. Haha.) We met Sue in the afternoon, and she told us we could come back later, as she was busy making dinner for her husband. Yaman invited us in for a cool drink (it was a crazy hot day), and ALSO told us we could come back. And then Lina :) - was our last full visit of the night. We knocked on her door around...7:30ish? Originally looking for someone else – but she came to the door, invited us in, and gave us watermelon and a cool drink. We found out she goes to the AOG (Assembly of God) church, but... also seems rather open to other faiths. She said her dad (?) was Mormon when she lived back in Samoa, and, well... that just helped us in realising we could go back. I don't think either of us felt it was the right time to share a lesson or even bring out any pamphlets, but we did say a prayer, which touched her in some way that we're not certain. The Spirit was definitely present, and she gave us hugs with tears in her eyes as we left :)
So... a miracle day. The Lord places people in our paths that need uplifting with the Spirit, and... we're excited to return and see them all again. :)
WEDNESDAY: Service at the Frosts :) #NewTools
We've purchased our OWN gardening tools now, 'cause there's been a few people that have mentioned maybe letting us come help in their gardens! So... we decided it was a worthy investment – no longer having to rely on other people having tools for us to use :) The rest of the day resulted in biking a lot of places, and dropping by to visit Ester & Jader & their daughter... who's name I sadly can't remember right now. But they're the cute little Brasillian family in our ward. It was definitely a message sent from God to visit them, 'cause... they have now moved away :( Down to Gisbon. LUCKILY it wasn't until yesterday (Sunday) that they actually moved, so we got to see them a few days before their new adventure more "South" begins! Jader got a job down there, so... there they go :) But we got to have a last conversation, a little message, and a picture :) Good times! We're sad to be losing our way of learning some Portugese though!
The night then followed with going to Ward Council, and then some walking through neighborhoods to talk with people. The thing that kind of ...saddened me, and definitely Sister Hobbs was a little miscommunication that I think went on between us and Brother Tu'tai (the 2nd counselor in the bishopric). During Ward Council, the question was brought up: If we were bringing members with us to visit people like Ivan and the Burgess boys, now that they're baptized? Alas - we haven't been. So, we took that into our notes, and brother Manukia piped up saying he'd come to Ivan. Then - because we had also mentioned we used to bring the Elders along with us before his baptism, they questioned why we brought the Elders instead of someone from the ward. We explained (or tried) that it was because when we got here —being double shifted in—we were given a note from Sister Blanchard that the Sunnyvale Elders came to lessons with Ivan - so Elder Christiansen KNEW Ivan. We didn't yet know him. We also didn't know the Ward yet. So when we got here, we continued bringing the Elders so Ivan would feel comfortable with someone he knew while he got to know us. Makes sense, right? Yes. However, like I said, there must have been a miscommunication somewhere along the line, because Wednesday night we got a call from our dear Elder Saulo (Zone Leader) asking if there was a reason "why we were bringing the Elders to lessons instead of ward members." Again, we explained to him what it was like in the beginning before we knew people, and that it's different now. Then we asked where he got this information, and apparently Brother Tu'tai had CALLED our Zone Leaders. So... here's the thing that was confusing to me about this. Obviously not the fact that Brother Tu'tai was concerned about things in the ward and he wanted something to change ... But the fact that at the end of Ward Council he shook both mine and Sister Hobbs' hands and didn't mention anything to us!
So... we suddenly felt like we'd somehow lost Brother Tu'tai's trust. We don't know how, exactly, but he's been rather "off-ish" with us lately - "correcting" us for things we're not PERFECT at, but... also in not coming straight to us with his concerns.
Anyhoo. So... any ideas/suggestions on how we can better become friends with and build a better trust relationship with Brother Tu'tai again (even though we're not sure where we lost it?) would be greatly appreciated! :) Happily, his wife seems to be just fine with us! In fact, she talks to us more than she used to! So, I don't know where we lost trust with him.
And then - to top off Wednesday night, I learned a great lesson of patience and humbling myself to deal with .... disorganization. Haha. The STL's called, asking if we could go on Trade-offs!...... The next day. #LastMinute #WeHadPlans #IWasExcitedForThatNextDay #IWouldBeLeavingOurArea #IGotFrustrated
Honestly, this was sadly the first time I've lost my patience that fast. And I realised (again) how much I don't like change. But... prayer is beautiful, and Heavenly Father helped me calm down and to love the STL's, despite the last-minute-ness of EVERY TIME they want to do a tradeoff.
THURSDAY began with Zone Training! And it was good. We talked about lesson plans, study plans, and keeping to a study plan in order to accomplish reading and studying certain things throughout the mission. This... was very good for me. Ha. As I now have an idea of how long it's going to take me to read all the things I want to this year :)
After Zone Training, because the sisters were already driving us around and we were about to start our tradeoff anyway, we went out to lunch – they all went to KFC, but I said, "Nah" cause... I'm just done with eating out in general... but whatevs. So they told me about this place called "Tank" which was across the car park – aka: kind of like a super posh version of Zupas. Ha. It was really nice actually, and my stomach appreciated the cleanness of a salad again. :)
My Trade-off was with Sister Fornaro in their area (again). (Sister Fornaro is my "grandma" - aka: my trainer's trainer. So it was fun to actually spend some time with her.) Aaaaaand... I got to drive! 'Cause, see - there's something with Austrailian's and their drivers licenses — they "expire" after a year of being in NZ, and therefore, they can't drive anymore. Whereas - Americans, we're able to get a New Zealand license after so long of being here! Woot! Still don't really understand why, but, hey, I'm not complaining!
My day with Sister Fornaro was filled with learning about how to make TWE more effective, how to gain more confidence, and staying motivated - even when my companion isn't. So... it was a good day. Regardless of the mini "fit" I threw the night before (seriously though - I wasn't happy at the last-minute-ness. Ha.) It turned out to be a blessing of a day. And I honestly know that came through the power of the prayers I kept saying that I"d be able to calm down, humble myself, find my level of patience I KNOW I have, and learn the things I needed to learn. It worked! And it was grand! :)
Ah, and the fun TWE moment of the day? Meeting Craig, whose main question not only humored me, but took me by surprise: "If there's a God, why would He create Dinosaurs? When were they here? And why would He choose to create big monsters to roam the earth?" LOLsss... Things I've never thought about. Or- not in that way at least. #AlwaysJustThoughtTheyWereCool #DinoLove
FRIDAY morning was the usual. Planning for the week. Lunch. And then out! And we got to see SENTOSA again! (Bahai faith family.) And this time we got to meet her 18-year-old daughter, JASMINE. We found some similarities within our beliefs (like... everyting, really), which helped us to build a stronger relationship with them. And a funny thing, apparently last week Sentosa's girls saw us walking down the street and when they got home they said, "Mum! We saw your friends walking down the street today!" Haha. So we told them that next time they should yell out to us! Love them. So much. Ah, and a fun thing we learned... Jasmine IS SEARCHING. She's not yet actually "declared" herself as a Bahai yet. So... we taught them a bit more about the Book of Mormon, and gave Jasmine her own. And she started reading it - literally right in front of us!! Haha. #Excitement :)
We visited the Burgess/Fiatau. (Did I ever mention that we found out the boys last name isn't actually Burgess?) Ha. They're under their dad's last name - Fiatau. Confusing things. #PartnerLife We just love seeing them. They're so excited no matter what lesson we're teaching, and they're ....so keen to learn. They'll truly be a grand part of helping their family come back to Church :)
We also got to see Michelle & Chanel Harder, and met a man named MARCUS. A YOUNG father - who was straight up with us, saying he was going down the street to sit on the corner and try and make some money for his family for the weekend before he starts his new job...today! ( Monday). He shared with us how much he LOVES his family and how he's intending to raise his children in a good way, away from the crazy things in this world. Soo... we asked if they were people he would want to be with forever. He said, "yes." We gave him a pamphlet. And we will probably now be tracting the street he said he lives on... or just praying he actually calls us. Haha. Love this work :)
And - a little funny thing from the night to show the cuteness and goofy-ness of my very British companion. As we were walking home (we walk through a petrol station, instead of going around - 'cause, well, it's faster), the music from One Direction - "What Makes You Beautiful" - was playing above our heads, and in my head I thought, "Ah - I have a very happy companion right now" - and SURE ENOUGH. When I looked over at her, she was staring at me with this goofy-looking smile and wide eyes of excitement! Hahahahaha! #British #Obsessed #OneDirection Love it :)
Ah. And one more. HaHa moment. As we continued walking down the street, there were two guys across from us getting out of their car. We waved and said, "hello!" One guy popped his head out of the car and said, "Hey! Where are you girls off to tonight?" Then, as we answered, I heard his friend mumble, "Dude, they're Mormons," after which the guy takling to us said, "Oh, uh... well, we're just going here to drink some beers!" Haaaaaaaa.... #ChangeOfThought. But whatevs. It brought another laugh to the night for both of us.
#LongEmail #IWriteTooMuch #IDon'tKnowWhat'
SATURDAY started as a beautiful, sunny morning - so we biked out to Garelja. Our appointment unfortunately... got cancelled. Aka: She wasn't home. So, instead we dropped by Marion's. And we finally caught her at a good time to help her put together some shelves (I GOT TO USE TOOLS AGAIN!). HAPPINESS. And we started helping her clean her house... Welp. That was a feat. Ha. 'Cause... Who's a hoarder? Ohhhh yup. Marion's a hoarder. Didn't know that until we saw ALL of her house (well... most of it). And it's really not even that big of a house. But... she's got a LOT of stuff. So we're going back this week to help out again... and hopefully bring a member to help us make her focus on things while we just attack the house. #CleaningProjectCommence #LizWouldDie ...Also this was the moment I became insanely grateful for all those times when I was little and Liz would help me clean out my room saying, "Do you need this? Okay. Where are you going to put it? You don't have a spot? You can't keep it." Hahaha
Since that took... significantly longer than we had expected, we decided to grab a quick lunch from the Gull petrol station, so that we wouldn't be late for our appointment with Anthony & Kids. Aka: Less-active family - though, we're no longer sure which ones living there are actualy the less actives. We had a fun little lesson with the kids though - while the adults were there, but clearly not interested in joining us. Whatevs. Anthony and Christina enjoy our little gospel games :) And Anthony's cute little "I'll come to church next week, I promise!"
As we left their house it started sprinkling... just a little. But... as we rode (yes, we were indeed still biking) from Imperial Place, to an entirely diferent part of our area - Tirimoana - it definitely decided to RAIN. ALL OF THE RAIN! SOAKED. But... only half of us. 'Cause our backs were covered by our bags, and because we were sitting - our butts didn't get any of the water either! But the front half of us was definitlely more than wet. Haha. By the time we got to our dinner appointment at Sister Jones' we were laughing hysterically at how wet we were, and stood outside for a bit to drip and wring out our skirts. We had a lovely time with Sister Jones, and were also grateful to not be in the buckets of rain pouring outside. Although, as we went to leave her house, the rain picked back up again. Ha. She offered to drive us somewhere, but we decided to just bring our bikes home, dry ourselves off a bit more, and make sure our bikes wouldn't rust and whatnot. #SuperSoaked
And that was the majority of our night. We ended up making phone calls for people who needed rides to church and things - which was good. 'Cause it got both Ivan and Marion to church on Sunday :)
Sunday wasn't a "normal" church day for us — we instead had an Area Conference :) – At least, that's what I'm calling it. Ha. But it was like a little piece of home, because it was a broadcast from Salt Lake! Elder Pearson (South Pacific Area President) spoke to us, as well as Elder Craig Christensen, Tad R. Callister, Cheryl A Esplin, and Elder Quentin L. Cook :) — WE thought it was goign to be Elder Christofferson from certain things he said to us when he came to our mission conference, but... alas. All goods though. It was a lovely meeting - basically talking about going back to the basics and fundamentals of the Gospel. Church, Pray, Read, and allowing the Spirit to work in your life. It was grand. :) And also fun to spend a little time with the Masiasomua's again (they picked us up for the meeting, and we sat with them). We had a lesson with the Donaldson's again this night - and they're just lovely. We're sad that our lessons with them are coming to a close though. So... hopefully we'll find another time we can still visit them on a regular basis.
Summary: This week we worked hard, accomplished and surpassed goals, and got closer to achieving others than we have in the past. Miracles were seen, lovely people were met. And, we have new people to teach :) Love it all. Also - I've been out 8 months. Is that just really weird for anyone else? Haha.
I hope you all have a most brilliant week. Remember to say your prayers and read from the scriptures every day—because I know that as you do, and as you ask for help in specific things in your day Heavenly Father blesses you with that help. And it's truly divine! :)
Much love and happiness and joy! :) I love you all HEAPS!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
"Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself." —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
THE WEEK BEGAN with the usual –MONDAY emails, printing photos, and shopping. However, we did get some news to "mix up" our week a bit! "Stern talkings" from President Balli. Not directly to us, but we got a text from our District Leader with the hashtag of #PresidentJustRebukedUsInDistri
Anyhoo. Monday night we had a visit with I. :) It had been a bit since we had seen him, so it was good. Really good, 'cause we had received a message from him the previous Saturday, basically saying he wouldn't be at church because of some disturbing things he'd found out about the church and he couldn't bring himself to come. — Aka, these are the moments where you just want to yell at Satan for pulling out stupid things to throw off the minds of the people you love so much! Anyhoo. We visited, and he shared with us what was going on. Apparently there was a man up north somewhere that was caught and is being put on trial for... attacking 13 young girls. :( But - the part about it that really threw Ivan through a loop (and is once again a good reminder that "satan can get into the mind of ANYONE") is that this man was associated with the Church – some sort of higher leader, like a bishop or something I believe. Either way, I just came to us saying, "How could this man go and do something like THAT, when he's a MEMBER OF THE CHURCH, and supposed to be leading these people around him and representing this gospel?"
Honestly, I don't remember much about what we said. But - I DO know that the ponderise scripture I had chosen last week was TRULY sent from Heavenly Father—along with the verse before—both which I'd actually chosen to write down as my personal ponderize scripture.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice until thee; yea I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen. —2 Nephi 4:34-35
I shared that with I, and Sister Hobbs and I talked with him about how Satan can truly get to anyone, and that's why we have to continually be building ourselves up. I also shared with him that I know it can be hard to get through times like that when people know you're associated with the Church and so they judge you, based on the actions of other people (relating it to the Seminary principal at LP that was discovered to be having an affair with a student when I was in high school). So... it's interesting how puzzle pieces of life continually fit into place of "why I experienced that one event at that particular time" — so that it could come into play in my life NOW, and I'd be able to share it with someone else in need. – If that makes sense at all. I just LOVE that everything happens for a reason! Even if that thing doesn't really make sense until 5 or 6 years later! All the experiences and challenges we have help us so we can become stronger and help others along our way!
The other brilliant thing about this night with I? Our Sister Training Leaders had just returned from South Auckland, and brought with them a letter that Sister Gila had written to Ivan. Thank goodness we remembered and brought it to his house that night, because when we got back home Ivan texted saying that Sister Gila (she was one of the original Sisters that started teaching Ivan) had given him this KILLER quote....
"When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future, because he has none!" —Author Unkniwn
So... The Holy Ghost works in miraculous ways. :) There's no way Sister Gila could have known what was going on in Ivan's life to know that he would have needed that letter from her and that little quote at that EXACT MOMENT. It's just brilliant! I love it :)
After Monday night with Ivan and the Spirit that testified to us all that we can overcome anger and be comforted by the Spirit, TUESDAY was filled with MIRACLES!! We stuck to our plans that we had made Monday night, as close as we could ('cause, sometimes it's difficult without a car), and even though most of the actual people we had down to visit weren't home, there were OTHER PEOPLE placed in our path around the areas we were sent to. Therefore, we not only met, but surpassed the goals we had set for ourselves that day! #Brilliant #FeltSoGood
Mainly, I think the "sweet-AS" part of the day began with the fact that we thought we had District Meeting, when in reality.... we apparently didn't. HaHa. So... therefore we had nothing planned for the morning! But –blessings come through the Spirit to those that want to teach! Sister Hobbs texted one of our potentials, Vale (Vah-lay), who we've been trying to meet with for a while now. And: Miracle – she was FREE! So, we rushed our little selves over to her house, met her and 2 of her children, and were able to teach the Restoration to her. She's super keen and open and it's just brilliant. I honestly think that if we hadn't THOUGHT there was District Meeting, that we wouldn't have ended up at her house! And: She's now officially a new investigator for us!! So... the Lord blesses us with new investigators when we're seeking! :)
The day continued with some tracting around different areas, and meeting Sue, Yaman, and Lina. :) (Who's name instead turns into "Linda" every. single. time. I write it down. Haha.) We met Sue in the afternoon, and she told us we could come back later, as she was busy making dinner for her husband. Yaman invited us in for a cool drink (it was a crazy hot day), and ALSO told us we could come back. And then Lina :) - was our last full visit of the night. We knocked on her door around...7:30ish? Originally looking for someone else – but she came to the door, invited us in, and gave us watermelon and a cool drink. We found out she goes to the AOG (Assembly of God) church, but... also seems rather open to other faiths. She said her dad (?) was Mormon when she lived back in Samoa, and, well... that just helped us in realising we could go back. I don't think either of us felt it was the right time to share a lesson or even bring out any pamphlets, but we did say a prayer, which touched her in some way that we're not certain. The Spirit was definitely present, and she gave us hugs with tears in her eyes as we left :)
So... a miracle day. The Lord places people in our paths that need uplifting with the Spirit, and... we're excited to return and see them all again. :)
WEDNESDAY: Service at the Frosts :) #NewTools
We've purchased our OWN gardening tools now, 'cause there's been a few people that have mentioned maybe letting us come help in their gardens! So... we decided it was a worthy investment – no longer having to rely on other people having tools for us to use :) The rest of the day resulted in biking a lot of places, and dropping by to visit Ester & Jader & their daughter... who's name I sadly can't remember right now. But they're the cute little Brasillian family in our ward. It was definitely a message sent from God to visit them, 'cause... they have now moved away :( Down to Gisbon. LUCKILY it wasn't until yesterday (Sunday) that they actually moved, so we got to see them a few days before their new adventure more "South" begins! Jader got a job down there, so... there they go :) But we got to have a last conversation, a little message, and a picture :) Good times! We're sad to be losing our way of learning some Portugese though!
The night then followed with going to Ward Council, and then some walking through neighborhoods to talk with people. The thing that kind of ...saddened me, and definitely Sister Hobbs was a little miscommunication that I think went on between us and Brother Tu'tai (the 2nd counselor in the bishopric). During Ward Council, the question was brought up: If we were bringing members with us to visit people like Ivan and the Burgess boys, now that they're baptized? Alas - we haven't been. So, we took that into our notes, and brother Manukia piped up saying he'd come to Ivan. Then - because we had also mentioned we used to bring the Elders along with us before his baptism, they questioned why we brought the Elders instead of someone from the ward. We explained (or tried) that it was because when we got here —being double shifted in—we were given a note from Sister Blanchard that the Sunnyvale Elders came to lessons with Ivan - so Elder Christiansen KNEW Ivan. We didn't yet know him. We also didn't know the Ward yet. So when we got here, we continued bringing the Elders so Ivan would feel comfortable with someone he knew while he got to know us. Makes sense, right? Yes. However, like I said, there must have been a miscommunication somewhere along the line, because Wednesday night we got a call from our dear Elder Saulo (Zone Leader) asking if there was a reason "why we were bringing the Elders to lessons instead of ward members." Again, we explained to him what it was like in the beginning before we knew people, and that it's different now. Then we asked where he got this information, and apparently Brother Tu'tai had CALLED our Zone Leaders. So... here's the thing that was confusing to me about this. Obviously not the fact that Brother Tu'tai was concerned about things in the ward and he wanted something to change ... But the fact that at the end of Ward Council he shook both mine and Sister Hobbs' hands and didn't mention anything to us!
So... we suddenly felt like we'd somehow lost Brother Tu'tai's trust. We don't know how, exactly, but he's been rather "off-ish" with us lately - "correcting" us for things we're not PERFECT at, but... also in not coming straight to us with his concerns.
Anyhoo. So... any ideas/suggestions on how we can better become friends with and build a better trust relationship with Brother Tu'tai again (even though we're not sure where we lost it?) would be greatly appreciated! :) Happily, his wife seems to be just fine with us! In fact, she talks to us more than she used to! So, I don't know where we lost trust with him.
And then - to top off Wednesday night, I learned a great lesson of patience and humbling myself to deal with .... disorganization. Haha. The STL's called, asking if we could go on Trade-offs!...... The next day. #LastMinute #WeHadPlans #IWasExcitedForThatNextDay #IWouldBeLeavingOurArea #IGotFrustrated
Honestly, this was sadly the first time I've lost my patience that fast. And I realised (again) how much I don't like change. But... prayer is beautiful, and Heavenly Father helped me calm down and to love the STL's, despite the last-minute-ness of EVERY TIME they want to do a tradeoff.
THURSDAY began with Zone Training! And it was good. We talked about lesson plans, study plans, and keeping to a study plan in order to accomplish reading and studying certain things throughout the mission. This... was very good for me. Ha. As I now have an idea of how long it's going to take me to read all the things I want to this year :)
After Zone Training, because the sisters were already driving us around and we were about to start our tradeoff anyway, we went out to lunch – they all went to KFC, but I said, "Nah" cause... I'm just done with eating out in general... but whatevs. So they told me about this place called "Tank" which was across the car park – aka: kind of like a super posh version of Zupas. Ha. It was really nice actually, and my stomach appreciated the cleanness of a salad again. :)
My Trade-off was with Sister Fornaro in their area (again). (Sister Fornaro is my "grandma" - aka: my trainer's trainer. So it was fun to actually spend some time with her.) Aaaaaand... I got to drive! 'Cause, see - there's something with Austrailian's and their drivers licenses — they "expire" after a year of being in NZ, and therefore, they can't drive anymore. Whereas - Americans, we're able to get a New Zealand license after so long of being here! Woot! Still don't really understand why, but, hey, I'm not complaining!
My day with Sister Fornaro was filled with learning about how to make TWE more effective, how to gain more confidence, and staying motivated - even when my companion isn't. So... it was a good day. Regardless of the mini "fit" I threw the night before (seriously though - I wasn't happy at the last-minute-ness. Ha.) It turned out to be a blessing of a day. And I honestly know that came through the power of the prayers I kept saying that I"d be able to calm down, humble myself, find my level of patience I KNOW I have, and learn the things I needed to learn. It worked! And it was grand! :)
Ah, and the fun TWE moment of the day? Meeting Craig, whose main question not only humored me, but took me by surprise: "If there's a God, why would He create Dinosaurs? When were they here? And why would He choose to create big monsters to roam the earth?" LOLsss... Things I've never thought about. Or- not in that way at least. #AlwaysJustThoughtTheyWereCool #DinoLove
FRIDAY morning was the usual. Planning for the week. Lunch. And then out! And we got to see SENTOSA again! (Bahai faith family.) And this time we got to meet her 18-year-old daughter, JASMINE. We found some similarities within our beliefs (like... everyting, really), which helped us to build a stronger relationship with them. And a funny thing, apparently last week Sentosa's girls saw us walking down the street and when they got home they said, "Mum! We saw your friends walking down the street today!" Haha. So we told them that next time they should yell out to us! Love them. So much. Ah, and a fun thing we learned... Jasmine IS SEARCHING. She's not yet actually "declared" herself as a Bahai yet. So... we taught them a bit more about the Book of Mormon, and gave Jasmine her own. And she started reading it - literally right in front of us!! Haha. #Excitement :)
We visited the Burgess/Fiatau. (Did I ever mention that we found out the boys last name isn't actually Burgess?) Ha. They're under their dad's last name - Fiatau. Confusing things. #PartnerLife We just love seeing them. They're so excited no matter what lesson we're teaching, and they're ....so keen to learn. They'll truly be a grand part of helping their family come back to Church :)
We also got to see Michelle & Chanel Harder, and met a man named MARCUS. A YOUNG father - who was straight up with us, saying he was going down the street to sit on the corner and try and make some money for his family for the weekend before he starts his new job...today! ( Monday). He shared with us how much he LOVES his family and how he's intending to raise his children in a good way, away from the crazy things in this world. Soo... we asked if they were people he would want to be with forever. He said, "yes." We gave him a pamphlet. And we will probably now be tracting the street he said he lives on... or just praying he actually calls us. Haha. Love this work :)
And - a little funny thing from the night to show the cuteness and goofy-ness of my very British companion. As we were walking home (we walk through a petrol station, instead of going around - 'cause, well, it's faster), the music from One Direction - "What Makes You Beautiful" - was playing above our heads, and in my head I thought, "Ah - I have a very happy companion right now" - and SURE ENOUGH. When I looked over at her, she was staring at me with this goofy-looking smile and wide eyes of excitement! Hahahahaha! #British #Obsessed #OneDirection Love it :)
Ah. And one more. HaHa moment. As we continued walking down the street, there were two guys across from us getting out of their car. We waved and said, "hello!" One guy popped his head out of the car and said, "Hey! Where are you girls off to tonight?" Then, as we answered, I heard his friend mumble, "Dude, they're Mormons," after which the guy takling to us said, "Oh, uh... well, we're just going here to drink some beers!" Haaaaaaaa.... #ChangeOfThought. But whatevs. It brought another laugh to the night for both of us.
#LongEmail #IWriteTooMuch #IDon'tKnowWhat'
SATURDAY started as a beautiful, sunny morning - so we biked out to Garelja. Our appointment unfortunately... got cancelled. Aka: She wasn't home. So, instead we dropped by Marion's. And we finally caught her at a good time to help her put together some shelves (I GOT TO USE TOOLS AGAIN!). HAPPINESS. And we started helping her clean her house... Welp. That was a feat. Ha. 'Cause... Who's a hoarder? Ohhhh yup. Marion's a hoarder. Didn't know that until we saw ALL of her house (well... most of it). And it's really not even that big of a house. But... she's got a LOT of stuff. So we're going back this week to help out again... and hopefully bring a member to help us make her focus on things while we just attack the house. #CleaningProjectCommence #LizWouldDie ...Also this was the moment I became insanely grateful for all those times when I was little and Liz would help me clean out my room saying, "Do you need this? Okay. Where are you going to put it? You don't have a spot? You can't keep it." Hahaha
Since that took... significantly longer than we had expected, we decided to grab a quick lunch from the Gull petrol station, so that we wouldn't be late for our appointment with Anthony & Kids. Aka: Less-active family - though, we're no longer sure which ones living there are actualy the less actives. We had a fun little lesson with the kids though - while the adults were there, but clearly not interested in joining us. Whatevs. Anthony and Christina enjoy our little gospel games :) And Anthony's cute little "I'll come to church next week, I promise!"
As we left their house it started sprinkling... just a little. But... as we rode (yes, we were indeed still biking) from Imperial Place, to an entirely diferent part of our area - Tirimoana - it definitely decided to RAIN. ALL OF THE RAIN! SOAKED. But... only half of us. 'Cause our backs were covered by our bags, and because we were sitting - our butts didn't get any of the water either! But the front half of us was definitlely more than wet. Haha. By the time we got to our dinner appointment at Sister Jones' we were laughing hysterically at how wet we were, and stood outside for a bit to drip and wring out our skirts. We had a lovely time with Sister Jones, and were also grateful to not be in the buckets of rain pouring outside. Although, as we went to leave her house, the rain picked back up again. Ha. She offered to drive us somewhere, but we decided to just bring our bikes home, dry ourselves off a bit more, and make sure our bikes wouldn't rust and whatnot. #SuperSoaked
And that was the majority of our night. We ended up making phone calls for people who needed rides to church and things - which was good. 'Cause it got both Ivan and Marion to church on Sunday :)
Sunday wasn't a "normal" church day for us — we instead had an Area Conference :) – At least, that's what I'm calling it. Ha. But it was like a little piece of home, because it was a broadcast from Salt Lake! Elder Pearson (South Pacific Area President) spoke to us, as well as Elder Craig Christensen, Tad R. Callister, Cheryl A Esplin, and Elder Quentin L. Cook :) — WE thought it was goign to be Elder Christofferson from certain things he said to us when he came to our mission conference, but... alas. All goods though. It was a lovely meeting - basically talking about going back to the basics and fundamentals of the Gospel. Church, Pray, Read, and allowing the Spirit to work in your life. It was grand. :) And also fun to spend a little time with the Masiasomua's again (they picked us up for the meeting, and we sat with them). We had a lesson with the Donaldson's again this night - and they're just lovely. We're sad that our lessons with them are coming to a close though. So... hopefully we'll find another time we can still visit them on a regular basis.
Summary: This week we worked hard, accomplished and surpassed goals, and got closer to achieving others than we have in the past. Miracles were seen, lovely people were met. And, we have new people to teach :) Love it all. Also - I've been out 8 months. Is that just really weird for anyone else? Haha.
I hope you all have a most brilliant week. Remember to say your prayers and read from the scriptures every day—because I know that as you do, and as you ask for help in specific things in your day Heavenly Father blesses you with that help. And it's truly divine! :)
Much love and happiness and joy! :) I love you all HEAPS!!
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
"Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself." —President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Think Big!
E pe heana a koe?(How are you?)
Kel te pai! (Very good!)
#LearningMaori
#ExcitingThings
Yesterday and the day before, my answer to that first question was the following:
Kei te mawiwi ahau (I am not well.)
and
Kei te nge nge ahu (I am very tired.)
Sickness, man. It gets ya. I used to never get sick! But, alas—a different lifestyle, climate, and food (and parasites?)—all go hand in hand in changing things within the body I guess. But all is well now, and we'll get to that in a bit :)
PONDERISE:
"Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen." —2 Nephi 4:35
AND... a quote of the week that I got from our "specialised training" this week:
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
It's been a good week :) Regardless of getting sick—because the fact that we have prayer and the Priesthood within this gospel makes all things better. I can't imagine life without it.
MONDAY. Dude. The insanity but funnest of P-DAYS!! Emails, Shopping, then: Zone P-Day. "The Amazing Race: Henderson!" Haha. We had a grand time. We were split up into teams, given clues, and then GO! We ran around the church grounds and around Henderson (in cars) doing different tasks and competing against one another. All the excitement! The Samoan Sisters (Liataua and Pita) set it all up, and it was truly brilliant. We had to do tasks (and document with photos along the way) such as basketball shot-making (I let the other sisters do this one. Ha), getting our car washed, getting a picture on a slide in a park, pictures hugging mannequins at the mall, going to the bowling alley and getting one of us to get a strike, going to the Falefatu's house and doing the "Weet-bix Challenge" [where you try to eat as many dry Weet-bix—a popular breakfast cereal made from shredded wheat—as you can in one minute, without spitting it out or drinking water), ...and other things that aren't coming to mind right now. Haha. Basically, it was a super crazy exciting day. And.... we even came in second :) EVEN WITH BEING GIVEN A "ROAD BLOCK" - aka: One of the other teams got to sabatoge us to slow us down. The extra challenge given? To go to Mackers (McDonalds), get LARGE frozen drinks (luckily a "large" here isn't as big as at home. It's maybe the equivilent of a medium, if not a small drink at home....) and drink them while sitting at McDonalds. Aka: very fast! #BrainFreeze But... like I said, we still came in second. And just BARELY. We saw the red team just getting out of their car as we drove into the chapel... so by the space of a few minutes we were beat. But - it was all fun and games and exciting! :)
Sister Hobbs and I ended the night trying to find a few potentials in the area around the Masiasomua's home (we originally had a plan to have a lesson with them... but, alas: They ended up all having to work and whatnot). And...apparently it truly wasn't the right night for us to meet them. 'Cause most people weren't home. OR in the case of the main referral we were looking to find: We couldn't remember where the street was. So we called the Elders to look at a map for us. And...well, the directions that both sets of Elders gave us were the exact same, and ....were both incorrect! So we ended up going in a really large circle. Ha. But - all is well. We tried. And then we moved forward. We tried to find someone at this point to help us in getting home, because it would have taken... probably an hour and a half to walk home from that side of our area. But: alas, once again, no one we called in our ward was answering. So... we started walking! At about... half to 9, we were still on Sturges Rd. ...when who drove up? Sister Masiasomua :) She was on her way home from work. And this was a miracle moment when we all knew the spirit definitely works within us and all around us. Because Sister Masiasomua was telling us that normally she would have just stayed at work to finish up the few things she had left to do, but this night, she thought, "Nah - I'll leave it for tomorrow." And came home. #Blessings #LittleMiracles 'Cause... Sister Hobbs and I were exhausted. She graciously drove us home and we were able to plan and get ready for the next day in a timely manner, rather than an hour later than we would have wanted!
So... BLESSINGS!!
Phew. (A man that definitely smokes just came and sat down by me. Fun times!) #InternetCafeLife
TUESDAY. We had District Meeting! Then lunch. And ..cancelled appointments. *Sad face*. We met with a less-active, and with Ivan. Ivan is just wonderful. We were supposed to have dinner wtih the Sekona's this night, but - Sister Sekona was taken by sickness... so they purchased food for us and dropped it off. #ButterChicken #Spoiled And... we had our final lesson AND the interviews for Eli and Hakeian's baptism :) Yes, they passed, and yes, we had a wonderful lesson. They're just ....so fun! :D
Also: BUGS. They need to stop biting me. I have over 13 bites just on my left arm right now, 7 of which surround my elbow. We think they're all coming from my bed suddenly... and it got worse AFTER we sprayed the bed down with Permetherine on Tuesday. So...that's fun. Apparently it just angered, rather than killed the bugs this time around. I'm confused as to what makes them suddenly appear. It's fine. I'm over it. I apparently just need to start lathering myself in oils before I get in bed, rather than in the day when it would make more sense to get bitten. :P #TheBuggyLife
WEDNESDAY ...Sickness. Truly. I never got this sick at home. Or at least not as often as I feel sick here. But - we stayed in the flat at the beginning of the day - but still made it out for the night, attempting to meet some referrals - with one success! She wasn't able to talk with us then, but we did make an appointment for this week. So... good things :) We also met another member who lives in our area, but attends... Sunnyvale! (I think) Ward. Anyhoo. The Singh family. Apparently the sister of the Singh girl we met works at the MTC! I... honestly don't remember her. Haha. She was never one of my direct teachers. But I'm sure I'll recognize her when I actually see her again. They're a wonderful family :)
THURSDAY started out differently than usually - with weekly planning, because Friday we knew we would be in a training meeting with president.... So - we planned, and we went out. This time with COURTNEY from Sunnyvale Ward. OH she's adorable. She met a potential with us - Yami. He's... definitely an interesting potential! He's muslim - but still open to learning new things. Ah. And he doesn't blink. Ever. That's what kind of weirded me out about the whole situation of talking with him. Ha. Literally doesn't blink when he's lookin at you. Eyes WIDE open. So - it'll be fun to see where that goes. He WANTED a Book of Mormon to read though, so we'll see!
We also visited Aroha and her family, and went to the Millers for dinner. I feel like she always feeds us some sort of American-ish meal. Ha. It makes me laugh. This time it was burgers. Really good burgers though! And chocolate mousse. #Mmm
We had her drop us to Sturgess Rd. so that our dear Danni Butler could pick us up at the edge of our area and it wouldn't be so far for her to drive :) It was a good time with the family. We went over the Restoration, and I think it was good. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I wish I could do more for them. They're the best people and make our lives so happy.
FRIDAY. "Specialized Training" Day at Sunset Chapel! It was a good training, it really was. We got together with Waterview and Harbour Zones and were just given some council from President and Sister Balli, and the assistants. Our dear Elder Hunter and Sister Cluff from our Zone also gave a talk! So that was fun. Ah - and Elder Clark, Saulo, and Peihopa sang a BEAUTIFUL verson of How Great Thou Art together. So, yes. I got to see Elder Clark again - and it was wonderful. I also met another Elder - Elder Fermanis. Haaaaaa. #BiggestFlirt #ElderWeAreOnAMission We had gotten there early—before the chapel was even open, so we were out chatting for a bit, and this is when I met Elder Fermanis. After he found out where I was from (he's from NZ), this is how the conversation went:
Elder Fermanis: "Are there any beaches in Utah Sister Ottley?"
Me: "Yes! ...Well, I mean, there's Bear Lake."
Elder Fermanis: "Is it nice?"
Me: "Yes!"
Elder Fermanis: "So - is that us?"
Me: *Silence, but thinking, "Wha?" *
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - but wait. we coudlnt' be alone. Hey, Elder Shannon! You're from Utah, do you know Sister Ottley?
* Elder Shannon, who I was talking to before Elder Fermanis, comes back into the conversation *
Elder Shannon: Yeah!
Elder Fermanis: Is Bear Lake nice?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Is it clear?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Ah - so is that all of us? Going to Bear Lake?
*And this is where Elder Shannon just kind of left me hanging... there with Elder Fermanis. Ha.*
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - so when do you go home?"
Me: "December."
Elder Fermanis: "Ah... it's not meant to be."
Me: What?
Elder Fermanis: I'm coming to visit Utah - in October. And I LEAVE in December.
Me: *laughs* thinking - "Who does this Elder think he is?"
...And it continued through to the beginning of the meeting, with him trying to get me to come sit by him and whatnot. Haaaaaa. #ToughLuckElder #ProbablyThinksI'm19. It's truly classic to see Elder's faces when they find out i'm 24! Sadly, I didn't get to a point in the conversation that I could have told him that. Ah well.
Moral to the story: I'm on a mission. And I learned (more like, FULLY realised) in this moment that I do indeed have my head set IN THE MISSION - 'cause I had no idea what the flirting life was anymore. Lol. I did receive word from a Sister afterwards that he really is a good Elder and a great missionary - he just likes to "act" like that. Also - he's going home next transfer. Thus... there's gotta be some trunky-ness in there. Silly Elder. Oh. Wait. I have a maori word for that. Porangi Elder ;) (Silly, giddy, or "Blonde")
Ha. Life. Fun experiences meeting different kinds of missionaires. Ah - he's also Maori. I think Maori/Greek.
The Training Meeting was grand though. That's where my "THINK BIG" title and the quote at the beginning of my email came from.
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
And... here's the thought that I got from this quote. It doesn't mean just not letting OTHERS convince you that you're limited in anything — but it's about not letting even YOURSELF convince you that you're not able to do anything. I thought of it this way because I've started realising that sometimes I think "this must be what this person is thinking about me right now, because that's how they're acting to me" ...if that makes sense. Sometimes I bring myself down by thinking about things I think others are thinking about me. And then I drive myself crazy, and it's never worth it.
So: YOU CAN DO IT! It's going to be a great year....or 11 months, almost now 10... of missionary work :) I can feel it!
Ah - and the Goal of Baptisms for the mission this year? Is 950. Last year we accomplished: 522. But... can we get 950? YES. Why? 'Cause it's just under 5 people per missionary. Psh..... TOTES possible! [Normally unlikely, but totally doable!] And, our Heavenly Father needs us to bring His children to Him. And I need my Kiwi, Maori, and Islander brothers and sisters in the Celestial kingdom, man. I love them all so much.
Continuing with the rest of Friday. We HAD an appointment set with a potential for after the training... but it fell through. 'Cause the training went a bit longer than we had intended, sadly enough. But... hopefully soon! We WILL get to meet Vale one day!
And this is the point in time when I ACTUALLY started feeling legitimately ill. As we were walking around, nope, BIKING around the area, and our appointment with Marion also fell through. So we stopped by the Leato's. They fed us, 'cause they love us, and I was grateful. However.... alas, it didn't help the sick feeling. It made it a lot worse. Probaby partially because it was Chinese takeaways (all of which here I'm beginning to gather are rather similar to "Panda Express" back home... the taste, at least, and... the fact that I can taste the MSG life.) Anyhoo. We made a last visit to Aroha Henare - whom I love, SO dearly, and then... we went home. Somewhat more slowly than I usually bike, but... my body was just done. Done done. I slept that night - but... definitely not well. I honestly felt like I was going to puke all night long, and literally prayed and talked to myself the entire night – that I wasn't going to throw up. (Yes, that's how much I hate it. Reasons I could never be bulimic!)
I didn't. But... I still felt absolutely disgusting and SO TIRED SATURDAY morning. But... we still got up and got ready and whatnot, 'cause, well, we had ELI AND HAKEIAN'S BAPTISM. #Win. :) So - like I said, I felt gross, and mostly pretty much everyone could tell. Luckily, they just kept asking if I was tired... rather than ill. So I guess that was good in a way! But - I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it - I knew I HAD to, 'cause - I wasn't missing the baptism! But... I was struggling. So, Sister Hobbs said a prayer for me that I would be able to make it through the next few hours. Anddd.... I did! :) Prayer is REAL, folks! Love it :) Ha.
So... Eli and Hakeian are adorable, and they're now baptised :) It was a fun baptism program with a lot of family surrounding and happiness. And... because I didn't know if I would be able to stand for longer than 5 minutes without wanting to pass out, our lovely Elder Hunter and Gulliver took over talking about the Restoration for us ('cause, that's what we do for baptisms while the baptised people are getting changed after the actual baptism).
Then - at the end of the baptism program, I had my head down on a bench, and the Sisters came over to figure out what was up - and then said, "We have 6 Elders here who could all give you a blessing." ... Yup. Done. Priesthood power is real. I think, along with SO many other things, I've learned this most on my mission. I received a blessing from Elder Hunter, annointed by Elder Saulo. And it was one of those miracle moments when I felt peace in a different way than I thought I would during the blessing. It was in the simplest of phrases. "Heavenly Father is proud of what you have done on your mission." ...It was one of those moments that I honestly hadn't fully realised it was an answer I was looking for - until I got the answer.
Heavenly Father looks out for us. He HEARS our prayers, and sometimes... He hears the things in our thoughts that we don't even realise we've been asking for!
The rest of SATURDAY was spent at the flat. 'Cause... like I said. Illness. I slept a lot, ate ...nothing, and just tried to not be exhausted. The Elders (Hunter and Gulliver again) loved us enough to bring over dinner - as Sister Hobbs had none, and... I was finally feeling up to some broth of sorts at least. What did they come over with? A pasta dish and soup for me—both homemade! #Spoiled and #Delicious I only had... like half a bowl... of the soup, but it was filled with veggies and happiness. Which made my stomach grateful for the lightness.
SUNDAY was better. Still stayed in during the morning time - as... my stomach still wasn't happy with the moving life, and I couldn't stand for long. I slept it off more and luckily was much better by the time church time came around. Eli and Hakeian were confirmed, and were given some pretty grand promises within their blessings. The Holy Ghost is cool, right? I just love it.
We went to the Joseph's for dinner - which was like a dinner from heaven. LIGHT, and like home. (Can you tell I'm getting sick of the heavy meal/meat life? ...I still like it, but... I think it's just become hard on my stomach.) Quiche, salad, and Maori bread. (Which I found out is made with a potato base, and a "fermintation" process, similar to Dad's yeast thing. So I'm excited to get that recipe :) Sister Jones (Sister Joseph's mum) has started teaching us Maori, and I"m defintiely excited for continuing lessons. :) She said she'll teach us a full prayer next time! Haha.
The rest of the night was spent trying to find some potentials again, and me struggling to push my tired body up hills. So, Sister Fischer lovingly picked us up, and dropped us at the flat so we could pick up my whiteboard and markers for the lesson we had planned for the Donnaldson's.
We love them, they make us happy. And we become better friends with them a little bit more aech time we visit. I just love all our ward.
I'm finally getting better. I actually got up and moved around like a normal person this morning - and... I'm insanely grateful. I hate being sick. It WILL be overcome though. We WILL find new people to begin fully teaching this week, and.... we WILL set someone new for baptism. Sister Hobbs and I have decided that for us, a goal of one baptism a month is definitely doable. And we're excited. We just have to work hard to find that golden one for next month ;)
Another quote I got this week that I really like:
"Sometimes FEAR SHOUTS SO LOUD in our ears, that it almost drowns out our FAITH. ... But God knows who we are. We cannot go anywhere that he cannot find us." —Emma Smith: My Story
IT'S TRUE! We have to let FAITH overcome the fear in life! :)
I hope you all have a most amazing week. I know that our Heavenly Father watches out for us in every move we make, and LOVES it when we talk to Him about anything and everything. Prayer is beautiful, our GOSPEL is beautiful, and Missionary Work is super exciting!
ALL THE LOVE, from your dear Kiwi Missionary —
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
Kel te pai! (Very good!)
#LearningMaori
#ExcitingThings
Yesterday and the day before, my answer to that first question was the following:
Kei te mawiwi ahau (I am not well.)
and
Kei te nge nge ahu (I am very tired.)
Sickness, man. It gets ya. I used to never get sick! But, alas—a different lifestyle, climate, and food (and parasites?)—all go hand in hand in changing things within the body I guess. But all is well now, and we'll get to that in a bit :)
PONDERISE:
"Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen." —2 Nephi 4:35
AND... a quote of the week that I got from our "specialised training" this week:
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
It's been a good week :) Regardless of getting sick—because the fact that we have prayer and the Priesthood within this gospel makes all things better. I can't imagine life without it.
MONDAY. Dude. The insanity but funnest of P-DAYS!! Emails, Shopping, then: Zone P-Day. "The Amazing Race: Henderson!" Haha. We had a grand time. We were split up into teams, given clues, and then GO! We ran around the church grounds and around Henderson (in cars) doing different tasks and competing against one another. All the excitement! The Samoan Sisters (Liataua and Pita) set it all up, and it was truly brilliant. We had to do tasks (and document with photos along the way) such as basketball shot-making (I let the other sisters do this one. Ha), getting our car washed, getting a picture on a slide in a park, pictures hugging mannequins at the mall, going to the bowling alley and getting one of us to get a strike, going to the Falefatu's house and doing the "Weet-bix Challenge" [where you try to eat as many dry Weet-bix—a popular breakfast cereal made from shredded wheat—as you can in one minute, without spitting it out or drinking water), ...and other things that aren't coming to mind right now. Haha. Basically, it was a super crazy exciting day. And.... we even came in second :) EVEN WITH BEING GIVEN A "ROAD BLOCK" - aka: One of the other teams got to sabatoge us to slow us down. The extra challenge given? To go to Mackers (McDonalds), get LARGE frozen drinks (luckily a "large" here isn't as big as at home. It's maybe the equivilent of a medium, if not a small drink at home....) and drink them while sitting at McDonalds. Aka: very fast! #BrainFreeze But... like I said, we still came in second. And just BARELY. We saw the red team just getting out of their car as we drove into the chapel... so by the space of a few minutes we were beat. But - it was all fun and games and exciting! :)
Sister Hobbs and I ended the night trying to find a few potentials in the area around the Masiasomua's home (we originally had a plan to have a lesson with them... but, alas: They ended up all having to work and whatnot). And...apparently it truly wasn't the right night for us to meet them. 'Cause most people weren't home. OR in the case of the main referral we were looking to find: We couldn't remember where the street was. So we called the Elders to look at a map for us. And...well, the directions that both sets of Elders gave us were the exact same, and ....were both incorrect! So we ended up going in a really large circle. Ha. But - all is well. We tried. And then we moved forward. We tried to find someone at this point to help us in getting home, because it would have taken... probably an hour and a half to walk home from that side of our area. But: alas, once again, no one we called in our ward was answering. So... we started walking! At about... half to 9, we were still on Sturges Rd. ...when who drove up? Sister Masiasomua :) She was on her way home from work. And this was a miracle moment when we all knew the spirit definitely works within us and all around us. Because Sister Masiasomua was telling us that normally she would have just stayed at work to finish up the few things she had left to do, but this night, she thought, "Nah - I'll leave it for tomorrow." And came home. #Blessings #LittleMiracles 'Cause... Sister Hobbs and I were exhausted. She graciously drove us home and we were able to plan and get ready for the next day in a timely manner, rather than an hour later than we would have wanted!
So... BLESSINGS!!
Phew. (A man that definitely smokes just came and sat down by me. Fun times!) #InternetCafeLife
TUESDAY. We had District Meeting! Then lunch. And ..cancelled appointments. *Sad face*. We met with a less-active, and with Ivan. Ivan is just wonderful. We were supposed to have dinner wtih the Sekona's this night, but - Sister Sekona was taken by sickness... so they purchased food for us and dropped it off. #ButterChicken #Spoiled And... we had our final lesson AND the interviews for Eli and Hakeian's baptism :) Yes, they passed, and yes, we had a wonderful lesson. They're just ....so fun! :D
Also: BUGS. They need to stop biting me. I have over 13 bites just on my left arm right now, 7 of which surround my elbow. We think they're all coming from my bed suddenly... and it got worse AFTER we sprayed the bed down with Permetherine on Tuesday. So...that's fun. Apparently it just angered, rather than killed the bugs this time around. I'm confused as to what makes them suddenly appear. It's fine. I'm over it. I apparently just need to start lathering myself in oils before I get in bed, rather than in the day when it would make more sense to get bitten. :P #TheBuggyLife
WEDNESDAY ...Sickness. Truly. I never got this sick at home. Or at least not as often as I feel sick here. But - we stayed in the flat at the beginning of the day - but still made it out for the night, attempting to meet some referrals - with one success! She wasn't able to talk with us then, but we did make an appointment for this week. So... good things :) We also met another member who lives in our area, but attends... Sunnyvale! (I think) Ward. Anyhoo. The Singh family. Apparently the sister of the Singh girl we met works at the MTC! I... honestly don't remember her. Haha. She was never one of my direct teachers. But I'm sure I'll recognize her when I actually see her again. They're a wonderful family :)
THURSDAY started out differently than usually - with weekly planning, because Friday we knew we would be in a training meeting with president.... So - we planned, and we went out. This time with COURTNEY from Sunnyvale Ward. OH she's adorable. She met a potential with us - Yami. He's... definitely an interesting potential! He's muslim - but still open to learning new things. Ah. And he doesn't blink. Ever. That's what kind of weirded me out about the whole situation of talking with him. Ha. Literally doesn't blink when he's lookin at you. Eyes WIDE open. So - it'll be fun to see where that goes. He WANTED a Book of Mormon to read though, so we'll see!
We also visited Aroha and her family, and went to the Millers for dinner. I feel like she always feeds us some sort of American-ish meal. Ha. It makes me laugh. This time it was burgers. Really good burgers though! And chocolate mousse. #Mmm
We had her drop us to Sturgess Rd. so that our dear Danni Butler could pick us up at the edge of our area and it wouldn't be so far for her to drive :) It was a good time with the family. We went over the Restoration, and I think it was good. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I wish I could do more for them. They're the best people and make our lives so happy.
FRIDAY. "Specialized Training" Day at Sunset Chapel! It was a good training, it really was. We got together with Waterview and Harbour Zones and were just given some council from President and Sister Balli, and the assistants. Our dear Elder Hunter and Sister Cluff from our Zone also gave a talk! So that was fun. Ah - and Elder Clark, Saulo, and Peihopa sang a BEAUTIFUL verson of How Great Thou Art together. So, yes. I got to see Elder Clark again - and it was wonderful. I also met another Elder - Elder Fermanis. Haaaaaa. #BiggestFlirt #ElderWeAreOnAMission We had gotten there early—before the chapel was even open, so we were out chatting for a bit, and this is when I met Elder Fermanis. After he found out where I was from (he's from NZ), this is how the conversation went:
Elder Fermanis: "Are there any beaches in Utah Sister Ottley?"
Me: "Yes! ...Well, I mean, there's Bear Lake."
Elder Fermanis: "Is it nice?"
Me: "Yes!"
Elder Fermanis: "So - is that us?"
Me: *Silence, but thinking, "Wha?" *
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - but wait. we coudlnt' be alone. Hey, Elder Shannon! You're from Utah, do you know Sister Ottley?
* Elder Shannon, who I was talking to before Elder Fermanis, comes back into the conversation *
Elder Shannon: Yeah!
Elder Fermanis: Is Bear Lake nice?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Is it clear?
Elder Shannon: Yes!
Elder Fermanis: Ah - so is that all of us? Going to Bear Lake?
*And this is where Elder Shannon just kind of left me hanging... there with Elder Fermanis. Ha.*
Elder Fermanis: "Ah - so when do you go home?"
Me: "December."
Elder Fermanis: "Ah... it's not meant to be."
Me: What?
Elder Fermanis: I'm coming to visit Utah - in October. And I LEAVE in December.
Me: *laughs* thinking - "Who does this Elder think he is?"
...And it continued through to the beginning of the meeting, with him trying to get me to come sit by him and whatnot. Haaaaaa. #ToughLuckElder #ProbablyThinksI'm19. It's truly classic to see Elder's faces when they find out i'm 24! Sadly, I didn't get to a point in the conversation that I could have told him that. Ah well.
Moral to the story: I'm on a mission. And I learned (more like, FULLY realised) in this moment that I do indeed have my head set IN THE MISSION - 'cause I had no idea what the flirting life was anymore. Lol. I did receive word from a Sister afterwards that he really is a good Elder and a great missionary - he just likes to "act" like that. Also - he's going home next transfer. Thus... there's gotta be some trunky-ness in there. Silly Elder. Oh. Wait. I have a maori word for that. Porangi Elder ;) (Silly, giddy, or "Blonde")
Ha. Life. Fun experiences meeting different kinds of missionaires. Ah - he's also Maori. I think Maori/Greek.
The Training Meeting was grand though. That's where my "THINK BIG" title and the quote at the beginning of my email came from.
"Don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities." —President Thomas S. Monson ("Living the Abundant Life" Ensign Jan 2012)
And... here's the thought that I got from this quote. It doesn't mean just not letting OTHERS convince you that you're limited in anything — but it's about not letting even YOURSELF convince you that you're not able to do anything. I thought of it this way because I've started realising that sometimes I think "this must be what this person is thinking about me right now, because that's how they're acting to me" ...if that makes sense. Sometimes I bring myself down by thinking about things I think others are thinking about me. And then I drive myself crazy, and it's never worth it.
So: YOU CAN DO IT! It's going to be a great year....or 11 months, almost now 10... of missionary work :) I can feel it!
Ah - and the Goal of Baptisms for the mission this year? Is 950. Last year we accomplished: 522. But... can we get 950? YES. Why? 'Cause it's just under 5 people per missionary. Psh..... TOTES possible! [Normally unlikely, but totally doable!] And, our Heavenly Father needs us to bring His children to Him. And I need my Kiwi, Maori, and Islander brothers and sisters in the Celestial kingdom, man. I love them all so much.
Continuing with the rest of Friday. We HAD an appointment set with a potential for after the training... but it fell through. 'Cause the training went a bit longer than we had intended, sadly enough. But... hopefully soon! We WILL get to meet Vale one day!
And this is the point in time when I ACTUALLY started feeling legitimately ill. As we were walking around, nope, BIKING around the area, and our appointment with Marion also fell through. So we stopped by the Leato's. They fed us, 'cause they love us, and I was grateful. However.... alas, it didn't help the sick feeling. It made it a lot worse. Probaby partially because it was Chinese takeaways (all of which here I'm beginning to gather are rather similar to "Panda Express" back home... the taste, at least, and... the fact that I can taste the MSG life.) Anyhoo. We made a last visit to Aroha Henare - whom I love, SO dearly, and then... we went home. Somewhat more slowly than I usually bike, but... my body was just done. Done done. I slept that night - but... definitely not well. I honestly felt like I was going to puke all night long, and literally prayed and talked to myself the entire night – that I wasn't going to throw up. (Yes, that's how much I hate it. Reasons I could never be bulimic!)
I didn't. But... I still felt absolutely disgusting and SO TIRED SATURDAY morning. But... we still got up and got ready and whatnot, 'cause, well, we had ELI AND HAKEIAN'S BAPTISM. #Win. :) So - like I said, I felt gross, and mostly pretty much everyone could tell. Luckily, they just kept asking if I was tired... rather than ill. So I guess that was good in a way! But - I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it - I knew I HAD to, 'cause - I wasn't missing the baptism! But... I was struggling. So, Sister Hobbs said a prayer for me that I would be able to make it through the next few hours. Anddd.... I did! :) Prayer is REAL, folks! Love it :) Ha.
So... Eli and Hakeian are adorable, and they're now baptised :) It was a fun baptism program with a lot of family surrounding and happiness. And... because I didn't know if I would be able to stand for longer than 5 minutes without wanting to pass out, our lovely Elder Hunter and Gulliver took over talking about the Restoration for us ('cause, that's what we do for baptisms while the baptised people are getting changed after the actual baptism).
Then - at the end of the baptism program, I had my head down on a bench, and the Sisters came over to figure out what was up - and then said, "We have 6 Elders here who could all give you a blessing." ... Yup. Done. Priesthood power is real. I think, along with SO many other things, I've learned this most on my mission. I received a blessing from Elder Hunter, annointed by Elder Saulo. And it was one of those miracle moments when I felt peace in a different way than I thought I would during the blessing. It was in the simplest of phrases. "Heavenly Father is proud of what you have done on your mission." ...It was one of those moments that I honestly hadn't fully realised it was an answer I was looking for - until I got the answer.
Heavenly Father looks out for us. He HEARS our prayers, and sometimes... He hears the things in our thoughts that we don't even realise we've been asking for!
The rest of SATURDAY was spent at the flat. 'Cause... like I said. Illness. I slept a lot, ate ...nothing, and just tried to not be exhausted. The Elders (Hunter and Gulliver again) loved us enough to bring over dinner - as Sister Hobbs had none, and... I was finally feeling up to some broth of sorts at least. What did they come over with? A pasta dish and soup for me—both homemade! #Spoiled and #Delicious I only had... like half a bowl... of the soup, but it was filled with veggies and happiness. Which made my stomach grateful for the lightness.
SUNDAY was better. Still stayed in during the morning time - as... my stomach still wasn't happy with the moving life, and I couldn't stand for long. I slept it off more and luckily was much better by the time church time came around. Eli and Hakeian were confirmed, and were given some pretty grand promises within their blessings. The Holy Ghost is cool, right? I just love it.
We went to the Joseph's for dinner - which was like a dinner from heaven. LIGHT, and like home. (Can you tell I'm getting sick of the heavy meal/meat life? ...I still like it, but... I think it's just become hard on my stomach.) Quiche, salad, and Maori bread. (Which I found out is made with a potato base, and a "fermintation" process, similar to Dad's yeast thing. So I'm excited to get that recipe :) Sister Jones (Sister Joseph's mum) has started teaching us Maori, and I"m defintiely excited for continuing lessons. :) She said she'll teach us a full prayer next time! Haha.
The rest of the night was spent trying to find some potentials again, and me struggling to push my tired body up hills. So, Sister Fischer lovingly picked us up, and dropped us at the flat so we could pick up my whiteboard and markers for the lesson we had planned for the Donnaldson's.
We love them, they make us happy. And we become better friends with them a little bit more aech time we visit. I just love all our ward.
I'm finally getting better. I actually got up and moved around like a normal person this morning - and... I'm insanely grateful. I hate being sick. It WILL be overcome though. We WILL find new people to begin fully teaching this week, and.... we WILL set someone new for baptism. Sister Hobbs and I have decided that for us, a goal of one baptism a month is definitely doable. And we're excited. We just have to work hard to find that golden one for next month ;)
Another quote I got this week that I really like:
"Sometimes FEAR SHOUTS SO LOUD in our ears, that it almost drowns out our FAITH. ... But God knows who we are. We cannot go anywhere that he cannot find us." —Emma Smith: My Story
IT'S TRUE! We have to let FAITH overcome the fear in life! :)
I hope you all have a most amazing week. I know that our Heavenly Father watches out for us in every move we make, and LOVES it when we talk to Him about anything and everything. Prayer is beautiful, our GOSPEL is beautiful, and Missionary Work is super exciting!
ALL THE LOVE, from your dear Kiwi Missionary —
Arohanui,
Sister Mckenzie Ann Ottley
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