The Other Side of Heaven

Hello all! This week has been good, but it's started raining. It's getting colder, so Sister Tony and I huddle around the heater for warmth and put on jackets.  This week as we went tracting (just going from door to door to see if anyone will listen to our message), we came across this one woman who said she was a realist. as we started talking, she began saying all this stuff about the church, and I'm a little ashamed to say that I started getting pretty angry. (I like to think about it as righteous anger.) It felt like she was looking down on us as kids who didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. but after a bit, I was able to calm down and tell her my testimony and then we wished her well and left.  Another time when we went tracting, this family was getting ready to leave and they were interested and thee husband eventually said, "Just go away," with a wave of his hand and it kind of stung to have someone dismiss me like that. I...

Kia ora! Hello all! I hope you're all doing well. I'm very good! I've been in the field for about five days now and it's great!  On Wednesday , we went from the MTC and met our trainers. My trainer is Sister Tony and she's awesome! she's from Malaysia and she's been out over a year, so I know I'm in good hands. we get along very well and she likes cats! There are a lot of cats here, so I give them a lot of love. President Walker and Sister Walker are both awesome! President Walker came to the MTC  tuesday  night to talk to the Auckland missionaries, and he just told us the history of the mission. He said that the mission used to be very disobedient and didn't live by the mission rules, but he came in and he cleaned it up. he commited us right there to be exactly obedient! of course, I said yes. He's very nice and I can feel that he is truly a servant of the Lord! So when we all met our trainers, the senior couple said to me, ...

I'm also excited to go out in the field! We got to go proselyting for a couple hours  on Wednesday , so I got a little taste of what's to come. I also had to ride a bike... That was terrible!! It was way too hot and there are so many hills!! It was rough. We actually got to go to the temple twice, so that was really nice   We have one zone, and then we have districts. so we all get to know each other pretty well. Sundays don't feel much different. We have Sacrament, district meetings, and then Relief Society. Although at night we have devotionals. And guess who's giving a four minute talk on Sunday??? I thought I could avoid it, but I have to speak. But it'll be good, it's about you!  Sister Fisi'ihoi ( I think that's it) is so close! I don't know if she can visit... But I can't wait to see her! That would be so funny if I served in her ward.  I can't wait to talk to you on Mother's Day!! I think I did the math r...

I'm doing really well! My companion is awesome, her name is Sister Reall and she's from Saratoga Springs, Utah. We have a lot of fun together and I think we get along a little too well... It's good to have her around because it helps me get more adjusted here. There are tons of missionaries from all over the Pacific! The majority come from Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji, but there are also some from Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even one from France and one from Bolivia! It's so fun to talk to them and learn more about their cultures and even pick up on some words. I don't know if they like my accent, but it's fun to hear how some people perceive Americans.  I won't have access to a temple for a long time, and so I hope that the missionaries will really treasure their time in the Houston Temple. You don't know what you have until it's not there anymore. When it's put into a list like that, I have been through some tough ...