Dearest Family and those who dare read these emails,
What a week! It has sure been packed with memories for future reflection – good and, well, some interesting ones.
On Tuesday we had our district meeting and afterwards we all drove up to an area in the Tontouta sector named Tomo. We helped an older woman named Germaine clean up her garden. She had ALL sorts of plants: manioc, taro, coconut trees, letchi trees, wild strawberries, wild tomatoes (so good, by the way – don’t worry, we told her afterwards that we had eaten a few ), and all sorts of flowers. Dad, you would have loved walking around her grounds. Afterwards we had two really good lessons with one of the members, Alicia Toyon. We taught Ismaella, who is just a superb investigator. She tells us how much she loves reading the Book of Mormon, and she already knows how to recognize the Spirit. She told us at the end of our lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ that she felt the Spirit so strongly and that she had faith and wanted to know how to repent. Our next lesson was with a couple who are living together and the monsieur had a question about the resurrection. He talks to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventist that come by and he said he was confused by the different descriptions and ideas of what they believe the resurrection will be. We pulled out the Book of Mormon and went to Alma 40 and read from there. Then we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and described the history of it. He said he felt something different about our presence in his home than he did when the others came over. We invited them to begin reading the Book of Mormon. It was powerful.
On Wednesday we went and visited our older investigator Aimee, and during our opening prayer her 40 or something year old son came in and started talking to her and then went to a back room. All this during our prayer. Afterwards we started our lesson and he came out and I asked how he was and if he worked in Paita. Just a nice question, right? Well, I had the surprise of my life when he started yelling at us to keep to ourselves and not talk to him. Then he sat there in a sulk. Aimee told us that he didn’t like us coming over, and Soeur Seiko said we would come back another day and we left. That was the first time I have ever been treated like that – but it wasn’t the last time during the week. We were doing a follow-up on a man we had met on our P-day. His wife came out, we asked to see him and she said that she would find him. Soon enough he came out and we said hello. Then all of a sudden his wife came out with a broom and yelled at us to leave. I thought she was going to hit us with the broom. She started yelling in extremely rapid French that I didn’t understand (not only because it was rapid but also because it was full of words that I am not familiar with as a missionary). We left quickly, and Soeur Seiko said it was good that I didn’t understand. I don’t think that man told his wife that he had met two young sister missionaries. Hmmmm, oops.
We slept outside on our lawn next to our house the other night. The moon was so full and lovely, so we laid out a big mat and slept under the stars.
Our investigator Georgette gave us some shell fossils and a huge squash the other day after our lesson. A bit random, but our life is full of random occurrences. I love the contact that we make with people. Everyday we meet all these people with these interesting life stories and crazy personalities and characteristics (sometimes characteristics induced by the influences of various illicit substances). I think our lives become more interesting and faceted the more we become interested and acquainted with others.
Last night we had a choir practice at Rivière Salée with the members and the other missionaries. I love singing with the other members and seeing the other missionaries. Christmas is going to be strange here – the weather being hot and humid, but I am sure that for someone from here that a Christmas with snow and chilly weather would be bizarre.
Today we are going on a hike with the other missionaries. I promise not to get lost like the two missionaries did last time.
I love you all! Have a wonderful week and keep living the Gospel and bettering yourselves.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
What a week! It has sure been packed with memories for future reflection – good and, well, some interesting ones.
On Tuesday we had our district meeting and afterwards we all drove up to an area in the Tontouta sector named Tomo. We helped an older woman named Germaine clean up her garden. She had ALL sorts of plants: manioc, taro, coconut trees, letchi trees, wild strawberries, wild tomatoes (so good, by the way – don’t worry, we told her afterwards that we had eaten a few ), and all sorts of flowers. Dad, you would have loved walking around her grounds. Afterwards we had two really good lessons with one of the members, Alicia Toyon. We taught Ismaella, who is just a superb investigator. She tells us how much she loves reading the Book of Mormon, and she already knows how to recognize the Spirit. She told us at the end of our lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ that she felt the Spirit so strongly and that she had faith and wanted to know how to repent. Our next lesson was with a couple who are living together and the monsieur had a question about the resurrection. He talks to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventist that come by and he said he was confused by the different descriptions and ideas of what they believe the resurrection will be. We pulled out the Book of Mormon and went to Alma 40 and read from there. Then we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and described the history of it. He said he felt something different about our presence in his home than he did when the others came over. We invited them to begin reading the Book of Mormon. It was powerful.
On Wednesday we went and visited our older investigator Aimee, and during our opening prayer her 40 or something year old son came in and started talking to her and then went to a back room. All this during our prayer. Afterwards we started our lesson and he came out and I asked how he was and if he worked in Paita. Just a nice question, right? Well, I had the surprise of my life when he started yelling at us to keep to ourselves and not talk to him. Then he sat there in a sulk. Aimee told us that he didn’t like us coming over, and Soeur Seiko said we would come back another day and we left. That was the first time I have ever been treated like that – but it wasn’t the last time during the week. We were doing a follow-up on a man we had met on our P-day. His wife came out, we asked to see him and she said that she would find him. Soon enough he came out and we said hello. Then all of a sudden his wife came out with a broom and yelled at us to leave. I thought she was going to hit us with the broom. She started yelling in extremely rapid French that I didn’t understand (not only because it was rapid but also because it was full of words that I am not familiar with as a missionary). We left quickly, and Soeur Seiko said it was good that I didn’t understand. I don’t think that man told his wife that he had met two young sister missionaries. Hmmmm, oops.
We slept outside on our lawn next to our house the other night. The moon was so full and lovely, so we laid out a big mat and slept under the stars.
Our investigator Georgette gave us some shell fossils and a huge squash the other day after our lesson. A bit random, but our life is full of random occurrences. I love the contact that we make with people. Everyday we meet all these people with these interesting life stories and crazy personalities and characteristics (sometimes characteristics induced by the influences of various illicit substances). I think our lives become more interesting and faceted the more we become interested and acquainted with others.
Last night we had a choir practice at Rivière Salée with the members and the other missionaries. I love singing with the other members and seeing the other missionaries. Christmas is going to be strange here – the weather being hot and humid, but I am sure that for someone from here that a Christmas with snow and chilly weather would be bizarre.
Today we are going on a hike with the other missionaries. I promise not to get lost like the two missionaries did last time.
I love you all! Have a wonderful week and keep living the Gospel and bettering yourselves.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
so, we didn't end up taking that hike. but, we still had fun.
