Also glad to hear that Keeks continues to be a superstar and that Alex and Heath are enjoying the summer months. Isn’t it weird to think that the summer break here is from December to February?? That’s smack in the middle of our winter. Tell everyone that I love them and think about them often. Mom, I will ask some of the members that we have dinner with each week about their experiences with the Livre de Mormon and then I will write you a letter – I have always wondered about Hagoth as well and thought that islanders were descendants of the Nephites. I feel more and more that that is true. Someday we will know all the mysteries of God and then we can be sure.
So, this week: I told you that our P-day was changed to Tuesday, and on Tuesday we actually did another exchange with the sisters of Riviere Salée. Soeur Seiko came up to Paita with me and we spent the whole of Wednesday together. I was feeling a little stressed because we had a few lessons to teach and she is a native from one of the loyalty islands near here, Lifou, so I knew that it would be all day en français. It was a very good experience though. I think that I rely a lot on my trainer and it was good for me to be with another sister who is pretty new as well. Heavenly Father blessed me so that I was able to teach effectively and well in the language – soon my training wheels will be taken completely off since Soeur Spencer leaves in two weeks! Ah! I gave her the home phone number because she wants to call you all when she gets home and talk with you – so get all your questions and the like ready because she will answer them for you. She has been a great companion, and I am going to be slightly shell-shocked the day that she actually leaves.
On Thursday, Sr. Spencer and I went down into Nouméa to practice with all of the missionaries for the missionary fireside (coin de feu) that we are holding next Sunday at the Rivere Salée branch building. We are singing a variety of songs about the Restoration, and there is a little narration that goes on. I am doing the part of Emma Smith; it’s only a few lines and I am going to memorize them during my language study this week. The songs for the fireside are cheesy (they were written by the Janice Knapp Perry family – I guess that is a hint to what they sound like), but one of the elders (E. Johnston from Tahiti) bore his testimony about the Restoration and told us that if we sang with our hearts and with the Spirit that the coin de feu would touch the hearts of those who come. I suppose you had to be there, but it was a really nice testimony and helped me get over the initial gag of the songs. After the practice, Sr. Spencer and I went with the zone leaders and the Mautzs to McDonalds (again) for lunch, and then they all came up to Paita to do an apartment check.
It was such a dreary day on Thursday and Friday! It rained bears and oxen all day long both days, and we didn’t leave the house unless we had a set appointment because of the torrents of rain coming down. And, we have been having a mouse problem lately but that ended this morning. I tried at first to make a trap with a Pringles can and string, but it didn’t work. Surprise, surprise. Elder Manning gave us a mousetrap on Thursday and so we set it up, but two nights in a row that little mouse evaded our efforts! He kept eating the peanut butter off the trigger, and he got away without setting off the trap! Finally, yesterday I TIED the bait to the trap and the trap snapped on me in my efforts and now I have a pretty little bruise underneath my thumbnail, but this morning as I was doing my exercises I looked over where I had set the trap. SUCCESS! It was gross getting rid of little Carl (we named him), but I felt triumphant in my victory over the 2 ounce rodent.
In other news, we have a CRAZY branch. Our white handbook says I am not supposed to write home negative things about our branches/wards/stakes/whatever but, the branch’s “specialness” calls for commentary. At present, there is an overall dislike for the elders in this branch. The sisters are in the clear though and we are, for the most part, respected. The elders have a differing story to tell. They have had a series of mess-around elders in this branch in the past, and so the members have been tainted and have lost confidence in the work they do. I am glad that Sr. Spencer and I are apparently well-liked, and I hope it continues to be such (they better like me, since I DO play the piano every week for them). I have found out that it is vitally important that we watch everything we do or say because if you step on one pair of toes here, you step on them all! It’s like an instant grapevine. Yesterday was an especially interesting Sunday. One of the elders attempted to correct the President of the branch in a matter concerning an upcoming baptism and he was pulled into the President’s office without his companion (an absolute no-no) and was yelled at. I know there are two sides of the situation here and I know that there was pride involved, but that was not a good situation at all and now the whole branch is aware of what happened. Thank goodness our mission president is coming next weekend for our zone conference – I think he will be attending sacrament at our branch and will hopefully be able to mend things. All in all, the branch lacks in unity and love. If we had that then we could move forward, but at the present time it is not the most well-functioning branch. Bon, but what do I know – this is only my short-minded perspective. We are doing our best, and Sr. Spencer and I continue to work hard in our sector and with the kind member families that are here. Only time will tell.
Anyway, that is the news from the week. Our lessons with our investigators continue to go well and we are waiting on two baptisms that should occur in the near future. We have a great recent convert, Soane (which means John in Wallisian), who is so solid and constant. It’s as if he has always been a member. He eats with us at the Toyon’s and the Li-Khau’s every week and goes to some of our lessons. The other night at the Toyon’s, Soeur Toyon asked me to come over to look at the thing she just took out the oven – a fully roasted pig’s head! They all laughed at my reaction, and I took a picture of it while Soane held it up. I had a taste of it. I am glad that I can eat anything – that has been a really helpful quality to have here. Thanks for helping me build up my culinary immunities, Dad, with all those questionable goulashes you’ve concocted and made us eat over the years.
Anyway, I love you all. Good luck with the heat of the summer. It is pretty chilly here in the mornings, and I usually do my studies with my comforters wrapped around me. That is, both the Spirit and a blanket.
I hope you all have a lovely week and that you are blessed with all the things you stand in need of.
And, I make an end.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
P.S. I will send pictures home when someone sends me back that other memory card. And, can someone send me a recent picture of the family? Maybe one from my farewell at the MTC? I lack family photos and I miss your faces.
P.S. Are my emails being forwarded to the family and to my friends? I hope so - thanks for doing that Mom.
soane and our friend, cochon
