I am glad to hear that the school year has started off with a bang. There is such opportunity and potential at the beginning of a school year.
I am glad everyone is doing well in school (and seminary). One of the sisters here, Soeur Li-Khau teaches early morning as well and she wanted to tell you, Mom, that she empathizes. I always enjoyed seminary, though the 5:30 hour was not ideal. I am glad you are back at the church with seminary. You sound really happy for the fact that you get to hang things up and leave them there.
Alex would like Mr. Arner - I am sure they get along well, knowing their personalities. I just hope Alex has more success in that class than I did; that dreadful B! And, I am glad Keeks and Heather are finding joy in their friends and in the things they are doing at school. I always liked being busy with clubs, groups band, etc. I have to admit that I miss playing my French horn, locked so forlornly away in that closet at home. And, actually having time to play the piano? Soeur Seiko and I imagined what it would be like if we had a piano in our apartment, and we decided that we would probably play the piano and sing all day, and no missionary work would be accomplished whatsoever.
This week: It is slowly but surely getting hot here, and it’s only September.
We had a lesson with our amie, Lorenza, who is progressing so well! Soeur Li-Khau came to our lesson and Lorenza surprised us by saying that she had found the Book of Mormon (that we actually gave to her father) and started reading it. She understands the story well already and continues to read. Later that day (Tuesday), we were walking along the side of a road to go visit a less-active and we ran into a Vanuatu girl walking home from school. Soeur Seiko stopped her and we talked a little about the church and who we were. We asked if we could teach her a little about the message we had. We crossed the street to an open field in front of an abandoned house and sat down in the grass and had the first lesson with her. Her name is Christine and she is studying at the high school (lycée) here, but she is from Vanuatu and her family still lives there. She was nice – we’ll see what happens next.
On Tuesday night we ate at the Ahuroa’s house, and of course, Soeur Ahuroa served us way too much and, of course, we had to eat it all. Sometimes I wonder if my stomach is going to just give up. After dinner we went next door where another member, Valerie, lives. Valerie was practicing a Tahitian dance for a wedding reception and she taught us a little bit of the dance. Soeur Ahuroa thought that my dancing and hip shaking was funny and keep laughing and laughing and laughing. It was that bad.
On Wednesday we taught Yori and he had two of his soccer friends there with him. We kicked the ball around at first and played a little get to know you game called “oui, non” (where you try to get someone to say “yes” or “no”), and then we had a lesson from the Book of Mormon children’s reader on Enos and prayer. We also taught a little bit about Joseph Smith and his prayer and the effects of that simple prayer. I love teaching kids. I feel like I am more at ease with them. Sometimes talking to adults is difficult, especially when you are a foreigner. I dislike being different, but not only do I look different, but I have an accent which I am working on ridding myself of. On a few rare occasions, I have had people ask if I am from France and they immediately become my best friends. Most of the time though I get funny looks for the way I say things. It is a daily change – some days I can speak, and others I do not succeed. It just goes to show how dependant I am on the Lord for help.
On Thursday, Soeur Seiko and I de-weeded the backyard of a friend named Josephine. She is old. Shecan’t really do much weeding herself. She gave us machetes, a rake and we were off. I love weeding with the machete. Hiyah! Soeur Seiko discovered a huge millipede and called me over to kill it. I screamed and then hiyah, hiyah! Au revoir millepatte! Then Soeur Seiko looked down at my feet and gasped and I screamed because I thought it was another millepatte. Then Soeur Seiko laughed because she wanted to spook me. Not funny.
On Friday Soeur Seiko and I went down into the big city for our Sister’s night that we have each time President and his wife come to the island for our zone conferences. We picked up the soeurs of Rivière Salée and went to McDonalds for dinner – which is ALWAYS packed. They have some interesting items at McDo’s specifique to French tastes – like the McCroque.
At our “soiree des soeurs” we ate brownies, talked and the President’s wife talked to us about different principles to work on and think about for the next few weeks. It was a nice time to be with all the sisters. There are not many missionaries on the islands so we are all close with one another. I just love my mission – have I expressed that thought recently?
On Friday we had our interviews with President, which went well and we went to the tiny, tiny church distribution center next to the chapel in Magenta and bought Jesus the Christ in French. I came to the sixth word in the preface and had to pull out the dictionary.
On Saturday night there was another fireside at our branch building (we had so many activities planned for the next two months – I think we are going to get burned out soon) where all the ex-missionary members bore their testimony and shared some stories from their missions. Afterwards we had dinner – lots of good Tahitians salads, rice and Po’e! President Li-Khau prepared a Tahitian specialty called fafarou that not many people can stomach. It is raw fish that has been cooked in putrid seawater – the smell of it is liquid sewer that is putrid beyond all putridity. I was offered a piece and ate it just so I could say that I did. Elder Aiho (a Tahitian elder) took a picture of me eating another piece and Elder Wilcox tried a piece as well. Soeur Seiko did not eat any. She nearly threw up. Elder Aiho (who will finish his mission in a month) said that we were the only two Americans he knew on his mission that had eaten it. I felt queasy afterwards, but all is well. For now.
Anyway, church went well yesterday. After church we had a few musical practices. I am directing the Young Woman in a few songs they will be singing in two Sundays, and we also sang (Soeur Seiko toujours at the piano) the Army of Helaman/Sisters in Zion melody with a bunch of members who are singing next week. :) We meet a young man last night here in the village named Miguel, whom we have talked to a little before and who is very poor and begs for money on the side of the stores. We spoke to him about God and His love for each of us. I could just see and feel that this was truly a beloved son of God and I could see something change about him as we spoke to him of truth and of the light that Christ brings to our lives. We gave him a Book of Mormon and I just felt the Spirit so strongly.
Life is so wonderful. It is hard here at time, but the difficulty only lines the joy and blessed days that we spend here. It seems that at the times of greatest difficulty and sadness that we can experience the greatest joy and see great blessings. I wonder how such opposites can fill the same moments of time, but I do not doubt that it is truly Heavenly Father’s loving hand.
I wish you all a lovely Labor day where you will actually rest from your labors. I love you all so much, and pray continually for your well-being in all aspects of life. I cherish you all immensely.
Love,
Soeur Cummins
