Week 71 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

If that means yellow shirts and muddy hands, getting down in the dirt to pick up trash, and then eating rice and chicken with those same hands, then heck yes it's Christmas.
What a day I was treated with on Saturday!! I spent all week this week sitting down in meetings and planes, and then on Saturday I got to work and run and move. It was a great blessing from God :)

Worldwide Service Day

Normaleen and Elinda

Sevice Day on Pohnpei

The things that have stuck out to me this week are really just how much this church is a group we can all join to practice living better together. When we forgive each other and allow each other to make mistakes, this earth become a lot less chaotic and painful. The church is a group, Jesus established, where we can look to him and access his help as we walk all over our crooked paths seeking to be better people and make it back home to Heavenly Father. I love it. See Believe, Love, Do by dieter F. Uchdorf

MLC is another great experience I get to practice participating in a council and discussing needs and matters and learning from other people. I'm excited to participate in councils in church when I get home!!! 

MAX!!! My friend from home who is on Guam in the Air Force.
We were able to meet up at the mission office on Wednesday!

Do you still have a baptism scheduled for December 22nd? Heck Yes.
Have you seen any pretty sunsets or sunrises? I can see a pink sky through the banana trees out the window by my study desk when we do weekly planning at night
Taken any pretty pictures (hint hint)? did you see the pohnpei leaders? haha!

Pohnpei Leaders

What was the best thing that happened to you this week? Achko Welle!!!
On the plane to Guam, I got on and sat by the window. A few minutes later, a little 10 year old girl sat in the aisle seat next to me. No one sat in the middle, and I asked this girl what her name was. She was dressed american, but looked islander. She said hi and told me she was going to Chuuk to stay with her family. She told me all about how she grew up in honolulu and Denver and how she's super excited to see chuuk (her mom and dad's home) for the first time. I told her I had lived on pohnpei, an island like chuuk, for a year to be a missionary for jesus' church and help others come closer to christ and change their life. She told me how a year ago her friend gave her a song about jesus and she just wanted to start over, just change her life with a clean slate. And in her cute 10 year old vocabulary told me about how she wants to follow Jesus and change her life :) I pulled out the book of mormon and talked about how Jesus was resurected and visited the American Indians too, and then I got a really distinct impresson to just be bold. I stopped telling my cute little story and then looked Achko in the eyes and said 'hey, if you want to change your life, you HAVE to have this book. You cannot change your life without this book." Achko's eyes got really big, and with a gasp of breath said 'where can I get one??' ......I only had my personal book of mormon I've marked for a while now... I was going to take it home with me... 'umm' i said. 'here's mine' I gave it to her and she leaped across the seat and gave me a big hug. immediatly she started reading 1 Nephi 1 and finished it on the plane. She gained a testimony then and there of the truthfullness of the gospel, and we became best friends. I gave her a hug, said I love you, and said goodbye. I hope she finds the missionaries!!

Achko with my-now her-book

Tell me about a lesson you taught? @Achko

Love you!! Have a good week!

Some cool trees