Talofa lava!

Talofa lava! (that's actually Samoan but I like it!)

Elder Whipple and I are exhausted today! It's good to have a much needed day to rest and prepare for the coming week! We had a lot of lessons this week and we are teaching about 25-30 people. I wish I could tell you about all of them! I will tell you about some of them. We pulled 24 lessons this week, and I think this week we will hopefully get 30 or more! We can do it!

One really cool lesson we had has to do with our family so I really want to share this. We baptized two boys in February whose parents didn't come to church and really had no desire to join until their sons led the way. We were meeting with the family getting to know Michael and Ue. Michael has a lot of questions, but he knows a lot. He's someone who thoroughly questions things, but in the end I think he will really change his life. He mentioned that he had been reading from a book about Wilford Woodruff that had really helped answer some of his questions. Coincidence? I think not. I thought it was amazing to see how my ancestor and grandfather Wilford Woodruff and his teachings helped to prepare a man I would teach. Sometimes the veil is very thin in missionary work.

One really amazing experience I had this week was yesterday. We were finished with one of our appointments and had planned to see some investigators who had stepped us three weeks in a row or to see another recent convert. When we started that way, Elder Whipple said, didn't we plan to see Pukeiata. I said well yes, but it wasn't really like a set appointment. We kept walking and I just kept thinking about it. Then a voice in my head said, "Go to Pukeiata!" I thought, was that me or was that the spirit? I started considering my personal feelings and realized my natural thinking would not have told me to go there. So we went to see Pukeiata. When we got there it was evening, and it might have seemed a little rude to come so late without an appointment. We sat down and were received very coldly. I thought we had really offended them and when Pukeiata spoke to us, I didn't fully understand her and I thought she was angry with us for coming. I then realized that she really was angry at her husband. He drinks constantly and smokes a lot, even though he is a returned missionary. I think she thought maybe when she was baptized he would change his life and be a good person. I just felt the love of the Savior for that family as we shared about the atonement and invited Vaia to change his life. He kept saying I will try. I just felt the love of God when I said, "Don't try, just do it. You can do it." We're going to see him today, and we are going to do our best to help heal this family. I know that Christ can do that, so we're going to try and be his instruments for him to work through.

There are so many seekers of truth here in Tuvalu. I don't know what I did to be put in this wonderful place, but I am grateful I'm here.

I am really grateful for my companion Elder Whipple. He helps me a lot! This week we had some days where we didn't get along very well, which I've realized is just how it goes sometimes. I was thinking man, I have problems with every companion. Then I realized that will happen if you're with anyone for as long as missionaries are together. I thought of some of my friends I have. We haven't always gotten along perfectly, but we're still friends. Luckily, Elder Whipple and I worked everything out and I think we're going to rip it up this week.

Thanks for all the wonderful emails and thoughts about conference everyone sent me! I know the new stake change will be a really hard thing, but it will make us strong! It's weird that I have to notify the mission office that my stake and my ward changed! :D

Much Love,

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission