My father said educating me was a waste of his money . . .

We often tell you how much we love these young missionaries.  We can't help it.  They are remarkable.  We not only love them, we admire and learn from them.

Sister Lauaki

 Let me tell you about Sister Lauaki from Tonga.  She is the Sister on the right in the picture wearing the long white sweater. 

Some Tongan Missionaries - S. Fate, S. Tokolahi, E. Loto'aniu, E. Ta'ai, S. Tonga, S. Lauaki, (kneeling) E. Kavaefiafi

Our lesson in Relief Society yesterday was on the Book of Mormon.  I have had this lesson many times before.  Each new intake has the same lessons taught from PMG by some of the Sister Missionaries, but this one was spiritually powerful.  The little teacher from the Philippines divided us  into little groups and had each tell their group about their personal testimony of the Book of Mormon.  Sister Lauaki was one picked to share with all of us her testimony of the Book. I will give it in her own words.  English is not her native language and she will be teaching the gospel in Tongan but she wrote her story in English for me. 

"When I was young in school I was not smart.  My father told me it was a waste of money to educate me but I wanted to learn because I wanted so much to serve a mission when I was older.  But my mum and dad don't want me to go to school and waste their money. So I made a promise to myself that I can do it.  I came up with one goal - to read my Book of Mormon so that I can prove to my parents that Sister Lauaki can do it.  They don't believe in me, but I believe in me.  I believe Heavenly Father will help me with the Book of Mormon.

I started reading my Book of Mormon.  I read 5 chapters every day.  I woke up early every morning and read 2 chapters and then I go to school.  When I get home I read the 3 chapters more.  So I finish it before my exam at school.   

When I go to my exam I feel like I am going with my Heavenly Father.  As I sat in my exam room I prayed to my Heavenly Father, 'Help me! I already did my part, so I am leaving you the rest.'
After I get out, after my exam my mum was the first person I saw.  I hug her and tell her, 'Mum, I can make it.'

So after 1 month me and mum go and get the results of my exam.  As mum open it, I saw her cry and she said, 'Sister Lauaki, now you prove to us that we were wrong, and we didn't know you will have this results.'   

So from that day I try my best to read my Book of Mormon.  But from then, and still, I read 10 chapters every day and I can feel how this Book teach me and make me learn.  So I am so thankful for having the Book of Mormon as my best friend ever, and now my parents are very proud of me.  

I am so happy when I read my Book of Mormon and it's help me with being 'Sister Lauaki', a missionary now, and also too serve my own people.  I wish that I could invite all the missionaries and all people to read the Book of Mormon.  I know it will bless them too.  I want to testify to them how powerful it is to my life."

Tears rolled down Sister Lauaki's cheeks, and every Sister's there, as dear Sister Lauaki shared her love for and testimony of the Book of Mormon.  I was deeply touched and afterwards asked her how her parents felt about her mission.  She told me, 'They are very proud I am a missionary.  They believe in me now.'  I also asked her how she manages to read 10 chapters a day while at the MTC with the busy schedule the missionaries keep.  She told me she gets up early and reads 5 chapters for personal study and then reads the other 5 when she gets back to her room in the evening. 

Sister Lauaki's is just one of the personal beautiful testimonies shared in that Relief Society Class.  I tell you it is an honor to associate with such souls.  It is humbling and strengthening to feel of their faith.


Elder Juan A. Uceda

President and Sister Haleck, Elder and Sister Uceda

It was a Spirit filled week at the MTC.  Tuesday we had two General Authorities come for the Area Presidency Devotional that is held once every 3 weeks.  They are always wonderful but this one will never be forgotten.   Elder Uceda is one of the 7 Presidents of the 70.  He is from Peru and served in Peru as a young missionary with President Howes.  Elder Uceda was President Howes first District Leader.  Sister Uceda also served in the same mission.   Elder Uceda taught in CES and is a magnificent teacher.  

He taught us from Matthew 28:19,  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. . . .

He taught us that the word 'teach' was not translated correctly in the King James Version of the Bible. The original Greek word was 'Matheteuo' and the correct translation is 'make disciples'.  He spent the hour sharing with us and drawing out of the missionaries how we can 'make disciples'.  He told us not to talk too much, that missionaries go on and on explaining things, principles, and doctrine, and that we need to talk less and have the investigators do more.

He taught that disciples are made when they read the Book of Mormon and if when you go back to an investigator and he hasn't read what you assigned, you put your lesson aside and read with him.  That was powerful, but the best was when he taught that disciples are made through 'mighty prayer'.  Falling on his knees in front of us all, he taught us to pray with our investigators and to teach them to pray, mighty prayers!  Here are some of my hastily written notes:

A mighty prayer is an honest, humble, pleading prayer - you have to open your heart, you can't hide anything.  You need to kneel down every day and feel something - this will happen only if you pray from the heart.  I invite you to repent and leave behind your routine prayers and discover the power of prayer - mighty prayer. This is very important.  I invite you all to renew your prayers to God - if you feel nothing, you have to repent - you have to make mighty prayers if you want to make disciples.  You have to become a disciple yourself, before you can help others become disciples.  Some of you have made mighty prayers.  I invite you all to stop saying prayers - that is in the past - now you have to humble yourselves to the dust, you need to learn how a mighty prayer is made because when you learn, that is the perfect time to teach your investigators.  Learn how to search the scriptures.  Start with prayer.  Your investigators will become disciples not if you talk, but only if you help the person to pray to God.

We learned three ways to make disciples 1)He taught us to pray with them not once, but many times.  2) read the Book of Mormon with them, not once, but many times, slowly and asking if they understand the words they are reading and 3) help the investigators go to church.  If they pray, and read, and go to church, they will develop faith in Christ and become disciples.

He ended with these words: May the Lord bless you all - go out to talk less and do more things with them.  This is the message - This is the meaning of Matthew 28:19 - You are sent to make disciples.

We could have listened for hours and hated that the time was gone.  I asked Elder Uceda if he could feel our pleading hearts that he tarry with us a little longer.  To show the effect his message  had on us one of the sweet teachers at the MTC, Brother Kenny Mauga sat by us at lunch and told us that when the devotional ended he had to go straight to his teaching room, close the door and fall on his knees asking the Lord to help him be a better teacher and man.  Brother Mauga wanted to pray.  All of us wanted to pray, and have our prayers become 'mighty'.

Richie Edmonds

Tuesday evening was also wonderful.  We attended the Rescue night with our ward.  Stopping at Richie's house before to see if we could come back and teach him, we also picked up Teqwin who came to YW's with us.

Teaching Richie was sweet and we went back the next night for another lesson.  We were a little late and Georeah said she was just asking Richie where the missionaries were. We told Georeah with Richie listening, the story of how we got the Book of Mormon. We spoke of the angel Moroni appearing 3 times in the night to Joseph Smith and once the next morning. Of him telling his father of the angels visit,  and then going to see the plates. We told of the lost 116 pages and other things that show how precious this book is. It was a good time with the two of them. We also played the Bee Game. A favorite - President Thatcher was the victor.


Wednesday - Zone Conference

Leitu texted us on our way to zone conference to say she was home from the hospital and to come on Thurs or Fri.  We texted back saying we had the temple on Thursday so would be there on Fri at 12:30.

We got to the chapel at 9:00 only to find that zone conference wouldn’t start for an hour.  This gave us time to pick up some food for Leitu and Enekosi.  We ran to Pay and Pak and bought fruit and sliced meat, cheese and rolls for sandwiches.  We dropped them off at Enekosi’s.  He opened the door and stood before us with his new haircut that makes him look like a Mormon Bishop.  We were invited in but explained that we were headed for a meeting and would return on Friday.
“Don’t worry” he said, “just come and we talk about the Mormon Book and Jesus Christ.  We can’t wait.”  Isn’t that just the most lovely thing for missionaries to hear?

Zone Conference at Ferguson Chapel - New couple serving Elder and Sister Ashby

We met a new senior couple at Zone Conference - Elder and Sister Ashby.  This is their 3rd mission. They served twice in Romania, once as Mission President there.  One of the blessings of serving a couples mission is the great people you meet.  They are the cream of the crop for sure.



Tuan Tran

Our meeting with Tuan was wonderful.  We met his beautiful, tiny, darling wife, Huyen.
We gave him the Vietnamese Book of Mormon that we had just received at the Zone conference that morning. We also gave him a picture of Jacob blessing his children before he died because he had talked about those blessings in Genesis 49 during our last visit.

Tuan had such interest in the blessings given to Joseph and Ephraim and Manassah

We taught the first missionary lesson using pictures and Elder Thatcher going through the scriptures with Tuan. Tuan would look them up in his Bible and also in the Book of Mormon both the English and Vietnamese versions.

He told us a story of when his village had been attacked and he and his friend were fleeing.  His friend was shot through the eye with a mortar round and fell dead.  He later found him among all the dead of the village.  As they were transporting his coffin to be buried his friend sat up.  "I saw you die!" said Tuan.  His friend told him he had died and gone to a beautiful place.  He was told he had to come back.  He didn't want to return but God told him he needed to come back.

"Your friend knew there was life after death, didn't he." we said.  "Yes!" said Tuan.  We think he told the story because he felt the Spirit and knew we would believe this story and the wonder of it that he had experienced, and would never forget.

We also went to visit Richie that evening.  Elder Thatcher loves a busy, full, missionary schedule.  He has been figuring how many lessons we can teach each night.  'If we start the first lesson at 5:00, we could teach 4 - 45 minute lessons each night with 15 minutes between the lessons to get to the next home.  We could schedule the first at 5:00, the second at 6:00, one at 7:00, and the last one at 8:00.'  We have yet to teach this many in one night but Elder Thatcher has the vision . . . I am just guessing that to obtain this goal we just may need to do a little more tracting.

Our 'Boo Radley Tree'
 the card was gone so we replaced it - much less intimidating missionary work than tracting

Thursday 16 Nov 2017  Temple Day

Sister Cadelina (Philippines), Sister Kivalu (Tonga), Sister Tongisala (Kiribati), Sister Swalwell (Australia), Sister Diez (Philippines),  Sister Manaeru (Kiribati), Sister Vea (New Zealand)

This is the group we drove early to the temple.  Sisters Tongisala, Diez, and Manaeru had not yet received their endowments so we drove them with their escorts for their first trip to the temple.  We become their family on this important day in their lives.

The pink trees in bloom

The grounds were especially lovely on this beautiful Spring day.  The trees lining the steps to the temple were in stunning pink bloom.  I felt like singing 'The Pink of Perfection'.

part of the display in the Museum of the Pacific

After the delicious luncheon at the Temple we enjoyed the Church Museum of the Pacific


Enekosi and Leitu

After a long wait and with Leitu finally out of the hospital, we were able to visit them on Friday. Enekosi was waiting at the door for us when we arrived. He always makes us feel so loved and welcomed. Leitu was sitting on the couch in the living room. She looked weaker  and like she had been through quite an ordeal. But she was smiling at us and we were all happy to be together again.

We visited for a while about Leitu’s surgery- more difficult than she had expected -7 hour surgery -  lots of pain.  They said that brother and sister Viavia came to visit in the hospital and that she was happy every time they got a text from us. Their children and grandchildren came everyday to visit. They thanked us for the food.

We told them we wanted them to know a little about our prophet Thomas B. Monson. We showed them the video of Gideon recognizing all the apostles. They seemed amazed at it. Then we played the video of President Monson - special witnesses - about the Book of Mormon. As it ended and the spirit was powerful in the room we bore testimony of how God answers prayers - their prayers for light and understanding, and help for Leitu, and how to be able to stand before God.

We gave them ‘How Rare a Possession - The Book of Mormon’.  Enekosi excitedly told us that he had discovered that the other DVD's we had given them, could be listened to in  Samoan so he could understand the videos better.  That is wonderful.

After the prayer and before we left Enekosi said, “you have given us so much - you have taught us more about Jesus Christ and made us so happy.  How can we repay you for all that you have given us. Of course they need not thank us. It is God who has done all of this.  And we have been more than paid.  'We have meat to eat that they know not of'.

The lush beauty of New Zealand

Moses and Antonina

We are excited about the progress that Moses and Antonina are making.  They went to church on Sunday and Moses said how good it felt to be there.  We met with them Wednesday afternoon and while there we face-timed Paul and Jen.  Paul told Moses the story of Peter Kesselbacher of Austria whose painful childhood had led to heavy drinking.  Everyone knew Peter - he was the town drunk.  But one  evening he poured out his heart to God, "Can you help me?" he pleaded.  There was a knock on the door and there stood two young Elders - Missionaries.  He let them in and asked if they could help him.  They told him that first he needed to read this book - and handed him a Book of Mormon.  Peter read all night.  When they returned he had finished the Book.  With the help of the missionaries his life changed and he was forever grateful to the Lord and to the missionaries who he served the rest of his life.

Peter Kesselbacher and Alex, the 2nd Elder Thatcher to serve in Austria

It was such a fun visit.  They loved talking to Paul and hearing the story of Peter, 'We have a lot in common with Peter.' Antonina told Paul.  Paul talked to each of the children and to Moses and Antonina as well.

This family is a treasure trove of missionary helps.  Jen told Moses about her father as a missionary in Florida and how he helped many overcome addictions by giving them blessings.  There was such a faithful feeling in that home on Friday.  As we were leaving Nina gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "We are going to make it, aren't we."


Senior Couples Thanksgiving Party

We had a taste of Thanksgiving as senior couples met Saturday for a party.

nice decorations 

Notice the sea shell turkeys and shell Horns of Plenty

Elder Bartlett found Turkeys for us here in New Zealand

You can see that our weeks are full.  And the fullness is of the best kind.  We are servants of the Lord and we experience the miracles that attend those on His errand.


Happenings back home

We hear that Kaitlin, Maddie and Brig are back in the hospital and from the look of things having a party there.  I don't understand how they think they can go there without me.  The window looks typically wondrously decorated.  Send me pics Maddie.

Evelyn and Katie, Ella and Lily visit Maddie, at the hospital with Kaitlin and Brig near by 

The Nutcracker with Cache Civic Ballet is coming up this weekend.  Lauren has the solo dance of the doll this year and is also in the Chinese dance and the Dance of the flowers.  Thatcher is a mouse, and Silvie will steal the show as the 'cutest clown'.   Wish we could be there - the Ballet is always Elder Thatchers favorite thing to watch.  Hope some of you get to see it.

Silvie made the cover of Family magazine - cutest clown award

As a break from his learning about the Apostles, Gideon likes to visit his cousins

Alex, Emma, and Will enjoy a visit from Gideon

While Sara recuperates after the birth of baby Kate,  Anne, Heidi and Liesel are spending time in Salt Lake City with Grandma Faust and Aunty Stephanie.  Magic always happens there.

Anne, Heidi and Liesel are having an enchanting time with Grandma Barbara

Our darling girl, Sister Thatcher is in Darlington.  Keep the pictures coming.

Sister Thatcher - week one in Darlington

We hope you all have joyous Thanksgivings.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We are reminded of a story of when one of the prophets, (I think it was Heber J. Grant but I could be wrong) was eating supper with a large happy family.  The food was brought to the table, the prayer given and then  President Grant, looking over the happy scene said, "All this, and the gospel too!"

We feel the same way.  We look at our blessings - so numerous - so ever coming, and wonder at the way the Lord blesses us.  'All this, and the gospel too!'  It really isn't fair.  We need to share what we have with all those around us.  We need to go tracting!!!!

Love to all - gratefully sent,
Mom and Dad,
Grandma and Grandpa
Elder and Sister Thatcher