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| She said 'Yes!' |
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| We've never seen Anna happier |
Sister Nouata update. . .
Remember Sister Nouata from Kiribati? She is our darling little sister missionary who was raised Catholic and wanted to be a nun. The story she wrote for us before she left the MTC ended leaving many questions in our minds. What did her family think when she got baptised? How did she decide to serve a mission? etc. Sister Howes emailed her and asked for more of the story and here is the first update. Enjoy!
Hello Sister Howes
thank you for keeping in touch and thank you for all the lessons that i have learnt. well as i wait for my companion to finish emailing i just want to continue my story which i wrote to you and Sister Thatcher. it was so hard for me to be baptised but i knew that i have to and that i need to...i had my strong testimony that Heavenly Father wants me to take this path and i loved to follow it. in my family i was called as a "school girl" cause i loved studying and i graduated from high school when i was 18....i wanted to continue studying but i have to be a nun too. so after meeting the missionaries and gaining my testimony i decided to continue my study instead of being a nun.my father was happy with the decision that i wanted to continue studying. but he made me choose between baptism and studying. Honestly at that time i want to study but if i choose baptism then no one will pay for my study. but i choose baptism and i have no idea of what will happen next...but i trust the lord that he will do the rest.
But 1 week before i got baptised my little cousin passed away. She's only 2 years old and of course i loved her, but that day my family blamed me for her death saying that the lord was very angry with what i am doing and that he took my cousin so that i can realize my mistakes. Honestly, that day i have doubts but when i met the missionaries they told me that God is a loving heavenly father and that he won't punish me by taking another's life. To be honest, i forced myself to believe what the missionaries said that day. i got baptised cause i feel like it something that i need to do and when i did it it feels so right. After baptism there's no study in the university but i had a institute, seminary, and self reliance class for 1 whole year before i came on my mission. And let me tell you that i never regret choosing this path. i will continue next week cause my companions are done already
love you heaps,
Sister Nouata
(Hopefully Sister Nouata will send more information this week and if she does we will pass it along to you. These missionaries are some of our finest heroes)
Meeting with Elder L Whitney Clayton
L Whitney Clayton shaking Elder Stringer's hand
We have been richly fed this week. It started with our Zone Meeting on Tuesday with President Walker. He taught us powerfully from Preach My Gospel. We wanted to be better missionaries and felt called to repentance. He talked about being bold and helping people make commitments. We have also been taught by several General Authorities this week and have felt the strength of their witness of the truth.
The Auckland Mission had a special missionary meeting with Elder L Whitney Clayton, the Senior President of the Seventy and his wife on Friday. Elder Craig A Cardon, also of the Seventy, and his wife, and President and Sister Walker also taught us. It was a wonderful meeting.
Mark told us that Elder Clayton is his guess for one of the new Apostles. We weren't that familiar with him but after hearing him we can understand why Mark thinks that. He was a powerful teacher and seemed so kind and loving. He taught us how the Lord works below the radar and that the church is growing and the Lord is performing his work without much notice from the world. He quoted the scripture from 3 Nephi 21:8
'And when that day shall come (referring to verse 7 about the work of the Father having already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of israel) it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Then he quoted D&C 101:94-95
That wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have never considered; That I may proceed to bring to pass my act my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work, that men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God.
He reminded us of JSH:33 where Moroni told Joseph that God had a work for him to do; and that his name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues. . .
Elder Clayton then had the missionaries stand according to the countries they were from. There were missionaries from the US, Canada, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, England, France, Taiwan, Tailand, India, Italy, and more. Then he said, 'If you can't see the fulfillment of that prophecy and the miracle of it in this room, then you are blind!"
It is so true that as missionaries we see the fulfillment of this prophecy not only with those we teach but with those we serve as well. It is wonderful to be a part of prophecy being fulfilled and to see the marvelous work of the Lord going forth in power and yet under the radar of the eyes of the world. There was so much more taught. It was a meeting, I suppose, like I have heard missionaries talk about in missions before. The spirit abides in meetings where missionaries are being taught. Maybe it is because as missionaries we are seeking to know, seeking to learn, seeking to improve. We come to such meetings hungry and with ears and hearts open.
Elder Clayton shook every missionaries hand.
Stake Conference with Elder Neil L. Andersen
We spent much of our time this last week visiting everyone we have met in our months here in New Zealand inviting them to come to a special Stake Conference that was held in our Stake yesterday and where our Apostle Elder Andersen was going to talk to us. We had several families who told us they would come and we told them we would meet them there. We got excused from the MTC in order to attend the meeting. The crowd was so large that we were unable to spot any of our investigators. It has left us thinking that none actually came but we are not sure, and hope springs eternal.
It was one of the greatest meetings we have ever attended. We would have loved for all of you to have been there. It was a meeting like we would have expected from these Polynesian Island people when an apostle or prophet comes among them. The honor they gave to Elder Andersen was just beautiful. Elder Andersen said he could feel the faith when he walked into the chapel and it was true, you could. The love was palpable. There was a choir of saints which had prepared to sing for the Apostle. They had fasted multiple times for the occasion and it was like a heavenly choir. These people can sing! All the visitors were moved by the song they sang. It was 'Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning' and in all our years in the church we have never heard it sung with more power. I recorded most of it and will see if Greg can put it on the blog. I haven't listened to the recording and fear it won't do justice to what we heard.
We were sitting in about the middle of the crowd trying to watch for any of our investigators when an usher came up to us and took us to one of the front benches that had been reserved. We tried to tell him no, that we needed to watch for people, but the man insisted and that is how we came to sit by Sister Andersen's brother, a brother Williams who has served as a Stake President in Florida and whose son was married last week in the New Zealand Temple.
In this wonderful meeting we not only heard from Elder Andersen but also from his tiny, sweet wife, Kathy, and Elder and Sister Paul Coward, and our Stake President, President Lavea whose son is in the MTC right now. What a meeting!
Elder Andersen shaking hands with the children after the meeting
The meeting was held in the Ferguson Chapel in Otara. Elder Andersen has a son who served here some years ago. Elder Coward also served here as a young missionary 30 years ago. He asked if any one remembered him from back then and then told where he lived on Johnston road and the name of the family who they lived with. We heard gasps in the audience. Every talk touched the hearts of these wonderful faithful saints.
Elder Andersen began by talking of the great faith of the island people. He said, "You all have faith, so I am going to talk to you about keeping covenants." It was an inspired message. At the end of the meeting Elder Andersen said he would shake hands with any of the young people who wanted to shake his hand. He stood by the pulpit and so many lined up to shake the hand of an apostle. It was a sweet sight.
Missionary work goes on here in New Zealand. We are kind of sad today because one of our families told us they don't want to learn any more about the church. It is really the first family that has totally turned us away. It is Koi and Milz and we love them dearly. We were just talking to Katie who told us we are just sowing seeds. We hope we are, and that we can make a difference in some lives here. We better pick ourselves up and get back to work.
This time we gave a friend instead of candy to these cute sisters
President and Sister Vaivai - Sister Vaivai was in the hospital -
they told us their love story when we went to visit her
A tall hedge of geraniums - you can't believe how big they grow here
Maybe the most beautiful Stake Center we have been in
It is by the temple in Hamilton
The Islanders love President McKay - He dedicated the temple here
such beautiful woodwork on the Chapel stand
Back Home
We are thinking of all of you back home. Happy things and hard things are happening there. We love you all and pray for each of you. We were happy to face time with Jeff on his birthday and get to meet the youngest member of the family, Rosie, the puppy. Seemed to us that she didn't lack for attention. We hope there is a spot of joy like Rosie in all of your lives.
Be true,
Mom and Dad
Grandpa and Grandma,
Elder and Sister Thatcher
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