Friday, May 3rd.
We had a really bad wind storm last night. It was so loud that we didn’t sleep well and when we got up we had a unpleasant surprise….our toilet isn’t working. It was having a little trouble yesterday but today it won’t flush at all. Now that is a problem, it is kind of a necessary item! Thankfully we have the key to all of the houses here so we were able to go to the house next door, where the Cahoons lived, and use the toilet there. But that is a pain so we called to have them come and look at it. They came while we were at work so we had to leave the door unlocked and I hate to do that. Everything was fine in our house except for the fact that the toilet only worked for about 4 flushes and then we were back to ground zero. Alan called again and this afternoon they came and ran a snake through the pipes to see if that would help. It didn’t, they will be back tomorrow.
At the office today I decided to try something different. I unhooked the office computer from the internet and hooked it into my laptop. It worked!! It is still slow and I got kicked off a few times but I was able to get quite a bit done today so I am HAPPY!!!
Alan went out to the West Zone with Sioeli, the FM man to check the MQs. He came back discouraged. They aren’t as well cared for as the ones we saw on Monday. We don’t know what to do to get these missionaries to take care of their MQs and we are tired of fighting them. We will pray for help.
Speaking of praying for help, Alan had an experience today that showed us that our prayers are being answered. It was very humbling. As he was driving down the road in the bush a palm tree fell across the road just as he got to it. Actually he was a little farther away than another car coming the other direction. Everyone got out of their cars and met at the tree. Sioeli, and the man from the other car moved the tree from the road while Alan picked up the coconuts. When they were done the man in the other car, who was quite shaken as the tree just barely missed falling on his car, said, “Now I know why I was saved, you are a missionary.” He isn’t a member of the church but he had great respect for Alan and hopefully that experience will help him to look into the church. Alan and Sioeli were a little shaken too. It could have been a terrible tragedy. I know he was being protected. I am so grateful!
Bryan sent some darling pictures of his family at Disneyland today. I am homesick for Disneyland and the grandkids. It looked like they were having so much fun! The look on Addy’s face was priceless, she looked soooooo happy!
I was able to talk to Odean on the phone today. It was so good to hear her voice again. I really miss seeing her each week. How grateful I am for good friends and their love and support. We really do feel of their prayers in our behalf. It means a lot to me!~
Monday, May 6, 2013
Thursday, May 2nd
In the office this morning NOTHING WORKED!! Elder Bean said that he was going to put his foot through his computer and I thought about throwing mine out the window! It took me a short 31/2 hours to send 1 email!!
After all that frustration I headed to see Ying and get a massage. She is very encouraging and she has really helped me. My pain has gone way down and some days I don’t feel it at all. I am starting to get the feeling back in my foot and lower leg. She says that the circulation is good so I think I will be fine now. As long as I know I have her here to help if it gets bad again. Maybe I will go once a month just to maintain it where it is now.
This afternoon we had to go pick up some sister missionaries and take them to the other end of the island to go on splits with other sisters. We are getting so many new sisters in the mission that President is trying this out to help the sisters that are training new sisters. Those that are training haven’t been here very long either so they need a little help from the really experienced missionaries.
We found out today that one set of missionaries in the east zone baptized 26 people during the month of March. The amazing thing about that is that they were ALL member referrals! The members in Tonga are great and they are fearless in sharing the gospel with everyone they know. They are bringing all of their friends and families into the church and then those people get excited about sharing it too. It is fun to watch it grow and see the joy in the faces of those who are finding the gospel.
We were able to talk to Tiff on the phone today and catch up on what is happening in Smithfield. She also wrote us a great LONG email that we can read over and over. Sure wish her brothers and sister would follow her example!!! On days like today it gave us the lift we needed. That, plus the fact that we went to the temple. Yes, the church is true!!
In the office this morning NOTHING WORKED!! Elder Bean said that he was going to put his foot through his computer and I thought about throwing mine out the window! It took me a short 31/2 hours to send 1 email!!
After all that frustration I headed to see Ying and get a massage. She is very encouraging and she has really helped me. My pain has gone way down and some days I don’t feel it at all. I am starting to get the feeling back in my foot and lower leg. She says that the circulation is good so I think I will be fine now. As long as I know I have her here to help if it gets bad again. Maybe I will go once a month just to maintain it where it is now.
This afternoon we had to go pick up some sister missionaries and take them to the other end of the island to go on splits with other sisters. We are getting so many new sisters in the mission that President is trying this out to help the sisters that are training new sisters. Those that are training haven’t been here very long either so they need a little help from the really experienced missionaries.
We found out today that one set of missionaries in the east zone baptized 26 people during the month of March. The amazing thing about that is that they were ALL member referrals! The members in Tonga are great and they are fearless in sharing the gospel with everyone they know. They are bringing all of their friends and families into the church and then those people get excited about sharing it too. It is fun to watch it grow and see the joy in the faces of those who are finding the gospel.
We were able to talk to Tiff on the phone today and catch up on what is happening in Smithfield. She also wrote us a great LONG email that we can read over and over. Sure wish her brothers and sister would follow her example!!! On days like today it gave us the lift we needed. That, plus the fact that we went to the temple. Yes, the church is true!!
Wednesday, May 1st
We were up bright and early this morning so we could take the money to the missionaries. I put the sweet rolls in the oven for a little while to warm them up before I frosted them. They were nice and warm when we took them to the Mission Office, but the elders weren’t there on time so they had cooled off before we ate them. They didn’t seem to mind but next time I won’t go to so much trouble!
We had a great time with the Zone Leaders from the East Zone today. Elder Fanua is a tease and he loves giving me a bad time. When we got to his MQ and I handed him his envelope (they have to open the envelope, count the money and then sign for it) it only had $20.00 in it. He got this look on his face and said, ‘there’s a problem, I didn’t get all of my money‘. I said, “yes you did, I just deducted money each time you gave me a hard time and that is all that you have left.” He is learning that you don’t mess with Sister Webb. We had a good laugh and I gave him his money back.
Elder Fanua and Elder Drake are doing a good job with their zone. We left snickers at 7 out of 12 MQs today. That is a huge improvement. Of course they knew we were coming but if they only clean them once a month, I can live with that. It’s a step in the right direction.
We were blessed this morning. It sprinkled on us a little but nothing to bad. This afternoon it poured and the wind is blowing so hard. I spent the afternoon working at home. I am putting reports of all the water projects that we inspected onto the computer. Then I take them to the office and copy and paste them onto my computer there so I can print them out and file them. Nothing like doubling the work, but we have to have some sort of a record
We were up bright and early this morning so we could take the money to the missionaries. I put the sweet rolls in the oven for a little while to warm them up before I frosted them. They were nice and warm when we took them to the Mission Office, but the elders weren’t there on time so they had cooled off before we ate them. They didn’t seem to mind but next time I won’t go to so much trouble!
We had a great time with the Zone Leaders from the East Zone today. Elder Fanua is a tease and he loves giving me a bad time. When we got to his MQ and I handed him his envelope (they have to open the envelope, count the money and then sign for it) it only had $20.00 in it. He got this look on his face and said, ‘there’s a problem, I didn’t get all of my money‘. I said, “yes you did, I just deducted money each time you gave me a hard time and that is all that you have left.” He is learning that you don’t mess with Sister Webb. We had a good laugh and I gave him his money back.
Elder Fanua and Elder Drake are doing a good job with their zone. We left snickers at 7 out of 12 MQs today. That is a huge improvement. Of course they knew we were coming but if they only clean them once a month, I can live with that. It’s a step in the right direction.
We were blessed this morning. It sprinkled on us a little but nothing to bad. This afternoon it poured and the wind is blowing so hard. I spent the afternoon working at home. I am putting reports of all the water projects that we inspected onto the computer. Then I take them to the office and copy and paste them onto my computer there so I can print them out and file them. Nothing like doubling the work, but we have to have some sort of a record
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 30th
It rained all night and the wind blew non stop. The boys in the dorm must have shut their windows because we didn’t hear them at all this morning and that is unusual. I missed their singing.
We went into work in the rain and the storm continued all day. Tita, the lady from our church who does wheelchair assessments, came in to see us today. She is leaving for America next week and she won’t be back until August or September. Her daughter is having a baby in Denver. I wonder if I could go with her??? We will really miss her. She is the most dependable assessor that we have and she does such a good job of checking back to see how the wheelchairs are being used.
We were able to get in touch with Kimi this afternoon, finally! Mike sent a cute picture of her at her doctor’s appointment and we wanted to know how that went. It sounds like she has a dr. that knows what he is doing so hopefully she is in good hands. She and the baby are both doing great so one more month down and just two more to go!!
Since it was raining so hard I spent the afternoon at home. I needed to make some bread for us and I decided to make Taco Soup since it was a little cool today. That tasted really good!! Then I made some sweet rolls for the missionaries. We are taking the money out to the missionaries in the morning and we leave at 7:30. We go with the Zone Leaders and there are other Senior Missionaries that help us do the 3 Zones. I thought it would be nice to start out with a little treat since the missionaries won’t have had breakfast. It would be fun to have them hot out of the oven in the morning but I am not getting up that early. I will warm them up in the morning and then frost them. It should be good enough.
It rained all night and the wind blew non stop. The boys in the dorm must have shut their windows because we didn’t hear them at all this morning and that is unusual. I missed their singing.
We went into work in the rain and the storm continued all day. Tita, the lady from our church who does wheelchair assessments, came in to see us today. She is leaving for America next week and she won’t be back until August or September. Her daughter is having a baby in Denver. I wonder if I could go with her??? We will really miss her. She is the most dependable assessor that we have and she does such a good job of checking back to see how the wheelchairs are being used.
We were able to get in touch with Kimi this afternoon, finally! Mike sent a cute picture of her at her doctor’s appointment and we wanted to know how that went. It sounds like she has a dr. that knows what he is doing so hopefully she is in good hands. She and the baby are both doing great so one more month down and just two more to go!!
Since it was raining so hard I spent the afternoon at home. I needed to make some bread for us and I decided to make Taco Soup since it was a little cool today. That tasted really good!! Then I made some sweet rolls for the missionaries. We are taking the money out to the missionaries in the morning and we leave at 7:30. We go with the Zone Leaders and there are other Senior Missionaries that help us do the 3 Zones. I thought it would be nice to start out with a little treat since the missionaries won’t have had breakfast. It would be fun to have them hot out of the oven in the morning but I am not getting up that early. I will warm them up in the morning and then frost them. It should be good enough.
Monday, April 29th
I had a special experience at our Monday morning devotional today. The man who gave the
spiritual thought really touched my heart. His name is Ed. I don’t even know his last name but he works for the Service Center as the locksmith. He used to live in the United States but he was deported back to Tonga and told that he can never return to the U.S. Evidently he was in a gang and involved in some sort of shooting. When he came back to Tonga he joined the church and turned his life around. Now he is so trusted that he is the locksmith for all of the church properties on the main island. His devotional was about turning your life over to the Lord. Knowing his story I was really touched. We love him! That’s what I love about the people here. They are willing to forgive and then help others to move forward with love and support. It is wonderful to watch.
Then we went into work and met with the man we are trying to help in the Village of Hofoa. He was the one who took us to the school where there were so few books in the library and no computers. He stopped by to see if we had been able to find any surplus computers for his village. While he was there he started telling us about his family. His father was the village chief and also the preacher in the Church of Tonga. Our church was having some water problems and a member of the Stake Presidency had been fasting and praying for help. He saw the village chief ride by on his bicycle and the Spirit told him that that was the man who would help him. The chief did help him and they developed a relationship but he would not let the missionaries come to his house. He sent them away and told the members of his church not to talk to them. Then one day something happened to change all that. It was a rainy day and one of those terrible thunder showers hit where the roads turn into rivers in a matter of minutes. The chief was in his house with his oldest son and his wife when they realized that the one year old grandson was no where to be seen. This was the chief’s favorite grandchild and he went to the door just in time to see two sister missionaries scoop the baby up out of the water that was rushing down the road. He invited them into his home and everything changed from that day on. Soon the member of the Stake Presidency asked him to be baptized and he agreed. It was in the 1980’s and in that day the village chief was highly respected by everyone, especially his own family. He told his family that they would all be baptized and even though they didn’t know much about the church they obeyed him. The next Saturday morning his whole family, dressed in white walked down the road of the village, passed the Church of Tonga (where he was the preacher) to the LDS chapel where they were baptized. The chief continued to lead the choir in his old church because there was no one else to do it, and then he would attend his meetings in our church. He knew that there were several members of our church who were going to the Church of Tonga because their families had pressured them to come back. The chief went to them and told them that they had been baptized into the Mormon church and they were to go to church there. You didn’t disobey the chief so he was able to get all of the inactives back into the church. Also, many of the people in the village began to wonder why he had joined the church and that brought in a lot of converts.
The chief’s son, the man we are working with, is now the village chief and the Matapulu, or spokesman for the King. If anyone wants to talk to the King, they have to go through him or one of 4 other Matapulus here in the islands. They speak the language of the King, which is elevated above the language of the people. He told us that he could get us an audience with the King but we are not sure we believe that. It would be fun though!
We spent the afternoon working on our new credit card. Wow, it is a pain to charge anything to the church. You have to fill out forms and have three different codes and then at the end of the month you have to account for every penny. Charging things for the mission and for humanitarian makes it twice as much work and it all has to be done on the computer with different passwords etc. I am too old for this! We like to do our budget on a spread sheet with a pencil!!! I can’t imagine how Bryan keeps track of all the money he goes through with his business. I’m glad that I grew up in a different era.
We were able to talk to Bryan for a few minutes today. He and his family made it safely to California and are starting a fun vacation to the beach and Disneyland. We also talked to David. He and Alisha are safely home from Hawaii. He said it was a dream trip. Everything you could want a trip to Hawaii to be. We are glad they had such a good time.
It got really windy and stormy tonight --- so no walk. DARN!
I had a special experience at our Monday morning devotional today. The man who gave the
spiritual thought really touched my heart. His name is Ed. I don’t even know his last name but he works for the Service Center as the locksmith. He used to live in the United States but he was deported back to Tonga and told that he can never return to the U.S. Evidently he was in a gang and involved in some sort of shooting. When he came back to Tonga he joined the church and turned his life around. Now he is so trusted that he is the locksmith for all of the church properties on the main island. His devotional was about turning your life over to the Lord. Knowing his story I was really touched. We love him! That’s what I love about the people here. They are willing to forgive and then help others to move forward with love and support. It is wonderful to watch.
Then we went into work and met with the man we are trying to help in the Village of Hofoa. He was the one who took us to the school where there were so few books in the library and no computers. He stopped by to see if we had been able to find any surplus computers for his village. While he was there he started telling us about his family. His father was the village chief and also the preacher in the Church of Tonga. Our church was having some water problems and a member of the Stake Presidency had been fasting and praying for help. He saw the village chief ride by on his bicycle and the Spirit told him that that was the man who would help him. The chief did help him and they developed a relationship but he would not let the missionaries come to his house. He sent them away and told the members of his church not to talk to them. Then one day something happened to change all that. It was a rainy day and one of those terrible thunder showers hit where the roads turn into rivers in a matter of minutes. The chief was in his house with his oldest son and his wife when they realized that the one year old grandson was no where to be seen. This was the chief’s favorite grandchild and he went to the door just in time to see two sister missionaries scoop the baby up out of the water that was rushing down the road. He invited them into his home and everything changed from that day on. Soon the member of the Stake Presidency asked him to be baptized and he agreed. It was in the 1980’s and in that day the village chief was highly respected by everyone, especially his own family. He told his family that they would all be baptized and even though they didn’t know much about the church they obeyed him. The next Saturday morning his whole family, dressed in white walked down the road of the village, passed the Church of Tonga (where he was the preacher) to the LDS chapel where they were baptized. The chief continued to lead the choir in his old church because there was no one else to do it, and then he would attend his meetings in our church. He knew that there were several members of our church who were going to the Church of Tonga because their families had pressured them to come back. The chief went to them and told them that they had been baptized into the Mormon church and they were to go to church there. You didn’t disobey the chief so he was able to get all of the inactives back into the church. Also, many of the people in the village began to wonder why he had joined the church and that brought in a lot of converts.
The chief’s son, the man we are working with, is now the village chief and the Matapulu, or spokesman for the King. If anyone wants to talk to the King, they have to go through him or one of 4 other Matapulus here in the islands. They speak the language of the King, which is elevated above the language of the people. He told us that he could get us an audience with the King but we are not sure we believe that. It would be fun though!
We spent the afternoon working on our new credit card. Wow, it is a pain to charge anything to the church. You have to fill out forms and have three different codes and then at the end of the month you have to account for every penny. Charging things for the mission and for humanitarian makes it twice as much work and it all has to be done on the computer with different passwords etc. I am too old for this! We like to do our budget on a spread sheet with a pencil!!! I can’t imagine how Bryan keeps track of all the money he goes through with his business. I’m glad that I grew up in a different era.
We were able to talk to Bryan for a few minutes today. He and his family made it safely to California and are starting a fun vacation to the beach and Disneyland. We also talked to David. He and Alisha are safely home from Hawaii. He said it was a dream trip. Everything you could want a trip to Hawaii to be. We are glad they had such a good time.
It got really windy and stormy tonight --- so no walk. DARN!
Sunday, April 28th
As soon as we arrived at church today we were told that the Bishop wanted to talk to us. We knew that he was going to call us to a job in the ward. We met with him after Sunday School and he asked us to teach the Gospel Principles class. We are excited about that. It is made up of investigators and new members so we will enjoy getting to spend some time with them. Also, we are glad to have a calling that is on Sunday. That makes it so we don’t have to make another trip into town.
Our Sunday meetings were good but we are having a hard time getting to know the people in this ward. We don’t see them much, only on Sunday and there isn’t much time to visit. I am hoping to get a ward list so I can at least learn their names. They come from all over the main island and they are there one week and then they go to a Tongan speaking ward the next. It is really hit and miss. Alan says he would HATE to be the bishop of this ward, there isn’t a lot of continuity.
Our dinner with the Mission President was amazing! First of all, the food was wonderful. It is an organized pot luck and all of the senior sisters are such good cooks. I always find at least one dish that I want the recipe for. That is why I am putting a mission cook book together. I want to be able to bring all of these recipes home with me.
After dinner President Tukuafu talked to us about his experiences in Salt Lake City. He was called to be an Area Authority 70 back in December but he couldn’t tell anyone until General Conference. He said that it was the longest 4 months of his life. Then he had to sneak out of the mission and really out of the country without anyone knowing where he was going. Everyone here knew that we were getting a new Area Authority so everyone was trying to figure out who it would be. The last phone call he received before he boarded the plane was from the current Area Authority asking him if he knew who was trying to get out of the country without anyone finding out. It was pretty funny. He had to cut the conversation short so he wouldn’t miss the plane!
He and Sister Tukuafu also wanted some of their children to be there so he talked his youngest daughter into taking her younger brother to America so they could go to conference. They stayed with president’s brother there and President Tukuafu just happened to have tickets to the Saturday afternoon session. They didn’t even suspect anything was funny about that and were shocked to find their parents in SLC after that session.
He told us that the training with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve was beyond description. He just didn’t have the words to express how spiritual and powerful it was. They train the new members of the quorums for 2 days before conference, all 400 of them! The leaders of our church are unbelievable! He said that at least 85% of the training was on missionary work. The church is flooding the earth with the gospel and it is really going to move forward at a fast pace now. What a thrill to be a part of that! I am so grateful for the gospel and that the Lord gave us this opportunity to serve another mission.
When we got home there was still plenty of time to take another walk. I love it!!!
As soon as we arrived at church today we were told that the Bishop wanted to talk to us. We knew that he was going to call us to a job in the ward. We met with him after Sunday School and he asked us to teach the Gospel Principles class. We are excited about that. It is made up of investigators and new members so we will enjoy getting to spend some time with them. Also, we are glad to have a calling that is on Sunday. That makes it so we don’t have to make another trip into town.
Our Sunday meetings were good but we are having a hard time getting to know the people in this ward. We don’t see them much, only on Sunday and there isn’t much time to visit. I am hoping to get a ward list so I can at least learn their names. They come from all over the main island and they are there one week and then they go to a Tongan speaking ward the next. It is really hit and miss. Alan says he would HATE to be the bishop of this ward, there isn’t a lot of continuity.
Our dinner with the Mission President was amazing! First of all, the food was wonderful. It is an organized pot luck and all of the senior sisters are such good cooks. I always find at least one dish that I want the recipe for. That is why I am putting a mission cook book together. I want to be able to bring all of these recipes home with me.
After dinner President Tukuafu talked to us about his experiences in Salt Lake City. He was called to be an Area Authority 70 back in December but he couldn’t tell anyone until General Conference. He said that it was the longest 4 months of his life. Then he had to sneak out of the mission and really out of the country without anyone knowing where he was going. Everyone here knew that we were getting a new Area Authority so everyone was trying to figure out who it would be. The last phone call he received before he boarded the plane was from the current Area Authority asking him if he knew who was trying to get out of the country without anyone finding out. It was pretty funny. He had to cut the conversation short so he wouldn’t miss the plane!
He and Sister Tukuafu also wanted some of their children to be there so he talked his youngest daughter into taking her younger brother to America so they could go to conference. They stayed with president’s brother there and President Tukuafu just happened to have tickets to the Saturday afternoon session. They didn’t even suspect anything was funny about that and were shocked to find their parents in SLC after that session.
He told us that the training with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve was beyond description. He just didn’t have the words to express how spiritual and powerful it was. They train the new members of the quorums for 2 days before conference, all 400 of them! The leaders of our church are unbelievable! He said that at least 85% of the training was on missionary work. The church is flooding the earth with the gospel and it is really going to move forward at a fast pace now. What a thrill to be a part of that! I am so grateful for the gospel and that the Lord gave us this opportunity to serve another mission.
When we got home there was still plenty of time to take another walk. I love it!!!
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