5 January 2015 Tautira
I'm not exactly sure where this transfer went but this is the sixth and last week. The end of this week will officially mark the halfway point of the formation, so I'll be moving in 6 more weeks. Time really does move fast. Its amazing to think that I'll be finishing this year O.O
Anyways, as for last week; sorry for not writing. We had a very long activity and I just didn’t have the time at all. However, the baptism went well. Sorry for the lack of photos, I'm still blocked by this null computer. Six more weeks and you'll get some. Not much happened that week. Christmas was just Skype and trying to get a hold of Elder Kokona’s family, which we were finally able to do.
Last Sunday we had an incredible family night at one of our fixed baptisms. Her name is Teramai. She’s an older lady, and we've had some incredible experiences with her. I can't share them all here, it'll have to wait till after the mission, but let’s just say we've had LOTS, and I mean LOTS of support from the other side of the veil. Absolutely incredible! Anyways, her baptism will be the 20th of January, and we are all super excited for it.
Elder Kokona got Chikungunya yesterday, so we are down and out for the count for a few days. However, this past week we fixed another baptism with one of my favorite investigators, Julia. She is super awesome, and already had a testimony, but because of some bad teaching/engaging habits of the Elders she had been turned off by the lessons the first time she took them. But this time it was powerful. One of my favorite things to teach is about the spirit world. Alas, there’s not nearly enough room nor time to write why...study Alma 41, one of the best chapters in the book of Mormon. Anyways her baptism is set for the 20th of February....right before the transfer ;) What a miracle!
Ummmmm what else? New Year’s we spent chez la famille Tevaearai. Super awesome family. We ate baby cow, clams, chicken, caviare, fois gras (ed. note: duck liver), cake. It was super awesome.
What else, my study this week and probably for the next couple weeks is the House of Israel. I started with Abraham and am working my way through the Abrahamic covenant. One of my favorite moments in the Bible is in John 8 when Jesus proclaims his divinity and confronts the Jewish leaders, and he declares that "if ye were Abrahams children, ye would do the works of Abraham." I had always thought I understood this verse, and I did to an extent, but after my study I learned that the real works of Abraham are all the ordinances necessary for salvation (DC 132:33 or around there). When we are baptized, we become and qualify for the blessings as Abraham’s Seed (Galatians 3:26-29). Blessings like the temple and so on. So when Jesus responded to their claim as Abrahams seed, he rebuked them because they had not even contracted the ordinances required to be numbered with the seed of Abraham. This same mistake, a denial of the fullness of the gospel, is remade today each time someone refuses to accept the gospel. In effect they redo the same error that the Jews made, denying themselves of the "works of Abraham". Needless to say I'm really enjoying this topic.
Well that’s about all. I tried to write more to make up for last week. Love you all.
