Doing the Simple Things

Ia Ora Na!

Things were crazy for awhile so I couldn't write a lot, but they should be better now!  How was Thanksgiving?!  My Thanksgiving was just ana lamb, ha.  Here are some things about Tahiti…  With what I know, most kids dance, play soccer, or fish.  Some people fish normal, but others go diving with harpoons, ha!  Also, they have things like spear shrimp that are pretty crazy!  And, everyone has trees or plants with fruit or taro.  We drink coconut water a lot.  We're starting to eat more fresh fruit.  The fruit is coming into season, so now there's lychee, pineapple, mangos, breadfruit, still bananas, and passion fruit.  The entire middle of the island is a mountain, so people really only live right by the ocean.  Also, the kids here love when I talk about snow, haha!  It's crazy for them to hear that it's not just in movies or on TV!  Also, the stars here are crazy!  Some nights, Elder Lee and I climb up on our house and do our planning there so we can look at the stars.

This is my last companion, Elder Fitzsimmons, right before he left.

Anyways, I think I've already talked a little about this family, but this week we had a Family Home Evening with the Foster family.  The dad is Metua, the mom, Ella, and they have two little girls.  This family has been having a lot of trials and they're having a hard time finding the blessings in their lives.  In the Family Home Evening, we played a game with three cups and knives.  They had to balance the knives to hold a book.  After awhile, they couldn't do it, so we showed them how.  Then, we talked about how, if we just do the simple things, God will bless us with great things!  (The knives were church attendance, scripture study, and prayer.)  And we read a scripture that talks about that in Alma 37:6.  And, they did exactly that this week.  They did the simple things and God blessed them just like He promises!  Their problems didn't vanish, but they are so much happier and their family is working more smoothly.  The change in their family from just doing the small, simple things was incredible! I know that that's true!  We're all God's children.  He loves us and wants to bless us.  And, I know that as we do the little things, He will bless us tremendously!  I'm so grateful for this gospel and the joy and peace that it brings into our lives as we follow Christ and His teachings!  He loves you!  And I love you so much!  Thanks so much for all you do!  You really are the best!  

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop