First Obedience, Then Blessings

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

So, my new sector is another amazing one ha!  I love it!  And I love my zone!  I really like talking with the other missionaries and being able to serve them.  Being a zone leader just gives me the opportunity to help more people than I could have before and I love it!  It is a little weird following up on the assistants and asking them to do things, but they're great so it makes it easier ha!  My companion is a power house ha!  I said a little last time, but I didn't talk about him too much because I didn't know too much.  Just a little about my companion, his name is Elder Tehanin.  His mom is Tahitian and his dad is Samoan and he was born in New Calodonie.  His dad is the branch president of his branch of 7 members there.  But, Elder Tehanin grew up mostly away from his parents in Tahiti in Mahina.  And, like I said, he is a power house ha.  He teaches super powerfully and loves being out working!  We get along super well!  Also, it's super cool being so close to the temple!  It's in my sector and I like live 4 blocks away!  So, that is a huge blessing, too!  Anyways, just a quick story for the week.  One of our investigators, Lorna, has been taking the lessons for like a year, but, she hasn't been able to get baptized because her boyfriend (inactive member named Yan) didn't want to get married.  He just started being there for the lessons with his girlfriend and this lesson, without us even talking about baptism or marriage, they started telling us that they talked and want to get married soon.  Well, we can make that happen ha.  We talked with them about their goal to be an eternal familly and they are preparing for their marriage and her baptism in August.  Anyways, I loved the explaination of Yan about why he changed his mind about marriage.  He said that he wanted to wait and get a house for him and his wife and a nice car before they got married.  But, he realized that he has been waiting almost 20 years for that to happen and nothing has changed.  He realized a key concept: blessings come after the trial of our faith.  First obedience, then blessings.  He has the faith that when he starts to keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Father will be able to bless him and his family.  A lot of times, we are like Yan used to be.  We want the blessings before we overcome a trial.  But, the only way to grow and progress is to faithfully overcome the trial or keep the commandment.  I know that God lives and loves us.  And I know that He gives us commandments to guide us back to Him.  I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is His church on the earth and, if we follow it's teachings, we will have an eternal family!  I love you so much!  Thanks for all that you do!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

Off to Papeete

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

This week was transfer week.  Elder Moller is staying in Taapuna, but I got transferred to Papeete.  Still Tahiti and it is in the middle of the "city" here.  My new companion is Elder Tehanin.  He is from New Caledonia.  We just barely made the change a couple hours ago, so I'll let you know more next week ha.  But, I am really excited to serve here.  Elder Tehanin and I are the zone leaders here and our zone is us, the 4 assistants, and then a lot of sister missionaries.  I was super happy and comfortable as a normal missionary, so the Lord had to throw me a curve ball to help me grow ha.  Anyways, I'm excited for the new sector and I will let you know more next week.

I don't remember if I have already talked about Denise or not, but we have an investigator, Denise, and the day before we went to her door, she had prayed for us to come.  After, we did two lessons with her and she has had some bad experiences in life.  She is lost and looking for help.  We started helping her find joy in coming to God, in learning of Him, keeping his commandements, and feeling His love in answers to her prayers.  But, her brother moved back into his house where she was living, so she had to move into town.  And guess what sector she lives in?!  MINE!!!!  haha!  I'm so happy to have this blessing to continue to help Denise build her eternal family.  Her family hasn't had a good opportunity to accept the gospel.  I really want to help this family receive that joy that Denise has started to feel.  I know that that joy can only be found in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His gospel.  I know that God knows them and He knows me.  That's why I am here right now.  I know He does everything He can to help me be happy and live with Him again.  I know that it's the same for us all.  God loves us and He will help us become an eternal family.  Thank you so much for all that you do!  I love you so much!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

Fun Fact: I love that the saying "it's a small world" is the same in French.  Especially in Tahiti, I say it all the time ha! 

The Gospel is not Weight, it's Wings

Iaorana to'u Utuafare!

Remember how I told you about how it hasn't really rained yet in this sector?  Yeah, that just changed haha.  I feel like I'm back in Papeari.  It's really nice though for it to rain.  It's a nice conversation with Tahitians.  You can have a 5 minute Tahitian conversation with them just saying that it's raining haha.

This morning, I got a call.  The boyfriend (Lorenzo) of one of our investigators (Hinano SPITZ) called me this morning to give me some great news!  Him and Hinano have decided to get married the 1 August and he will baptize her!  I have been working with this family for a while and I love them so much!  But, the parents of Hinano were against her marriage and her baptism.  After talking a lot with the mom at family home evenings, she is fine with it.  But, the dad still is against it.  But, Hinano and Lorenzo have decided to stand up for what they know is right, no matter what the consequences will be.  I can't imagine how hard that decision is!  But, they used their courage and faith in Jesus Christ because they know that "The gospel is not WEIGHT, it's WINGS."  Even if the decision will hurt her relationship with her dad in the short run, in the long run it will allow her family to be together forever in God's kingdom.  There are no blessings greater than that.  Every sacrifice is worth it.  Like Hinano and Lorenzo, we need to take courage and be examples for those around us.  Thank you so much for the amazing examples you are for me!  I am so grateful for all that you have done!  I love you so much!  I know that with Jesus Christ, we can become an eternal family.  Sacrifices will be necessary, but oh how it is worth it!  Thanks again!  Love you!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop

Eternal Families

Iaorana to'u utuafare!

Since I have been in my new sector, it has hardly rained.  It rained for a couple weeks at the beginning just because of a cyclone that was a ways out, but, since then, it has just been sunny.  It's supposed to be getting into the "cold season," but, it still seems super nice haha!  I just talked to some Americans at the grocery store, so it's still plenty hot for people to come vacationing.  It was super hard talking to them, though.  After we were done, my companion turned to me and goes, you are so awkward when you speak English ha.

This week, we had a wedding Saturday and they had me be a witness.  So, I sat at the fancy table in the middle and signed a paper haha. The marriage was between two of our investigators, William MATAIO and Roselyne MATAIO.  I love them so much!  We already baptized Roselyne's brother, Noel, his wife, Noella, and their son Noé.  And, we teach William, Roselyne, and her mom, Tetuaura. Their family is one of the families that I am closest to here.  I call Roselyne's mom, Grandma, and she gets the biggest smile ever on her face!  Anyways, it was really cool to see them get baptized, but I was a little sad that their baptism wasn't the same day.  They both smoke and they have cut down a ton, but we are still working on it.  Now, we just get to have another special day for their baptism ha!  I will try to send a picture of them.  Anyways, I really love teaching a big family and watching their house change!  They are all so much different than when we first came there!  God works miracles inside us all, but it's usually little by little, so sometimes we don't even notice it.  But, when you look back at who you were and who you are, you can see how much He has done.  I'm so excited for them all to continue and prepare for their baptisms, but, also for the temple so that they can be an eternal family.  I know that families are really important to our Heavenly Father.  If not, He wouldn't have made them eternal.  I know that by doing the small and simple things, we will prepare ourselves to become an eternal family!  I know that God lives and loves us and He will help us!  I love you so much!  Thanks for all you do for me!  Have a great week!

Ua here au ia outou!

Elder Jessop