A Lovely Valentine's Day Weekend

"I thought 2 "Goods" would make a "Great", but I was wrong...  Somehow Rice Krispies and Pineapple Juice aren't compatible." - We are glad Josh is learning and sharing such valuable information.

Hey Eveyone!

I hope that everyone had a great Valentine's Day and that you all got your fair share of hugs and kisses! For me, definitely not on the mission and probably not after as well. The closest I'll get are Hershey's kisses and hand hugs. But don't worry about little old me!

Takivera and Benjamin!  Awesome Day!

This week was great! We had 2 baptisms! And they both have incredible stories! The first was Benjamin. With Benjamin, he had been taking the lessons for ages. Then, all of a sudden, we had a lesson with just him, and we gave him the Book of Mormon, the first one he had ever received for himself. After a week, he knew the Book of Mormon was true and asked us when he could get baptized! And was!!!!

The next was a 9 year old named Takivera. Defintlely a name I could give my kids one day! He comes from an inactive family who, right now, are trying to get sealed in the temple! Takivera getting baptized was the first step, and now we'll try to keep it up and help them get to the temple!

In all, this week was a rewarding week and after every baptism, there is a great feeling of "yes! That was exhausting... On to the next one!" and hopefully we'll have some coming in the future!

Funny Moment: Benjamin's last name is "RAVEINO", which in Tahitian means "do bad". So, we joked that after his baptism and confirmation (which was on Valentine's Day!) we should change his name to "RAVEMAITAI" :)

Culture Shock: Here, the last names are in ALL CAPS. So, if you don't write a name in all capital letters, it means that they don't have a family name...

Ward Activity on the Beach

Spiritual Thought: I have been reading the Book of Mormon in the book of Ether lately. As I read Chapter 6, I was moved by their willingness to thank the Lord. They were in tumultuous conditions, living with animals, over and in the sea, whipped around, and yet they still sang praises to God endlessly. All that for a year, longer than I have been on a mission! So, if they can stay grateful to the Lord, even during all of that, can't we do the same and be grateful to the Lord, during our little hardships?

Love you all!

Elder Garff - (I think he means GARFF)