MALOSOIFUA!!! (hello in Samoan)
Wow what a week! It was crazy. Elder Stucki left the mission home. I was without a companion for a couple days but I've got the best ward ever! The Thomas Road Ward treats me like their son, lol, and takes great care of me. My boy Pepe and George came on splits with me while I didn't have a companion and it was mean to just hang out with the boys and do some great missionary work. Both are RM's and have been home for just a little wihle! But I got my new companion. His name is Elder Jeffrey Moss from Boise, Idaho. Yes, he's a farm boy hard. He's completely opposite from Elder Stucki, but he's super righteous! And we're going to get along great! So now I'm the senior companion over the zone, and the most pumping zone in the mission mind you. So it's been stressful. I forgot how much pressure that comes with being senior, but God always provides. And I'm training another zone leader. Elder Moss is young, only been out under a year, and he reminds me of myself when I first came except he's super into consecrated, if that makes sense. So I'm sure I'm here to help level him out and President Porter told me to teach him the ways. I'm really amazed. God put a lot of young district leaders (2 new ones) along with the third that has been out under a year as well. He loaded us up with heaps of young people and young leadership. I was a bit taken back by this just because I thought he'd bring in experience to help us keep things going. But it's all good, God qualifies those He calls. So now, we just have to train up the whole zone. Right now, things aren't going great. We've only got 24 set in the zone, not where we should be. But God will provide, we just need to make sure that everyone has the faith to have some serious miracles and God will give us what we ask for.
So sit back and buckle up for this miracles story... Elder Moss and I prayed and fasted that someone would come to church that was prepared to be baptized for this month! Our pipeline wasn't doing great, we had some good people we are teaching but we needed to find some new ones to keep our pipelines flowing. And we wanted to set the example right away for our zone. So we just believed and expected that it would happen. We got to church and didn't see anyone new, so we went to the back and glanced over everyone again just to make sure that we didn't miss anyone, but still I didn't see anyone new. A bit disappointing, but still held the faith. After sacrament, I was on my way to class and Brother Tafiti comes up to me and says, "Elder, these two girls want to be baptized. They have been coming to church the past couple weeks and want to be taught." I was stoked!!! An answer to my prayer! So I took Ashleigh (19) and Patrisha (17) to our class, and I taught them while Elder Moss taught the other class. Our lesson was really good. We had their cousins come in with us, Nisa (19) and Eva (17) and Demaris (17). They were great in the class. And I brought my Tongan brotha, Brother Leaheke to help me teach. We had a lesson on the Atonement and what keeps us form going to heaven and how Christ provided a way for us to be baptized and to be cleansed from sin and to live with God and our families forever. The Spirit was strong, and then the Spirit told me to ask Nisa to bear her testimony. And WOW, her testimony was very good. It brought the Spirit in very strong and then I closed and bore my testimony. And I shared with them that I was praying and fasting for someone to come to church today that we could baptize. And I was overwhelmed with the Spirit and got a bit emotional and then I told them that God lives, and thanked them for being an answer to my prayer. God is so merciful! I know that as long as we BELIEVE, God will bless us with whatever we ask. I have a VERY STRONG testimony that whatsoever thing we ask the Father, in Christ's name, that's right, it shall be done unto us. Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
But it didn't just stop there. Sister Sua told us that her grandson turned 8 on Sunday, and that his parents weren't member but he's been coming to church for two years. So we told her that we would fast with her that her son would allow her grandson, Jason, to be baptized. And at church she says, "Elders! Our fast worked!" So if all goes well, we will be having Jason's baptism this Saturday!
And then there is more.... My Tongan brotha, Brother Leakehe came with us and we taught Aki and Malia. We taught the Law of Chastity very boldly with her and her partner. And they are thinking about it. And she still has some things that she needs to overcome, but I then asked if it would be okay if her daughter Malia could be baptized. She said yes! So she will be baptized this weekend!
We asked God to help us baptize weekly before district meeting on Tuesday so we can go to each companionship and tell them that we are doing it and that they can too! Well, last night, we set 4 people! Baptizing weekly baby! God is a God of miracles and will ALWAYS ANSWER OUR PRAYERS AS LONG AS WE BELIEVE!!! PERIOD, END OF STORY!!! Now, there were trials and it took some serious faith, but it happened, and will continue to happen. So if you want to find someone to baptize, pray for it, be bold and invite. And BELIEVE!!! And it WILL HAPPEN! I bear you my witness of it!
Not to mention Saturday we needed new investigators. We were guided down a street, knocked on a door, they let us in and they are keen. When we left, Elder Moss felt like we should knock on another door, and they let us in. There are people prepared everywhere!
I LOVE MANGERE!!!
I LOVE THOMAS ROAD WARD! I feel like I am just part of the family here! The Leakehe's always take care of us. Not to mention she makes the meanest Tongan bread! Almost as good as yours Mom! haha! But I call her my Tongan Mum! But everyone here is great!
LOVE YOU ALL HEAPS!!!!!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!!!
Elder Belnap
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