7 minute plane flight to 'Eua

 

Hey Guys!!

So big news! I’m being transferred to the small island of ‘Eua! It is off the coast of the main island here in Tongatapu! The area I’m serving in is Ha'atu'a. It is a four-hour boat ride through the world’s third deepest trench! But I don’t have to take the boat.  I get to take the plane.  It is exactly a seven-minute plane ride! So, I leave this Wednesday and fly there and that’s where I will be for the next six weeks.  Crazy right? Ok, pertaining to my transfer, DAD, it’s unheard of to go off island like this so quickly! It happens to very few new kids, especially during their 12-week training program! Did you see the rainforest?  It is awesome!!! Groom said that there are actual wild parrots there! MOM, DAD, I’VE NEVER SEEN A WILD PARROT!! We will get to visit those and the screaming cliffs.  Have you seen those yet!?!?! The wind is so powerful that whatever you throw off the side of the cliff will always come back to you!! Cool right? I’m going to buy a crummy pair of flip-flops for 5 pa'anga and throw them off for fun ha-ha.  I’ll video it for you guys!!!

There is one city for such a big island. There are NO people on it! Seriously, the work is wicked slow there! Groom was telling me that we will be doing a lot of just contacting and exploring on our down time! Did you see the rain forest to the side of it! It’s a national park!

But, on the down side, there is little to no internet there and skype will not be available for use.... so I will be calling home this Mother’s Day not skyping. Sorry mom....

 I have not received the package yet... but I come back in 2 or 3 weeks for our huge mission tour. Elder Hamula, our area 70 is coming and since we are part of the zone on the main island, we are flown home and we get to go to it.  So, hopefully it will be there by then.  It usually takes 4 to 5 weeks for a package and letters are always a wild card.  They can be anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months!  ha-ha So,  I should receive the package when I come for that!! And, by the way, watch your phones form the 18th to the 22nd that’s when I come home and if I haven’t emailed you by then, I will then because I will have the opportunity! Oh, and when I email in the office on may 20th or whichever day around that,  I will have fast enough internet to send pictures! The office internet is the fastest internet in all of the islands ha-ha, funny right?

As for my week, it was an awesome week! I baptized 3 people! That was an amazing experience! We were incredibly excited! Also, the other day when I was leaving this house (searching for more investigators) a dog shot out and went for my ankle! And for some reason the dog barely missed my ankle and grazed my leg with his snout! So, of course my immediate thought was angel with a golf club!! It was a truly terrifying experience! ! The language is coming.  I can teach the whole first lesson by myself but I have to stick to things I know.  I’m starting “Ko” sentences and that is super hard!! But, its coming and I understand a ton now!

So let’s see: my week!!

Tuesday-it rained all day so my comp and I had to stay inside all day. So, we sat, talked, read, studied and played monopoly. ha-ha Someone had left Monopoly in our MQ so we played a round or two of Monopoly!

Wednesday- we went out and visited and got a few teachings in that we really needed! It was still raining super hard! But, we couldn’t waste another day, so we ran through it to our teachings. Fortunately, we were able to get a ride from the zone leaders for the last two teachings!

Thursday- we got more teachings in and worked really hard to find more investigators. I was super tired at the end of that day! We do a lot more walking than what most people think here in Tonga.  In fact, we do a ton of walking!

Friday- my companion was sick, so we took him to the mission office and it was bad enough that we actually went to the hospital and he got a check up and he stayed with the zone leaders for the rest of the weekend. I went vilo hoa with Elder Lepa the rest of the weekend and completed our three baptisms!! Yes, we taught all of them in a week and they all had already been to church a few times! I baptized a 12-year-old boy named Skippy and a very old man named Sosefa and an 8-year-old boy for a family.  They just wanted a missionary to do it! And his name was Sione! It was a cool and chilly experience because the water was freezing cold!!

Instead of basketball courts here, they have tennis and volleyball courts and people play rugby and volleyball everyday here at about 5 to 6 until its night time.  The whole village gets together and plays! We are waiting for our district to arrive and play volleyball! I play all the time.  In fact, the Tongans ask me to play now cause my spike is deadly now.  Pop, I can aim it at who ever I want! And they love how I aim it at them instead of hitting it away!  And MOM!  one of them came up to me and said "I love you palangi cause you hard play hit!"

YEAH! Mom if it wasn’t for your teaching me how to play at least a little tennis, I wouldn’t be able to play at all!  So, thank you!  Now, when we play tennis I still win!! Mom, can we play when I come home?  You better heal up your hand and be ready for a smack down in tennis! You will still beat me but I can try!

So, all in all a great week!!!

I hope all is well at home. I LOVE ALL YOU and miss you guys a ton!!!

Elder Sheppard