Blessings Come From Walking!

Hey Everyone,

Sorry, I couldn't email yesterday. We were with the zone leaders all day and meetings!

So, let's see,  my mission is steadily moving forward, and as usual a little too fast for me.  But, it can't slow down! Its hard to believe I've been in Fatumu for the last 4 months!  To be completely honest,  never once have I wished I was in another area.  I love it here and could definitely stay here for the rest of my mission!

As for new news,  Elder Tafea and I have been working hard out here! Both of our wards have doubled in attendance!! It has been so cool to see the growth we have had from when we had just gotten here until now! We have 2 investigators now and both girls Alilia and Saune! They are both 16 years old and they will be getting baptized this week on Saturday,  actually! Tafea will be performing both of the ordinances! I'm super stoked! It's been a while for this ward to have had a baptism, too! About a year!! And, we will be having two in one week! Work here has definitely progressed since we started! Honestly,  its probably because of all the walking we have done! haha That walk in between Lavengatonga and Fatumu is not fun and most of the time with very little shade.... blessings come from walking, I am living proof of that!

Mom,  I thought I got your package yesterday but,  I got one from Grandma Sheppard out of nowhere.  Oh, and it was perfect to because we were trying these new chicken subs and there were 2 boxes of chicken in a biscuit in it and I was wishing for crackers. Heavenly Father does answer prayers!! haha

Other than that work has been just moving along we are still working a ton with the mamalohis and they are slowly but steadily showing back up to church!!! I always feel so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have received to work here! I have never wished once I could be any where else and I have never met a more loving people than here!!

Ofa lahi atu!!!

Elder Sepeti!

Rainy Days and Rugby

Male' Lelei Ko Hoku Famili!!

You know,  one of my favorite things about serving in this country is the rainy days.  Wanna know why?

Well, because,  as it is is normal tradition in America, you go to work and come home and go to bed.  Maybe watch your T.V.... Well, here it’s a free vacation day where everyone runs outside; and I mean everyone! Even the Finemotu'a (old women) and we all enjoy the rain and play!! The best part though, is muddy touch rugby! Everyone pushes each other harder so we can get a good slide! I don’t think I have ever laughed harder! Honestly, it’s the greatest because everyone comes outside.  People pull out lawn chairs and sit under houses where the rain comes tumbling down and they just sit there laughing and talking! We play with all the locals. But, everyone plays there is usually about 30 people out! They play everyday unless someone dies.  Then you don’t play for a week because it’s disrespectful.  But, you do get fed well.  Seriously,  funerals here are these huge week long events where people just sit and eat and talk and lay out side all week and literally moan out loud..... that part was true in the "Other Side of Heaven" but,  is just when they bury the person!!!

Connor's walk for fafanga

Well, other than the thought and preparation of the hurricane this week everything went as planned! We taught a few lessons and we have two investigators that are committed to baptism two weeks from now.  So, that’s pretty exciting! We are stoked because we have finally struck a nerve in these wards out in the boonies! It feels good to finally see our efforts paying off! We have done a lot of walking. See, the fun part is we have Fafanga in a different village every week. (Fafanga is the evening meal that the members feed the missionaries.)  This week Fafanga is at 6:00 every night in Fatumu and then we have to eat and walk about 30 mins or so to our lessons in Lavengatonga which start at 7:00! So, we will be running with full stomachs or we will get lucky and as we walk some truck will stop by and will let us jump in the truck bed and sit down for a nice, breezy ride!! Those are the best!! Other than that our week was a lot of watching the storm clouds gather and the lighting striking the ocean!!

Hey, here’s a first.  Church yesterday was cancelled after an hour to prepare for the hurricane. I’ve never heard that before in the weekly announcements at church!! “Everyone: mutual is Friday and church is only an hour today so we can all prepare for the natural disaster.  OK,  now we will sing hymn  #...." haha

Ofa lahi atu Kiate kimoutolu!!

Eleta Sepeti

The Apostle and the stolen slippers

 Hi everyone!

So,  this week was pretty good.  It was spent pretty much just talking to the members and doing our thing!!

On the bright side,  we have officially received 2 more investigators in our other village!! And we will begin teaching them next week! The reason behind us teaching them next week is that the ward wants a zone baptism date for their ward conference!! We will be teaching them for the next 2 weeks.  Both have already committed to baptism they just need to be taught . I'm pretty excited for that!!  I'm staying in Fatumu with my Son Elder TAFEA!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'm so stoked for this.  Seriously!


Recently Neil L. Anderson came and spoke to us and that was an incredible. He came and spoke to us about the Doctrine of Christ and it was an incredible talk and very spiritually uplifting!! We sat with him for about 3 hours and listened to him speak and Elder Hamula spoke to us to:) All in all,  a relatively calm week!!

  Here is what happened.  I ran out of money.  The money I recently pulled out went to getting ice cream for a family in my area because it was another guy's birthday, too!! We celebrated together and they made me a pig and Lu.  I supplied ice cream and cookies but, they went way over board with the food for me.  So, I have no money and on  Wednesday I gave my slippers (flip flops) to a homeless kid and I have been walking barefoot since.  Well, I had no choice but to go to the meeting with the apostle barefoot.... So, as we all got in line, I was the last person to shake the apostle's hand and as I was going down the aisle,  an elderly couple stopped me and shook my hand giving enough space for between me and Elder Anderson for him to see that I didn't have any shoes. As I shook his hand he pulled me close and said, "Where are your shoes?" and I looked down sheepishly and said they were stolen earlier in the week.( Both my tafea (the woven cloth they wear over their tupenu) and my slippers were stolen.  So, I gave my companion my old pair because he's my son in the mission and he should always have the best of all of it.  I'm here to serve him.)  Elder Anderson asked,  "Why didn't you buy a new pair?" and I told him I had no money.  Then he asked,  "Why didn't you get some?" and I told him I live in a small village on the way far side of the island.  He just looked and me and said,  Well, I hope you can find some soon."  But Neil L Anderson chuckled a bit and patted me on the shoulder!! 
I still don't have shoes.  I have to wait until the first of this month so we can get some money. Pretty much the closest atm is about a 2 hour to 3 hour walk.....:) I'm just going a few more days with out them. It's all good.  In Vava'u I went 2 weeks with no slippers!!  Misiona Tonga, eh????

Connor lives in the little village on the far right.  Notice that the roads are outlined in yellow. Everything else is a path. The single line in the lower right is the Tonga International Airport. For reference the island is 21 miles at the widest point. 

Ofa lahi atu iate Kimoutolu!!

Elder Sepeti!

Ocean Baptism!

Hey Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long everyone but, the net is FINALLY fixed!

 It's kind of funny though, due to the fact that transfers are this week and I don't know if I will be staying or not!!

 So, let's see.  To catch all of you up on progress here: it has really picked up and we are now teaching at least a lesson a night and we had our first baptism here. Not to mention its the first baptism here in the last 2 years! So, it has been a real honor and pleasure to help the members and the work here hasten and begin to grow!!

 This last Saturday I had one of the most surreal moments on my mission so far! I was able to baptize our investigator in the OCEAN!!! Woooo!! I got to go kaukau tauhi!! It was awesome we did the whole program on the beach and ate ice cream and bread afterwards!!! It was so cool!  I got to go out deeper than my waist to preform the ouau!! Seriously, one of the GREATEST PARTS of my mission so far!!  And the best part is: if I stay here another transfer my comp will get to baptize our other investigator in the ocean, too!! It was the coolest experience ever..... no joke!!!! Best part of my mission hands down!  The best part is that she's our investigator.  We found her,  We did the teaching and I baptized her!!!!

Everything here has been amazing!! The people, the members, the love that I feel everyday from all of them just amazes me and helps my testimony grow. Every single day I feel honored and blessed to serve here.  We're killing IT!!!! Man,  dad,  we did a role play at the district meeting and president was so impressed with my comp! It was coolest thing ever!!! We taught the first lesson and killed it!!! It's been way fun with him.  He's going to be the first comp I'm bummed to leave.....


Mom, would you send me another tide watch? I use the tide look out all the time.  The watch broke because I kind of had an accident with a machete cutting open coconuts.  Let's just say,  if it wasn't for the watch I'd be short handed!  Ha Ha

 
 OFA LAHI ATU IATE KIMOUTOLU!!!

 Elder Sepeti!

A gnarly cyclone!

Well family,  it was a very eventful week!!!

So,  that cyclone did come and it was not as bad if you were right on Tongatapu but, something bad did happen to us.  The tree next to my house is wicked old and it fell and broke up our water tank and the water came crashing through the window and flooded the house! We are all good!! Nothing hurt or anything.  I cut my foot a bit on some glass when the window broke but that's it.  The storm had broken up a ton before it got to us but, it was still way gnarly and crazy.  We couldn't walk outside and the zone leaders were already over so,  they just stayed the night. They couldn't leave because trees had crashed on the road!! Fun right!! That's my first experience with a cyclone!

Yes,  Ha'apai is next to destroyed! There's not much left and one confirmed death.  The mission president is sending missionaries out for 2 weeks at a time to work and to be in the clean up crew!!! I really hope that I get that opportunity!!!

As for last week's work,  we just worked with the less actives as usual but that was a normal thing! Volleyball has now kicked up a lot due to the fact that rugby season is over!!  So, they have invited us there quite often!! We haven't worn missionary clothes since the rain storm because it has continued to rain since.  They are drying finally on this lovely, blazing hot day!! We will finally be all dried out, sort of.  

Family,  I love you guys so much and hope all is well!!!

Ofa lahi atu!!

Elder Sepeti!!

On the Way to District Meeting

On the way to District meeting

The Tongan people throw the best activities!

FAMILI!!!!!

This week.... It was pretty interesting because since it was the lead up week to Christmas (which is huge here by the way). All the people here are preparing for Christmas and doing there Christmas activities! So it started up Tuesday.  We walked to Hasini which is a 2 mile walk... then Wednesday we walked to Nakolo which is 4 miles away. Then finally we walked to Fuamotu, which is a solid 5 to 6 mile walk woooooo!!!! Here's to working out.  I went through and entire pair of slippers that week. no joke!  I had just recently bought a new pair the week before and i walked holes into them.... fun right!!! 
It was an awesome week! The Tongan people honestly throw the best mutual and activities! They go all out and the kids all make their own dancing skits and perform them.  They have games and everyone participates in them.  It's like one huge gigantic family! The only difference between the Tongan activities and American activities is a little kid comes crying after the activity and that's about as rough as it gets! Now, lets compare 2 of the Tongan activities..... Example #1 So,  everyone remembers the game where you put your head to a bat and spin in circles then run for a certain area right?? Well,  there were three teams,  green, red and white.  So, the white team sent out a mom,

 
right and she spins and spins and then TAKES OFF!! She's running straight up and down and going at a full sprint then she starts to tip and tip and tip then she falls to the ground and knocks herself out!!! They picked her up and set her in a chair and kept playing! Second Example, so they played a game where there is a piece of paper in the middle of the arena and three people from each team are given a number and when its called they run for the piece of paper... Well, one time the white team got it and a red team member chased her into the white area and I kid you not,  the white team all got up and jumped the red team member and I'm not talking like funny shoving,  they literally jumped the red team member and threw punches.  It was crazy!!!! The red team member walked out with a black eye laughing! Good thing I'm use to seeing this now!! hahah

Well,  for the spiritual side of the week:  my area has about 300 people in it and they all have been contacted.  In fact,  200 of them have been baptized.  So this area is all about reactivation.  We had a pretty surreal moment this week.  We play touch rugby often with the people because that's the only way we can get the in-actives to talk to us. But,  this week they walked to our house and told us to come and when we got there they all waited until we shared a spiritual thought and prayed then we all played rugby and we had 8 new people at church this week all in-actives!!! So, we are on our way!!!!

Ofa lahi atu Famili!!!

Elder Sepeti!!