namo! (hello in sis mewa's language called garihe)

how are you all?! ahh I just love emailing home, its seriously the best thing ever! :) but this last week was busy busy busy!! we got a lot done and a huge improvement from last week when sister mewa was sick! so that's been really good! and I don't have much time to email so I will type as fast as I can! first of all my companion is CRAZY! seriously, but I love her so much! like whenever we go knock doors she has this certain knock that she does everytime and it takes her like 5 minutes and then she yells hello into the house, and I feel like everyone thinks we are so impatient but its so funny... also she has a terrible habit of not washing her hands but don't worry, as soon as I realized she didn't I put a stop to it. I ask her every time now after she comes out of the bathroom if she washes her hands and so she has been good not to forget now :) also she sings a lot, and she can sing just fine when she sings the melody but she likes to make up her own harmonies to every song she sings and man, is she way off key! hahahaah but its seriously the funniest thing ever! also all she likes to eat are veggies so she buys like 5 bags full of frozen veggies and then she will cook them and eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner. so weird.. and she has a huge crush on the AP of the mission but he is leaving next transfer so she has been pretty emotional lately, so I have had to help her deal with that, but the nice thing is that she can take it when I am straight up with her about stuff, so we get along great! so yeah that's my companion!!

but this last week we met a lot of different people! one person we talked to told us that there is a city in the middle of the earth and that you can get there by going on a boat in the summer to the north pole and there is a portal there and that's heaven... oh man I was trying so hard not to laugh! but we also got to visit some of our investigators, but we have this one investigator who knows its true, he is just waiting for god to answer his prayer, and he knows he will answer, he just says god is busy answering everyone elses prayers right now, so we are trying super hard to help him!! also we met a guy names kelvin this week. he is solid. he has already read half the book of Mormon, he just has questions about the pre earth life and stuff so we will answer them this week and hopefully be able to set a baptismal date!! our mission is very big on inviting non-members to be baptized on every lesson, and that has been kind of hard but im working on it!

so we had golden orientation (training for new missionaries) and it was AMAZING!!!! seriously. I love our APs and my mission president and his wife so much!!!!!! they are so knowledgeable and I learned so much! but the first day they focused a lot on our mission goal type thing, which is to have a mighty change of heart. we talked a lot about how we have to let go of certain things to be able to become more Christlike and man, I want that more than anything! and there are so many things I need to let go of and so many weaknesses but I am trying the best I can!!!! that night we also walked down to dinner together but as we went we street contacted and that was super fun! then had more training and then we were going to do a role play with the mission pres and his wife as the investigator, and so they asked for a volunteer and my companion for the day who was also a new missionary (and who is just learning English) volunteered, ha ha, so pretty much I had to teach the mission president and his wife in front of everyone! it was very intimidating but it was a really good experience and they told me afterwards that I did a very good job! so that was comforting to hear! then the next day we got up at 5:30 and ran from our hotel to the temple, did a workout called snap gravity that is in our mission (best thing ever) and then ran back to the hotel. but when we were running, brisbane was all lit up in the darkness and it was soo pretty! ill send you a picture of what Brisbane looks like! then we changed and showered and went and had more training! and then our trainers came back and we did some role plays and stuff and then president asked if anyone had any of the 6 recitations that we have memorized and I have really tried to memorize all of them and I have 5 of them down right now! so then me and my companion went up and recited my missionary commission, and then president said that was the first time in ABM history that 2 people had had the commission memorized by golden orientation! so that was really cool!

the next couple days we taught and we also went to Bribie Island. it is a cute little island apart of our area, you will have to look it up on google maps! and we were talking to a lot of people but no one was interested and no one was home that we were trying to visit so we were kind of having a rough day. then my comp told me to decide where to go and so I picked someones house, but they weren't home. so we go back to get in the car and I had the feeling we should go knock on someones door across the street. so we go knock and this cute single mom opens the door and we talk to her and asked if we could come talk to her again sometime and she was like, can you come in now? it was so cool!!!! I love the spirit! and so we taught her and we have a return appointment with her in a couple weeks! but im so excited to teach her!

we also went to our ward for the first time yesterday and the ward is awesome! but all of the Polynesian people laugh at me because I can't understand them/ cant pronounce their names.... oh man.... I have made a fool of my self so many times but its ok, because they don't get mad, they just laugh at me and I can deal with that! :)

but I love this gospel! I love you all! im so grateful that I can be on a mission, and man is it hard but so worth it! I miss you guys and I hope all is well!!!!! OFA ATU!!!