Coconut water is the new Mountain Dew

PDay with Elder Murdock, on a boat to paradise

Hammockths

This is Miri after her shower.  So precious, so young.

"You're not going on a mission, you're going on a vacation!" 

Tahaa ukulele

Je vais à Angleterre - Tahaa

This week was great!! Like super duper, really.

Unfortunately Miri never came back.  Miri was a kitten that showed up at our house a week ago.  We fed him.  Gave him milk to drink. And gave him a shower.  He didn't like the shower. But he was so soft afterward.  We made it a daily activity because he got himself pretty dirty.  One morning we left to the bakery and when we came back he was gone. Never to be seen again.  Pray for Miri.

One of our amis got Elder Barlow (ex comp) a 12 string ukulele haha and I've been playing it until we give it to him.  Super cool lookin.  

The work is so awesome right now!  Like man.  We fixed the baptism of someone, another lady wants to be baptized, and we started teaching an awesome family of 4.  All so potential.  

The family is so awesome.  We literally taught the dad to pray yesterday.  He'd never done a personal prayer before in his life.  He was so nervous and then gave the most sincere prayer I've ever heard in my life.  The spirit was so strong and we sat in silence for like 2 mins.  Then he broke down and told us his life story and how he has already found so much joy and desire to live from hearing about The Savior and that there really is a purpose to this life.  I will never forget that experience.

We also got to play pool with that family cause they're I think the only ones in French Polynesia with a billiards table.  

Thursday was the craziest day ever.  The whole day I could not focus at all and my brain was going crazy.  I was super tired and "fiu" but kept on going.  And I for sure saw the blessings that night.  We did a lesson with a lady that we just started teaching and explained how baptism works (by priesthood authority and by immersion) and she was like "oooooh okay.  Ya I'll get baptized into ur guy's church.  I wanna make sure my repentance is valid." Like ???? WHAT!  Hahaha NO ONE understands it that well normally.  She just has an amazing understanding of the Gospel and is willing to make sacrifices to follow God's will.  That is a real example of faith.

Unfortunately I will be transferred this Wednesday back to Tahiti.  I will be senior comp, which will be cool, to Elder Hobbs, from England.  I'm sure many adventures await. "J'irai ou tu veux que je sois Seigneur"

Mosiah 3:19 

Savior Redeemer of My Soul- 

"Chasten my soul, til I shall be

In perfect harmony, with Thee.

Make me more worthy of Thy love,

And fit me for the life above"

<3 <3 <3

ATL

Elder Jenkins

Miri ran away - Tahaa

Quelle semaine!

We made some pizza, alfredo, french toast, and homemade syrup this week cause Elder Murdock is a master chef!  So much fun. He's from Kaysville, and I'm learning so much from him every day.

This week we've had numerous bike problems haha but luckily the Lord helped us out, and we're ready to go.  Flat tires, gear shifters snapping in half etc.  Bikes are not made for this much biking.

We went to a lil dock the other day and looked down into the water.  It was basically a natural aquarium with crazy fish and a massive sting ray going nuts.  I can't believe this is where I serve my mission.  

We've played frisbee and soccer with some neighborhood kids and they think we're so cool hahaha.  And magic tricks never dissapoint.  Playing with the kids is one of the greatest blessings. So much fun and love and so few worries.

The work is really starting to progress and we hope to get some amis in water soon!

Someone plz take me to Paris when I get home so we can go through the temple there cause dang. * heart eyes

We did a hike today!  I miss hikes.  Hike>Bike

Spiritual thought!

Been thinking a lot recently about "le perspectif éternel". (eternal perspective)  Really, in life you gotta look at the big picture.  One of the greatest blessings of the Gospel/Church is the knowladge of where we came from, why we're here, and where we're going.  We have trials and problems and sadness etc almost every day.  And it sucks.  Cause those things make our lives on earth less fun.  But REALLY, our lives right now aren't supposed to be all fun and games.  God sent us here to have experiences and trials so that we can learn and change.  Progress is the key.  And we can only make progress when we humble ourselves and follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  After this life we'll be eternally grateful for all the good decisions we made here on this beautiful planet.  Be good.  Don't do anything that would displease God. He loves you.

Atl

Elder Jenkins

new comp! - Tahaa

Ia Orana i te utuafare ta'u!! Ua here vau outou.  Here roa.

This week was great.

We planted vanilla plants last p day!  It was super fun to do some manual labor with all the spiritual labor goin on.  Taha'a is the "île de vanille" so it's everywhere.  It's apparently super expensive and hard to grow, but smells really good. 

Elder Barlow is gone!! He's on Tahiti now.  He will be missed.  My new comps name is Elder Murdock! He's been out the same amount of time as Barlow, only 3 months left on a mission.  He's super cool, played soccer in HS, and is really good with people.  I'm excited to learn and teach with him.  He's "coaching" me.  That means that I'm officially the sr. companion, but he's there to help me if I need.  I'm also the District leader now, so that means I am officially the King of Taha'a.  

We took a wonderful boat ride through turquoise green blue water the other day.  Most gorgeous experience of my life.  You could see like 10 ft under water clearly to the white sand.  I'm so lucky.

Haha so Elder Murdock broke Elder Barlow's bike our first day here lol.  It was pretty beaten up, and one of the big hills did it in.  It's okay though cause Barlow has a car in his new sector.  We will wait patiently until Murdock's bike arrives.  

Spiritual thought!!

One of my favorite scriptures is obviously Matthew 22:36-40.  Where Jesus explains the greatest 2 commandments are to love God, and others.  If we can get to the point where we can love God and others perfectly, our lives will be awesome.  I love the way Jesus phrases it, he says "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself".  And I believe we should love our neighbors more than ourselves, and think of others first.  But I think maybe what Christ meant, was that we should look at life from the other person's point of view, and pretend we are in their situation.  That's a wonderful first step to learning to love them- Learning to understand them.

I love you all!

Have a great week

atl

Elder Jenkins

Baptism baby - Tahaa

What a week!

Monday I was super sick so I slept and played chess with Elder Barlow all day cause it was also P day.  Our Tahitian mom gave me medicine.  Which here is Coke and lime juice.  But it works so hey! 

The Lord is setting us up with so many new people to teach and I'm so excited! It's really fantastic to find the children God has prepared for His Gospel.  We just gotta hope and pray that they will have the desire to read the BoM and pray!! After that, it's a piece of cake!  

I got to do a split with my zone leader on another island! What great fun.  We had a day of 0 success haha!  House to house and no one was there.  But, we learned a lot, from our experiences and the spirit.  God always has something more to teach you.  Always be open and ready.  

Recent revelations-

1) We show our faith by our actions.  If we really believe something, we'll act as if it's true.  I always ask myself if I really know if the Gospel is true, and I really hope I do, but sometimes have doubts.  But I realized, I just have to go out and do what I believe.  As long as I do what I'm supposed to and accomplish the will of the Lord, I can have the confidence that I am in the right path and have real faith.

2) We can pray always by acting as if God is always next to us/ watching us. (which He is).

3) We pray in Christ's name because we're supposed to pray for things that HE would pray for. 

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/eyring-holland?lang=eng&cid=HP_SA_4-3-2017_dPFD_fArchive_xLIDyL1-C_#00:37:40

4) Be grateful for every experience and trial you have.  Because they're exactly what you need to learn and become perfected in Christ.  If you follow His commandments and example, of course. 

5) God teaches us line upon line by small and simple works.  Learn to recognize His hand in your life.  And pray for that ability.

6) If you're ever scared by monsters in the dark, just play MJ's Thriller and all the monsters will start dancing and it's no longer scary.

Elder Barlow is getting transferred! Elder Murdock is coming.  He's pretty cool from what I hear, I'm excited.  I'll send pics.  

WE HAD A BAPTISM WOOHOO!  It was cool cause Elder Barlow got to baptize in the ocean!!!  She's a mom of 2 kids and was amazingly ready to receive the Gospel.  She has a strong testimony already and I love her and her family and hope they all get the Gospel too.  

Thank you all for being so lovely! Have an above average week!

atl,

Elder Jenkins

Bee Juice

  

Le baptême dans la mer!

I was a witness so I got to go in the ocean heheehehe

Pineapple

Mustache

Tool pic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯