JOYEUX JOUR DE FETE DES MERES - Bora Bora

This week was great!  We had some awesome experiences with our investigators and we got to skype!!! That was awesome.  I love my family!

I am so so grateful for missions.  Repentance is really awesome.  Repenting and seeing people repent.  I love it.  I love you all and God loves you!!!!

Elder Jenkins

BONJOUR

This week was awful.  Just kidding, it was great!

We taught a lesson in English!  So cool so we had a bit of time free and so we went up some private neighborhood even though normally thats not usually the best idea but something told us to go.  Then at the first house we yelled at (yes we dont knock on doors in this mission we scream at them) a lady who looked french came out with her baby and said she was busy but that we could pass another day.  So two days later we go to her house again and she says "Hi". And so we ask her if she speaks english and she said yes.  So we were pretty stoked but then as she opened the gate she says, and I quote "I will give you exactly ten minutes of my time.  Then I have other things to do." Needless to say we were very scared.  Then she kindly grabs us some water, sits us down on her porch and starts asking some really good questions!  She is from New Zealand.  We talked about prayer, faith, missions, families, and so many great gospel subjects, and when we finally looked at the time, we had been there for 50 mins!! She started talking to her baby and said "when they showed up mommy didn't want to let them in! And now mommy doesn't want them to leave!" SO AWESOME!!!  It's so interesting that she liked our discussion so much cause she had very little interest when we showed up at her house.  The gospel is there, ready to bless our lives as soon as we are ready to let it through our door. GIVE IT A CHANCE! 

I've been realizing a lot this week that we should never judge people.  About anything.  Their life, habits, addictions, attitude, appearance, etc.  Cause without fail there is a reason that that person does the things they do.  And usually it's because they've had some hard trials.  So, we should try to be more like Jesus by not condemning our brothers and sisters that make disagreeable choices, but by loving them even more. Hate the sin, love the sinner.  

Also, another baptism this week!  Yay!

ALL THE LOVES!

Elder Jenkins

Le Pieu de Bora Bora!!

Iaorana! 

This week was wonderful!  We had some fun, worked, biked, loved, lived, studied, taught, and life is good :)

So this week the stake of bora bora was created! So awesome! Its combined from three islands.  Maupiti, bora, and Tahaa- where I served a year ago!! Its cool cause back in Tahaa they were telling us to work hard so the stake could be created.  And now its finally happened!  

There was an awesome dance/ talent show friday, a fireside saturday and the stake creation sunday. And since our chapel is too small it all happened under a giant tent in downtown bora!

Our ami Veena got to bare testimony at the fireside and it was so awesome! I feel like I'm her parent and am just so proud seeing her up on the stand for the first time!  

Spiritual thought!  God's work is moving and we are all invited to be a part of it.  The GA who came down from SL explained that even if we live in paradise, we still need to work.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he is accomplishing miracles through humble people every day.  If we pray and ask to be a part of His work He will make us into what He needs us to be.  

We hiked up into the mountain to see if anyone lived up some creepy dark trail and at the top we found some ancient sacrificing grounds and our buddy Teiva showed us their "taro" farm.  Taro is super yummy.  Its like a purple or green potato that is sweet.

I'm sorry I don't take more pictures! 

red blue orange team - bora bora

This week was great! 

There is a ton of politics going on.  We got stuck in the road cause there was a line of literally over 200 cars and lots of scooters doing a tour of the island and we had to ride down the road with them cause there was no way out.  They were all honking and playing music from the giant speakers and subwoofers they had attached to their cars haha! 

Our ami Veena was baptized! So awesome.  I was so so proud because she had so much opposition and she was almost going to call it off the day of but she did it!!!  It's incredible the sacrifices people make to have the gospel in their lives.  It makes me feel silly for ever ditching seminary haha!

I'm staying in Bora!! YAYYYYYYY!! I'm very happy.

All the loves!!

Elder Jenkins

Another week in Bora

This week was gr8!  Wow aren’t I clever.  

We had a marriage this week for some of our amis! So fun. Marriage is such a great thing.  Helping families be happy forever since forever ago. 

We went on a hike to see cannons today! Neat!

I had a cool experience during a split this week. We saw a canadian tourist couple while walking to our faatamaaraa (dinner) and we introduced ourselves and the wife started getting mad. She went off a little bit about polygamy and asked us why that's acceptable and how many wives we were planning on having hahaha! But we were able to answer her questions, teaching a little about the restoration and she ended up apologizing and it was nice. But I kept thinking about them for some reason cause I didn't give them any engagement haha so I prayed to run into them again. Then the next day we were at the marriage of our amis and lo and behold we see the couple in a nearby shop!  And so I gave them a pass along card and explained a little more and I hope they'll find the missionaries one day in canada! @jopetejp

Transfers are next week, we'll see if I stay in bora.  

ALL THE LOVES!