Elder Mafi loads up his plate after a morning of service in preparation for the Queen of Tonga's funeral (she passed away at 90 years of age). All of the local missionaries and members of the LDS church cleaned the palace grounds, streets and surrounding areas in support of the funeral. He and a handful of Elders got to go inside the palace to deliver tapa cloth to honor the queen and her family.
Malo e lelei Famili
I want to first apologize. I haven't been sending good or any emails as of late and I will try from now on to have at least, you know a little "sumtin sumtin" haha.
This week has been great tho.
This entire week we couldn't focus on anything but our investigator we have. His name is Vekita and he used to be a part of a gang but now he's looking to change his life around and stop smoking and what not. I can just see the light in him and how much he wants to change. When ever we're out walking or proselyting we are always coming up with ways we can help him see and gain an understanding of Christ and his atonement.
On top of that we now have two new families we are going to teach as well as 11 other refferrals to less actives AND I AM SO PUMPED TO HELP CONVERT THEM ALL! hahaha
This week we also had the oppritunity to do a lot of service. We saw some guy weeding his farmland so we went to a memebers house and grabbed some hoes and started helping him and helped him all day. He is 7th day adventest but he was baptized in the church so hopefully he gets back to going?? We also had the opportunity to do service at the palace and we had to wear a black ribbon around our arms to show respect and then we also, today, got to sweep the streets of Tonga and let me tell ya its like not even leaves it's just a bunch of dirt, haha But it was a great opportunity nonetheless!
That is about it for this week! I am super excited for this coming week and to have my testimony grow. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to work and serve here in Tonga. It is a blessing I often overlook. Thank you to all my family for loving me even miles away and helping me and guiding me. I am thankful for the spirit and the atonement of Jesus Christ for blessing me in times of need and for making up for and helping me recognize my shortcomings. I know that through the spirit and unwavering faith all things are possible. The Lord blesses us each and every day in ways we may not recognize but he is always there for us and he will send angels to hold us up in times of need, all we have to do is ask.
Ofa lahi atu kiate kimoutolu!!!
Elder Mafi
Elder Mafi and his companion - post haircut (he was NOT happy) #12yearoldmissionarycut
At the MQ - Mission Quarters. Note the clothes line and what I think may be a fire poking stick for burning some
"memories." haha
"memories." haha
March 12th
Fefe moutolu?
Oku ou sai aupito
Ko e ngaue e fakalakalaka auptio i heni
The Lord has really been with me this week. Lookin out for me and it's been so awesome having Him on my side.
We got three baptisms this week and the guy we have been working on has decided to go without smoking and so far he's been doing 100 and he will be baptized this coming week.
Another thing that happened this week.
Probably the biggest.
So in Tonga people's emotions are pretty like well hidden. Most of the time they don't show anything, right?
On Thursday we went to this couple's house for breakfast and we saw her filling up her water bottle outside and she said something to us but we didn't hear so we just went up to the house and waited for her to give us some money for breakfast or to tell us to come eat with them.
Anyway she handed us some money for food and then she started to talk to us about how she was and how her life is...she began to tell us about how good she is and everything but I'm like just there listening but I'm thinking like man she just has this wall up right now and she's not telling us what she is actually feeling.
So I asked some questions and all of a sudden she just opened up to us and started to cry and said how hard it is to be married to a Mormon while her dad is a pastor and how she always gets a bunch of crap from her dad and how she used to be the favorite child but now she has been more or less disowned. She also told us how her only son who is like 7 months gets treated like nothing by her family because she is married to a Mormon and the dad tells her he's gonna grow up a criminal. Then on top of that she has some struggles at home and like she feels like crying all the time and she started to cry and I started to tear up and I just wanted to give her a hug until she felt better. Anyway, Before she didn't really want to have us around but now that she opened up to us she trusts us and now she feels better about the church and will start to come more often.
Anyway, that was the biggest thing that happened this week. It felt good to be able to get someone to open up and express how they feel and we not having to say anything. It was great. Now she said she'd come to church more often and aw man it "wuz suh kuul."
I love you all - hope your week is as cool as Antarctica - harharhar!
No, but seriously I love you all and you mean a lot to me and I am so glad you all support me all the way out here and even to those that aren't on this email chain. Thank you all for sending me letters and little awesome things to help encourage me.
Love Elder Mafi
