Easter and 10 Months in!

I hit double digits yesterday!! other than that it was another really fast week. Lessons, watching sharks, doing service and playing guitar. In fact someone told me today I should start a guitar class, so I think I might do that. I think we could find more investigators like that.

     Yesterday was Easter! It was a pretty good day. Not a huge turn out at church but I guess there's never more than like 70 people there anyway. Last night we went to an inter-religion concert at the Community of Christ's chapel. Us Elders did a solo on I know that my redeemer lives. Everybody did really great performances. So that was a cool way to spend Easter. It was a big deal for the Community of Christ. We talked to their main man and he was just passing though to go to Kirkland...you know, the temple. 

     We did tons of service this week. In fact we just got back from laying some cement this morning with Amo and president Lindsin. On friday we helped move some gravel and on saturday at 5:00 we helped do 'copra' which is harvesting coconuts and their meat. We chopped open hundreds of coconuts with axes and laid them in piles to dry to help raise money for the branch to go to the temple. That was harder than expected but cool to learn. 

     

On friday we went to a guys house (Jaques) who has told us four times that we can talk but then bails when we come over. On friday, same thing. No, I'm kinda busy right now raking the yard. but we kept talking and after ten minutes I realized we could have already been done with a message about the restoration. So I decided to do a lesson with out him knowing. 'Hey, before we go can we leave you with something?' "sure." So I pulled out the restoration pamphlet and proceeded to give a lengthy explanation of whats inside (in other words a lesson). He told us that he often feels a warmth when he reads stuff like that. I explained that that's the Holy Ghost and I think that touched him even more. Turns out with a little out of the box thinking and the holy ghost you can find investigators where you wouldn't think.

     So there y'all. Have another quick week. -Elder Clements

"We need a boat!" Why? "To go to the other side."

This week went by like lightning and I'm not sure exactly what happened in it. mostly lessons and volleyball I guess. we play volleyball, basketball, and futbal (soccer) as a way to be better friends with our investigators and find new ones. We spent some time with our DMB who is awesome and also with our branch president who is awesome as well. President George is one of the nicest, hardworking, caring people out there and he makes a very good branch president. The picture below was taken at his house after we ate there on Wednesday. 

     As for investigators we have so many that want to get baptized but have just some little thing that holds them back. Cigarettes, marriage, waiting for a family member to be there for their baptism, etc. We've just been looking for the ways to break those barriers down. 

      We have another investigator named Michel that have been really making a lot of progress in the last couple weeks. He's a really cool guy. He's super funny and but also very serious sometimes. We asked him to pray for an answer a while ago and he said he'd think about it and pray. After that he said he was really disturbed and couldn't sleep at night because of that question. "I thought Clements had one of those crystal balls over there that he was torturing me with." Hahaha, nah. He did get an answer though and now he says he feels a pull towards our chapel. He says when he goes to church at the Catholics he feels like God is saying "your work is done here" and that Jesus needs him on his side. He just wants to prepare a little bit before his baptism. I love this guy! I feel like he is going to be baptized soon and that he's going to be a great leader. So ya, that was my week. I'm gonna go fishing. Later

-Elder Clements

Kuraora

status report: exploration failed, conditions too harsh, will return with proper vehicles.

     This week went pretty well. We did try and find an investigator way up on top of the island that everybody said was really far. Well we rode in a straight line for two hours and did not find a single soul, a few houses but empty houses. We got decently sunburned and ran out of water but got back safely. This week we'll try again with someone that has a car or a boat. It was a pretty cool experience though. 

     Our investigators here are way cool and super ready for baptism, it's just the little things now. Tera really wants to be baptized but she's not married and her partner does not want to get married so we're trying to soften his heart. Kuraigna, just a few more cigarettes. Esther/ Vanaa, marriage again like so many people. Kahaia, just waiting for the answer to her prayers, etc. 

     This week Elder Terry, one of the others here, got a super bad virus and we had to take care of him for a bit. Thing is he was hallucinating super bad. It was pretty fun. His companion took some video. "I don't wanna ask anything weird but...you need to rub my calfs." "just put some coke in a glass and then shake it up, that'll heal me." and also he kept telling the lizards to be quiet. He's better now though. 

    So ya, that was basically my week. It goes. don't have much time today but oh well. K, Piku Viru! 

-Elder Clements