Hey everybody!! :) How is everyone this week?! I'm doing great thanks for asking! haha Just been preparing and getting myself ready for the adventure ahead of me! Sounds like some really fun crazy stuff out there! And I just can't wait! Sounds like a completely different world out there.. The only thing that will be a little hard about leaving this area is we have a lot of good stuff going! These areas in Tauranga and Rotorua are pretty hard to baptize. We've been struggling a bit.  Our companionship has done great on everything else just not that final commitment and step of finally getting them baptized.  And so the week I leave right after we have 3 people being baptized.. All my hard work here and I won't be able to see the fruits!! :( So that's kind of rough, but at least as long as they do get baptized that's all that matters to me.  This whole transfer we've just worked so hard to get this area back on it's feet and rolling again.  Things are looking very promising for the upcoming elder.  Pretty sure Espino will stay haha. It's been a wonderful experience and great opportunity to be training.  I've learned so much about myself and I've grown alot in these last 4 weeks.  It's really weird because New Zealand really feels like a new home and now I'm even leaving here! It's like I got another mission call when I got the news.  It is a whole different mission out there and a completely different experience.  I'm just pumped!

So as a lot of you have heard New Zealand had a horrific earthquake.  That is far away from me though, that's on the South Island.  Add those people in Christchurch in your prayers.  These last days are just getting worse and worse.  Apparently the fault that Christchurch was on there's one that Tauranga is on just as big! haha but I'll be out of here soon so no reason to worry! :)

This week was a great week, just nothing I love more than serving the ward!  I'm leaving to Niue on the 12th I think? So got a couple more weeks here! Sounds like I'll be missing conference! And wingers even worst!! I don't know if they do a broadcast in Niue probably not.  So all I really know about Niue is that I'm driving an old van, one of the only cars on the island.  Everyone loves missionaries there.  They do celebrations for them.  A lot of seafood and fruit! Takes 40 minutes to drive from one side to the other.  You'll know everyone there.  You play a lot of volleyball and do a lot of service.  Not much actual "proselyting" like here.  I do try to pick up the language as I go.  They do speak some english as well.  It's for sure 6 months.  The people just sound amazing! And it's just this beautiful little island where we're the only missionaries there!  Those are some of the things I've heard and some other little things but it just sounds like it's going to be an amazing adventure.  Niue is inbetween the cook islands and Tonga I think.  It's further away from New Zealand than Tonga is and it's just a puny little island.  So it will be just like the Other Side of Heaven! :) haha They call me Kolipoki here! just kiddin!  But this will be a lot of fun! I talked to some Niueans this week who visited our ward and they just freaked out hearing I was going there and they said they'd be visiting me when I get there.  So not much more news just getting a deep breath before the plunge! It's just crazy to think that how long i've been out already that's how long i'll be there.  Feels like i've been gone forever!!! Also feels just like last week I was home.  It's a time warp! But anyways this will be my home soon.. Niue.. Can't beleive it it still hasn't hit me! But it still hasn't hit me that I'm even on my mission! Crazy how things work!! haha :) Pretty sure I'll still be able to contact everyone just fine and it will all work out I havent heard anything like that so nobody has to worry!! :) I love you all so much and I'm grateful for all your support! Hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you!! :)

 

Elder Devey