Mission Blog

So this is Parker's Mission blog that he mentioned in his letter. You can check it out, its updated by the mission presidents wife you obviously appears to have a fun sense of humor!

http://newzealandaucklandmission.blogspot.com/

April 26th 2011

Aloha everybody!! :)

Sorry this email came later than usual! It's because of the Porter family being here and this massive festival that's going on the island!! Haha Oh man if only you guys could see what's been happening! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and your thoughts were centered on Christ and his triumph over the grave.. With that being said our Easter was wonderful!! :) Didn't feel a thing like Easter because of the weather! All last week we spent preparing for President's families arrival.  Very busy week! Doing heaps of service and a long with that getting everything ready and organized for President.  Cleaned up the Mission Home here which hasn't been cleaned in ages! Had to deep clean the van because he'd be taking it. Had to help organize the entire conference for the weekend for the Porter family. Etc etc etc.! Busy week! Than the big day came! Airplane day! No other missionaries get to be with the Porter's in such a personal setting as we do! Before you would only see him in big gatherings or interviews! Now he'd be on an island with just the two of us! Kind of scary but also exciting! I love him and his family so I couldn't wait for them to get here!  They came off the plane and it was really cool because the whole island has been decorating and doing all sorts of things for the festival.  So when they came in there was all these people singing and dancing and all that good stuff! Most of them the members actually! haha We were definitely happy to see him his wife and their son David for their last visit here on Niue island. Turns out they actually got a house in Draper for his new job. They're from Colorado but now they're coming to our neck of the woods! Anyways their mission is wrapping up so this will be the last time that I see them and the last time they come here.  So we got them lunch when they first got here, hung out with them a bit and then he took our van so we're on feet the whole week! But it's all good because we're around members so much that they take us everywhere anyways. That Saturday morning was game time! Which Sister Porter is putting on the mission blog by the way so you can see the apostate missionaries there.  Haha we had to get permission from President but we got to dance in front of the whole island their Niuean dances!! :)

It was so much fun!! President was laughing hysterically up there in the front rows.  Sis Porter took lots of pictures.  We had to get permission because the costumes we had to be shirtless! It was fun!! Since I was the only white person up there people really noticed and commented haha.  People still come up and talk to me about it.  During the dance sometimes the people will come up and slip money in your costume while you dance and that's what some ladies did! Haha President was laughing very hard! He also came up and gave us money! He asked if we felt temple worthy after the experience! haha. It was alot of fun! We were all oiled up and everything.  Not much missionaries get that experience! And it was even funnier having President and his family there! Than this weekend was all of the Last conference with the Porter's.

 It was very good. Really sad to hear from them for the last time. The messages were wonderful and I felt the spirit very strongly. Lots of people came it was really good.  It's been fun having them around! We see them all the time it's really weird! They're so funny; I was able to get lots of good pictures with them.  Easter night they dropped by all these eggs and treats for Easter.  They of course stay at the nicest resort here called the Matavai.  It's beautiful there Last night guess what?! Our dancing goes on! A different costume this time but it was the biggest event last night here in the capital Alofi.  They came and watched again! haha More and more fun!! I'm quite the hit here now!! Haha, na, just kidding! But it's good because the people really respect how I'm trying to be part of the culture and participating because man my little white body stands out that's for sure!! haha.  So things have been really fun lately! Porter family is here and we're having fun with them and doing this festival stuff every day!! Lots of people from NZ here on the island so it's been really good!! More stuff this whole week with the festival still going on and then the last dinner with the Porter's and other things we'll be doing with them! So more fun on its way!! :) Can't wait!! I wish I could send pictures from the island home!! But soon!! So you can all see the beauty of the Pacific!! I hope you all have a wonderful week!! I miss and love you all very much and you are all in my prayers!! May God watch over and bless you all each and every day! I love you!!

Elder Devey

HAPPY EASTER

FALOFA LAHI ATU!!! MALOLO MATULU?! FAKAUAE?! IA!! FAKAUE LAHI!!! :)

Hey everybody!!! Aloha from paradise!!! The jewel of the pacific Niue Island!!! Can you still believe that I'm here?! I sure can't!! Ai a Wei!! It's definitely a huge blessing to be having an experience like this and to have such a wonderful journey on my mission thus far!! It's just the funniest thing ever!! Who wouldn't want to serve a mission?! Man!! You just get blessed like crazy out here in the field! No matter what part of the Lord's vineyard! Especially out here in the furthermost parts of his vineyard! Haha.  I hope you have all had a wonderful week and hope you all have a wonderful Easter as well and to feel and see the Savior's gifts in your own lives and what he's done for you as you reflect on him and his resurrection.  What a beautiful time of year! Except it sounds like it's still pretty bitter with the weather there! It still is way too hot here!! Its cyclone season so there has been a couple of rainstorms but besides that feels like I'm about to catch on fire every second of the day!! But I love it!! I haven't seen a winter since... I can't remember! Because I left Utah and dodged a winter there because it was starting to get warm in NZ than I left NZ right when it was starting to get cold again and came here! Now skipping another winter! By the time I see a winter again will be in 2012! 2 straight years without cold winter! How lucky am i?! Told you! Blessings of the mission! Sorry for confusing ya with that math! But anyways I'll let ya know what's going on here on "the rock"! Sorry still no pics with emails, soon hopefully i will send home heaps of photos than you can all see what it's like on a tiny island like this! Haha.

So this last week was a beautiful wonderful week!!! We had a BAPTISM!!! Heck yes!! The miracle island is what we call it! It's now happening here to!! And we got some potential with others so hopefully more are on their way!! In the NZAM mission they are striving to baptize weekly.. So why don't I just carry that success we had to here?! Haha well clearly it's not that easy but I will still give it all I've got regardless.  So the girl's name is Felolini Fomai.  She's half Tuvaluan and Kiribati; Islands that you may not have heard of. But my comp before, Baraniko was from Kiribati.  That family is so that's been fun.  Losalu baptized her and I confirmed her.  It was a lot of fun.  And since eating is everything to the islanders we had a massive kai(feed) after! It was a really fun day!! Nothing more I love than seeing souls saved and entering into the Lord's kingdom! I crave that sight more than anything! Ah I just love being an instrument in the Lord's hands! Nothing better I'm telling ya!! It's just burning within my soul!! I can tell you all are probably like "the dude's gone crazy!" I am all alone out here on an island!! Remember Cast Away?! the guy went nuts!!

 Haha it's not that extreme here! Calm down mom :)haha I'm sorry I'm just crazy about the gospel!! "In it I'll live and for it I'll die" -Joseph Smith.  That's how important it is people!! So we shall proclaim it to all the earth and rejoice in the islands. (Isaiah 42:12 i think!) Anyways it's been a lot of fun here lately! I'm becoming really close with the people. Heaps of service as always! Getting buff! haha I wish! I do weigh 190ish now so that's a sad note!! haha but I don't look fat trust me! Well at least I'm hoping so! They just hammer down the food down our throats! There's nothing I can do! When I leave with a gut, that'll just be physical proof of our blessings out here!! haha :)

So ya ya'll! As Brooke would say! Things are great here!! Living in paradise! Gotta pinch myself and let me know I'm still a missionary and not on vacation! haha It really is paradise here!! Oh man!! So this week for the festival coming up next week and President coming many pigs shall die... Kinda murderous sounding but it's big events and the best food the people got are their pigs.  Sorry to say mom but they want me to be a big help in that! haha they want the palangi missionary to kill a lot of the pigs for them.. That'll be fun and gross!! The first one we did when I got here was disgusting! It was like a scene on Braveheart or something! Anyways hopefully the spirit stays with me!! :) P-day was fun! I got my camera back and we went around to some caves and beaches and took heaps of pics with our mission leader Eti, this fat Samoan guy! Love him to death he's hilarious! So it was a fun day! Besides that I can't think of much else to report! We've been decorating lots for the festival and have been practicing Niuean dancing with the Alofi people to do for President and the festival! So that'll be funny! I always was a good dancer so it's all good!! ;) I can't think of anything else! Just watch other side of heaven and you'll get the picture!! Haha just kidding! I hope and pray you are all well!! I miss and love you all very very VERY much!!! But not that much.. Haha Love ya'll!! HURRAH

FOR ISRAEL!!!!!!!!

With love Elder Devey!!

April 12th 2011

Hey everyone!!! :) Aloha from Paradise!! I hear that it is still snowing here and there for you guys! Man! If only you could see and feel what it's like here! You'd be jealous that's for sure! It's way too hot here actually!! I've never been in this hot and humid of weather! It's all good though! I hope everyone had a wonderful week and that you and your families are seeing the blessings from our Heavenly Father's hands! This week was another good week here! Kind of hard though because we only have probably 2 lessons a week if we're lucky.  And those most of the time are just family home evenings.  But a miracle!! As I was telling you all of that little Tuvaluan girl (the Tuvalu Islands) that is to be baptized, we find out her parents aren't members and she's being watched over by these two from Kiribati. Anyways so that counts as a convert baptism now! Yay!! Miracles in Niue!! We're going to have our first baptism here this Saturday.  The family really wants an ocean baptism so we're seeing what we can do with that.  We're probably going to have the baptism in one of the caves at the sea.  We were thinking of a cave called the Amanau cave.  It's a cave close to our home and it has significant importance because the first members of the church were baptized in this cave in 1952!

So it's going to be a really wonderful weekend!! :) Besides that no investigators progressing or anything at all.  Just heaps of service!! The other day we mowed 5 lawns I think in a row! And they're big lawns with lots of rocks in the ground.  (the rock of the Pacific remember). So you have to use the weed cutter on most of the grass so it takes ages! Anyways so I'll be pro at mowing lawns when I get back that's for sure! We also are helping build a couple of houses, tile people's floors, go to their plantations with them and plant and harvest taros, go climb coconut trees or find other fruit for people like breadfruit or papaya.  Catch Uga, catch and kill the pig, etc. etc.!! Lots of service and it's all really crazy funny stuff I've never done before! Lots of fun!!

This week we also have started preparing for Niue's festival week here coming up on the 23rd.  Same week as President Porter's arrival.  So it is going to be a very busy week! We've been practicing with the Alofi villagers some Niuean dances that we'll be performing with them.  I look pretty funny dancing how the islanders do not going to lie! But I love it anyways!! I'm the only white person here except when tourists come here and there on Fridays.  So they pay attention to me and when I try to do their stuff with their customs or cultures and they think it's pretty funny and so do I! Hopefully President enjoys watching us! haha.  It's his and his wife's last trip here to Niue before they're done with serving.  So it's going to be a really fun last week.  They're going to get quite the show that's for sure! The people love them! They've started making gifts and preparing for their arrival.  That'll be a lot of fun we're looking forward to that.

 Sorry for no pic still, no camera yet but it should be coming this weekend have your fingers crossed! Than hopefully you can start seeing what Niue really looks like!  This last week was a good one! Just being with the people and serving and eating, and eating, and eating!!! I don't think I'm fatter, I see myself every day though! Hopefully when you all see me you won't be like what the?! When did Chris Farley throw on a badge and go to Niue!! Haha I'm not fat just messing! But they feed us constantly!! All this islander food man is going to kill me!! I miss all the restaurants back home!! :( Besides that not else to report that I can think of! Things are all good here! Just trying our best to help out where we can and bless others’ lives in different ways! I hope you all have a wonderful week!! Keep strong!! Kia Manuina! I miss and love you all so much!!! May the Lord be ever watchful over you all this week! Love ya!! :)

Elder Devey

April 11, 2011

I'll be coming back later to write my email!!
I miss and love you guys so so much!! Oh and no camera yet. Hopefully it comes this Friday! Be back soon!! I love you guys sooo much!!! :)

April 4, 2011

 

Falofa Atu Everyone!! :)

How is everyone this week?! I hope the week was a wonderful and productive week for you all!! That really is one of the nicknames of the island! Apparently when Captain Cook in the ole days tried to bring his people here, the Niuean's thought they were there to hurt their families or take their land so they defended the "Papalangi"s and threw spears and shot arrows.  So Captain Cook named it the Savage Island.  It was good though because the island remained untouched from outside influence for a long long time.  So it still has all the old cultures and things even today remain unchanged from long ago! I'm living with these people! Haha they're not like that anymore of course! Of course the outside influence had to get here someday! Anyways this week was a good week!!

                                                                                                                                 

 Some miracles are starting!!! :) I'm absolutely pumped people! The first one was one that was very special to me.. So we report to the APs once a week and President Porter as well because there's no one here watching over us, except for the members of course! The APs were really busy; they're two missionaries that I became close with before because I served among them.  Elder Handy one of them called late one night to talk to us.  I haven't heard of what happened in my last area that I had my crazy experience with.  I didn't know if all those baptisms we set went through or anything that happened there.  I just saw Clayton's right before I left.  Elder Handy gets on and says I want to tell you a little story Elder Devey.  He's like this story is about a missionary who at 4 and a half months got double-shifted into one of the hardest areas of the mission and was training and... Baptized weekly... I was hmmm no I didn't!! He said yes you did, after a long time you got Tauranga baptizing weekly, you truly were an instrument in the Lord's hands.. This just meant so much to me because I sacrificed so much and gave more than I have ever given in my life! That was the hardest transfer of my mission! However, miracles happened after that "trial of our faith"! :) That was really awesome to hear!! So all those baptisms we lined up right after I left all went through it sounds!! Booyah!!!! That was really uplifting and made me feel awesome!! :) A huge tender mercy from the Lord to keep me moving here!!

This week we just did more and more service!!! Now I understand why I grew up with a very active life! There definitely was a reason for it! Because I'm working my butt off here!! We've finally actually had a couple of lessons! So I'll tell you one miracle that happened this week! We took one of our branch president's President Maaga and President Radio Watch.  President Watch and I visited this Kiribati family, just like my good friend Baraniko! President Watch was one of the original 26 people who were all baptized at once in 1952 in Amanau Cave in the sea.  One of the very first members of the church that the very first missionaries here baptized! I was privileged to be with this man that carries such a wonderful legacy.  We visit the family and I'm speaking the Kiribati I know! ha-ha than she asks me who do I talk to if I have a baby I want blessed and a daughter who needs to be baptized?!?! I was like us!!! :) So this baby was blessed this Sunday that we got to participate in.  That was beautiful! In addition, her daughter we'll be baptizing in the next coming weeks!! So there you have it! Miracles are even possible here in the smallest country in the world!! It was just amazing to be able to have that miracle with Brother
Watch!! A great experience that I'll always remember!! Every week at our branch we've  been driving all the members there and I give a talk every week!! They love the palangi missionaries! Elder Losalu and I sang a song in sacrament meeting, and you all know that I'm no good singer!!! It's funny singing in Niue! Too much syllables to fit with the tune! It was a good Sunday; we double our numbers, because a family came back from New Zealand.  We had about 30! Our one roll we use for the bread went down to the very last piece! That's the only time that I have seen that happen!  Therefore, it was a good sacrament meeting!

Well good thing there's so much service or else I would be getting massive! We eat at LEAST once every day! Dinner for sure every night but we do breakfasts and lunches to a lot!! Very good food!! All that islander good stuff! The people still do live off the land.  In huts and they hunt animals have their plantations and we help a lot with these things.  We'll go plant taro with them.  Catch and kill pigs! Hunt the Uga!  The Uga is a MASSIVE coconut crab! That gets to be about 2-3 feet bit! Has the tail like a lobster. And is huge and freaky looking! These crabs are only here and they're very unique and special! They are blue, but when done cooking turn red!! They are freaking delicious! We'll go catch some sometimes! They're very strong you have to grab them from behind and hold very tight or else they'll grab ya and that would not be good! They'd tear your hand off! They have to tear into coconuts; if you've felt coconuts they are very solid!

Anyways! So we experience and live the island life!! It's a lot of fun!!! Don't feel like a missionary at times but I know we are blessing these people! The language is very hard! Goodness! I got down some and can understand when people talk a little but it's very hard! I'm becoming closer to the people.  They are all so wonderful and such great humble people.  My love for them grows each day.  I love serving here and look forward to the time I'll have here and the experiences and things that I am learning.  President Porter and his wife, maybe his family is coming on the 22nd to stay a week for his last week here before they go home.  They have to stay a week because the plane only comes once a week! Oh ya the island ran out of a lot of supplies! The boat came late because of all the cyclones in the Pacific lately. But it got here this week so that was exciting for the people! :)  So things are good here on the "Rock of the Pacific"! I miss and love you all so much and hope and pray that this week proves to be better than the last!! Love ya all!!  Manuena E Aho!!! Yo!!

Love Elder Devey
ps sorry about no pictures this computer is way too slow and I'm
waiting on a new camera.  Love ya'll!! :)