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