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!! :)