June 24, 2012

Well hello there everybody!! :) Great to hear from you all like always! Thank you so much for the love, support, and prayers in my behalf! I need it! So please don't stop!! haha :) I love you all and you all mean the world to me you better know that!! Well where to begin? Another week gone it would appear! But just more memories and experiences under the belt! (and not referring to the belly that is a new addition!) But yes the spiritual matters as they say! It was a really good week! Been enjoying my time with Elder Whipple that's for sure!! He's the man! It has been really fun having him around, probably too much fun! But we've been loving it that's for sure! So somethin excitin to tell ya... Um!! I don't even remember this week to tell ya the truth!! I'm not even sure if it happened or not!! haha Well one thing that was exciting but not so much fun was correcting dodgy missionaries! Never get sick of that one! :) We had some pretty intense situations with disobedience that we had to go and help. We definantely did all we could to help them and things are lookin up but pride I tell ya!! Such a stumbling block it's not even funny!! Just such dumb things that they're struggling with or are upset about! A companionship almost got in a fight and we had to go stop em from hittin eachother! So it was quite a big deal and than we took em seperately and had little one on ones with them. Felt like Dr. Phil or somethin in there! Never mind that guys useless! But it was quite fun I suppose!! So that was somethin exciting!! :) We got to go on tradeoffs with the Assistants earlier this week! That was really good! For the first time like ever they didn't just come and double cover our area but i got to go into their area with Elder Kaufusi! So it was super fun! He's a great missionary and we had a good time with eachother! Elder Whipple has only been in the area less than a week at that point so he enjoyed just runnin around aimlesslly! lol So that was quite eventful as well! Um... Got fed heaps like always this week! So that was good! I do think it's impossible doing a diet here as a missionary unless you want to extremely offend these people! Haha food is such a big deal to all the people! Me as well I love the food here it's the best!! :) But I do miss the classic American dishes! Enough about food goodness! Let's get to the things that really matter! Missionary work!! :) Elder Whipple and I have been able to get quite a few sets for this month but outta nowhere they've been "playin up"!! One of our sets, Sefo, got in an argument with his mom and packed up and ran away from home!! So we all have no clue where he is! He's stuck in Limbo for the moment! He's supposed to be getting baptized this coming weekend but that's a little hard when he has dissappeared! So we're waiting to hear on that one! But we know that a miracle will occur and that the Lord will provide as he always does! Can always rely on him! :) And our other investigators with baptismal dates are all wonderful, they just have some major concerns standing in their way.. Hopefully miracles occur there as well! Which I know they will because this is his work!! :) Things are going good here as always! Can never complain! just workin hard each and every day! I love it! No greater satisfaction has come to my life thus far than devoting my time to the Lord. I've never been happier!! How I love my mission!! The other day I was reflecting upon some of the experiences and memories that have already been created on this sojourn and I was just in awe... Not only witnessing and realizing the growth I've made within myself but also the miracles in which I have witnessed in other's lives.. Things and moments that are priceless that will be forever cherished.. The relationships you also build with others and the love you feel for them as well I've never felt before.. They mean everything to you!! There is definantely nothing like being a missionary and a servant for our Master. I am humbled each and every day to see how he works through me as his instrument.. Definantely nothing has come from my behalf but it is all by His hands. And that is amazing to see.. Due to what I have witnessed and experienced while being in his service I know with my heart and soul that this is his work... This is his glory.. This is his church restored in these last days to shepard his children back unto him.. I'm so grateful to say that I am part of that very same work.. That I am his representative. My knowledge and testimony of this work is precious to me and it is something that I will forever hold dear.. I hope and pray that we all, each and every day, draw closer to him.. Not only will we come to know of him, but we will come to KNOW him.. He is personal and he is real.. I love him and I will forever serve him.. I love you all and pray that you may all continue to witness his blessings and his love.. He does love you, more than you can comprehend.. Well!! I love you all heaps!!!!! :) Keep on keepin on!!! And know that this crazy cocunut down here will always love all of you!!! Arohanui & OFALAHIATU!!!!!! :):):) Love Elder Devey:)

June 17,2012 Kia Ora!!

Hi everybody!! Elder Devey here!! :) Good to be back once again! I hope you all had a wonderful week this past week and that the Lord is blessing you greatly!! :) a quick couple of shout outs!! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! :) My ol man deserves it!! Love you pops!!! Also congrats Krystal and Ben on the new baby girl on her way!!!! :) LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! This week was yet another eventful week to say the least!! Lotta things happened!! It was quite crazy really! One of the craziest for that matter!! Startin from the beginning pday was super fun!! :) We had a barbeque with one of the districts! The elder told his ward he was getting transferred even though he wasn't so that members would bring over a feed! haha so we had a massive bbq and than went and played touch! It was super fun!! :) A really really good pday!! Than on Tuesday we had to do another zone training again!! lol it was really fun though because I really love our zone! The missionaries are all so awesome! So we had that big meeting and than after that we got pics with the whole zone that i'll have to send! They're such an awesom bunch!! That day was another good day! Super busy with appointments and other things! Just getting things ready for transfers!! And than we got the call early as usual!! Elder Afa was to be leaving over to Tamaki and I'm staying here!!! :) I was pumped because I absolutely love this area and ward!! It's been my favorite hands down!!! My new comp was to be Elder Whipple!! :) haha I was absolutely shocked by that!! He was in the zone for ages and was a district leader. We got super close with each other and heaps of fun!!! When I heard it was him I was like no way!!!!! So it's going to be super fun being with him! He's a hard worker and I've already enjoyed my time with him heaps thus far so we're really looking forward to it!! :) Finding out the news on the other transfers throughout the zone was quite sad though. A lot of missionaries that are just incredible were to be leaving:( So it was really hard to see them go! Wednesday the day before transfers was special! Elder Afa saying goodbye to all of our peeps was really sad! Hard to see my little tongan go!!! We were with each other for 3 months so it was tough to see my hombre depart!! I'll miss him that's for sure! but pumped to be with Elder Whipple! Elder Janson, Sister Perry, Elder Hibbard, some of my all time favorites left!!! So that was very sad and hard to see... But it's all good!! We're all super good mates now so i will see them again some time soon!! We were invited by members in Sister Perry's ward to go have lunch so we had a little goodbye lunch with those sisters!! Had some incredible, memorable times with them!! :) Than we got to eat heaps of Horse as well1!! Yay!!! My favorite!! Oh by the way tongans love to eat horse and dog!! I've had both many times on my mission and I'm not gonna lie it's sooooo good!!! :) Anyways so we gotta lot of food since Elder Afa was taking off and also he got him some gifts from our converts which was fun:) Than there was a massive baptism wednesday night in the tongan ward that we went to which was really fun!! Than transfer day came!!! So we did our usual gettin our wee little trailor and cruising around getting all the missionaries! Transfer meeting was really good!! I thouroughly enjoy those! Very exciting change is that's for sure!! I've learned that many times in the mission field. Elder whippie and I were ecstatic to be put back together! Trouble it is! Na jokes we're gonna work hard that's for sure!! :) And it was fun seeing all the amigos as always at transfers! Been awhile since I'd seen quite a lot of them! Was reunited with past companions that it will probably be the last time I see them before the end!! So that was special as it tends to be! Than Elder Whipple and I hit the ground runnin!! Went out there and did what we know best to do and that's to save souls!!! :) It's been super fun we really push eachother I feel so it's going to be a wonderful experience to grow and to finish strong!! I hope he's the one who gets the honor of pulling the trigger on me! just kidding that's a cruel way tosay it!! lol but seriously it'd be fun to finish with him!!! So it's been good!! One of the nights we had a pretty crazy experience!! So a few weeks back i chased this guy down on a bridge near our flat and we had a very intense conversation. Not in a bad way but his whole family basically passed away in the last few weeks and he's a Christian man but was very much so questioning God and his plan. So i had a great opportunity in teaching and testifying of the beautiful plan of salvation. We had a very good conversation and he was very sincere about reaching out and grasping one last resort of hope. Had a long lesson with him right than and there. Anyways we were to see him again sometime soon and the other night, because he only lives a few houses down, he came and knocked our door. We answered and he was drunk.. Obviously turning to alcohol to cope with his losses. But it was so strange the things he was saying and we felt hopeless because there was nothing we could do. He was saying how he was going to kill himself and in order to save his life we had to baptize him and there or else he would be damned, in his words!! He basically commanded us to dig a hole and to baptize him right than at 10 at night in our backyard!! We're like what the?! So we're trying to help him and get him out of there without him doing something serious and he starts getting hostile and even gets into our flat!!! It was crazy as!! But we were finally able to get him out of there!! But we're gonna go try to catch him sober and than we'll baptize him in the coming weeks hopefully:) but that was pretty exciting, guess you'd have to be there, so i thought I'd tell you about it!! So many crazy things happen on the mission it's not even funny!! Everyday I swear!! The experiences are SOOOOO much fun I can't get over it!! You see a lot as a servant of the Lord that's for sure... But I LOVE IT!!! :) And the experiences and situations are intense as!! They're very much so real! You learn so much oh my I can't get over it!!! Everyday of my mission I have cherished! How I love it so much!!! :) Elder Whipple is a full on cowboy to say the least!! :) haha it is SO funny!! He's just like Elder Spence! The other day what we did is we took a mower and weed wacker around with us in our car and in our shirts and ties we just got out there and mowed investigators lawns!!! :) haha but stubborn whippie wouldn't use the weed wacker so i had grass all over me all day!! But he likes to get down and dirty and is very good and doing service and things! So that softened quite a few hearts and we're having a baptism again in 2 weeks now because of it!!! Yeeehaw!!! :) haha So it's been super good!! I'm enjoying it very much!! I loved Elder Afa and all but it's nice to have someone I can legitly talk to! My islander comps haven't been the best at English so not much venting or discussing would happen! But Elder Whipple and I get a long great so we talk heaps it's great!! So I'm looking forward to this transfer that's for sure!! And also on Saturday we went to quite a few baptisms throughout the zone which was really fun!! Nothing I love more than watching the Bappis!!! :) Oh!!! Than on Sunday!! It was a very good sunday!! Experienced quite a few miracles as always I suppose!! :) But at out Stake Center here we had I swear the biggest come and see fireside New Zealand has EVER seen!!! Jonah Lomu, a legendary New Zealand All Black, was baptized a few months back and he spoke! The chapel is MASSIVE and it was completely and utterly packed! People we're stuck standing outside and there were cars as far as the eye can see!! People showed up 4 hours prior!! And why it was so crazy it was up to Elder Whipple and I to set everything up!!! Took ages and than we also had to take everything down as welll it was pretty intense!!! So it was a late night last night:) It was super fun though! Great experience he's a good man!! But I recall general conference at the same stake centre where the prophet spoke and I don't remember that many people... Come on New Zealand!!! A bit worldly I suppose!!! I'd rather listen to a prophet than a sports star any day!!! All good though so it was fun:) And I'm gettin sick!! :( Haven't been sick in ages so that's no bueno!!! Oh well all else is well!!! Well I love ya'll heaps!!!! OFA LAHI ATU!!!!! :) Arohanui Elder Devey

June 10, 2012

And another one bites the dust!!! :) Bonjourno!! Oh! My bad wrong language! Fakalofa Lahi Atu!!! :) hi everybody!! Can't believe another week gone!! They just fly by it's not even funny I tell ya! Quite scary really! How art thou?! I hope all is well and everyone is doing just fabulous! Can I tell ya I miss and love you guys all very much and as always I thank you for your love, support, and prayers in my behalf.. It makes significant diff

erences so please keep them coming I need them!! :) Well! Let's get down to business before the Huns arrive! ha jokes!! Mondays oh mondays... Preparation Day they call it! It was pretty good!! Let's see, what did we do? OH ya the usual! Just wiped the floor with some kiwis in basketball as usual! Just kidding I lost my game(if I ever even had game!) But ya we played ball with members and the missionaries again and than took off to the Mount once again! Woooo!! Nothing like walking up a green hill for no apparent reason! lol No but seriously it was pretty fun! a nice relaxing pday! Just the right medicine! :) Than that night we had Tania, Rebecca, and Mata's first family home evening at their home ran by them!! It was awesome!! :) A lot of fun!! Love the converts in this area! They're all incredible!! So that was really fun:) Let's see than on Tuesday we had district meeting! Ran around visiting the meetings doing our little thing! Pretty exciting I know! A missionary cracked her tooth so we had to help her with that! Let's see talkin the oral side of things also an Elder had to go get some teeth all fixed up so me and him went on a little trip out of the zone to do so! yay!! Got back and than our wonderful, faithful Elder Dyumthi flew in once again!! :) So we treated him to New Zealand's favourtie KFC!!! Than we went and saved souls!! It's always fun being with him he's a great missionary! You guessed it the next morning we had Zone Leader Council. They just come and go it's unreal! It was a really fun council! We didn't have to bring heaps of things and the topics were just wonderful! A big concern that we have been seeing in the mission was finally answered and everyone opened up quite a lot on it! So some big changes are going to be happening it's very exciting!! So it was a really fun effective council! I love going to them they're always so good! Than after that the continuation of saving souls! Took Elder Dyumthi back to the airport to fly back to Gisborne. Than we traveled to my greenie area again so that Elder Afa could do a tongan interview for some baptismal candidates. Got back from that and had a few lessons and than called it another day!! :) On Thursday we had MTC tradeoffs once again! Yay!! It was a really fun one!! I went with an Elder from Hong Kong named Elder Wu! He was the man!! had a lot of fun with him!! It was special because we gave many priesthood blessings that day and he hadn't given any prior so it was a really good experience for him he was pumped afterwards! As usual we went and helped Sister Perry and Taotua with some blessings for people in their area! It's weird but we always end up helping them or being around them! lol all good though they're awesome sisters and incredible missionaries for that matter! Friday was another usual friday with zone and weekly planning and saving souls!! So it was really good as well!! :) But Saturday was incredible!! Guess who got married?!?! Ally and D!!!! Now they got the eyes set on the temple!! They're so awesome!! Some of my favorite converts that's for sure!! But due to their crazy anti-mormon parents they were forced to do their wedding in the free church of tonga. Some other random islander church!! The service, to say the least, was not edifying or spiritually uplifting in the least.. Not to be too critical!! haha it was sad to it seemed like they weren't too happy.. But they are now that they're married they just didn't want to do it that way! And the whole thing was in Tongan and Ally doesn't even speak tongan it was sad!! lol But now they're keeping a commandment and their eternal progression is in full steam ahead!! :) So we are well pleased!! If we never met them and brought the message of the restored gospel I don't think they would be anywhere near this point. They were living a pretty hard life but it's so amazing to see the changes they have made and their dedication to live the gospel and to follow Christ!! :) After that we attended to a few baptisms throughout the zone like usual on Saturdays!! Always a blessing and very enjoyable! It's funny when we have to preside at baptisms it's always awkward!! haha We've had to do that with a few lately because some bishops being useless!! More blessings for us I suppose!! Sunday was another day of miracles and tender mercies!! :) Quite a lot of our new investigators attended church with us on Sunday which is always wonderful! A new family we're teaching the Melekiola family, a father and mother with a son:) Also just heaps of our other mates! Even some nonmembers that members brought! It's beautiful when the members help out and fulfill their roles and do missionary work!! That's been a major blessing in this area!! :) Than we had a feed and a fireside at our chapel that we got a few people too!! Speaking of firesides!! The only rugby player I even knew back home who of course is a massive deal here, Jonah Lomu, was baptized into the church!!! :) A few months back I believe on the South Island!! And next week at our stake center here in Mangere he is going to be speaking at a fireside!!! There is going to be HEAPS of people it's not even funny!!! Only the greatest All Black of all time!! So that's going to be an awesome finding opportunity! I imagine there will be many many nonmembers there! So that will be super exciting!!! :) This week we're gonna have another zone training with the zone that we'll be running!! Yay!! More trainings! lol and than we got transfers on Thursday! So don't know what's in store! We'll see what happens! Maybe I go to my last area or I stay in here for the long haul! WE'll see!!! But besides that I love you all heaps and hope and pray you have a wonderful week!!! May the Lord bless you abundantly and watch over you in all your doings! With much love!!! Arohanui!!! :) Love Elder Devey

June 3, 2012

Hello hello!!!!!! :) Hi everyone!! It's good to hear that you're all doing well and that life is going awesome as always!! Hey guess what I miss you guys like always! But I'm fine with where I'm at here! I'm loving it to death always have and always will!!! :) Well I hope that all is going great for you guys back home and that you're seeing the hands of the Lord in your life abundantly!! Cause he's there ya just gotta look for him!!! Let's get into it shall we?! Another awesome week as they all are!!! :) So last pday was actually pretty lame! Nothing to exciting really happened! We just got really caught up in errands and stuff! Those pdays are the worst when you don't even get to change out of your pros!! lol But it was alright I guess we got things done that we really needed to! Had a fun productive evening as well so it was all good! On Tuesday we didn't have district meeting cause we were having a specialized training from President on Thursday. So on Tues we did some trade offs with missionaries!! :) I went with Elder Apelu in my old area Papatoetoe!!! :) Always fun coming back to my old areas, so that was really good!! Than on Wednesday we went on another trade off!!! :) Went with the Tongan elders this time. I stayed in our area with Elder Heliki! It was fun as!! :) He's an awesome elder we really had fun with each other! It's fun being around missionaries you really get along with and working with them! On that trade off we went and gave a blessing for a member in Sister Perry and Sister Taotua's ward. It was a pretty intense experience due to the circumstances. But we were very grateful that we were worthy and prepared for the call. And the next night we gave another one!! :) My testimony of the priesthood has strengthened greatly throughout my mission.. It is very real and powerful. This poor sister in the second situation almost committed suicide that evening. The same sisters were prompted to change plans and to visit her unexpectedly and they saved her life.. I was asked to give her a blessing thereafter. It's an experience I'll never forget. There's nothing like being an instrument in the Lord's hand, fulfilling his will, and acting in his name and authority. As of late we've had to give a great number of blessings. Which has been a great blessing for us. I love representing the Savior on a mission!!!! :) So we had some powerful experiences this last week!! Everyday can be powerful and full of miracles if we but believe!!!! :) After our baptism last week we are continuing to strive to find more souls whom are prepared!! We're teaching many great people but we gotta get moving!! We wanna bring more souls unto Christ!!! :) So we've been doing all we can to find more people!! Getting out the bikes more and using the members heaps more! They've been a great help and support! I love this ward!! Such beautiful people here!! I'm so grateful to be serving alongside them all!! Let's see... Things with me personally!! Guess what!? I think I'm officially and finally going on a diet for the first time ever in my life!! So it's quite the milestone!! Me and Sister Perry were talking and because it's towards the end we're now competing with each other to see who can lose the most weight!! lol it just started today!!! :) My test is just to see if going on a diet is even possible here in the New Zealand Auckland Mission!!! You would all be, to say the least, astonished exceedingly or even beyond all measure to see what we eat day in and day out!! It is not healthy that's for sure!! I'm shocked to even see that I'm still living after this consistent eating habits I've had for almost 2 years!! haha :) But hopefully I can get Elder Devey back to his former glory!! lol So that's something new and exciting! Perhaps it won't last for to long! I'm to in love with the islander food I can't help it!! :) Like the other day we had a feed at Elder Afa's cousins house and I destroyed everyone!! Everyone says I'm islander just palangi!! I'm sad to say the panda express, cafe rio, and other such utah joints will not be satisfying anymore after the mission! haha good thing it's just me and the parentals when I get back, they should be able to afford me!! haha alright maybe i'm exaggerating! But yes I do need to go on a diet and I am! it's a new day!!! :) lol Oh ya!! On thursday we had that training with Prez and our zone! It was funny because we prepared this massive legit training and he said he was gonna take just 10 minutes... Nek minute!!! Hour and a half later it's time to go and he gives us 5 minutes!!! haha but it was all worth it he gave us awesome counsel and advice as always!! I've come to love our mission president greatly!! He and his family are absolutely wonderful!! You can see the progression he has already made since he began his mission! It's incredible!! How serving the Lord changes and refines us all:) We've been doing heaps of trade offs and companionship studies with the missionaries throughout the zone! Goodness I love them all to death! We've got some amazing missionaries here! It's been so much fun serving with them!!! :) So ya things are going great here as always!!! Just thrusting in our sickle, putting our shoulder to the wheel, and joining the ranks!! :) All that good stuff!!! Nothing but blessings, love, and joy am I receiving in my life as of late!! And I know it will keep coming if I am faithful and do my part!! Well ya'll I love ya heaps and wish the best for all of you!!! :) Have a miraculous week and may the Lord be with you all!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Ofa Atu Elder Devey