a woman named Angry Birds

November 20, 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

Yes, our newest ami is named Angry Birds.  Her parents saw the hype before the world did --haha. Well, her name is actualy Manupatia, which means literally angry birds, or just wasp.  She tells me when I speak in English, that I talk like a hamburger ... hahaha not sure what that means.

Amis here in Papeari are pretty funny, but I have felt the constant, quiet but real testifying of the spirit in our lessons. 

We have a quieter, 40 year old man, named Ellie, who is enthused about life and his faapu, garden.  Half of his body was paralyzed a year ago but he said that when he started praying again, he found the strength to leave the hospital.  He is continually thankful for this new opportunity to walk.  This week we have seen the power of the spirit and the Book of Mormon working in him.  He is more open to obey the commandments, and now he has got to give up Weed.  

We met a new ami who just had her first child. She is an awesome mix of sassy Tahitian and humble, open-hearted ami.  Despite the crazy crazy false ^^deep doctrine that the member teaches, she is still super solid.

^^deep doctrine:  Moroni took a boat and established an Island in Africa.  Or there can only be American prophets, or that we CANNOT celebrate the 25th December because that was not really the day that the Christ was born, and if we continue to celebrate it, then we are Catholics hahahaha. 

Our DMP (WML), Papi Tautu, is like our honorary grandpa.  Sr Keyes and I laugh and laugh with this crazy man :)

Yes, the Polynesian hospitality lives strong in this city.  Despite every humble circumstance, the members continue to invite us over to eat with them.  A family this week invited us into their 15ft by 6ft home, broken plywood walls and floors, to share a meal with their two kids. I hope you all are tracking down the missionaries in your area and keeping them full!! 

My companion is a steady, loving Canadian, named Sr Keyes :) 

Tender Mercy: When we had two lessons in the same hour and so we found one member to do a split with Sr Keyes and the second member was harder to find.  We passed by a house, where the member had just got home from a long day at the temple and laid down to rest.  We showed up and asked if she could come.  She shook off the sleep, ran Inside threw on a skirt, and walked immediately over with me to the lesson.  She also invited her whole family, drunks and all for their night to eat with us.  She is fired up to do missionary work and help us. 

In our sector we are seeing the ward community gearing up to do missionary work.  The bishop especially is ready to go.  He is giving us his third reference this week! We continue to work with the 3 powerful ward missionaries on splits. 

​I'm sweaty often out here.  It is more humid and rains everyday, but it is a good place to be.  We don't have any baptisms fixed, but is God still a God of miracles?  Yes, the day of Miracles has not ceased :):)

I love you all!

Love,

Souer Spencer

​Made a ping pong table with my bed:)

Cannabalism is old news

Nov 13th, 2017

Dear Family and Friends

Sector of Papeari= getting soaking wet.  We are in a rainy, jungle sector.  Good thing I'm an Oregonian, born and raised ;)

I met three powerful, humble, dedicated families who work with us whenever they can here.  Gosh, I love them so much. Our dear Clem, an ancient missionaire is our constant 3 companion. Best way to put it, she is spilling over with the love of Christ.

 

This week I was reminded of the deep and lasting impact that members have in the lives of nonmembers.  For good and bad.  Several amis here will not continue the lessons because they have seen members of the church living very unworthily.  Not only does our example influence our family and neighbors but it influences the chance that others have to accept the gospel.  We will never live perfect lives, but I am sure we can live more worthily.  We all are wearing a badge with the Savior's name on it.  Continue to repent, continue to share all that God has given you. 

We did have a lesson with an ami who comes from the Marquises.  She did most the talking though, This week she had to tell her daughter the truth..., that their family
​comes from a line of cannibals  She then asked a lot of questions about the legality of cannabalism :/ yeesh, don't want my parents to pull me aside to have a talk about our cannibalistic ancestors.

We did have a baptism. Um, it took 6x.  But luckily everyone was patient.

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New way to do knocking.  We drive through the jungle, all the dogs come and try to attack us.  We drive up on somebodies property, we yell Iorana! As loud as we can from out the window until someone comes and shoos the dogs away, then we come out of the car.  I like it. 

Our morning jogs are along the road and into Taravao.  We see little crabs scuttling over the road all the time, and our end destination is... the prison.  Super rad haha

We chase chickens out of our houses daily.  The houses are much humbler here.  One of our powerful members has a house of one room, made of plywood.  The walls are gaping in some parts.  This is a sink but no shower or toilet.  We ate with her and the other sister missionaries on her bed.  She loves the Savior and his work.  Pride is a dangerous thing for those of us who have all of our needs and a lot of our wants taken care of.  Stay humble please.

We are in a car now!

Thank you so much for visiting Sydnee and Audrey.  I love them both very much.  I miss my family crew!!

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Love,

Soeur Spencer

Started listening to David Archuletta's Christmas Album #nov1st

Nov 6th

Dear Family and Friends,

Hey you guys!! I love you all so much!!! Ah, I feel so sad for Shay-Lee.  My buddy! 

Thank so much for all the tender mercies!!! I loved it​​

After just 6 weeks in my last sector, I got transferred to the other side of the island, at Papeari.  We finished training Sr. Maitere, and she is ready to take on the sector.  The first girl I trained is now training someone else, which is super quick!  Means, that I am a grandma out here on the mission.  My new companion is named Sr. Keyes who is from Canada.  She and I are in a car, and I just need to work to be half as nice as her and I will probably make it just fine into the celestial kingdom.  Really looking forward to the time with her!

​Sr. Maitere and Brooke

This week's tender mercy was a lesson with a woman named Homie.  Her brother is a member who came with us also to the lesson.  Homie, has been through some crazy trials in her life, and her brother, this Papi Flores, takes so much time to help fix her home, bring her food, and spend time with her.  Despite the fact that his life was and still is super difficult and he is always in pain.  The joy that flies to his face when we talk about going by and visiting his family, to help them, teaches me how our Savior also probably feels when we visit his family. 

On a comical note. He also makes all the inactive family members sign up to feed the missionaries.  The missionaries are eating with three different members of his family this month haha.  He also also gives me dozens of bananas every time I see him.

​ Papi Flores

Had one of those fun, right before everything starts, "can you give the talk for the baptism" requests.  And when I got up to give it, I said enough pleading prayers that the spirit came and testified, and several people thanked me for the things that I shared.  That says nothing about me, but rather how exact the Lord blesses us, when we really call on him! 

Coincidence moment (but not really, #lords work) We had to do a Survey in another sector, and we kept meeting a lot of really cold people.  One of them, I convinced grudgingly to just answer quickly the 12 questions.  After every question he asked "are we done??" and then said he is not interested.  Well, the day of this baptism comes and my companion nudges me to tell me that this man is in attendance!  He was sitting right next to us, because his best friend, a new convert invited him.  He was so much more open this time around!! I hope to hear so that he started taking the lessons.  Moral:  Members can be so much more powerful missionaries than us the full-time missionaries!  

Love you all,

Soeur Spencer

​Sister Kohl and Brooke jogging

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Attachments area

October 30th 2017

​This great moment when Sr Maitere's one comb fell in the toilet. Her and I have bonded a lot this week :) :)

We have got our sassy Ami, Maire Antoinette, here at a ward dinner party

Here is my group of Sr's doing these stupid signs that the elders always do.  

We had the baptism for Herearii! We thought it was going to be for a later date but turns out when we called them to confirm for the next week, they told us they were doing it in 6 hours, that same day.  The bishop baptized him.  And voila, he's been baptized :) 

Went on a beautiful hike at Papeete, Fashoda I think was the name 

WE GOT TO SEE THE BAPTISM OF MAUD, HER HUSBAND TEVA AND THEIR DAUGHTER.  They deserve every bit of that happiness!!! There life has changed so much since that first day, when Sr Durrant and I were lost asking people where a Papi lives, Maud showed us around and we got her to agree to a lesson.  She was interested but didn't feel the spirit.  We worked so hard to bring the spirit the next few lessons and invited them to the temple, and it was there, talking about eternal families that they accepted and now, finally they got to enter the waters of baptism. Now they are going to move out and leave their home of bad influences and start again somewhere else.  Stay tuned for their Temple Sealing, 2018!!