Week 53

November 22, 2021

I 'OFA (love) THE TONGAN WARD

Update for this week:

We went to a funeral this week because they asked Sister Malu to play the piano, and the chorister Mele secretly ate an Almond Roca, very low key XD she like got it out and unwrapped it very slowly then put the wrapper away and then left it in her hand for a minute. Then she like casually covered her face with part of her shawl and "coughed" and when she uncovered her face again she was chewing

Tongans are very good at eating haha

We went to a Relief Society activity where they were making wreaths, and it was super fun! They also had food there, they had like 2 big pans of pasta, and garlic bread, and soda, and salad, and then brought out peach cobbler too! I saw this little old lady (like TINY, maybe 5' 2" or something) PILE pasta onto one plate and then have another plate FULL of salad and bread. Crazy haha. They sent us home with the leftover bread.... we have like 4 or 5 garlic bread baguettes in our fridge

It's so funny because they have SO MUCH FOOD and then they expect it to ALL get eaten, and they try to have us take home as much as they can give us but we have to say no because we do not have that much space in our normal-sized fridge

We put someone on date this week!!! Her name is Kaydence, she's 9 years old, her mom's a less active member but her dad's not, so we've basically been teaching the whole family. It's awesome!

ALSO we had a musical fireside yesterday, and it was AMAZING!!!! It was super funny because there were a lot of people earlier, at church, that were like "oh yeah I have a musical number ready so you can put me in the program" and then we had to be like "actually the program is already set and printed, sorry". Tongans are so funny

SPEAKING OF LAST MINUTE lol this is HILARIOUS. Ok so we went to church, as you do, and it was all in Tongan and I only understood the few english words they said (like Sister Hale, Sister Malu, Come Follow Me, musical fireside, etc) and so we were going about the program and we get to the sacrament and they've already passed the bread and they're passing the water, and we get this text from Bishop: "can you please let Sister Hale know she will be bearing her testimony before Brother Vea?" And it was SO FUNNY but also the worst so like literally one minute late I stood in front of the whole congregation and read a couple verses of scripture and bore my testimony on missionary work, the whole situation was just so funny

Scripture of the week:

Alma 26:15-16

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

Funny Quotes:

• "It's a ghost! She's so white!" -Sifa

• "My favorite color is teriyaki" -Mama

• "I was named after my dad's great-grandfather's brother; he only had 2 brothers and he married a white lady from London and he was favored among the people because he was good at riding horses" -Po'unga going off about doing genealogy

Fun Fact:

Glass is a viscous liquid