Week 54: Billabong Surf watching, dinner with the Orbecks, and exercising patience and faith.

Hi everyone! This week was super great!

On Monday after emailing and reports we drove down the Teahupoo to watch the BILLABONG PRO! It was so sick! The Billabong Pro is the world's biggest surfing competition, so we saw surfers like Kelly Slater and Gabriel Madina. It was so awesome! We showed up thinking that we would just watch from the shore, but no! A guy came up to us and was like, "Are you guys looking for a boat?" So he totally gave us an amazing discount and we went out on the boat to watch the surfers. 

When we got there, we totally saw another zone of missionaries on another boat. It was Elder Loamanu and his zone! So our guy moved us to like the front row of all the boats! It was so crazy! It makes me want to go and surf haha...I guess I'll have to come back to do that in another year!

We had our multi zone conference on Wednesday and it went from 9:00-4:00 in the afternoon but it was super awesome. I love these conferences because they get me pumped and totally recharged for missionary work! It's honestly like Christmas because you get a bunch of new ideas and new things you can try with your investigators and you can't wait to try out your new gift!  Elder Elledge, my old companion, and his companion (zone leaders of Papeete) gave a lesson. It was super funny because Elledge is just a pretty funny guy haha! Then the assistants spoke to us and then we ate lunch. President and Sister Bize gave a lesson too, and it was super uplifting and great.

Thursday was another normal day of lessons and we got down to business!

We had our district meeting on Friday and our zone had a pretty tough week so we went and got everyone banana shakes and brought it to them later that night.  This is a tough zone with some work that needs to be done, but we are going to get there.  We just talked to each of them a bit more about their areas and what they can do the get things moving forward. It was a good experience and hopefully it helped a bit. 

Then we got together with the Orbecks!! It was great to see the family I taught in my first area, Fa'aripo. They invited us to dinner so we went to go eat...like we will pass up a dinner invitation! Haha! They talked about their trip to Utah and they loved it! Thanks for taking them around and making them feel welcome. 

That night I ate Sashimi which is awesome! It's pretty much just raw fish with this amazing sauce. It's my favorite food here and also the Poisson Cru which is like raw fish in a salad thing.  It was super amazing!  

On Sunday we fasted for our area and zone and went to church.  Then we did the numbers for our zone and did more lessons.  It was a good day.

This week I really learned that I need to have patience with God and trust that things need to happen when the time is right. This area is a little bit harder that the others I have been in so far.  I'm not really sure why it struggles, but Paxman and I have been working so hard and things don't seem to be going our way.  We are just a bit stressed! But after the fast that we decided to do, the members started giving us more referrals and wanted to come to lessons with us. It may seem like just a small thing, but now we know that the Lord is with us in our work!! Sometimes we need to develop patience even with our Father in Heaven.  He will always bless us for our work and our efforts but he blesses us in is own time and way; we just have to keep pressing forward in faith and the Lord will do the rest!

Have a great week!

Elder Boyd

Week 53: RLDS Shake and Bake, Barfuss Rocks Mo'orea

Hey everyone! 

This week was crazy busy but good! Ha!

On Monday after emailing we had a massive basketball tournament with all the missionaries. It was in Papeete and it was super fun because I got to see so many Elders that I haven't seen for a long time. I saw Elders Terry, Sovereign, Harrah, Loamanu, Hill and others. Just my really good friends from the mission and the MTC...it was fun.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were busy days with lots of lessons. This week we set a goal to commit 5 people for baptism and we had a lot of good potential and success! We had an interesting lesson with the T. family. They are members of the RLDS church, so in the lesson we talked about the priesthood and the dad totally Bible bashed us with the D&C and it was the  weirdest thing ever!!! He totally quoted verses in the D&C that he thought would prove that prophets had to be in the family line of Joseph Smith only. It was so strange but we still felt we should say a prayer with them so we all got on our knees and the dad said the prayer. It was honestly super sincere, and when the prayer was over the man just sat there for maybe like 10 minutes just thinking (seriously). 

Then we felt the Spirit get super strong, and I felt I should offer the baptism commitment. So I just said it.  He was surprised and then said while he was sitting there thinking he thought about Mormons and he felt nothing, and then when he thought RLDS, he started to tremble and shake and stuff like that. It was the weirdest thing ever. We know the Spirit was there, so he was either not being truthful or he felt something that was not the Spirit, because the Spirit does not work like that. So Pax and I decided that we are going to take them to go see the temple on Friday. There was something special when we were teaching them so we will not give up. So yeah, pray for us on that one!

Friday was actually my one year mark, holy moly man! It has honestly gone by so fast! It has been so awesome. So on Friday I got to go to Moorea for the weekend to do splits with the Elders in Paopao. Paopao is the pretty part of Moorea and it was so great. I did a split with Elder Firuu, and we set a baptism for next week! I got to do the baptism interview and it was a really good day.

On Saturday I did a split on the other side of Paopao with Elder Hollowell. Just a week ago Elder Barfuss (Easton) was serving there. He had served there for six months, and man did that kid make a difference in Moorea! All of the investigators and members talked about Elder Barfuss. They knew that we went to high school together, so we talked about Elder B all day. He did really well there, what a great thing to see. That night I spoke to Barfuss on the phone for like an hour and a half just to let him know what a great job he had done. I miss that kid so much! We joked that we have avoided each other on our missions because just as he got transferred and I would have been able to see him, I immediately got transferred to Bora! And when I finally got transferred back, he goes back out to an island far away. Haha! I haven't seen him since we left the MTC! But we talk often and I was happy to hear of his success. 

While we were out that day we contacted a funny little lady and she said that it was fate that we went up to see her because no one ever goes to her house. She lives high up in the mountains and we really had to search her out...I think she was pretty excited to see that there were still humans on the island...ha!  We had a great visit with her.

Sunday I went to church in Moorea and then headed back to Tahiti with Elder Paxman. The ward mission leader in Moorea is absolutely legendary. He has been the ward mission leader for 19 straight years, and he is basically a full-time missionary. He goes with the missionaries almost every day, and works and hangs with us all until 9:00 at night. He is a man loved and known around the whole island.  What a great example! 

It was a really great weekend. It was cool the see more of Moorea. It reminds me of Bora Bora. It really was a great experience and I would love to get the chance to serve there during my mission. It was really cool to see the changes that Elder Barfuss had made in Moorea, he should be pretty happy with the job he did serving the people there.

Have a great week and love you all!

Elder Boyd

HUMP DAY!!

Elder Boyd reached the HALF-WAY point of his two-year mission this week.  Hooray!!

Here's a video recap from the photos he has shared through the first year.

https://vimeo.com/178559741

Package from home ...

Week 52: Leadership meeting, big area goals, and learning to submit your will to God's will

Bonjour!

Another great week in Tahiti....here are the best details!

Last Monday we spent the day in Moorea. It was super dope.  We just spent time and talked to the Elders there, who are in our zone, so we get to always stay in contact with those guys! We had the chance to tour that island and it's super pretty!  It's just a chill little island, and reminds me of Bora Bora. After that, we had FHE with a great family and a few investigators.

On Tuesday we started out the work week with some pretty good and effective lessons.  An investigator I really like named Jims (not Jim, but Jims) had a great lesson with us. He only has four fingers in total. I'm not sure what happened, but he is super nice, and super interested in the gospel!  It's fun teaching him because he gets it! He bore his testimony about how God tests our faith in order to give us blessings. Every missionary wants to teach an investigator like him!  What a great guy!

Wednesday was kind of a slow day.  We had a bunch of lessons planned but a lot of them fell through.  We were able to have a few lessons but we really need to work this new area.

Then on Thursday we had our "conseille des dirigeants".  It's the "council of leaders" meeting. It is a meeting with all of the zone leaders and the assistants and President and Sister Bize. It was an awesome meeting, I saw a lot of my good missionary buddies, like Elders Drugeon, Elledge, Dalton, Duncan, Lo'amanu, and Hill. It was cool to see them there and to talk to them all. 

In the meeting we talked about our roles as leaders in the mission, and how we can help our zone. I learned that for the moment Arue isn't doing too hot, But Elder Paxman and I are really looking for some things that can help to turn this new area around! The meeting was perfect...we got such good ideas and that will help our zone! We were in the meeting from 9-3 in the afternoon so yeah, you can tell how focused our president is on the missionary work! It's cool to be a part of all that, and to just talk about missionary work for the whole mission.  It's definitely a lot more work but it's super awesome. Then we had English class, and this lady said that I looked like Brian from Fast and Furious, so yeah Paul Walker haha! It's the third time I have been told that in the last few months!

Friday was our Zone Meeting, so Elder Paxman and I had to teach the lesson and we decided to talk about the potential of the zone, and what we can do.  We set a goal together, and our goal is to have 10 baptisms in the zone before September 15th! After the meeting Paxman and I called the Stake President and set a meeting with him so that we can try and get some support from the stake!

Saturday was a busy day and we had a bunch of lessons and it was super good. On Sunday we went to church and after that we did our numbers for the zone. Then we had a meeting with the stake, and it was a super good meeting. We talked about our goal, and the stake is super excited about all of it. I think they are really going to help us out, by motivating the bishops and going to visit our investigators with us so they will feel part of the ward family. So we are super excited for the future of this zone and feel like we have set up a pretty awesome plan!!

Today we are going to play basketball in Papeete with everyone on Tahiti...I'm super pumped! I'll get to see so many of my old mission buddies! It's been a long time.

To be honest, it's super weird to be back in Tahiti.  I miss Bora a lot, but I know that the Lord needs me here working for this sector and zone.  I learned a lot this week. The main thing that I learned is to submit  all of your will to God! If we can accept that God knows best, it'll be so much easier to follow Him, and we will be guided to what needs to be done. If we do this, we will have peace in our lives and will move the work forward.

Have a good week and love ya!

Elder Boyd

Week 51: So many came to say Goodbye ... Leaving my heart in Bora Bora with no regrets

Hey everyone...this was quite a week!

This past Monday was my last P-Day on Bora and after emailing we had to help do some stuff for the car and then I got my hair cut and played my final game of Bora basketball. It was a good time!

Tuesday was my last official day in my area. We worked super hard and we got a bunch of lessons done, I was proud of my last day in my area. I wanted to give it my all to the very end. Then my replacement came, which pretty much means I got kicked out of my area so that the new elder and Elder Rybin could start working together and transition as quickly as possible. I had to go and work in Anau for a couple of days and it was really fun.

On Wednesday I was in Anau with Elder Lewis for the day and that night Elder Brunet allowed me to go and say goodbye to some of my members. We ate with Steeve and Aloha that night and it was great to spend one of my last nights with them. Thursday was the same; we worked during the day and at night I got to say goodbye to a few more members. For lunch Craig wanted me to come to his restaurant (Bloody Mary's) and eat a burger with him before I left. That was pretty awesome. Craig is a great guy and I'm gonna miss him! We ate dinner that night with Ioane and Purea and they were so great.

Friday was the big day...it came so quickly. That morning we went to the dock to go and wait for the boat to take me to the airport. When we pulled up, all of the members were there and all of the people I had taught and baptised over the past six months! I was sooo happy, because I actually got to say goodbye to everyone! 

Papi Atiu brought his ukulele and played the "Bora Bora Song" and the "Goodbye Song" and they all sang along. I was just overwhelmed! 

Then they all came to me one by one and gave me a hug...I can't even explain how I felt. And then I went to the boat. It was a good feeling to see everyone who I loved on that last day! 

I love the people of Bora Bora and I have loved being on this island.  When I first arrived on Bora in January I was amazed by the blue water and the pretty mountain and the landscape; everything was so beautiful and i was amazed by all that I saw. But when I was on the boat looking at the water and the mountain and this island for the last time for a little while, I realized it had become much more than just a beautiful island to me. It's hard to explain but Bora was 1000 times more beautiful than the first time I laid eyes on this island! I'm gonna miss Bora Bora so much, but I honestly wasn't sad because I'm leaving with no regrets. I did everything that I could on that island and I'm proud of what the Lord has helped me to do here, and I thank the Lord so much for the experience he gave me.

So when I arrived in Tahiti, I met my companion, Elder Paxman.  He is a great guy. He is soooo Canadian, hahaha, but he works hard and we are gonna be doing our best to help everyone in our zone. Then I saw the Orbeck family waiting for me right there at the airport! It was so awesome to see them again...I have really missed them!

Saturday we immediately got to work and headed out for lessons. It was a good day for my first in the area.  It's always a little strange to adjust to a new area and try to learn all of the names of the people, but give me about a week and then we will really be on a roll. I'm just trying to soak it all in so that I can learn quickly!

It was exciting to attend my new ward on Sunday here in my new area of Aru'e.  It is smaller than my ward on Bora, but it's pretty great, and the people are super nice! After church we had to do the numbers and stuff for our zone.  There is a lot to do, but it's good. It's cool to watch and see all of the numbers of the mission and to see the progress and what can be improved so that we can all do our very best.

I'm excited for the week ahead.  Until next P-day...

Love ya!

Elder Boyd

Week 50: Last full week on Bora; I'm going to miss these people!

This was another great week!

On P-day we played basketball again. It was so fun! There were so many people there, we've started quite the tradition and yeah, I love the group of people that we play with; it's super fun! After that we had FHE with a great little inactive family, and it was awesome. We talked about the restoration and it was a really great time. 

Tuesday was a busy day, like every Tuesday! We headed out for our first lesson, and then Elder Rybin got super sick, it was kinda freaky because he turned super pale, and I was worried. We went straight to Papi Pierre's house for a blessing. He did the anointing and then I did the sealing and blessing. Papi was happy because it was the first time he has given a blessing to an Elder! Rybin seemed much better, so later that day we taught our lesson to Aaron and invited him to be baptized.  He is going to pray and think about it, and I hope he feels good about everything. He's great. We will see him tomorrow so we will get the news...pray for him!

We did exchanges on Wednesday and Elder Heiata was in my area with me. It was a good day; I learned some cool things from him. His situation is interesting since he is from Raiatea, the island right next to Bora, so he can see his home from here everyday! I think that would be super tough, but he's a good Elder. 

We had our District Meeting on Friday and we talked about our areas and how we can help them get better and be more efficient missionaries.  It was my turn to give a small lesson, so I taught about the importance of teaching to make the investigator understand, it was pretty good, and ran smoothly. Then we went to Matira Beach to one of the good restaurants, because we knew that Elder Ruff and I were probably going to leave on this transfer. It was super good!! We finished the day with a bunch of lessons... it was a good day.

That night we received transfer calls, and I am leaving just as I thought. I will be heading back to Tahiti, to be a Zone Leader in a town called Aru'e. My new companion's name is Elder Paxman, and he has been out for almost 21 months. He and I will be Zone Leaders for the zone of Aru'e, and we will be serving in the neighborhood of Tahara'a! I will be in a car now for the first time in a year! It will be a little break from the bike, haha! I will be leaving Bora Bora on Thursday morning. 

Sunday I felt sad, because it was my last Sunday with the ward here. During sacrament meeting, I had the blessing of seeing Warren, Steeve, and Sylvain (3 of my recent converts) blessing the sacrament together. It was amazing to see their spiritual growth, and their change of heart from when I first met them. I felt truly humbled to see them there together blessing the sacrament in our little ward, and I feel grateful that with the Lord's help I was able to be an instrument in helping build the kingdom on this beautiful island! The past few months have flown by and I can't believe how the gospel has changed the lives of so many. 

So yeah, I'm really gonna miss Bora Bora. Spending six months on this small island talking to people about the gospel was an awesome experience for me. Bora has become my second home, and there will always be a place in my heart for this beautiful island. I'm going to miss the people here the most. This island is so amazingly pretty, but it is the people of this island that have made it a beautiful and special place to me!

Have a good week. I love you all!

Elder Boyd