Week 32: Ioane and Purea's wedding day

Hello Family and Friends! So this week was pretty great!

After emailing you on P-Day, we went over to the Atius' house and played a little sting-pong and that was so fun! It was awesome, and it reminded me of playing at home with Jack, B and Luke. Then we had a great FHE!

Tuesday we went out for lessons and visited Herenui but she was not there, probably still at work, so we left a note with a scripture to read and said that we would be by again next Tuesday!

Wednesday and Thursday: Great days, busy with lessons and searching out investigators followed by a District Meeting on Friday which was great fun. We have great Elders here.

Saturday was Ioane and Purea's wedding day and it was so great to see.  We were invited to attend all of the festivities and it was cool to see a Tahitian wedding from start to finish. First we went to a place called the "Marrie" where they do a bunch of government stuff. It's so they have the right witnesses and it's legal and stuff like that. Then they went to our church for their "blessing". It was nice to see...they looked cool walking in and Purea was crying.  I just wish they were in the temple! 

After that we had cake and other stuff and drank coconuts...it was way good! After that Elder Pulu and I ran to do a couple of lessons we had scheduled and to practice our song. We had to sing a song for them at the reception! The reception started at 7 and it was all "island like" and decorated pretty and the floor was all sand. We were actually seated at the table of honor with the couple (holy smokes) and the food was dang good! They had a bunch of dances and then came the songs...Elder Pulu had a guitar and I had the ukulele and we played and sang this song called "Madame Malo", it was pretty cool if I say so myself. This is the song, but we didn't record our playing and singing in French at the wedding. Gives you an idea though https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prMciq9R9iQ. Imaging me playing the ukulele on this one, haha.

Then they had Tahitian dancers come and lots of music. Then it was time for us to head home!

Sunday we went to church and then we got together for "Ma'a Tahiti" as a ward with Ioane and Purea, the new happy couple (this is a traditional meal with a large gathering of Tahitian families).  Boy they love their traditions and their food out here! 

That night we had a lesson that was especially cool.  There were these two younger, teenage girls there and one of them just looked right at us and said, "I wanna change!" That makes me happy because I know that if someone has the desire they really can change.  

So this week the highlight was witnessing the marriage of our investigator and a once-inactive member!  They are finally taking the steps they need to to get baptized and get on the path to the temple where they can truly be sealed forever! Ioane will be baptized soon, we should now be able to set a date, and a just over a year from now they will be at the temple being sealed!!!! 

At the wedding I was looking at our friends, the bishop, and the new couple and I thought to myself, "This all started with a little reference from a member!" Every one of our efforts in missionary work is important. A reference leads to small lessons that lead to the Spirit being felt in someone's life. This work is so important and the reward is eternal! This is truly the work of God!

Love,

Elder Boyd