"Welcome to Sapwalap ward, where you can eat and sleep in Heaven"

Highlights this week:

• Zone conference! The focus was on finding through members which is going to be so useful as we apply this training to our area. On Sunday we started applying and we reset expectations with our bishopric and auxiliaries and will be doing a ward wide fast for missionary work next week. 
• We locked our keys in our house and had to break in through a window. I'm sure we got a lot of funny looks from the members as my comp was boosting me up into the house. 
• On walking Wednesday, we walked down a long road we haven't explored much before. Almost every single dog went crazy running and barking at us and my comp almost got bit. It looked liked the dog was trying to bite her but just couldn't, like it was being held back. We also met a lot of interesting, semi-creepy people. When I talked to a member friend about it, she told me that we should never ever go down that road alone ever again, and we for sure will not. BUT we learned and we did actually find a couple less active women that need help which was good. Plus, it's always cool to see the ways Heavenly Father is protecting us. 
•  We met a cute 10 year old girl whose cousins are members and she really wants to take the lessons and be baptized. As we taught her a man came up and he looked really excited to see us and so he joined the lesson and we taught them about the restoration. We invited them to pray to know for themselves if what we taught is true and the man decided to bow his head and say a private prayer right there. He looked up and he was crying and I asked him what he felt and all he could do was put his hand on his heart and say "sair" which is touched. He is really excited to meet with us again and so are we!!

I know that Heavenly Father is so aware of each of His children. That's a concept a lot of these people don't understand, that Heavenly Father knows each of us personally, by name, and that He loves each of us personally. I'm so grateful for this knowledge and the knowledge I have of His beautiful, eternal plan for each of us. I love Him. I know Him. I trust Him. I seek to do His will. 

Sister Milne

I think that I am one of the happiest girls in all the world

I can't even remember everything that happend this week, it went by SO FAST! Here's some top moments:

1. Remember that french man from the airplane I had a great conversation with? Well I never actually gave him anything to do, like visit mormon.org or read the book of mormon. And I felt way bad about it, so I prayed to be able to run into him again. Two Mondays ago I ran into him at a restaurant, but he was with all his work friends and although I stopped and talked, I still didn't give him anything. So on thursday we ended up having district meeting in town (which we usually don't), and we ended up deciding to go to lunch (even though we weren't planning on it), and we ended up picking the restaurant that he was at. This time the spirit told me something along the lines of "I've given you 2 chances already, don't throw this last one away" so I wrote him a note, invited him to visit the france temple and mormon.org (I didn't have any english or french Book of mormons!) and he really appreciated it! Cool to see God's hand in the details and I'm grateful to Him for His patience and giving me so many chances.

2. There was a referral for a girl named Danya. We knew generally where she lived so we drove there. We got out of the car and felt impressed to talk to a woman on the road. She wasn't interested in our message, but she was able to tell us that Danya had recently moved further up in the jungle. So we headed out on a jungle path, led by the spirit. We reached a river in which a couple were doing their laundry and they were able to direct us a little further. We crossed two rivers and ended up on a path that led to an open area with several different paths. We picked the one that felt right and after walking for almost 10 minutes on the trail, ended up at a big local house. There was one girl sitting outside and it just so happened to be Danya. She was thrilled to see us and have a lesson and is now on baptismal date for March 10th. 

3. We had a super sweet member lady give us some local dresses, which can be viewed below. She gave us each one for our mothers and one for us. Hope you're ready to look like an 80's Island babe mom! 

There was numerous other tender mercies this week. White washing an area isn't easy, but this is the Lords work and He is absolutely directing it. I read a quote that I loved this week in the Liahona magazine by one of the Church's first female missionaries:

"I think that I am one of the happiest girls in all the world, and it is the gospel that makes me feel this way, for I do know that the gospel is true. I do know that God our Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, came down and brought the gospel and established it and spoke to the Prophet Joseph Smith. …

I feel that if I could live forever, I could never thank my Heavenly Father enough for the blessings that have come into my life, for the privilege of going out into the world and bearing this testimony, telling them of the gospel being restored, of the authority Christ has given to His servants, and of the blessings that are in store for those who listen to and obey the words of truth, life, and salvation. …"

I feel as if I could be the one saying these words! I am one of the happiest girls in the world and it is without a doubt the gospel that makes me feel this way. I love being His servant. 

Love,

Sister Milne

I Straight Out Wept

We really saw Heavenly Fathers leading and guiding hand this week as we got lost in sapwalap but somehow always ended up in the right place at the right time. We are trying to clean up a bit of what the Elders left behind, and also trying to have a fresh start. Also, this week was a lot of trying to figure out where people live and who is a member, nonmember, or less active. This means the work was a bit slow. But as our awesome ward mission leader, Brother Albert said, "this week you are walking, next week you will walk a little faster, 4 or 5 weeks and you will be running!" 

The ward is truly incredible. There's no way I will not gain weight because they feed us EVERYDAY! They all tell me they want to make me fat.....bring it on! I love food! 

Also the kids all sit around us everyday during language study and teach us pohnpeian and its so helpful and so fun. I LOVE THEM. 

I truly testify that the Lord works through the weak and the simple and in mysterious ways. This week we were teaching a teenage boy and his mother joined the lesson. We taught about the restoration and baptism and the mother was not very happy about any of it. After I invited them to read the Book of Mormon and promised them blessings if they would, she wrecked me on my pohnpeian. ( I now have a new motivation to study even harder!) It was the meanest anyone has talked to me so far on the mission. It mostly just broke my heart that she didn't understand the beautiful message because of my inefficiencies in the language. After a few minutes of ridicule, I asked if I could just share my testimony with her. As I bore my testimony, the spirit was so strong I straight out wept for the first time in a lesson. She felt the spirit, and felt really really bad afterward, so she promised to come to church. She showed up on Sunday with her 3 kids, they stayed for all 3 hours, and she even participated in relief society. I'm so grateful that Jesus Christ makes up the difference. If I try my best and do what I'm supposed to, He is always right there beside me. I love Him. I love His work. I love being His servant. I will do whatever He asks. 

Love,

Sister Milne

Guam: Friends and French Fries

Kamry was on the island of Guam this past week to pick up her new companion Sister Stewart from Las Vegas.  Kamry is now back on the island of Pohnpei in a new area.   She finally has hot showers!

This was a CRAZY week in Guam! Highlights:

• I was "back in civilization" as President Poston put it which means I got to eat at fast food restaurants, go to Kmart, drive on a real road, visit an actual beach, sit on a couch, walk with carpet under my feet, and it was all very exciting and a tad overwhelming! 
• I got my new companion and a chuukese sister made a flower maramar for me to give her and it was all way cute and fun. My comp is Sister Stewart, shes from Las vegas, and one of the first things she told me is that she loves rules and wants to be obedient. So we will get along just fine!
• Heavenly father answered a ton of prayers: when I got lost driving on guam with no cell phone and just my new comp with a very empty gas tank (1 hour later we finally made it home), just staying with my wonderful Sister Missionary friends from different Islands was an answer to prayers, coming to this ward is such a blessing, and having some blood work all come back normal. 
• On the plane ride to Guam, I met and talked for a long time to a woman whose sister is the relief society president of Uh branch, shes not a member but she invited me to visit her on guam! (which I tried to do but she was in the hospital). 
• On the plane ride back I sat next to a very nice young french man and had an awesome conversation about God and prayer and how the world came to be. I essentially ended up teaching him the entire plan of salvation lesson and it was way fun. 
• Sapwalap ward is AWESOME! These members really know how to do their callings and are all so excited to help with the missionary work, plus we actually have a meal schedule!! 

Love,

Sister Milne