Heartbreak

This week started off so great. We found an amazing new area, we talked to tons of people, and got many new investigators. There wasn't too many meetings so it was nice to be able to just work, work, work. 

On Thursday, we went to say goodbye to sister memmott (who I will miss VERY much, ai tongonuk pwipwi), and she had just come from saying goodbye to our recent convert and his wife Herninta. SIster memmott ran up to me looking devastated and just hugged me sobbing and said "Joses is dead." That phrase has been on repeat in my head over and over again ever since. 

Joses was baptized about 6 weeks ago. It was so cool being able to teach him and help his family start their path towards being sealed in the temple. We are also very close to his wife Herninta. She is left with no family on Guam with a 5 year old girl, 2 year old twin boys, and she is seven months pregnant. We have been helping her meet with the relief society president and the Bishop so that they can try to help her get food and pay for the funeral and hopefully get her to Missouri where her sister lives. God has really provided me with the gift of tongues has I have had to translate for her in regards to all the arrangements and such. I'm competent in chuukese when we are having gospel conversations, but non church related things are hard, but God helped me be able to be a bridge between her and the leaders of the ward. It was an honor and a blessing. Please keep Herninta in your prayers, I love her and her family very much. I loved Joses very much too and I am so sad that he is gone. Though it isn't hard to see God's hand in it all. Joses found out he had liver cancer 3 weeks after he was baptized, 3 weeks later he was gone. Looking at it with mortal eyes, the situation seems harsh and unfair. Why couldn't he know sooner so that they could've helped him? But Joses was not a sick man who was baptized because he knew he was dying. He was a truly converted man who changed his life because he knew the church is true. Plus, with most of our investigators it is likely that they will fall once or several times after they are baptized. They will fall back into their old habits and have to work their way back up to worthiness. Out of all my recent converts, Joses is perhaps that one that I am 100% certain will be in the kingdom of God. I'm so grateful for the plan of salvation and for God's wisdom and love. 

My heartache continued as we got a call Saturday morning that we had to pack all of our bags and clean our house in preparation for transfers. It was so hard saying goodbye to all the people I have come to love so much in Yigo ward. They are so close and precious to me. The good news is that sister Mauga and I are still together. We will be whitewashing an area in the south called Talisay. We had no hope that we would stay together, so I feel very blessed that our prayers were answered. I think God just knows that I couldn't do it without her. 

In all these hard things this week, I've been reflecting on the song "temporary home" by Carrie Underwood. I had a giant reminder this week that this place is not my home. I'm just a visitor to Yigo, Guam, Micronesia, and even to Earth. I often wish that I could stay here, especially in Yigo, forever as a missionary. But that's not how it is meant to be. My home is with my family and my home is with God. How blessed I am to have had so many wonderful temporary homes here in my mortal journey. I'm sure I will have many more. Its amazing getting to feel the Love of God for so many people. And to feel His love for me.

Sister Milne

It's the little things

Miracles:

• Got a text from an investigator saying she was in an emergency situation. We went right over to pray and uplift her because her bakery was going to be taken away if she didn't pay $2000 by lunch for the rent. We talked to her about how God will provide a different way for her to make money if she  loses the bakery. We told her to pray and that God has a plan for her. One hour later we got a call from her, "Guys! I just wanted to tell you my miracle, God answered my prayer!" She prayed, felt to call up a certain friend, the freind lent her $1200 and she was able to pay that and sign a contract that she would pay the rest by the end of the month. Sometimes God and His miracles blow me away because to be honest, I had faith that God would help her somehow, but I did not expect Him to provide money like that so fast!
• We need to increase our teaching pool so we've been finding people we don't know from our member list. We kept seeing an area called Gillbreeze and Gillbaza which we were able to find with a senior couples help. Its a really poor area that is hidden at the back of a nicer neighborhood. We walked around for an hour and EVERY person we talked to set a return appointment. I had been stressing about the work and not having a lot of progressing investigators, but that day I had made a conscious decision to slow down and focus on my companions and lifting them and God blessed us for it. Faith is not fast or intense, but firm and calm and steady. 
• Our investigator Dayneen is still waiting for the father of her 5 children to finally marry her. I have been praying for opportunities to talk to him and possibly teach him. Due to a serious ramen spill, we got to our language study appointment at our recent converts house late and I had to take a chuukese sister with me instead of my companion. I was a bit frustrated at things not going the way I had planned. When we left the appointment and Dayneens husband pulled up to visit his cousin that lived nearby, I saw how God does have a plan. Sister Petrus was able to talk to him and turns out his cousin was her neighbor back in Chuuk. We invited him to church and to learn more and it was one of the most positive experiences we have had with him. What I consider a set back, was actually a blessing. 
• We had a devotional with President Gay from the presidency of the seventy and the Presiding Bishop and it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. It was seriously life changing. 

Love, 

Sister Milne

:)

This week was like a big start over. We got a ton of great training at District meeting as well as MLC and we FINALLY had a meeting with our ward mission leader and we are planning a big fireside for our ward called "The lights along the shore" and there was some new missionaries that came in. One from Tahiti will be staying with Sister Mauga and I until transfers in 2 weeks. She is fluent in 4 languages so thats cool. 

But yeah I really felt spiritually uplifted this week. I thought a lot about sacrifice and accessing God's power. I think we can't really understand just how powerful and all knowing God is and so when we try it just leads to feelings of wonder and awe. He is in every single part of our lives and he wants to talk to us and teach us but we have to be willing to listen. 

It's come to my attention that I only have 3 months left which is not nearly enough time. I love this and I don't want to leave this. But I'm determined to fill these next 3 months with dependence on God so that I can access His power more and really walk with Him. 

There is nothing more important to me than sharing this peace and joy with my brothers and sisters. 

Also, I am so happy:) 

Also, one miracle from this week was Monday night everything fell through and I felt prompted to take us to a less active pohnpeian family in our ward. We had a wonderful mini testimony meeting with them. At first the husband was very quite and I was afraid he was upset at us, but then he shared how much he and his family have been struggling and how they need our help. He told us "I expect you to keep coming back" and I was filled with the spirit. It was an honor to be the Lords hands. They then fed us sunday night and she gave us all woven flowers for our hair from pohnpei and it was so sweet:) Plus, I love pohnpeian food. 

HAVE A GREAT LIFE,

Sister Minne, Melany, Milne

FERNY the Future missionary

Best part of the week was that Ferny, who got baptized last saturday came out teaching with us almost EVERY DAY this past week. It is incredible seeing her light up and bless the loves of others. She is the one to say "Lets start with an opening prayer" and she invites our investigators to read the Book of Mormon and Pray and she sat next to our investigator at church before we even had the chance. I am blown away by her strength and her spirit, she is a MASSIVE blessing in my life. 

We spent a good portion of the week covering our area plus sister Petrus' area which is about 45 minutes away, which is a little frustrating when we are trying to use our time wisely and be diligent and stuff. I was grateful for a reminder from our district leader Elder Thomson that God's time is not our time and that He has a plan so it'll all just be okay. I was then humbled when we made the long drive to sinajana again and were able to find two amazing girls and put them on baptismal date. I love being on the Lord's errand and I know He really does have a plan. 

I have a massive love of missionary work and a massive desire to serve and bless the lives of these people because God has given me SO MUCH. One of his many blessings in my life is my best friend and companion Sister Mauga. And my ward. And my life. And especially the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Love, 

Sister Milne

WASHED CLOTHES CHUUKESE STYLE AND IT WAS SO FUN AND EXHAUSTING

A dog stole my shoe and I am never getting it back.