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
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