So, this week started out with a dinner appointment with a recent convert named Phillip. (: He is probably the most cheeky guy you'll ever meet. (: It was a combined appointment with the elders and so it was really fun! Because Phillip's wife wasn't there, we had to eat outside. But a weird rule with tripanionships is that because there are three of us, we can teach single men and we can also go in their houses. Phillip, being a recent convert, didn't know this, but had already set everything up outside, so we just ate out there. It was nice eating outside, the temperature was really great, and the food was really nice. After we ate, we were doing a little family home evening with him and Elder Hester told him that we could've eaten inside. Phillip was so embarrassed! But then he turned it around into a learning opportunity. (: He's a really great guy, with an awesome testimony!
My companions and I got along much better this week! We had district meeting this week and we talked about not flirting with other missionaries, or members. And then we talked a little bit about our purpose as missionaries and that helped heaps. My district is really awesome and we have some really great missionaries!
On Wednesday morning, we had companion study with the Zone Leaders and at about 10 o'clock, Elder Brann got a call from Elder Hirsche, so he went out of the room to take the call. When he came back in he was like, "Sister Pearce! You're moving to the Pukekohe 1st Ward to be companions with Sister Leung-wo!" Man, that hit me like a rock. I loved my ward! Which was the Pukekohe 2nd ward...so I moved just around the corner. But Sister Leung-wo and I came in the intake, so we've both been out about 8 weeks now. So, we are finishing one another's training. I was just so nervous. So, I had to go to the flat and pack up all of my stuff and move it to the new flat. Well, it's a freakishly old flat, and it's definitely a step down from my old flat, but it's better than nothing. Sister Leung-wo has already been living in that flat since she came here, so she's used to it. But there are cockroaches everywhere and fleas in the bedroom. I guess Sister McCarthy didn't care about the bugs so she wouldn't let Sister Leung-wo do anything about it, but since I don't want to be living with cockroaches, I called Elder Goodman and he is having someone come and spray our flat today, so we won't have any more bugs! Well, not nearly as many. There are heaps and heaps. So, I'm excited to get rid of the bugs, I'm sure that once that happens, it'll be a lot easier to live there. Sister Leung-wo and I get along pretty well. It is really easy to laugh and talk to her, we just come from completely different walks of life. She grew up in Australia with a Samoan family. (: So, we've been visiting all of the members in our ward and a lot of them are Samoan, so they just speak in Samoan and I can't ever understand them, so that is pretty hard, but it's been good. I'm hoping to learn Samoan from her! I know a couple of words...fiapoko is a know it all. (: Fa is bye. And maoga is full. (: I use that word a lot. Haha, it's pronounced mahonga. (:
In the past 4 days, I've eaten more Samoan food than I have in my entire life. And they eat heaps of food. I don't like a lot of it, but I try everything at least once. Taro is a big thing and it is so....I don't know how to describe it, but they use it like we use rice. Luckily, they know I'm American, so they offer me rice instead most of the time. (: Taro doesn't really taste that great, and it is really really fattening. It is pretty much just pure starch. Haha, but they love it! I guess in Samoa, they don't have much to eat and Taro is a really good filler, so they just eat that when they don't have anything else. Pretty resourceful if you ask me. (:
The ward that I'm in now is a really really awesome missionary ward! Our Ward Mission Leader is a really tiny British guy who wouldn't hurt a fly and he is so motivated to do missionary work! It's awesome. His wife, Sister Stanford is this big Maori lady. She is really awesome, but she is really blunt and straightforward. We're working with this less active Kiribati family (pronounced Kidipis, it's a small island off the tip of New Zealand.) named the Bureti (pronounced Burez, 'ti' in Kiribati is pronounced as an s...weird, I know.) and the parents don't like coming to church because they don't really understand English that well, but the kids all really enjoy coming to church, so we are talking to Bishop Daji about starting up a class for the Kiribati people in our ward. (: Bishop Daji is really awesome! He's half Maori and half Indian.
This week has been a real test for me. I've gone through a bought of homesickness and it's been really hard. Sister Leung-wo has helped a lot though because we are both pretty much in the same boat. I'm learning to rely heavily on the Lord and the Atonement and I am learning so many things about myself. Some of which I don't really like that much and so I am going to work on changing them, but some of the things I am really happy that I am learning about myself.
I hope you are all doing well, I love you and pray for you every night!
Arohanui,
Sister Pearce
P.S. I learned How Great Thou Art in Maori...
Whaka Ria Mai
to-ri pe-ka ki-au
ti-a-ho-mai
nga-ro-to ite po
kei ko-nei au
ti-ti ro a-tu ai
o-ra ma-te hei au koe no-ho ai
faka dia mai
toh ree peh kah kee oh
tee ah hoe my
(I don't know how to explain nga) roh toh eeteh poh
keh koh nee oh
tee tee toh ah too aih
oh rah mah teh hey o koh no hoh aih
nga is made sort of by putting the back of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. (:
I love you!!
I didn't take very many pictures this week, but here are the ones I did take. (:
This is at District Meeting, well, before it started. We decided to be a little immature and hide from the Zone Leaders ...don't ask why..(:
This is a picture of how much shorter my legs are than Sister Miggin's and Sister Holmes'. (:
This is a picture of a dinner that one of the members brought us. (: We had a Domino's picnic on the ground. (:
This is the last day that Sister Holmes and I were together and we matched almost perfectly. (: Haha.
Rachel and her new companion, Sister Leung-wo.
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