The Mosquitoes Attacked

Aloha nui loa ia oukou,

If I could describe this past week in one word it would have to be "mosquitoes". I started off the week with 17 bites a couple days later we went to do service in an area plagued with mosquitoes and once we got back to the house I counted my bites and to my surprise I had acquired 118 bites cheeeeee. Didn't think I could get anymore and then a couple days later I saw even more decided to recount and I was a little over 200. Elder Lane said it looked like I had chickenpox's. No amount of cream or Benadryl could help. Can't complain though, still living and loving. We also had zone conference this week. It was a little different since it was all on zoom but it was still really good. We talked about using the new Preach my Gospel and also having a whole lot more "Short, Powerful, More frequent" lessons. They want us to keep lessons down to 30 minutes but our lessons are going to an hour and a half to two hours sometimes. Not that bad because our drive times to lessons range from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.

Highlights:

- Raked up leaves for a mami on her four acre property and burned all the leaves after. It was like a huge bonefire that started quick and went even quicker.

- Had a lesson with a recent convert on the beach and we found a few sick shells.

- Almost got our car charged by a bull because we got a little too close to a calf that was on the street 

- Got to pet one of our friends horses. 

- Hear about an offroading trail and sent it in the Hilux, got stuck a few times in a foot and a half of mud and had to put stick under the tire to get traction back again and didn't end up making it to the waterfall but did get to find some sick spots in the mountain.

- Got to do another service project for a Papi helping him dig out dirt/harvest it from the mountain next to his house. Elder Lane said we should put "miners" on our resume to which I responded, "Nah Elder you gotta think about the LinkedIn.  We should put "Specialized in Strategic Land Movement and Management" gotta do what you can to make it sound more professional". Ended up moving 40 wheel barrels of dirt in an hour half time period and we're going back next week to hopefully finishing leveling out the land for the papi to pour a slab of cement.

- We were heading back to the house and we didn't have a dinner appointment so we thought we'd find this waterfall. We ended up finding the waterfall and the source for one of the villages water.

Lowlights:

- The mosquitoes be wicked over here and won't let me catch a break. As long as we're still able to eat, sleep and walk ahhhh we stay living.

Spiritual thought:

When talking on the phone last week with my family my sister in law Cynthia asked my dad about change and if he's sad when things change to which he responded, "No, there's a time and a place for everything. We're given these experiences to help us grow." 

What a great reminder to us all that there truly is a time and place for everything. We can't hold on to things forever but rather except change and look for the future because there really is a time and place for everything and we're meant to grow and learn from our mistakes and trials everyday. Find joy and guard your joy. Look for happiness wherever you are, and in doing whatever you might be doing.

For me I found happiness the other day at the church and they serving the people in our community be going and filling up there bottles full of water. Yes, filling up water may have taken a long time but knowing them and there families have clean water to drink made it so worth it. Another thing that brought me joy was the ocean. There was a major swell and the shore break near our house was going off. It looked like a crazy clean and nice day at Sandy Beach. The waves were firing and glassy, no one out though because the breaks and surrounding beaches are plagued with sharks. It's sad but there's still a few brave souls who go out.

"Vents favorables et mer suivants"

"Mata'i haumaru e moana mania"

"Fair winds and following seas"

Ua Here au ia 'oe,

Elder Ellis

Link to my Google Photo's album. Go check um, go check um, go!:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/qErFS2eWV3pJGVEV7