Happy Mothers Day!

Aloha, and Happy Belated Mother's Day!!!! It has been another week that has passed by within a blink of an eye. It has also been an extremely tiring week because it felt like we were biking non-stop and we were always on the move. Monday is finally here but the biking isn't stopping just yet!

Highlights:

- Christopher got baptized!!!! It was such a happy day especially because we started teaching him one of my first weeks in the sector so now it has become full circle. We took a photo after the baptism and it looks like I also got baptized because I was completely soaked... They had filled the baptism font all the way to the top and when Christopher got in the water was almost to his chin. When I took out the plug I almost had to dip my entire head under the water to reach down and get it out.  His grandpa also told him to make sure to take a deep breath before he went under so right as the baptism prayer finished he kind of jumped up gasped for air and then went under. He was so happy and wanted to go under a second time.

- Started off last week going on a quick little waterfall hike but it hadn't rained in a while so the waterfall was looking like a little trickle with some mist

- We kept passing by this one place that said they had Tacos! It turns out to just be a burrito. I was a little disappointed when I got my "Taco" and it looked nothing like a taco. Unreal Tahiti...

- Had some pretty great member meals this past week Ate breakfast and dinner with the members and we were even given lunch a few days which was nice

- Had an exchange with Elder Rolfson. Pretty sick, we ended up doing a good amount of contacting because a few of our lessons had cancelled on us. Christopher also passed his baptism interview that day and his mom was so happy because it was also her birthday.

- We found a good amount of new friends this past week. Pretty crazy but we felt inspired to go out finding in these two neighborhoods that hadn't really been contacted in a couple years. Two hours later we found 6 new friends and got chased away from a couple houses, talked to a lot of old people in Tahitian and got ignored by a bunch of people as well. 

- Ended up eating soooo much Lemon Chicken this past week either because I had asked the members to make it or they just felt inspired. Either way it was so nice. Literally some of the best lemon chicken i've eaten thus far on my mission was made this past week.

- Started calling this one lady in our ward "Aunty" because she said she thinks we're related. 

Lowlights:

- Elder Nally's bike has been really wack lately. Sometimes the chain just comes off or the brakes get stuck and his tire doesn't move. All the time we take to fix the bike and try and repair it has been adding up throughout the days.

- We have a few friends that want to get baptized but there parents keep saying no which has been making a few of our younger friends a little sad... We're still trying to keep their motivation up though.

- Our legs have been absolutely tired! We've biked so much this past week especially just going to the dock first thing in the morning for exchanges so one person can catch a boat and then biking the almost four miles back, wow.  20+ miles everyday will really take a toll on your legs. We even had to taake a nap during lunch one day and went to sleep early at 9:30pm another day.

- Almost biked into a ditch/canal like thing but braked hard right before it happened. Elder Nally and I were laughing about it for the following three days. 

Spiritual Thought:

The little spiritual though comes from a couple verses in the Book of Mormon that speaks to the importance of mothers which I really like. In Alma 56:47-48 it says, 

47 "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them." 

48 "And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

They didn't doubt because they were taught in their youth that if they placed their trust in God, they would be delievered. Their mothers were great examples for them and it truy shows that the fundamentals of life are taught in the home and one must be wise in the way they act because their children will also follow. A big mahalo to my mom as well as my grandma's and aunties that have been such great examples of aloha for me.

"Vents favorables et mer suivants"

"Mata'i haumaru e moana mania"

"Fair winds and following seas"

Vamos, Envoyons!!!

Elder Ellis

Link to my Google Photo's album. Go checkum out, there's a lot more photos there

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