Week 9 - One Down

Kia Ora,

Well one transfer down, 11 to go whoop. Jk it's going by way too fast, it feels like I barely got off the plane yesterday. But we were right, Sister Inia got transferred up to Hamilton, so me and Sister Pagofie are stuck together for another 6 weeks. But I love her! She is also the STL (Sister Training Leader) again so we get to go on exchanges like every week (joy) and make trips up to Hamilton. But it's okay, we get privileges too. 

The beginning of the week was basically Sister Inia saying bye to everyone and so we ate sooo much food and didn't end up teaching very much. Then she left and we had a 4 hour weekly planning session and realized how much work we have to do and how much we've let slip in the past two weeks. So we gotta refocus lots. But I got so much mail from transfers!!! Shout out to mom for the American candy, I've missed it so much, and my district was so grateful! Honestly I'm gonna need a package like every transfer cause that was so good. We got a brand new Elder and he is working in the same ward as us and he's a bit awkward. I really hope I wasn't that bad six weeks ago. He's from Salem Utah and is a 6'3" toothpick (worse than Baylor's legs). But man it's so crazy how much I've grown in just one transfer. 

My Samoan is really coming along. Alofa tele atu. Figure it out. I know how to count and I know the colors yay! 

SO our choir director had a stroke last Monday and it was really bad and they gave her two days to live which is super sad because she's also our Relief Society president and one lady in the branch that really gets things done. But she was the craziest choir director ever. She had so much passion and I think I was overcome with laughter more than I actually sang at practices just because she was so intense and she has the biggest hands ever and they were shaking all crazy right in my face. But it's really sad cause she was like the backbone of the branch. But we went with some other members to the hospital to sing to her and we sang "families can be together forever" with a third verse that she made up and while we were singing I just felt overwhelming love for this crazy lady laying in the hospital bed in front of me. I felt how much the branch loves her and how much the Lord loves her and it was a really powerful experience. Last week she actually bore her testimony in sacrament meeting about how she cannot wait to be reunited with her husband on the other side and that when it's her time to go she will RUN to the Savior and bow at His feet. The last verse that she wrote says, "waiting for us beyond the veil, our loved ones patiently, we will unite and be together for eternity" and when we sang that to her I just felt so strongly her testimony and how happy she would be to pass on. Anyway, a crazy experience with a crazy lady but there's always something good to learn. 

Well that's about it, but I'm learning so much! The more I learn, the less I know. It's crazy. I wish I could study the scriptures and conference talks all day. So weird that I just said that but true. I love the gospel! 

Love you all HEAPS,

Sister Machen

Sister Machen and Sister Pagofie