A Storm's Comin'

A storm's coming in. We've been hearing news about cyclones around a few islands here in the Pacific, and Tahiti's been flooding a little. Here in Takaroa we've started to get lots of wind and rain. The bridge we take every day has started to flood over, preventing us from crossing. It's pretty fun, though. I'm trying to find some spiritual analogy to connect woth it, so hopefully by the end of the letter I'll come up  with something.

The bridge we cross everyday. It was already starting to get bigger, but in the one at night (I don't know if you  can see it) The water is covering the bridge.

This week has been a little different. The two Elders on the other part of the island both went home, one due to an emergency, so only one was replaced until the end of this week. In the meanwhile, the three of us took over both sectors.

Despite there being three of us and doing lessons for two sectors, we suffered with the loss of a lot of lessons, only bringing in about twenty for the week. Oh well. Things happen.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but each week we have a meeting with all the leaders in the branch. There, we (the missionaries) go with one priesthood leader to an inactive which we find on a list of all the inactives in our sector. We usually choose someone, visit them, ask if we can share a small message, talk about the importance of prayer or something, set up a lesson, and voila! New inactive to teach. For some reason the leaders don't like doing more than one person a week, but so far we've started lessons with about eight people. Whether they're interested or not, they accept the lessons, and we've had a lot of successs with that.

This week we saw a miracle with an inactive who's been slowly cutting down on cigarettes. He decided he was done, so he skipped the last ones-four per day, so he can prepare for his mission. If everyone was like that here, We'd have a lot more members and active members. In fact, if it weren't for people smoking here, almost the entire island would be converted. Miracles work!

 The rest of the story for Moeava will have to wait, we didn't get the chance to talk to her dad yet. Hopefully next week.

Okay, I've got an analogy. It's pretty simple, but we used it a lot this week, so I'll give it to you.

Helaman 5:12- And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storms shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Here in Takaroa we've had storms that have broken bridges, floods that have covered the ground, and it can get worse; I haven't experienced a cyclone yet. It's the same with Satan. He will send his storms, his cyclones, his whirlwinds, his hail. He want's us to fall. All we have to do is focus on Christ and we cannot fall. You know the story of the wise and foolish men (3 Nephi 14). It's true. God has all the power to defeat Satan. Let's side with Him and not build our foundations on sandy beaches, giving Satan complete power over us, but on rocks, firm and resistant against Satan's temptations. 

Have a good week everyone, and don't forget that you're the sheep of the Good Shepherd and he's calling your names! Stay Strong!

Elder Lewis