Message in a Bottle: Life in the Village

Week one at TAKAROA was awesome. First, some things that are different here than Tahiti. I get to shower with bucket and freezing water. Actually quite refreshing. There's no clean water here. Boats come every two weeks with supplies, but this last boat came after seven plus weeks, so you can't count on it. Once the stores run out, you're left to coconut water, juice/soda(for some reason they never seem to run out). Also, all the houses have big black buckets that collect rainwater and stores it for when you need it.

Everyone knows everyone here because it's so small. By day two, people were calling my name when I rode by, people I've never seen before. They're also super nice. Everyone makes sure you're well fed, more so than Tahiti. We had an investigator stop us on the road, and asked if we were hungry. She said she would drop us by some food. Fifteen minutes later, she came by with two big plates of burgers and fries, and two giant bottles of Fanta. Yes!

We also play sports almost everyday. Investigators come, inactives come, nonmembers come, the whole island comes. Here, we have a lot of inactive lessons. They don't replace the lessons we have with investigators, they just add on, so we have a lot of lessons each day.

I'm still trying to get to know the investigators here. It seems like all of them know the gospel is true and have strong testimonies, but little things are holding them back from getting baptized. We're continuing to work with them and help them progress. Oh, there's also another thing different here. Our investigators not only say prayers often in lessons, but volunteer themselves. That never happened on Tahiti! They pray, come to church, come to activities, listen and try to learn.

I love it here on TAKAROA. As I've taught, my own testimony has grown of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, The Plan of Salvation, our relationship with God. I know God has a plan for us, and that we all chose to follow it already. He's waiting for us to talk to him and give us advice. Jesus Christ really did make it possible to love with God again after this life, and that suffering wasn't at all easy. God loves us enough to have sent his only begotten son to die for us. These things are real, and we all need to act like they are

Okay, that's all for this week. Things are good here, and the work progresses. My goal is for everyone to feel the love of God, and I'm hoping to be part of that. The people here are some of the best children of God I know. Have a good week everyone, and stay strong!

Elder Lewis

First views of Takaroa