Wow, it has been an adventure. So, after taking the bus down to
Auckland, we all piled into a small minivan (there were three elders and two
sisters, all with luggage...) and drove very squished to the mission office.
After waiting there for all the missionaries going home to do their final
interview with the mission president, some zone leaders from an area called
Harbour came and picked us up. So we stayed in their flat and played touch
rugby early in the morning. Then Elder Fanger left and I stayed in that flat
for a couple more days. I was just in a trio with two elders named Elder Hann
and Elder Burgess. It was fun.
We went to a driving range for lunch one of the days. It
actually got me really pumped. I wanted to just go and talk with everyone. I
guess being on my own really made me want to keep doing the work of the Lord.
It was awesome. I did a TWE (talk with everyone) with this Asian couple, they
weren't interested, but it was still really cool and I felt very successful
doing it, so SWEET!
Haha it was funny, we went to a rescue night (where we go with
members of the ward to go visit other less active members) and it was actually
really weird! They were all white....ha I am so used to the brown ones now. And
when there were none I felt a bit discomforted. Cause Harbour is all the rich white
people. And heaps of Asians. Bottom line, it is very slow missionary wise, but it
is still pretty cool!
Anyway, on Thursday we didn't hear our alarm, so we
woke up a bit late and had to rush to meet one of the mission couples at the
office cause they were taking us to the Airport. So we picked up the other
Elder going out. His name is Elder Taimani. He is Tongan, but from Salt Lake...
Anyway, we got on the airplane all good, and after a three hour flight, we
finally ended up in the lovely Island of Rarotonga!!
We met our companions.
Elder Taimani is with an elder named Elder Manarangi (I think I am struggling
to remember his name...or anyone's here, these island names are tricky...And
usually I do well with faces, but man. Again, I am not doing the best...oh
well!!) He is half Tongan and half Cook Islander, so he has heaps of family here,
it is a pretty big name. He actually lived here for 5 years till he moved to
Tonga. Anyway, my companions name is Elder Nonu. He is half Samoan and also
half Cook Islander, but he lived in Australia. He has heaps of family here too!
Haha. It is interesting, he actually started in my last area, where I started.
And one of the elders that left, Elder Adams, was transferred to there. XD
Anyway, Elder Nonu is
cool, but a bit quiet. He is the District Leader here, and that is about as
high as our leadership goes. We have a senior couple that is pretty much our
mission president, but that is about it. It is a totally different mission. We
have pretty much no connection to New Zealand. They told me to buy a hat, and
when I got here, I was told that I won't hardly wear it. And I have only worn
it once. Meh. Anyway I will survive. If all of my stuff doesn't mold or I don't
get eaten. Apparently everything molds here and there are heaps of bugs
everywhere. We have lots of ants, though we have a few cockroaches and I had to
kill heaps of big maggots this morning. There are a lot of geckoes in people’s
houses, and there are so many chickens walking around. Whereas Whangarei had
heaps of random cats, there are just so many chickens here. I even caught a
chick the other day. There are also a lot of big dogs that all look similar. So
fun!
There are also heaps of fruit trees. I thought everything grew
in New Zealand, then I came here. My gosh. I am getting fruit that I haven't
even heard of. My first day I got coconuts, star fruit, passion fruit, mangoes,
papaya (or pawpaw as they say here), coco (sp?) (it is not chocolate), and
avocado. Man it was heaps. I have drank out of a coconut every day I have been
here. Members just machete one up for you. Haha we even have a machete for
them. So it is cool!
We bike everywhere. And our bikes are quite dodgy. Weird tires,
rusty parts, old. I dunno. Haha we don't have any lights on our bikes, so at
night we just bike in the VERY dark night. Haha, it gets dark here fast. So
much adventure! And the seat. Oh my goodness. Probably the most uncomfortable
thing I have ever sat on. The day after I woke up, my legs were sore and my
backside ripped to shreds. But I am getting used to it...hopefully.
On Saturday we had a marriage baptism. It was fun.
But in the other elder’s Branch. There are 3 branches here, and we cover two of
them, but we hardly get out to the other one cause we only have push bikes and
it is far. It is funny, almost everyone here has a motorbike or predominately a
motor scooter. There are HEAPS of them. For them a trip round the island is
mostly nothing. For our push bikes it takes a bit. And it is very frustrating
cause there are no addresses or street names here. So all the directions are
like "go past the food shop to the bus stop and it is the big house next
to the freshly painted house by the coconut tree". It is really
frustrating, but aw well.
We also went to the market on the island. Usually, in NZ, we
aren't allowed, but here we can. It was super cool. They have the black pearls
here that apparently are a big Cook Island thing. So I will have to see if I
can find a cool one. I also want a ukulele....
Also, it is SO HOT. Man. I am just covered in a constant rainy
blanket of sweat. When I take off my tie at the end of the day, it is soaked,
THROUGH my collar. So it is how. We are the only island mission other than Niue
that isn't allowed to wear Sulu (those formal skirt things that they usually
have on those missionary island pictures) but we are seeing if we can. :)) The
churches here are so weird. They are all out door complexes. So to get to
anywhere you step outside. Our baptismal font is outside too. It is
crazy!!
Anyway...I THINK I have said everything I can think of in that
surplus of information. But yes it is awesome but still hard work! :)))
Love y'alls!
No comments:
Post a Comment