Dear Family!

 

    I hope you are ready for a really exciting letter because this one is going to be good. 

Well now that I have built it up too much here is my week. So first of all I have to say that I absolutely love my new companions and my new area. I have to say as much as I miss the Visitors' Center and the McLachlans, this is the happiest I have been on my mission. The ward we are in is amazing and they are so into missionary work. The work in the area is booming and I have the best companions I could have asked for. Sister Gunnell is the sweetest thing ever and we have so much in common (except she loves Mexican food) and Sister Vea is the funniest person I have ever met. I tell you we all laugh so hard together that our sides hurt. I wasn't sure how things were going to work when I realized that I would be in a trio with and american and a Tongan but somehow things have just clicked and we love each other so much. Sister Vea was trained for six weeks by a sister who just finished her mission and I guess Sister Vea was miserable the whole time and then she was devastated when she found out she would be in a trio with two Americans (she thought we were going to be mean and exclude her I guess) so now she says all the time how happy she is and how much she is loving her mission. I hope you all get to meet Sister Vea one day because she is one of the funniest people I have ever met. I am serious when I say we laugh all the time. In fact I was talking to my district leader last night on the phone and he said "Have you and your companions thought of anyways to make the work fun. I know sometimes it can get a little hard and repetitive." and I just laughed and said "Have you met my companions? We have fun all the time!" and he agreed with me. I tell you I am just so happy.

Now on to the exciting stuff. So we have an investigator named Trina and she is going to get baptized on Friday! Oh my gosh I am so excited. She is going to marry her less-active boyfriend at 6:00 pm and then get baptized at 7:00 pm. It is just so cool because they have three little children so it is the beginning of an eternal family. I have seen a change in Trine in just the short time that I have known her and she keeps telling us how excited she is to be baptized. She has asked me to give a talk on baptism and then my two companions and myself are also going to provide a musical number. It should be a great evening and we are so excited. 

So the other night we were walking to our dinner appointment and we walked passed tow ladies and we started talking to us and I was surprised because they seemed really eager to talk with us. But then they identified themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses and all they wanted to do was bible bash. It was scary and exciting at the same time because this was my first real life bible bash. But as you know we don participate because the spirit can't be there when there is contention. so we just stood there and listened to them tear our church apart and compare it to theirs. I was just waiting for them to stop talking so I could thank them and then we could be on our way. But out of nowhere Sister Vea interrupts them with her loud Tongan voice and she says "I don't believe what you are saying so you can stop talking talking. But I do believe that our church..." and she proceeded to bear the most powerful and beautiful testimony. It was amazing and it brought tears to my eyes. I then had to opportunity to testify of what she had said and then bear my own testimony and the two woman just stood there stunned. It was amazing. They couldn't argue with our testimonies and they couldn't argue with what we knew to be true. It was so cool. We walked away feeling ten feet tall. 

So I would like everyone that is reading this to take a minute and think about the best excuse you have ever heard from someone for not going to church. Any thoughts? Well while you are pondering I will tell you the best one I have ever heard. So the other day we went to visit this less-active who is the nephew of our ward mission leader. Anyways we were talking to this guy and I was surprised by how well he knew the scriptures and we had a really good conversation about the gospel. Finally I asked him why he doesn't come to church and he said the following "You know how the church says we have to honor and up-hold the laws of the land and support our government? Well I don't come to church because I am currently doing everything I  possibly can to destroy the New Zealand government. I just cant be a hypocrite so I will come back after the government is destroyed." He then proceeded to say that he writes and email to the dictator of North Korea ( I have no idea how to spell his name) begging him to invade and take over New Zealand. Let me just say that we had some good laughs with that one. At the end of the lesson however he committed to come and watch conference this weekend. I tell you I have met some of the most interesting people since I have been here. 

Another thing that happened this week is the bugs came back. That's right I got eaten alive again last night and I am devastated. My legs are covered again and our flat doesn't have any flea poison so we are going to try and find some today at the store. But I just bleached and washed my bedding and I will use the mattress and pillow cover you sent me mom. I will also start using the wipes you sent as well. I haven't had to use them because this is the fist time I have been bit since I left temple view. Hopefully I can get this under control quickly. I just don't want to go through what I went through last time. 

Well that is about it for this week. I hope that everything is going well for everyone. One of the members was saying that some crazy stuff is happening in America right now. I love and miss all of you!

Love, 

Maquel 

This is a picture of Sister Gunnell, myself, and Sister Vea. I love my companions!