Breakfast at The Villages

     We went to breakfast with the other Sr. couples, and of course Janice ( sorry Sam, we went without you, you were on beautiful Kosrae). We went to a place called The Villages, it is a Hotel/Restaurant on the Island. At The Villages you can rent a little bungalow on the beach, or up in the Jungle. It is a beautiful place. We had Fresh Tuna omelets ( I know they don't sound very good, but OH BABY, they are delicious) and we had fresh pineapple.  It was nice to just sit and visit and eat good food, the surroundings are beautiful, I still can't believe we live in such a beautiful place.  Enjoy the scenery !!!!!!

Janice and Sis. LeFevre

One of the bungalows, they rent

This could be you if you came to visit

I can't believe I live in this Paradise

There is a lot of ocean out there

Inside one of the bungalows

DON'T PARK IN BOB'S SPOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Mission Call for Jennifer

   We got to go and see another one of our young adults open a mission call.  Jennifer Marks received her mission call yesterday, and Pres. Hemmon ask us if we could find her and give it to her. So we needed to pick up the Sister Missionaries from an appt. and we told them that we had tried every phone number we had and we could not get a hold of Jennifer. We told them why we needed to find her and if they could help us, since they go on splits with her a lot. They were just as excited as we were, so off we went in search of Jennifer, we finally found her, at her mom's house. We showed her what we had and she invited us all in to watch her open it.  We finally got to meet her father, he is not a member of the church, and the whole family was gathered. Her mom, her dad, her brother and her and us and the sister missionaries. We all had to make a guess before we started, and as  couldn't believe it, her brother guessed it exactly.

Jennifer, Sis. Varea, Sis. Salaiau

Sis. Marks, Sis. Salaiau, Sis. Varea, Jennifer, Sis. LeFevre
Jennifer's brother

Waiting for Dad

Opening the Call

To scared to read it

Reading the Call

No words can really explain this moment, you had to be there, we were all crying

Mom watches on

Dad, having a hard time letting his little girl go

Wow, Hawaii,  the whole family is excited

A Dad and Daughter Moment

excited fellow missionaries

        I don't know if opening a mission call will ever be just another day, the spirit is always so strong, and it was again this time. We all cried as Jennifer read her mission call.  She has been called to serve in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, and part of her mission she will serve in the Laie Temple Visitors Center.  Here are some pictures to capture the moment.

The Spirit

     I have had the blessing of teaching our Institute classes for the last 2 weeks, we are studying the Joseph Smith History, in the Pearl of Great Price.  It has been an amazing experience. I thought my testimony of the JSH was strong, but as I have prepared and taught these last 2 weeks, I have been most grateful for how the Spirit has taught me.
     Last week, the lesson was The First Vision, and the 9 things we learn from the 1st Vision. As I studied and read and prayed, I felt once again, that sweet confirmation of the Spirit, that it is all true. So do you know the 9 Things we learn from the First Vision, let me share what they are.
  1.God answers sincere prayer of those who ask in faith.
  2. Satan is a real being, with real power
  3.  The Power of God will always be greater, stronger, then the power of Satan
  4. God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith
  5. God the Father and Jesus Christ are 2 separate, distinct, beings, with bodies of Flesh and Bone
  6. The Lord commanded Joseph Smith, not to join any of the Churches, because they were all wrong
  7.  Gods church was not on the earth at the time of Joseph Smith
  8. God knows us by Name, and knows who we are and the roles we play in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, we are His children and He knows us individually, by name. 
  9.  Satan also knows our name and our divine destiny, and will use whatever means he can to try to thwart us from attaining our divine destiny and will stop at nothing, to stop the work of God

one of the Pictures from the video

 We had the greatest discussions in each of the classes and the Spirit was so strong as He bore testimony to each of our students of the truthfulness of the First Vision. At the end of the lesson, I had put together, with the help of the dear friend, Janice ( cause' of course you know how technically skilled I am,  ha, ha), a video of the Sacred Grove to the music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Oh how lovely was the Morning".  The pictures were from some we had taken 1 1/2 years ago, when we had the blessing of going to the Sacred Grove, who knew 1 1/2 years ago, that I would be showing those Pictures to a wonderful group of young adult institute students half way around the world, who will probably never have the opportunity of visiting the Grove themselves. We all cried as we watched. I am so grateful that the Lord sends us the Holy Ghost to teach us.

     This week, we talked about the Persecution Joseph went through and how he stayed strong and true to the things he knew were right. We talked a lot about some of the persecution we all go through today, especially here, from non-members and especially preachers from the other churches on the Island, we talked about how we can stay strong to our testimonies. Once again the spirit taught all of us, and we had a great lesson.
     I am learning so much, as I prepare my lessons. Starting in the fall (August to be exact), we will be back teaching at the College of Micronesia. We will have 2 institute classes at the Palikir campus and 1 class at the Pohnpei Campus. We will be studying the New Testament, I am excited to learn about the New Testament and the life of Christ, as I study to give my lessons.

Graduations

Esmerelda, giving her Valedictorian Speech

Us, Esmerelda, the Kjars

Daisy Kalio,  Valedictorian of her school

Renster Kalio, His friend and Daisy Kalio

Daisy Kalio

Sis. Kalio, Daisy, Renster, Pres. Kalio

Daisy and Renster Kalio

Elder and Sister LeFevre, Pres. and Sis. Kalio

 Renster Kalio

     We have been invited to several high school and middle school graduations.  They do some things the same as at home, but a lot of things different.  One of the graduation traditions out here, I really love.  They take time for each of the graduates to tell there parents thank you. Now i know this would never work back home, just because of the size of the graduating classes, but it is really touching when these young men and young women show appreciation for their Mom and Dad. It is pretty emotional for most of them and their parents. It is nice to see them acknowledge that their parents helped them a lot to get to this point in life.

Jefferson, Esmerelda, LeVon

Esmerelda ( Valedictorian), Makerya

    wouldn't it be nice if all of us, when we accomplice some great task, would acknowledge those that helped us along the way.  Especially our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, because none of us would have anything, or done anything of value in this life if it weren't for them.

     We started our summer Institute classes and we love them.  We are teaching the Joseph Smith History, as found in the Pearl of Great Price.  We have broken it down into 6 lessons, so we do 3 of the lessons in June and 3 in July and we have 3 firesides and 3 activities, it will keep us busy for the summer, but we love it. We have the most amazing Young Adults out here, they love to learn and come and participate.
     We teach in the Kolonia Building on Sunday evenings,  the Nett, Sekerra, and Kolonia branches come to that class.  We teach in the Sapwalap church on Tuesday evenings, the Uh, Mand and Sapwalap branches attend that one, and the Palikir church on Thursdays for the Kitti and Palikir branches.

The Kolonia, Nett & Sekerra Young Adults

Kolonia, Nett & Sekerra

Sapwalap, Uh, & Mand Branches

Palikir, Kitti Branches

     We are both learning so much out here, I am grateful, that the Lord knew just exactly what experiences we needed to grow and learn.

Family Home Evening with Joseph, again

     We went to Joseph Roudes for FHE,  we have been to Josephs before, but not since his son-in-law passed away several weeks ago.  We had gone out on Sunday and visited with him for a while to check on him and his family and to check if it would be o.k. if we brought all the Sr. Couples out to FHE on Monday. He said it had been hard for his family and especially for his daughter, since her husband had died and the culture here says that she should stay with her husbands family now, so she has gone back to live with them and Joseph and his family are worried about her and her children.  He also ask us some advice on what to do with one of his sons that is really rebelling. We listened and shared some of our ideas. I don't know if it helped much, but he said it did and that his family would love to meet the new Sr. couple, the Vincents, and have all of us come to FHE.
    So we went on Monday to FHE, and as soon as we got there, he gathered all his family together and they gave us coconut juice, banana's fresh and fried and sour-sap fruit, we had brought banana coconut bread to share, so we all ate first and then the Kjars had brought the movie the Testaments, so we watched it with the projector aimed at the little freezer they have. they were really touched by it and ask some questions after, we shared our testimonies and took some family pictures of them,( we have them printed up and give them to the family), most , if not all the families out here have never had a family picture, Elder LeFevre and I have decided that we are going to set up times after church in each of the branches, to take family pictures for the families here, and then we will get them printed up and give them to the families. The few we have already done it for, love them.

Hersberg, Josephs son

Joseph with his wife and grandson

Part of the family

The family that all live with Joseph

another son

More children and grandchildren

Yummy, coconuts

Joseph and his wife

What you wash up with in Pohnpei, real sponges from the ocean

Elder Bourne & Elder Loveless and the sponges

   It was a great night and Joseph said he was really touched by the movie, maybe someday, he will choose to get baptized, like the rest of his family.

Priesthood Blessings

     I love the Priesthood and I am so grateful it has been restored to the earth.  This morning we went to the hospital to visit a young man that has been sick since Wednesday.  While we were there his father ask Elder Kjar and Elder LeFevre to give his son a blessing. they talked him in to giving the blessing himself to his son, since he holds the Priesthood also.
     For some reason the people here really are almost afraid to use the Priesthood, they would rather have one of the missionaries give a blessing, then give it themselves. They are afraid they won't say the right thing.
    today Patrick gave his son a blessing, afterward, he said that he is always amazed at how he feels while he gives a blessing and after. he said, I always know that HE loves us so much and is just waiting to bless us, but we have to ask.
    The Lord does love us, and we must have the Faith to ask for those blessings we need in our lives.  I am so grateful HE loves us enough to bless us when we ask in Faith.