Nov 4th

Kia Ora! Wow this week has been full of ups and downs, but that is ok. I sure do see the hand of the Lord in my every day life. So many things happened this week that caused me to be discouraged. I prayed for things to happen and felt that they didn't. But the Lord answered my prayers in a round about way. He ALWAYS answers prayers, just not always in the ways we expect. And i have truly been shown that this week. I do every week but i always forget, i'm pretty sure that is why we have repetitive lessons at church, because we simply forget. We can always use a reminder. So this week we actually set casey for baptism. She had so many barriers and we just listened to her, understood her and shared our personal experiences of doing hard things. Such as choosing to come on a mission. We knew it would be hard and we didn't know that future and the things that we would encounter but we also trusted in God and that it was the right thing then everything would be ok. She really felt our stories, and they touched her heart. Her baptism is in two weeks and she is going to be a member of Jesus Christ's church!!!! so awesome! The scary things is though that we had her go to her new ward yesterday and she had a bad experience. Apparently her uncle is in that ward(she didn't know he was a member) and he taught the sunday school lesson, he said a lot of crazy, outrageous things and it took her back. It was stuff like black people sinning the most and that's why they are cursed with dark skin, and kapahaka is of the devil. It was crazy. We didn't know what happened and she was like i think i need a break for a while... We were so freaked out. Sister Prince cried but i am heartless and didn't. I held myself together because i felt that everything would be ok. We got it figured out. It was cool too because God always answers prayers. I prayed that he would answer casey's prayer in the way she needed it and he did. She was at the lake and her sister(step sister a member) called her and said is everything ok? I felt i needed to call you. She clarified with Casey that just because someone in the church says something stupid it doesn't mean that the whole church is wrong. Pull your head in and remember what you've felt. Casey called and told us what happened and then we met with her that night and talked it out and read Alma 14 which is about alma and amulek going though awful things, being smitten and having to watch women and children burn in the fire. She really connected with it and said, it they can suffer and go through persecution, then so can i. I can handle this. The crazy part of it was that she didn't read the scriptures that morning. When we let our guard down, satan will attack us even harder. She thought since she was going to church she would be ok, but he hit her the hardest that day. Always read your scriptures! They will save you! Sorry for the long story, there was so many more discouraging things that happened this week but it all ended well. I decided that if i am discouraged i must keep working and teaching because that i was brings me the most happiness. If i stop and pout, what good will that do? Nothing, i'm just letting satan win. But i was called to new zealand for a reason and to fulfill a purpose and that purpose is to teach people the gospel and i will do that! :) I love you all so much! Hope all is well, i sure do miss ya! ps we went to bridal viel falls again, i went with sister prince and casey and a lot of people it was great. Casey even brought her nm sister. It was such a fun time and so beautiful! We stopped a couple times on the way back up because there were 261 stairs and it was hard. So casey took the advice of Elder Mclachlan and said "make something of this" and so we would relate it to gospel topic or principle. Casey came up with the best one when we were all done. We were eating lunch and she made something out of the picnic table. It was all carved into and weathered. And she said "this table was me before i met you and had the gospel in my life. I had plenty of scrapes and i was weathered. But as i read the scriptures, pray, go to church , get taught the lesson then it's like sand paper scrubbing off all the bad things of my past and shaping me into who i need to be." It was so choice to hear that coming from her. The gospel has truly touched her life and changed it for the better. Pauline finally came into the VC to see me. It was such a joyous day. I love her so much. I started crying as we hugged. She's like a tender mother, even though she doesn't know all thats going on it was like hugging my mum and what i needed. She pulled out a little bag and gave me her own green stone necklace. It is so beautiful and means so much to me. I was shocked and touched. It was neat that she did that because just last week i gave casey my own ctr ring and i cried when i gave it away. I honestly loved that ring, i wanted it for so long and even though i bought it myself, it meant so much to me because i worked for it. I gave it to her to help her to remember to choose the right and to always wear her armor. It is a precious gift because it came from my heart and i feel the same about the necklace she gave me and the one Pauline gave me. I am truly honored to know them. I feel so privileged to be a servant in the hand of God. To share his gospel. No, i am most definitely not his perfect servant but i do try to do my best each day. :) I love my Heavenly Father and i know that he loves me, i know he is aware of me and each of his children and it's truly humbling when we see his hand in our lives. I love you all:) Sister Bird Casey calls me "Auntie Tui"