Tyler In Tahiti

We've been super busy as of late. We made a sketch for our Christmas Party which I WILL post on the internet this week for you guys to see! As well as the video that we've been making for the visitor's center. Skype was fun yesterday, and we partied pretty hard for Christmas. I ate a whole bunch of Ferrero Rochers and whatnot. I am just super happy with life right now. It's way better than last Christmas. See you all next year everybody! One of my new favorite scriptures as of late - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.  17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. a thought for you guys (sounds ...

(this week's title brought to you by Elder Bradshaw) This week was long. Not hard or painful, but it just seemed long. I think it was the rain honestly. Last Monday we had to prepare our skit for the Christmas party this coming week, and we've got something pretty funny coming on. Soeur Bize and I established a camera crew that's going to film our sketches and musical numbers from this Christmas party, so I should be able to send you guys a link soon. That and a link to my visitor's center video (which we wrapped shooting on!) when I've finished editing it. If I'm magic, I'll have it ready by next Monday. Doubt it, mais bon. Tuesday - First time my companion's ever gone contacting. The first guy at the first house we talked to went from saying he was busy (translation - sitting on his porch) and telling us to look elsewhere in the neighborhood, to listening to our message, accepting a Book of Mormon, and asking for our website. "It was ...

Tuesday - got my new fils (translate: son), Elder Anderson. He's a really sweet dude from Oregon/New Hampshire. He's got a really good French base. His dad served a mission in Bordeaux, and Neil L. Andersen was his mission president at the time. Really awesome. Also had to take the new kids that are going out into the islands into the visitor's center immediately after the distribution of children at President Bize's house to have them start packing their little suitcase to take on the plane. Scared all of them haha. They're all so new! Wednesday - went to a meeting with President and Soeur Bize and all the service missionaries that work at the office. It was kind of funny honestly. We talked about matresses and pillows for a really long time... I got invited for the Christmas portion though. Soeur Bize is in charge of organizing our missionary Christmas party and she wanted to know the logistics of trying to film all the sketches that are going to be performed...

So today we played the airport game. Got up and went straight to work. Got Frazer and Sekeme off a boat, gathered their stuff, put it at the OVERSTUFFED BUREAU because this is the hugest transfer ever and lots of people are going home (Ford, Paxman, and Lo'Amanu included), grabbed Frazer and took him to the airport, waited for Elder Hanson's new companion, then had to wait for Elder Larsen, then had to go give blood, then my vein broke, then we did it in the other arm, then we dropped off Soeur Andersen's stuff, then we went home, had to find the keys, and now here we are finally at the center! It was a crazy day. I was planning on writing no one (I was being a grown up with Elder Hanson and taking care of all this nonsense), but then I got the chance. So, sorry if I don't get to everybody. This week, we didn't get a lot of lessons, but we progressed a lot on the movie. We've only got like two or three scenes left. It's looking pretty good. I also showe...

After all the stress of last week, my motto for this week was zen and peace. My goal was to not let stuff wreck me if it went wrong, to just focus on our people, and to give myself fun things to look forward to. The house goal has since been to do at least one awesome thing each night when we get back. Monday - went to Mahina and shot some of my movie! Tuesday - went and got pastries from the pastry shop across the street, started cutting footage for the movie, lost a bunch of footage (it's a long story), but then was able to restore some of it. Then that night we met this crazy American/Tahitian that didn't really speak French or English whose parents met on the set of Mutiny On The Bounty (the Marlon Brando movie). His dad worked for MGM and his mom was a dancer. Great story. Wednesday - went on a split with Elder Hanson to help Herelani's dad (my Tahitian is still lacking, but Elder Hanson's is really good). He started reading the Book of Mormon before w...

This week was a hard week. We got so much temple stuff done though! The entire Faa'a stake showed up Saturday morning for a bunch of presentations. We did four presentations in two groups, and a couple Presidents (Bize included) came and spoke. It went from 9:00 am until like 1:00 in the afternoon. And once all that was done somebody's little kid clogged a toilet and flooded our bathroom. Elder Hanson and I were the ones that cleaned it up (we're always cleaning up after people honestly). The two baptisms we fixed the other week are named Georges and Christine, but we had to push back their baptismal date unfortunately (that's what we get for trying to do it to early I suppose). Then this other lady we were trying to baptize just gave up on us, so that was frustrating as well. At least we'll be baptizing this girl named Herelani this weekend. Her family is super sweet. We hope to baptize her dad next. I'm trying really hard to just hang on for the m...

Frankly the most interesting thing I have to write about is what's happening over there with you guys... I didn't care about this upcoming election. I was trying to rest in my blissful cloud of ignorance, or rather, just stay focused on my work and the Lord, but alas, no one saw fit to grant me this humble wish. The night of the elections, the house where we were eating dinner at was watching it on TV like it was the Superbowl. I really wish no one cared, but this whole thing has been like the best long-running sitcom since basically Seinfeld. I pulled up to a red light, and said hi to a random guy I didn't know sitting in the car next to me. The guy asks me, "Are you American?" I respond affirmatively. "How do you like your new president?" ... I literally called this from the beginning. Okay maybe not the beginning, but since the Marquises at least. That first sentence was kind of a lie. I do have more interesting things to talk abo...

You guys I have next to nothing to say. Tuesday - We worked. That was it. Wednesday - I was supposed to take a driving test to certify me for driving manual, but it didn't happen. The guy just never showed up. I'll be doing that this week. Thursday - Conseil des Dirigeant again! We had a couple new leaders there so we took a new picture. I'll try to get that along as soon as possible. We also had really good pizza. Friday - Worked a lot on my temple video. Organized a calendar and an actor/scene sheet, and will be going in to talk with President about even more details this Thursday. Saturday - Decided to tighten up the loose bits of obedience in our companionship... Sunday - ... and literally fixed two more baptisms! Church is true, the book is blue... (I won't finish this) Hope everyone has a good week! Elder Harrah we're going to go do a service project now... hope everyone has a good week! -on Halloween we went to ...

-Elders Lo'Amanu and Bradshaw -our album cover -this couple saw us at a red light and beckoned us into a pastry shop just to buy us a treat. Definitely a pleasant surprise - family home evening in the zone -ward party -are they allowed to sell this? -the only picture from the Papeari road trip -the farewell to Elledge and Lloyd

Hi everyone, Something I forgot to mention last week: Elders Bradshaw and Lo'Amanu are now living in our house. They're back from Amanu, a crazy island of 80 people, 12 members, 1 car, and lots of rei reis. They have been living with us as we've been sorting out where to put them as well as the creation of a new ward in our stake. Sunday we had a big sacrament meeting with all 3 wards (Papeete 1 and 2 and Fariipiti), and we created the new ward of Orovini; in which Bradshaw and Lo'Amanu will be serving. My craziest stories for the week were when I was on a split (as usual) with Bradshaw. Taught the most ridiculous temple lesson of my life. Wasn't even a lesson; the investigator would "pose a question" that would turn into an entire story and then the member would answer it with an entire story, and then then another member would spoil the subjects of the presentation, and then I'd be like, "... Well here's this video we want to sh...

A bunch of missionaries went home last Monday. Elledge is officially gone. Lloyd as well. I really hope he gets better soon. We still don't know what he's got. Elder Darguence (zone leader from my first zone) is gone now too. So weird. We've been pretty busy. Had lots of lessons this week, and met some seriously weird people. Last week there was this 80+ year old Italian dude that spoke a lot of languages and had run away from home at 15, and this week was this wife-beater-wearing less active that wanted to take a picture with us after we shared Alma 32:42 with him. It was quite a nice and odd experience. Had another string of new missionaries come in, so we've had multiple nights of sleeping after 10:30. We be breaking all the rules. Our ward had a party to sendoff the old stake president, which PRESIDENT and SOEUR BIZE decided to show up to just randomly. It was rather intimidating. And then don't worry, it was Elder Heckmann's birthday, and he li...

This week has been the hugest blur. The highlight was definitely our zone's family home evening. It's transfer season again (a little early because the batch of newbies is coming in early), and we had some people peacing out in our zone, so we decided to eat together, and Elder Tekurio (being the stud that he is) had like a nice spiritual thought that had us all sentimental about our zone and the time that we'd spent together. It's one of the perks of being a missionary on Tahiti. You just get to see more of your "family". Also Mexican food. Lots of Mexican food. Elder Lloyd is getting sent home (we still don't know what's wrong with him and he is just not getting better). I'm really sad to see him go. It's been so fun having him around the house. The people in our house right now (that is to say Elders Hanson, Ford, Heckmann, and Lloyd) are a really great group, and it's honestly what's helped me to get through some days this ...

(I swear this is the last title that's a Kanye reference. Most inappropriate mission-joke ever) This week was an adventure. Elder Lloyd (who was one of the people we shipped off for transfers a couple weeks ago and one of Elder Davis's bros) has fallen desperately ill. We're still not 100% sure what's wrong with him.  He was in the hospital and had to go through 4 spinal taps!  FOUR!  I felt so bad for the guy.  They were not able to get it in the first 2 times.   Anyhow, he's not doing to well, and they were kind of keeping him in the hospital as a prisoner, so we got him out of there as soon as possible ("we" meaning President and Soeur Bize (who were absolutely livid)), and this last week he's been living at our house (as Elder Hanson is basically already a doctor (thanks college) and because he knew Lloyd super well. Also we're here in the city, so yeah). My companion fell ill for a couple days too, so I went with Ford and Hanson for...

  This week was really busy. It was a good week, but it was long. That being said, I couldn't tell you what I did. I just forget. I need to get back up to date on my journal, honestly. I think that would help. We lost M and E as fixed baptisms, I would say. They found this random, no-religion dude who had a bunch of conspiracy theories about the Bible and they apparently thought that was just too true; even after all the months and months of missionaries visiting them, growing up with parents in the church, the Lord blessing them in so many ways since they've started retaking the missionary lessons, and the likes. It honestly made me think of a bunch of conference talks, but above all one line; "Cast not away therefore your confidence." Why on Earth would you leave the joy of this gospel for the dragon on the flag of the country of Wales being the dragon in the book of Revelation? *shakes head* We did fix a brand new baptism though, and that guy is golden! He...

From Ty's mom:  I woke up the other day to a surprise in my inbox.  All of the pictures we have been missing for several weeks showed up in my mailbox.  Enjoy! Never thought we'd be teaching Spanish on my mission... From forever ago... Those glasses, that keyboard; it was all a win. When we won president's challenge...