Ceux qui restent sont pohe roa - January 20, 2014

So, the subject for this week means "what is left is really dead." It is funny because that is what happens when you put the name of me and my companion together. Here people say skii-race in order to say my name and that sounds a little like ceux qui restent. Then pohe roa in Tahitian means really dead. And my companion is Elder Poheroa. So together we have a good time with our names.

This week was pretty great. We picked up my new companion on Tuesday. In order to do that we have to take a boat out the airport which is not on the main island it is on the outer ring of islands. The boat ride isn't very long, maybe 15 minutes, we picked up my companion and we went straight to work. We have some great investigators but sometimes I mix up their names. We were in a lesson and I was saying the closing prayer and I asked that Victor and his family would be blessed when we were doing a lesson for Xavier. That was embarrassing.

Wednesday was good. We committed Tahia to be baptized this Saturday and she said yes. She and her mother really wanted that Elder Millett baptize them and so when Elder Millett found out he was staying another week to help the two new missionaries out (me and my companion) he felt that he needed to committ the mom and daughter for baptizm.

Thursday was great. We did inspiring visits with the ward and visited people in need of help. The lessons went really well and the Spirit was so strong. There are people who just need a boost from us to get back in to the church. Don't be afraid to open your mouths. The words will come once it is open.

Friday we did a split. I ended up with two other americans and we went and did our interviews for our two baptisms. They passed! We now had two baptisms for Saturday. In the morning we heard rumor that we were going to have 4 baptisms not just two.

Saturday comes around and we find out that it is sure that we will have four. Because the stake president and our mission president came up to Bora and they went and visited one of our investigators and her son. It was 1 in the afternoon when they got there and they committed them for baptism at 3! Two hours later they were baptized! It was so cool! I know the Lord works miracles.

Sunday we said goodbye to Elder Millett. He will now be in Tahiti serving in Papeete, which is a huge change after being here in Bora. I was sad to see him leave, after only three weeks together we didn't have much time to get a whole lot done together.

As for my sickness, I found out today that there is no sign of an infection. So they want me to see a specialist to see what's really going on. I will hopefully descend to Tahiti this week in order to see him. I will let you all know next week how that goes.

Family and friends, I love you all. Thanks for everything! I finally got my Christmas package and it was so wonderful. Yes, it arrived damaged and not so good looking, but I was [glad to see it] . . . Ha.

I hope you all have a great week! Keep up the good work and smile bright because Christ expects us to do our best. And He will bless us.

Love, Elder Squires

Transfers, Again! - January 13, 2014

This week was so crazy! I got a phone call during the week saying that my bike had been found. Yay!

I do have an infection and that is causing me to be weak and unhappy. The normal symptoms of being sick.

On Wednesday we had the boat come with my stuff. I need a new suitcase because mine arrived in a cardboard box. Ha!

I also got a different bike so my time on the beach bike has now been ended, not to mention the flat tire.

Thursday we had a crazy adventure. We went in the mountains for a lesson and because it had just rained the night before there was a lot of mud. We started going on our shortcut to get to the lesson and before we get very far we had mud completely blocking our wheels from moving. So we had to push our dragging bikes up the muddy slippery hill in order to get to our lesson. Then after the lesson we washed off our bikes headed to another lesson and that went well. Then another lesson where the investigator taught us! That was funny. We left that lesson and my companion found a way to make his tire explode. I am not sure how but it exploded and we walked home with our heads down in shame.

Friday I got my first Christmas card from the Nixon family. A little shout out to them: Thanks for the card!

And another shout our to Sister Morgan Taylor. She is an awesome sister and I am really sad that she is no longer able to serve out here with us. I hope she gets better soon.

My companion was supposed to be transferred this Sunday but yesterday we got the call and they told him that he was staying for another week. I get a new companion tomorrow and the three of us will be together for the week. Yup. It has been an adventurous week.

This week we have a lot of lessons planned and we are hoping to have two baptisms this Saturday. We will see what happens.

I love you family and friends! I know this church is true. 

Love,

Elder Squires

Beach Bikes - January 6, 2014

This has been my first week in the touristy island of Bora Bora. When I arrived here last Sunday I knew I wasn't going to have my own bike because as far as I know it is still in the hands of a thief. But I also knew that my companion had already got a bike for me until I could get another bike. This bike happened to be a classic black beach bike. That just fit in so well with the island feel around here but for me I felt rather odd on it. All of the members think it's weird as well for a missionary to have that kind of bike. And after one week on it it's starting to grow on me.

So this week's report has ups and downs, highs and lows so let's go for it.

We started the week well. Tuesday we took a tour of the sector. I didn't realize that tour of the sector meant a tour of the island. It took 5 hours to do the tour. In the hot island sun. With the white sand blinding me and all of the people we visited shoving food in front of us. By the end of the day I was so red, tired, and full. It turns out that my sector is half of the island and I really like it. The members are wonderful. Every house we went to they gave us food and the sun is somehow hotter here. I still love it here.

New Year's day was good, Thursday my companion and I started getting sick. My companion had  Zika and the doctor thinks I have kidney and other problems, so I am getting an echograph (if that really exists in English) on Thursday. Friday and Saturday we stayed at the house and did NOTHING. I was so bored. But I know that if you're sick you need to take care of yourself. But Saturday night we had a wedding and it was so wonderful. I hope to send a few photos. And Sunday was rather normal.

The spiritual story: This sector has 0 baptisms fixed and that is our goal to get that number up. So we prayed and worked with our amis this week and not a single one of them accepted to fix a date. But Tuesday while we were eating and talking with a member, she talked about her daughter who is to be baptized in February on her 9th birthday. It turns out that because she will be 9 we have to teach her and we got a baptism fixed, just like that. It was a great moment and it shows that the Lord works in mysterious ways.

I know this church is true. I love you family and friends.

Elder Squires

Photos:
Beach bike
A marriage
Sunset
On the beach in Bora with coconuts and great food

Bora Bora! - December 30, 2013

Hello!

This week things were so slow. We didn't have much to do because of the holidays.

We spent Tuesday at a member's house, cooked a calf, and had a big feast, then went to the church and played basketball and ping pong.

Wednesday we did Skype and that was good to talk to the family. The rest of the day we did nothing! We tried to go singing but no one wanted us there. Not good. So, we came back to the house and cleaned.

Thursday there wasn't a lot of work to be done. No one was home and it wasn't all that great. It was like that until yesterday.

Yesterday we had church for the last time at 7:30 in the morning. Then we went to our ward mission leader's house and chatted and ate one last time with him. While we were chatting, a noni fruit fell out of a tree and landed on me. It dirtied my shirt and pants and tie. I don't know how that happens that a fruit falls out of a tree perfectly and falls on me but it did. Ha!Then I took my plane to Bora and voila, I am here. It is so pretty here.

My companion in an American and Elder Nick Clark is also in the house and graduated with me. 

Bora is a small vacation island. My area takes up half of the island and the other elders take the other half. Here are some photos.

Noni fruit that fell on me.

Bora

My Companion

Merry Christmas - December 24, 2013

Hello everyone!

This week was pretty interesting. Monday we played our last game of rugby with a big group of missionaries that left this week. We played on a fake turf field which ended up cutting both of my knees. The game was so much fun. Then we had a giant missionary Christmas get together.

Tuesday wasn't so exciting or interesting. Wednesday I was on a split with a mini missionary and my bike got stolen while we were ordering some food. Ha. It was really a funny and sad moment.

I have to go, but we had a wedding this Friday and it was so wonderful. And at the wedding I talked to someone in Tahitian and they accepted to do the lessons with us! It was great.

I hope all is going well. Keep up the good things you're doing and Merry Christmas!

I know this church is true.

Elder Squires

Transfer - December 17, 2013

I have some good and bad news and it's bizarre that it's the same news. I am being transferred. After five months of serving here, I am going somewhere else. I don't know where but I know that my time here is short. President told me that this is my last week here.

For my last week it has been pretty great. Yesterday we had a big missionary Christmas get together. We had all of the missionaries from all the mission except some of the senior couples, and we did little sketches, ate a lot and had a lot of fun. Our sketch was so much fun. We did a thing where all the couples that work in the office got transferred, I was the husband of the mission nurse. And that was ironic because I have been sick quite often the last few months. And at this big celebration I got to see my MTC district. That made me so happy to see Elder Tago and my other companions.

It just started raining really hard and we have a lesson soon.

I love you family and friends! I know this church is true. I will do better at writing longer emails and sending photos. The photos are for next week.

Elder Squires

Two Baptisms - December 9, 2013

Yay! We have two more baptisms this week.

This family used to live in a car, but after they started taking the lessons, they had a little house built and now life is going much better for them. They will be married Saturday morning and baptized in the afternoon

The work is great out here. We need to fix five more baptisms before the end of the year. We can do it! 

I love you all! I know this work is great! Keep it up.

Love,

Elder Squires

Vite Fait - December 2, 2013

I wish I could write in French but that's okay.

I don't have a lot of time. We have to get going so we can practice for our Christmas thing for the missionaries.

We had a baptism this Saturday and it went really well. Her story is that she has been married to a member for about a year and now she accepted baptism. She then got kicked out of her house because of her choice to be baptized. But her faith pushed her through.

We can all do it family! It's worth the fight!

Love you all,

Elder Squires

Thanksgiving Is Here - November 25, 2013

Hello Everyone,

I actually forgot that Thanksgiving was this time of year until I was talking with some American missionaries today. The fact that it is almost 90 degrees and I am sweating while sitting inside does not make me think that Thanksgiving is anywhere near. But that's the joy of changing seasons.

The work here is going well. We had two baptisms happen in our ward this week and three in another ward. The two in our ward were a couple that we started teaching the beginning of October. They had members that were really close friends and that is a testament to me that members move the work, not the missionaries. This couple was so ready for the gospel. They have been through a lot of trials and now they are being blessed. One of their coworkers said that they have been talking about the gospel with this couple for 15 years and they finally got baptized. Patience is a virtue.

I got sick this week and was not able to leave the house. After our lessons on Tuesday we came back to the house before going to our next lesson and my temperature was 103.1. It turned out I had a new disease called Zika. I slept for three days straight and now I just feel tired all the time. But it'll work out.

I really didn't feel like going to Church Sunday because I felt so sick, but I prayed for the strength and it worked out. I actually ended up having a rather good day.

That's all I've got the time for. I know it's not a lot but I don't know how I am going to pay for my computer time because I forgot to bring money, so I need to get off quickly.

I love you all, and have a great week!

Elder Squires

Really, really big bread that a member gave us!

We went ramming. (I don't know quite how to say it in English.)

Our baptism from Saturday.

Hello! - November 18, 2013

Hello world!

I am still alive. Don't worry.

I haven't told much about the food and the houses so I will quickly do that. We eat a lot of chicken, peas, and rice. A special thing is steak fries or fish fries or chicken fries. Always fries. They really like rice here. Rice is what we eat for almost every meal. The houses are so poor. They are such a humble people, full of love. It's normal to have way too many people in the same house and in the houses it's crowded and dirty. But I still love it.

We had a baptism Saturday. It went really well except that she showed up when it was supposed to start. We we're all stressed waiting for here to show up. We have five this baptisms Saturday. I'll send pictures.

I love you all. The Lord is there for us.

Elder Squires