Christmas, Rain, and the Book of Mormon

Hello family and friends,

It's time for the Christmas report! My Christmas may not have been the "white Christmas" that I have learned to love but it was still good. Instead of snow and being with the family we had Skype and rain. The morning we woke up at 5:30 to open the presents that our district president's wife had bought for us. After that we quickly went back to bed. Then for our Christmas breakfast we had Tahitian hot chocolate and coconut bread. It was alright. Not the best Christmas breakfast but who can complain?

Once breakfast was finished we biked our way over to the district president's house. Where all four of us missionaries here on Tubuai did our skype along with our district president and his wife. They have a son on his mission. He is our zone leader. Ha. Small world. I was the last one to do skype and once it was finished we headed out under this heavy rain. It's only about ten minutes or so on bike to the church but we got soaked! The members were so funny. "Elders, where are your jackets? It's raining!"

The baptism for the sister missionaries went really well. After the baptism it was the same, home under the rain. Home meaning at the president's house. We went back and celebrated with the family of the woman who had just been baptized. It was great. We ended up having a pretty good Christmas.

However, our gifts from our parents didn't arrive on the boat until the following day. So Friday we opened our gifts from our parents. It was so great! Thank you Dad and Mom for sending gifts. They were all much appreciated. I love you guys!!

I finished reading the Book of Mormon in French the other day. It only took me a year and a few months. I started in Moroni 10 and read backwards. Reading chapter 10 and then going to 9 then 8 then 7 etc. I finally finished. And then I restarted it in Tahitian. It's going much better than previous attempts. I'm not marking every word anymore because I don't know it. Yay! I love that book. I know that it is the word of God. And anyone can know that that is true.

Thank you all family and friends,

Have a great week,

Love,
Elder Squires

Christmas Eve with President Tumarae

We went hiking to the highest point on this island this morning, it's called Taitaa. (tay-tah-ah)

Merry Christmas!! - Monday, December 22, 2014

It's a few days in advance so I'll let you all know how Christmas was after it happens :)

I love this time of year. I hope you all do too. It's a time of family, of being together, caring for others, listening to uplifting music, and most importantly, thinking about Christ. I love the Christmas spirit and I have grown to appreciate this time of year more and more as I've gotten older.

So, what could I leave you all as a Merry Christmas message? I wish I knew too. But as you have it  I don't know. But one thing that I do know is that Christ is real. No matter how disappointing it is to learn that Santa isn't real, it's wonderful to know that Christ lives. That we have this time of year just to think of Him and what He has given us.

I am very grateful to Him. Without I wouldn't be here right now. None of us would be. He is our Savior. And I'm grateful for it.

I love you all,

Have a wonderful Christmas

Elder Squires

It may not be white, but Christmas is still Christmas

It wasn't easy, but we made a Christmas tree. After a long hike in the mountains and attaching the good looking branches together with an old inner tube, and then decorating it with what ever we could find in the house, and using a stump of wood for it's base, we succeeded. We have a Christmas tree in Tubuai. 

The monument to Addison Pratt and his companions who landed at this spot on the Island of Tubuai in 1844.

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Small Island Problems - Tuesday, December 16, 2014

hello everyone!

you are probably wondering why i am writing today. well, welcome to a small island. i know that i served on Bora but Bora has four times as many people and probably half the land mass. welcome to the small island life. there is lots of land but not a lot of people. before we didn't get reception for our phone in our own house. sometimes we have a lesson during the day, those are the good days, but it is often that people aren't there. sometimes the internet for the whole island cuts. sometimes you just go crazy. so....yeah. the internet cut and we couldn't do emails yesterday. elder millerberg said that it happens fairly often. yay! (not really)

that was our week. trying to teach people but not being able to. teaching people who didn't seem to understand much. and riding our bikes.

i think all of our planned lessons were cancelled except two. we contacted an inactive who tried to bash us using the index in The Book of Mormon as if it agreed with him. my companion bought a new ballistic mountain bike yesterday. its okay. but some members told him that he should try to take it back. it was a rough beginning but it'll work out for his bike.

that's about it and i need to go. love you family and friends! faaitoito

Elder Squires

So, Here I Am

I'm here in Tubuai. I arrived safely Monday afternoon around 4. My flight had me, a sister missionary and the first conselor to the misison president who is also the district president out here (because we are too small for the moment to become a stake). I sat next to him and we talked most of the way here. Upon arrival we saw the elder, whom I was replacing, and the sister who was also leaving. They had flower necklaces to the tips of their heads.

I met my companion, Elder Millerberg. He is from Kaysville, Utah. And the sister missionary who came with me on the plane is also from Utah. That makes three Utahan missionaries on an island with only four missionaries. Even if I come from Idaho, I still say Utah, it's my home.

So, things here in Tubuai. Fun facts. Tubuai is a small island of about 2,000 people. A fourth the amount as Bora Bora. To go all the way around the island it is 26ish km or 16ish miles. It is the island where Addison Pratt landed when Joseph Smith sent him off to serve a mission. He arrived here in 1844. They are very proud of that and have little memorials to show it. I have some photos.

The way of life out here is very interesting. If you asked me what they did all day I wouldn't be able to tell you. I honestly don't know. They just disappear and at the end of the day they come home. They probably work in their farms or take care of their families. This is one of the most southern islands in the mission that actually has missionaries on it. It is 400 miles from Tahiti and it does get cold. I had to change my blanket because it's been so cold in the mornings.

As for this week things went slow. Getting to know people and where they live. Trying to figure out the investigators and helping my companion out. He just barely finished his training and so his French needs help, luckily I was in French for so many years before the mission. So grateful. We have two branches in our area and four on the island. Our's are called Mahu and Ziona. It's the first time I've been in a branch, so it'll be new.

These last six months of my mission are my time to shine. To do my best. And unfortunately it's also the time to get ready to come home. I'm not getting trunky but the end is coming up and I'm bracing myself for the impact.

So family and friends, keep going. Patient through the rough times and serve those around you. Let's all do our best to be our best. It's a daily thing and it's a life long thing. The Lord loves us and wants the best for us. And it's through our difficulties that He makes us who we are. I love you all! Thanks for everything.

Love, Elder Squires

My Arrival

The others who were leaving.

One of 3 Chapels Currently Used on the Island

One of the farms on Tubuai

This is a memorial for Addison Pratt and his wife and the other missionaries that came with him.

The second church built on the island of Tubuai. It was built out of melted coral that made cement. 

And finally a memorial of where Addison and the group first landed. That stone thing is the memorial and behind it is our house. I really like the colors of those curtains, ha. I only say that because my companions made fun of me for only having blue ties, which is true except for one. So yeah. That's the island. It's been interesting thus far. We'll see what this week brings. 

Tubuai, Transfers, and My Flight

So.....the transfer calls came in last week......and.....Elder Webber is going to............STAY!!!! And I'm going to Tubuai. I'm pretty excited for Elder Webber. He has worked a lot and he deserves to stay. I'm sure he'll really enjoy it.

But as for Tubuai......I'm SOOO EXCITED!! When the AP's called and told me that I was going there I screamed with excitement. You have to google it. It's a small island in the Australes. Also known as an Australian island. YAY!!! It's really south and so it should be much cooler out there. The problem is that I have to be at the airport in less than an hour....so....I need to get going! My flight will be an hour and a half to two hours long. I'll let you know next week how it went and how it is.

I love you family!!!!!!

Elder Squires

That cat belongs to me and Elder Webber but he lives at our ward mission leader's house, which is totally fine. Ha. And that's the necklaces the members gave me to say goodbye.

Photo with our Bishop's family.