Elder Christian Fyffe

12/30/2013

                Christmas passed pretty calmly this year, coconut trees being thrown around in the rain storms. Didn’t feel much like Christmas because there wasn’t snow, but I can say that it was one of my favorites! I loved passing the night with a few families that I had the glorious opportunity of baptizing this past year. It’s a huge testimony to me that we are all the children of our Heavenly Father, when I feel the joy that comes from the people here. Actually as we speak, one of the investigators that I baptized named Poehere is doing her visiting teaching at the member’s house that I’m in right now! What a blessing to see how much she has progressed spiritually ever since the Lord crossed our paths! I love that girl like a sister.

            Well today has been pretty crazy for me, a lot of things have been going through my head, what kind of things you ask? Well, all of the progress and blessings that I have seen in my life up to this point. All of these thoughts came into my head this morning, when we went to the airport to pick up 10 new missionaries, fresh out of the MTC. Holy moley did I feel sorry for those kids, they are so lost, most can get by with the French they learned, but others remind me exactly of myself. All they could say was bonjour and bien! And they didn’t understand anything that I was saying to them! I remember being in their shoes, that feeling of "what the heck did I get myself into," little do they know how much they will be blessed in the upcoming months. The lord really is at all sides, he really brings miracles to pass through the weak things of the world. He chose one of his weakest children (me) to serve a mission on a tiny island in the South pacific, and told him to learn 2 languages. Then I look at all of the things that have happened up to this point and I tell myself, I should never have doubted my potential.

            It’s pretty funny to see these new missionaries, with high spirits and sweat dripping down their faces, it made me smile to know that I’ve gone through the things they’re going through, and to know that they will all be alright. The beginning of my mission was a completely humbling experience for me, the fact that I couldn’t speak forced me to listen to the spirit, because I had no chance helping these people with my own proper force and efforts. I completely relied on the spirit and the faith that my horrible French would touch their hearts. Guess what? It did! Just goes to show you that it really doesn’t matter what we as missionaries say, all that matters is the conduit we make with the spirit to transmit the message directly in their hearts. Even if French really isn’t a problem now, I never rest on the words and phrases that I’ve learned. I go off of the words and phrases that come from my heart. Which for the most part is "I love you and the Savior loves you, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to succeed," As a representative of Jesus Christ, I need to show my love for them, as the Savior would.

            The work here is starting to build up again; we had to open the back curtains of the chapel last week because all of the churches benches are full! The lord really is hastening his work, and im doing the best I can to live up to the standards that he has set for me. It’s hard, that’s for sure, but I know that it was never easy for the Savior. I love my mission so much, I love my family, what more could I ask for? I love you all and hope you have great new year’s! My new year’s resolution, stay alive for one more year.

Elder Fyffe