Talofa!

 Haha! This is TOTALLY WICKED!

Oh my heck. Seriously, I met like 2 white people this week. I am learning so much! So I get all nervous and tongue tied when I'm talking to Polynesians. But I learned a valuable lesson- not to esteem one flesh above another. haha. I love them and see them as children of God and I just "beee myself" and it is so much better! I was giving pass-along cards to some Samoans and I was like "H-h-h-here is a s-sp-spssp- ecial card for you" no kidding. Stuttering. It was so funny.

I feel so blessed to be here! Honestly, I don't know what I did right, but I'm trying my best to stay humble and rely on the Lord and let Him know how grateful I am.

Oh ps... happy 2012 by the way!!!!! Ahhhh! It's gonna be such a great year!!!

The people here are humble... and stubborn. I don't know how you can be both, but they have managed to do so, but I love them for both of those qualities! I seriously love them all so much and wish I could just give them my testimony to have because I know this will bless them more than they can imagine. Oh I love this gospel and this work. I just want it all to click in their heads and for them to gain a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father. He loves us all so much, we just need to turn to Him.

So this week. my shoes got jacked. hahah I'm not even kidding. I took my shoes off to go into this Samoan's home and left them on the porch.. WITH EVERYONE ELSE'S. I came back out and mine were the only ones gone. Guess that's what you get for having the cutest shoes :) haha I laughed so hard. Polynesians have the biggest hearts- they gave me a pair of shoes right then and there. they are so giving.... and taking ;) whoever it was hahah. Oh man, funny. Sister Banks and I went and did stop bys for the next couple of days ... but I have come to terms with the fact that I will never see them again. haha. I hope they needed them!

I got kissed by a woman... without any teeth. It was disgusting. She lost her dentures so we were lookin everywhere for them- how do you lose your teeth? Well she wanted a hug goodbye so i bent down and gave her one of those awkward sitting/standing hugs and then she straight um kissed me with her gums! Oh my nasty.

Sister Banks and I were driving and this woman was yelling to everyone in their cars "Get out of town. We are being quarantined. They are starting to gas everyone on the busses!" hahahah! We followed her for like 15 minutes so we could listen to her. I think she watched "I Am Legend" one too many times.

I love teaching with Sister Banks. It just flows with us. I love love love it. She is so down to earth and chill. She is such a hardworking missionary and obedient. I am her first white companion.

I'm gaining such a testimony of working and how being tired is a choice. This New Year's Eve we went to every house that we had planned for and NO ONE was home. We kept trying all of the names we had written down, but got no one. Our very last door was a girl named Tiffany. She was someone that Sister Banks had visited a long time ago and she didn't let them in. She is amazing. She knows and wants to be baptized and is having such a lonely/difficult time with her husband. She just wants to get life in order before she is baptized. But... the Lord will help her to see otherwise. We are having dinner at a member's home with her this week!

Jerry, a former investigator came to church! He stayed for sunday school. He is looking for a church and hopefully we can teach him with the spirit and he will recognize that.

The assistants are in our ward with us... that's intimidating. Especially when they tell the Bishop that they have 7 new investigators and we only have 3... haha. Oh well. We are doing our best and I don't regret a thing!

Oh, something i learned from a member this week, she said : "I don't get why people have dreams/wants and never get them. everything we want to attain is up to us and how hard we are willing to work for it. i don't have one regret in my life. if something didn't work out, I don't regret it because I gave it my best." I love that! We can have anything and everything we desire! It's up to us! Just remember that this year 2012 ;)

So I sent some pictures! One is from transfer day with all the sisters. Another is us on New Year's Eve- with the family that we live with- they bought us sparkling cider ;) Another is the view from our backyard... its Gorgeous. Then I can't remember the other's that we sent. haha. I love you guys so so much! write me soon! ps- I have THE bEST bed in the WORLD. I sleep like a princess every night and I can do 6 pull-ups now... throughout the day. Not all at the same time ;)

oute alofa ia oe- Sister Mahaffey