Obedience is the Key to Happiness

This week we had interviews with President Tolman because this week is transfers. This mission is blessed to have an amazing man as president. He is changing the culture of this mission. When he got here, Samoa was one of the top missions for missionaries being sent home for breaking rules, but with guidance from the Lord President Tolman has changed the culture of disobedience to a culture of exact obedience. The mission has come a long way from where it was, and it still has a long way to go, but it is moving quickly in the right direction.

When I met with president this week, I set goals to become an exactly obedient missionary. I am trying to focus on the little things that might not seem like a big deal, like sleeping in for a few minutes past 6:30, or returning to the house a little bit before 9, or not studying for the entire study time each day. These things are little, but I know if I do them I will be blessed to become a great missionary. My companion always says that good is the enemy of great. I could have a good mission and still sleep in every day or do other small acts of disobedience. It's easy to have a good mission. But the mission is the foundation to the rest of my life, so I want a great mission.

Samoans have a saying "I le fa'amaoni o mea laitiiti, 'o le 'a  fa'atino mea tele" By being faithful in little things, great things come to pass. I know that if we are exactly obedient we will be blessed with happiness and joy and have a great life.

We had 4 baptisms this week. 4 siblings named Tamaapa'a, So'otaga, Sefulua'i, and Blessing.

With young kids sometimes it seems that they don't really understand the gospel when they are first baptized, but when I baptized these kids I remembered the scripture that says "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it". While these kids don't understand perfectly, they know that what they are doing is right, and they will eventually come to know why in it right. In John 7: 17 it teaches that the way to know if something is true is to do it. These kids will be blessed with powerful testimonies as they continue to live the gospel.

Here in Samoa they actually celebrate Pioneer day as well. I taught our whole ward the "Cotton-Eyed-Joe" dance and they did it at the Stake Pioneer Day celebration. They were all really...funny to watch.

 

Giant okualua (centipede) - Yum.

Alofa atu ia te Outou!