Yahoué 2

Well Christmas has come and gone and now it's back to reality. This week focused a lot on finding the members and inactives in our sector and sharing a Christmas message. We have one member who is in a retirement home so we asked the director there if we could come sing for them in Christmas Eve. That was probably one of the highlights of the week. Thanks to a Christmas package from my family we were able to give each of them a little snowflake ornament and the smiles on their faces were priceless. 

Christmas Eve was spent with the Mocellin family. Dinner consisted of lobster, crab, fish, shrimp, and all things YUMMY! Christmas here is a little different than Christmas in America. Everyone opens their presents at midnight and then celebrate all through the night and then sleep the 25th. I'd have to say that I like the way we celebrate in America. 

Christmas Day I got to Skype my family and I was a nervous wreck. The anticipation killed me, but I couldn't have been happier to see them. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. It was a great way to start the day, and then the whole mission in New Caledonia got together for the rest of the day to celebrate with games, food, and small gifts. As the New Year is about to start and everyone will be making New Years Resolutions, I encourage you to pray to know what goals to set and to have them focused on Christ. Because your Father in Heaven knows you better than you know yourself, He will help you improve in ways that maybe you never even thought about. With goals centered on Christ and the will of God, I can promise you that your relationship with the two most important people in your life will grow, their presence will be stronger, and their blessings more abundant. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Big Hugs, 
Sœur Stahura

Somewhere over the rainbow (:

Yahoué 1 pictures

Soeur Casuga!

Baby Blue (:

Trio for the week

Yahoué 1

Talk about a busy week! Like I said last week, we were in a trio until Friday and had to work in both the sectors of Paita and Tontouta, and pack our bags, and say goodbye to those in our sector to get ready for the transfer. But, we did it and we are still alive haha. 

So Friday was the big day! My "baby blue" is Soeur Casuga. She's 19, from Hawaii, and is the cutest, happiest, most optimistic person ever. I'm really excited to work with her and I'm grateful that I get to be her trainer. Our new sector is MUCH smaller than Tontouta but I like it a lot because it'll be easy to find our way around and white washing won't be such a daunting task. I am also excited that we kind of get to make this sector our own since we are both new here and we will be able to start fresh and work together. 

I also LOVE my new ward! Every one is so nice and just loves the missionaries. Friday night was the ward Christmas party and of course the missionaries were "voluntold" to do the nativity scene, but it was fun. They also sang some of their cultural songs for those who are from the islands and the young women did cultural dances. I really enjoyed it (:

Christmas just kind of snuck up on me. Can't believe it's this week! I happened to read the birth of Christ recently and I love Mary's experience. I imagine she was scared and probably didn't feel worthy for the task. I know I have felt this way before as I'm sure we all have, but I love the counsel she received from the angel: "For with God nothing shall be impossible" and her response, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to they word" (Luke 1:37-38). She said "okay, here I am, weaknesses and all, I'll do it". Sometimes making the first step to just say "okay, I'll do it" is the hardest but He will "guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79). And yes, sometimes it's a daily, even hourly decision, but He will help us get through if we, like Mary, submit to His will.

I'm thankful for My Savior and I pray that we will remember the reason for the season. He is the gift.

With all my love this Christmas Season,

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 10

Story time! Well, first I apologize for not doing a weekly email last week, but I'm back!

Okay... so it was Saturday night, December 5. We went to have a lesson with Jesabelle. She is ten years old and has been taking the lessons for a while but the elders before us kept saying she likes to "play around". She'll say she wants to get baptized but then change her mind and didn't really pay attention to the lessons. So we picked up where they left off and to me she seemed so sweet and she retained everything that she had been taught. So, that night she asked, "is it usually you who pick the date for the baptism?" So we explained that we pray and pick the date, but that she is more than welcome to pick the date if she feels ready. So I asked her "do you want to do it in December, January, Feburary...?" She said, "I think December". So she will be getting baptized this Friday, December 18 at 5pm. She said that when she was at Madeline's baptism and Madeline came out of the water she thought "I need to get baptized, too!"

Here's the thing... I don't get to go to the baptism... because.. I'm getting transferred! The transfer meeting is the morning of her baptism. That's okay, I'm still really happy for her. So I will be white washing (again) and training in the sector of Yahoué. I don't know my companion's name yet, but I now that she is from Hawaii. I'm currently in the north zone and  Yahoué is in the south zone so all new everything this transfer! Prayers would be greatly appreciated haha. 

Other news: the departing missionaries leave before the new missionaries come so for this week I am in a random trio and we have to do two sectors at one time, so that's fun! This week is going to be busy, but I'm sure it will fly by!

This week I studied the life of Job. I think we all know the story of Job so I won't go into great detail but what stood out to me the most was that the Lord is the one that actually gave Satan permission to test and try Job. The Lord wanted to prove to Satan that Job would remain faithful. I imagine it was hard for the Lord to sit on the sidelines and watch and He may have even been a little scared that Job would fall but He had confidence in Job just as He has confidence in us. To apply this to our own lives, we need to remember that the Lord is on our side. He's cheering us on saying "let's prove Satan wrong". Ultimately we are stronger and have power over Satan and with the Lord's help we can remain faithful. Is it always easy? No. Is it worth it? Yes. 

It is my testimony that He lives and loves us more than we can imagine. Each trial and tempatation we face is not to punish us or make us fall, but to make us stronger and become the person He needs and wants us to be and to use our experiences to help others do the same. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Yours Truly,

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 9 pictures

You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words... I think this is priceless

Madeline's mom filling out the baptismal record

She's ready!

Sunsets here are my favorite 

Tontouta 9

Miracle 1: Thanks to the help of the senior missionaries, I am able to drive again! That whole process was an adventure, but we were able to do some paper work with the police so I can still drive while I wait for my replacement license.

Miracle 2: The power of repentance (Luke 15:7)

Miracle 3: Baptism! What a powerful experience! Madeline got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. It was wonderful! After the baptism, everyone was saying congratulations to her and she started crying. I went up to her to ask her why she was crying and she said "Because I am happy". My heart melted. It was the cutest and most innocent response ever.

Miracle 4: We had an investigator, Malia, that came to the baptism. Malia has met with sister missionaries in the past that she still keeps in contact with and she was SO excited when she met us. She has  a lot of love for us. I invited her to the baptism because I was giving a talk and she said in the past if we ever had to give a talk she would come to support us. She wasn't really progessing, though. At the baptism, I was standing on one side of the font with Malia and my companion was on the other side. When Madeline came up out of the water Malia turned to me and said "if I want to convert, what do I have to do?" Woah! Okay... So we talked and she also had a chance to talk to the bishop and receive a priesthood blessing. Her obstacle right now is that she has to get married. I'm excited to see what will happen. 

Miracle 5: There are A LOT of inactives and we have been working with a few families and a lot of them came to church on Sunday!

Miracle 6: The power of prayer. We engaged one of our less actives, Edna, to pray and ask Heavenly Father what she needs to do with her life right now. She actually did it! And she got an answer! She said she knows she has to start reading the Book of Mormon again. We've been reading a lot with her and you can just see that she is becoming happier and happier and the light is rekindling in her eyes. She is one of the inactives that came to church and she just had a big smile on her face. We saw her later that night and asked her what she thought and she said "I loved it because when I'm there I forget about all the worries at home". 

There are so many more I could tell you, but I think you get the point. Heavenly Father is really watching over us and all of His children. 

Funny story: We were at the Thomas Family's house having our lesson under a mango tree. He was telling us a story about this man who didn't agree with some aspects of God's creation like why there is a big tree with a strong trunk and long, strong branches but all it grew was little fruit. In his mind there should be great big watermelon or pumpkin growing from these strong branches and not from a vine on the ground. One day he was sleeping under this tree and one of the tiny fruits fell right on the middle of his forehead. He woke up, looked over at the little fruit and thought "Okay, maybe God was right". Hahah the funny part, though, is right as Kila said the fruit fell, a mango fell and hit the table and scared us all! Kila said "see, good thing it wasn't a watermelon or pumpkin". Heavenly Father has a little sense of humor, too (:

Lots of love for you all! I hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving! There is LOTS to be thankful for!

Sincerely,

Soeur Stahura 

Address:

Soeur Stahura

Bureau de la Mission

BP 15154

98804 Nouméa Cédex 

Nouvelle Caledonia

Tontouta 8

I bought 12 nights, got 4 free... Spending most of the week at "Hotel Koutio" (the Sister Training Leader's house). We are always here... There is always something... This week I lost my wallet. I was the driver because my companion is in driving school. Here you can use your American driver's license for one year before having to do driving school... But I lucked out because Florida has some sort of agreement with France where I can just change to a French license and then change back before I come home (or something like that), but we haven't done that yet and I was still using my American license. So... lost wallet = no license = I can't drive. Companion in driving school = can't drive. Companionship that can't drive = lost our car and have to do some stuff in Nouméa. So voila... Also our sector is enormous so these last two and a half weeks of the transfer on foot will be quite interesting.

On a brighter note... Madeline had her baptismal interview yesterday and she is SO excited for her baptism! If you could just see the light in her eyes! Each times we see her and teach her the light just keeps getting brighter and brighter. That little girl has a piece of my heart. I love seeing her at church with her big smile, running to give us a hug. She is SO sweet, SO humble, and SO full of love.

This past weekend we had Stake Conference. A story was shared (not sure if it is true or not) that really touched me. A mother and father had a baby girl, but the dad was upset because he wanted a boy. It didn't take long for this little girl to win over her daddy's heart. When this girl was fifteen years old she had serious heart problems and need a heart transplant. Her dad stayed by her side ar the hospital each day. One day they found a heart to do the operation. When the operation was over, the little girl didn't see her dad for fourteen days. When she got home she went searching for her beloved daddy, but all that was to be found was a letter. That letter from her dad explained that he gave her the gift of his life and it was hers to use as she wanted. At the end she said "I learned the importance of saying "I love you"". 

Our Savior gave His life for each one of us and He did it as the ultimate expression of love. I don't want to say much else because I want you to meditate on His sacrifice and what it means to you personally. I will pose the question found in Matthew 22:42- "what think ye of Christ?"

This week I've also seen how powerful being a servant of Christ is. We had a couple experiences this week where people just really opened up to us. It has happen in the past as well, but it just really hit me this week. Here I am, 19 years old, watching adults with tears filling their eyes and barriers falling down. I realize that, that is the trust we should be putting into our Savior. I realize that, that is the softening power of the spirit.

Well.... with all of my scattered thoughts.. and for those who know me know that scattered thoughts are completely normal haha... I guess I will just end by saying I love you.

-Soeur Stahura

P.S. Fun story... forgot my camera at the house so no pictures this week... Sorry 

Tontouta 7 pictures

I could tell you the countless thoughts I had about this little green sprout.. But this week I want YOU to come up with an analogy for this photo and email me with your thoughts! 

arianna.stahura@myldsmail.net

This is my little four year old friend, Jenny. I love her and listening to her speak in French is probably the cutest thing ever (:

Location: Tontouta Rivière

Tontouta 7

Well... It's been a few weeks since we set the date and she is still going strong... So I guess I can tell you that we are preparing for my first baptism on Saturday, November 28.... at 4 pm in case you were wondering... haha. Madeline Mahit is eight years old. In the beginning she was taught by the elders who were here before us and so we picked up where they left off and then set a date! Her father died not too long ago, but she is such a tough girl. Her dad was a member but inactive at the time of his death and her mother is not a member. This family is from Vanuatu and live in their own little community and her grandparents and other distant relatives that live there are members, as well. It is only her and her mom who are not members. So, Madeline has decided to enter the waters of baptism and her mom, Helen, has now asked us to teach her, as well. This little girl is an example for her mother and entire family and it is really such a blessing. She asked me to speak about the Holy Ghost at her baptism. What an honor! 

On the mission, I have experienced some of my highest highs and some of my lowest lows, but one thing that never changes is the gospel and it is truly something that all can rejoice about together. This week I've really learned that sometimes our blessings, and miracles, come at a price and sometimes it hurts... a lot... But the blessings have a way of blotting out the pain. I was reading Matthew chapter 20 this week and I really liked verses 21-23.

          21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in the kindgom.

-I think this is probably every mother's hope and it is a very righteous desire.

          22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

-Christ answers her and pretty much asks "are you willing to pay the price of your righteous desire?" and she and her sons say that they are ready. 

          23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

-Christ replies saying "okay" but notice how humble and honest He is. He gives all glory and honor to His Father. He tells them that the way has been prepared, but it is ultimately the Father who is on high. And that is why Christ is our advocate. He paid the price in full and we sometimes suffer a small fraction of that price, but because He understands, he will Help us and ultimately plead for us and our righteous desires. 

Sometimes, like I said, it really hurts. Sometimes we feel like Nephi and are "overcome because of [our] afflictions" and we think that "[our] afflictions [are] great above all". But remember the One who paid it ALL and remember that it is through Him that we can "[receive] strength". (1 Nephi 15:5-6)

So... Can I ask... Are you willing to pay the price for your righteous desires? And trust me... this is something I have to ask myself everyday. Some decisions we make in life have to be remade every day... sometimes multiple times a day.

Weird food of the week: Deer brain... a few weeks ago we were fed something that had tentacles and I didn't ask questions but I'm pretty sure we were also fed some animal organs.... 

New Caledonia news: it's getting hot and really dry and that causes a lot of wild fires. We had a huge wild fire in our sector on Thursday.

Anyway... I love you! Thank you for all that you do! (:

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 6 pictures

Within 24 hours we were given two crabs, three dozen eggs, two bags of rice, a bag of pasta, chicken, and three cans of sardines (that won't be eaten) haha. Culture fact: people like to give 

I was organizing or board but it doesn't come off the wall so.. This happened haha 

This is where we did a service project this week

Soeur Todd and I at the service project 

Tontouta 6

Hi!

I forgot to mention last week with the transfer calls that I am still with Soeur Todd as well as in the same sector.

There are always lots of little miracles throughout the week, but I want to share two big ones. 

1. We were tracting a couple weeks ago and a truck pulled up next to us while we were walking down the road. We introduced ourselves and talked for a little bit, gave them a Book of Mormon and two brochures and that was that. We thought we would call them at some point to follow up, but they didn't seem super interested initially so we didn't have our hopes up. This past Wednesday we got a call from Pascal (He called us!! What?!) asking if we pray and read from the Bible... Uhhhh, yes... haha. Then he asked us to come to his house to share a verse with him and his fiancée, Caroline. We scheduled an appointement for Friday and between Wednesday and Friday he sent us several reminders haha. There was no forgetting that we had an appointment with them. We went and they shared some very personal experiences with us and were looking to find peace. It's kind of amazing how much trust people have in us right away. Anyway, we shared several verses with them and testified of the peace that comes through Christ.

2. We have an investigator, Josieanne, that we met tracting one day (everything seems to start with tracting haha). She loves to read and she asked us for a Book of Momon and the Restoration and The Plan of Salvation brochures. In exactly one week time we went back to see her and she had read both brochures and read from the introduction of the Book of Mormon all the way till 2 Nephi 17! She seemed to have really understood and she likes to highlight what she likes while she reads and also to help her understand the stories. She asked a lot of questions and most of the answers were found in the Restoration lesson. She also said that this is the first time she has read what she calls a sacred book! She said she has felt more peace and feels like she is on a better path. 

I know this Church is true and I know the gospel changes lives. It doesn't matter what stage in life you are at, the gospel can and will change your life as much as you let it. I can testify of this because the gospel has changed my own life and continues to form me into the woman that Heavenly Father wants and needs me to be each day.

This week I am ponderizing Doctine and Covenants 6:34

Yours truly,

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 5 pictures

First time touching an instrument with strings.. SO fun! An Elder taught me how to play a song (:

President's daughter has become like my bestfriend. I love her so much!

President, Sister, and Dimity Granger

Zone Activity: Dodge Ball!

Tontouta 5

Okay... the week I skipped:

Exchanges! I was with Soeur Gunn (STL) in her sector of Koutio for exchanges. We had a blast! We went on a hunt for a house, we taught a man who is from Vanuatu who only speaks a little French and Soeur Gunn can speak a little Bislama so it was a mix of languages, and then we set a baptismal date with one of their investigator, Charlene. Charlene is what you call a "golden investigator". Even though she isn't my investigator it was such a neat experiences because she just learns so quickly and was so filled with light and I had so much love for her after just meeting her once. 

The following Saturday we spent the whole day in Tomo (25 minute drive from our house) and Boulouparis (35 minute drive). We had an appointment with a member early in the afternoon and then FHE with a family later that night. It was our first time exploring that area so we just spent it finding! We saw so, so many miracles! One of them was when we had FHE we were talking to the family about a less active member that we wanted to find in that area and the next day at church Soeur Bondonneau, with urgency in her voice called us over and said, "that's him! that's who you were looking for!!" This man showed up to church after who knows how long. It was so cool (: So now we're in contact with him and will be able to visit him! 

This week:

Zone conference: 

One quote I love: "to maintain the kindgdom of God is mundane, but to build the kindgdom of God is divine" -President Granger

We also spent a lot of time talking about Christ and I loved this quote as well:

"Make no mistake [Christ would say] if you let Me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect - until My Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with Me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less. 

God's demand for perfection need not discourage you in the least in your present attempts to be good, or even in your present failures. Each time you fall He will pick you up again. And He knows perfectly well that your own efforts are never going to bring you anywhere near perfection. On the other hand, you must realize from the onset that the goal toward which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself can prevent Him from taking you to that goal. That is what you are in for." -C.S. Lewis

I know I talk about Christ a lot, but His name is on the plaque I wear every day for a reason. He is the reason for everything. Because He accomplished the Atonement He understands us perfectly...but He was also part of our creation and why would He, being perfect, create anything less than perfection? Perfection is possible...in the next life... Our mortal experience is just one step of that process. Just because there are times we stumble and fall doesn't ever label us as a failure...because why would He create anything less than perfection? He sees the end result even when we don't and that is becoming like Him and it is in fact possible through our valiant efforts to not give up. So get up, take His hand and let Him lead you, His precious brother or sister, to Eternal Glory. He lives. He loves you. He is the way. 

Sunday: transfer calls - I'm staying in Tontouta

Lots of love,

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 4 pictures

Sometimes.. You walk into your house after a long day and just find a MASSIVE spider... UGH!

If you ever doubt.. Just look up.. 

This is my Zone after Zone Meeting last week.. Trying to do timed photos is an adventure haha

Chopsticks are not that easy to use... Haha we had a good laugh out of this

Lunch at a members house(:

The Nau Family.. Love them to death! They are a family of recent converts we teach. The little boy, Sinisio, is such a rockstar!

Tontouta 4

Hi... Don't hate me... But there is no weekly email this week because I have personal emails that I want to write.. But this week I cannot even tell you how many miracles we saw!! 

Lots of love for all!

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 3

On Thursday October 15th I finished reading the Book of Mormon. I closed the book and went into the other room to pray alone and to ask Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true. Is it really the word of God?

My answer: How could it not be? But then again, I can't remember ever doubting. I encourage everyone to read and pray with a sincere heart and an open mind. He will tell you even if you already know it. I can add my testimony to Joseph Smith's by saying that "a man (or woman) would get closer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book". If all you can do is read one verse a day, then do that. There is so much power in the pages and if you study with real intenet you will find so many things that will strengthen you personally. The Book of Mormon is the truly for us. You read all the stories about how the sacred records were passed down from prophet to prophet, hidden up unto the Lord, and even when Joseph Smith had the records he had to be careful about who saw them. But today..You can get a Book of Mormon in a variety of languages, sizes, colors, etc. It is for US! And Heavenly Father has given us access to His holy words. In short, I know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true and I invite you to find the truth for yourself, too. 

I love my sector and I love the people! We taught the little girls from the picture last week again, the Secken Family, and they are just too cute! We have only been to their house twice, but they are so full of love for us! When we saw them at church they came running to us and it made my heart smile(: I now understand why I had callings in primary and nursery before my mission. It has also shown me the power of simplicity and the meaning of being as a little child. They are so humble and so quick to love and that is how we all should be. 

We also teach the Nau Family who are recent converts. They are so incredible! Their faith and simple testimonies are so strong! It reminds me that we must never lose that spark, never lose that excitement for the gospel.

I love you all so much. Thank you for all of your love and support. Everything is going well over here on the other side of the world. This country is so beautiful. The weather has been a little weird lately, but I'm used to bi-polar weather.. Thanks Florida haha.. I love being surrounded by mountains and I love the beautiful beaches. There are so many different cultures here and it is so fun to hear everyone's story. Also something that kind of makes me laugh...when we go running for our exercise time in the morning we run by a field of cows and you can hear them mooing and I just kind of laugh and think "that's not something that happens at home" haha.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Lots of love,

Soeur Stahura  

Just to make sure everyone has the correct address:

Soeur Stahura

Bureau de la Mission

98804 Nouméa Cedex

Nouvelle Calédonie

New Caledonia 

Tontouta 2 Pictures

This is Maheata! I just love her (:

Soeur Maleb! She returned with honor yesterday to her home in Vanuatu!

Selfie after conference!

This was fun (: we were all singing together after conference

Some of the little girls we teach!

Sometimes Elders take your camera and take random pictures and you end up with cute ones like this one of me and my companion (:

Pascal and Oscar

These little girls loved my hair! PS there is another one behind me playing with my hair, too haha 

Tontouta 2

General Conference this past weekend was SO good! Before conference I wrote down questions I had and I received an answer to every single question! So amazing! The general authorites of the church are no doubt called of God and serve the purpose of directing and building the kingdom of God on earth. 

One thing that I want to share is from the talk given by Dieter F Uchtdorf. He talked about stepping back, looking at our life from a higher plain, simplify, and start where you are. We each have a great plan for our life and we need to make sure we aren't making it harder on ourselves. He said, "if we only see ourselves with mortal eyes we will not see us the way He (Heavenly Father) sees us". Let us always remember our divine potential and always look forward to the eternity that is promised to us if we are faithful and enjoy the journey along the way! It doesn't matter what has happened in the past.. Leave it there and move forward! Start where you are right now. Take small steps. Change one thing at a time and always remeber how blessed you are. I love what Quentin L Cook said: "we have a long way to go but a wonderful beginning". That wonderful beginning comes because we made a choice to follow Christ even before we came to this earth. Now what we have to do is make that decision again! He is the way! And like Jeffrey R Holland said, "be peaceful, believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think". 

Miracle for the week: we had a lesson on Wednesday afternoon, but it got cancelled so we were just walking down the road to do porte-a-porte and we stopped on the side of the road to talk to a lady that was out in her garden. She wasn't too interested but we wanted to leave her with a prayer. It was my turn to pray so I asked her if there was anything I could say or ask for in my prayer (which I usually forget to ask) and she went on a rant after that haha. So we were listenting to her rant and as we were standing there another woman drove by and saw us standing there and she said "I want you to come to my house! I've been waiting for sisters to come to this area! I want you to come study the Bible with me!" So, had our lesson not cancelled, had I not asked that question, and had she not gone on a rant we probably would have been in the middle of the prayer and Malia probably would have driven right past us. What's even cooler is that after that we were able to have our lesson with the person that cancelled. Well... Maybe it's not cooler but it was a bunch of little miracles added up to make one huge miracle. 

Other than that I love all of the little kids we teach! It is so much fun! I love our area and I love the people. There is a family that lives just down the road from us that we have gotten really close to and the daughter, Maheata (19), has been coming with us to teach just about everyday. She was inactive for a long time and just came back in April. She has SO much light and she has already become a close friend! 

Fun story... We watched conference at the stake center in Noumea so the whole stake was there and there were moments that I found myself actually holding a normal, human conversation with people haha.. My companion would be talking to someone and another person would walk up to me and start talking and I was like well.. I can either stand here awkwardly or I can open my mouth.. It was fun.. I walked away from the experience thinking "did that just happen? did I just hold a conversation without my companion at my side every second of it?" Haha 

I want to leave you with a small testimony... I know that I, Sister Stahura, am a daughter of a Heavenly King and I know YOU are a son or daugther of the most High God, as well. In the name of His Son, Jesus the Christ, amen.

Love,

Soeur Stahura 

Tontouta 1 pictures

We did a service project and this was the person's back yard! It was a little taste of home.. and Heaven haha

Coconuts!

Have I told you how much I HATE spiders!! All of the bugs are like twenty times bigger here!

Tontouta 1

Bonjour tout le monde! 

We are sucessfully moved into our new sector! Our sector is HUGE! We actually live in Tamoa and our sector goes all the way up to Boulouparis if you feel like looking at a map haha. We are in a ward now so it is nice to have the members help. Members! Please help your missionaries!! It makes such a difference in the work! It has been especially helpful since we are white washing because they are able to show us around the sector (: So I am super excited... The Elders who were in the sector before us were teaching a lot of kids 9 and 10 years old so we get to pick up where they left of and I am SO excited!! I love kids!! And I feel like it is easier to speak with them... It's a little less intimidating haha. The language is coming along pretty well.. I've stopped telling people I'm a new missionary and just go for it haha. It helps to just be confident and open your mouth. I still have LOTS to learn. It is still hard but as time goes on I can see more and more progress. Speaking of members... The members love to feed us A LOT... We have five weekly appointments to eat with members.. Sometimes more... It is also rude to deny food when they offer you more sooo.... You might not recognize me when I get home... Hahah kidding.. You just have to spread your food out on your plate, eat slow, and talk a lot haha. 

So this week I was studying the story of the Brother of Jared in Ether and there is so much to be learned so I'm just going to share what I noted:

Chapter 2:

2:17 there is a lot of repetition in this verse. Why? To show that Heavenly Father really pays attention to detail. He wanted to make sure the vessel to carry them was safe and secure according to His instruction. The instructions we have are to carry us through this life back to Him safely and He knows all the finer details of our life that maybe we even overlook. 

2:19 The brother of Jared poses three questions in prayer (Light, steering, air)

2:20 But, the Lord only responds to one question

2:21 The Brother of Jared listens to that ONE answer and does as the Lord commands

2:22 He prays again 

2:24-25 The Lord provides us with some things to help us in our journey, but he also expects us to plan and do our part and then turn to Him to fill in the blanks that we cannot do for ourselves having faith that He will help. Takes a little leap of faith and action on our part first, though. 

Chapter 3:

3:1,4 The Brother of Jared prepared a way so that they could have light THEN he went to the Lord to propse his idea with faith that the Lord would fulfil his desires 

3:6 The Lord did as the Brother of Jared asked and took the time to touch each stone one by one - again, showing attention to detail

Chapter 4 

 4:3 light=Christ great waters = life... Christ gives light to our life so we don't have to travel in darkness and confusion

4:4 They were prepared and set forth always trying to do the will of the Lord. Always have a plan and be ready to work and listen to the Lord to do His will.

4:5-8 They were in the middle of a storm, but all the while the Lord was in control and continually guiding them to the Promised Land. With all of our trials, temptation, and weakness... amidst the great storm of life, Christ is always in control and pushing us toward eternal life.. Remeber, it took a storm to get them to the Promised Land. 

4:9-10 They continually praised the Lord no matter how scared they were and with the protection of the Lord, nothing could harm them

4:12 They made it! We can make it to the end of each day, then month, then year, then to eternal life... One step at a time.. One prayer at a time.. One answer at a time.. But it all requires faith and sometimes a storm.. or two.. or three.. to get us there

4:13 They went to work! 

It is not enough to "just make it through". You HAVE to keep going and keep working hard(: "Walk humbly" and always "remember how great things the Lord [does]". 

This is my testimony that I know the church is true and that this is the way for us to be happy in this life and in the life to come. As a person we contacted once said "it doesn't matter how little you have if you have the Lord". He is everything and then some. I know that each one of us has a plan individually tailored to our lives so that we can grow and become like the Father and His Son. Our trials are there to help us to become better. He loves us the way we are but refuses to let us stay that way. We must continue to grow and change and sometimes that requires a trial and a little humbling, but He is ALWAYS there to help us. He lives! And He wants to help us, so let Him. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and I am so grateful for his diligence in restoring the true gospel so that I can live the life I do and have the happiness that I enjoy each day. I say this in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Yours truly,

Soeur Stahura 

Pictures

Pantajupes are a thing here haha.. They're great.. They're like the pants that Jasmine wears in the movie Aladdin

Up in the mountains in Farino.. Such a gorgeous view and you can see the ocean on the other side!

I am definitely on Sœur White's back haha

Insert a Sector Here?

Well... It has been quite the interesting week... We moved to La Foa last Tuesday and after a chain of events we went and stayed with the STLs on Thursday night and have been with them ever since.... But that is a story for another day(: Word on the street is that we will be moving to the sector of Tontuta this Friday. I am still keeping my companion so that means we are still white washing. Yay! Until then we will be with STLs in Koutio. 

Besides that, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to come unto Christ. In 1 Nephi 21:14-16 it tells us that Christ will never forget us, but how could He? We are graven upon the palms of His hands! He is always reminded of His sacrifice for all of His brothers and sisters. Stories of Christ tell of Him inviting the people to feel His wounds one bye one to show the reality of His sacrifice and His love for us. He is always there. He will never forget. In Alma 46:8 it says "Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God". In Mormon 5:2 it tells how the people "did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them". We are the ones who choose to walk away, but we are also the ones who can choose to come unto Him. There is no reason to suffer in silence. If you feel like there is no where to turn, turn to the one who has never and will never forget us even after we have walked away. He has said that "[His] yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light". His sacrifice for us was never a burden to Him. WE are not a burden to Him. He wants to help us because He loves us and does so with open arms and a willing heart because "He denieth none that come unto Him" (2 Nephi 26:33). I extend the same invitation as President Uctdorf: "if you feel small and weak, please simply come unto Christ, who makes weak things strong". 

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know He lives and there is not a moment that passes by that we should ever have to walk alone. If we walk with our hand in His and our other hand on the iron rod we cannot and will not fail. He is the way. He is the sure source of peace and hope in this life. He understands all. He has lived it all and would do it again if He had to. Please turn to Him. Invite others to turn to Him and you will find the joy in each day. This is my testimony and I leave it with you in His name, Jesus Christ, amen. 

Your Missionary,

Sœur Stahura

PS: I encourage you to read the words of Hymn 117 "Come Unto Jesus"