Bonjour notre famille et nos amis chez nous, ca va?
Tonight we are going to gaze into the night (if the sky is clear) and enjoy the "Super Moon" reflected on the Indian Ocean. The Super Moon: when the full moon coincides with the closest approach the moon makes to earth during its elliptical orbit. I don't know if tonight's moon will really be any different than other beautiful full moons we try to always appreciate, but it will be our only occasion to have this opportunity here, in the southern hemisphere, like so many other experiences we are blessed with each day. Is the moon bigger, brighter? We don't know...yet. So many things we don't know...yet.
Last Sunday, we visited the branch in St. Pierre and had the pleasure of dining with a very special member there. She is Chinese, about seventy-eight years old, the branch Primary president, and probably one of the most active missionaries on the island. A delightful dynamo. During the course of the meal, she looked at all of us and asked to share "une petite histoire" (a small story) with us, some of which we knew and some of which were unfamiliar. Her brother, with his wife and very young family, was living in France during the seventies, going to school. He was walking down the street and saw a handmade sign which read, "Families can be together forever". Interested, he approached the missionaries holding the sign and began asking them questions. They taught him the gospel, and later, before he returned to his home on La Reunion, he and his wife were baptized. When he returned, he taught his sister the gospel (our hostess) and she and her family were the first members baptized on this island. President Edmonds of the International Mission was assigned here around that time, and missionary work really began. The brother was the first branch president, later the first district president, and is now the patriarch, an icon here of faith and leadership. Fast forward about, oh, about twenty years. The brother, wanting his children to have a good education and friends in the church, sent his oldest daughter to BYU. She was on campus one day and someone called out her full - first and last - name. A BYU professor, walking along, heard that name, recognized it from years ago (remember, it is a Chinese name), and literally ran over to her. "Is your name.......?" "Yes." "Do you know (the brother's name)?" "Yes, he is my father." "Are you a member of the church?" With palms up in surprise, "Of course! We are ALL members of the church. There are three branches on Reunion now." The man was awestruck. He was one of the initial missionaries to teach the young investigator in France, had been transferred and had gone home before the baptism, and had never known that the man had accepted the Gospel. He had baptized no one on his mission, and although it had been a great experience for him, had always felt unsuccessful in that area. When the brother came to America, probably for his daughters graduation, I really don't know, the two men reunited and shared their stories. I looked over at the two elders with us, realizing that their feelings were much like the young elder who left France not knowing until years later...yet...what seeds had been planted and what fruit produced from one small handwritten sign and many evening lessons. There are so many things we don't know...yet...that they don't know...yet...maybe not known even in this lifetime, but our prayer was that the elders were taught by the Spirit the lesson of the effort, not always just the seemingly end result, and the power of time and personal commitment in changing the lives of others. There are many things we don't know...yet.
Lowlight of the week: One of our outstanding zone leaders had reached the conclusion of his time here. President and Sister Adams flew in for the departure dinner. Everyone was excited for a wonderful evening together. It was a smaller dinner this time; only one elder leaving, which is rare, so the dinner included him and his companion, the Adams, and us. SO FUN; I love these dinners! Fresh flowers from the morning market on the table, a yummy menu planned, with a couple of things I knew he especially liked: salad with deviled eggs. We had a prayer and I excused myself to finish the main course while everyone ate their salads. I returned with the rest of the meal as everyone was finishing up the salad, and I began eating mine. It tasted great, but "crunch, crunch" my teeth kept encountering grit; what IS this? The lettuce had been washed. Well maybe it was just mine... Brent cleared the salad plates and we met in our tiny kitchen. "Was your salad gritty?" He smiled. "Well, let me put it this way, I could hear President Adams crunching like he was eating sand." OH NO...oh, well; like Scarlett O'Hara, "I'll worry about that tomorrow!"
Highlight of the week: You know how every once in a while things just happen right? We had one of those times the day after the departure dinner when we took the elder to the airport. It had been a great day. He had worked right up to the end orienting four new missionaries that had arrived that morning, got himself packed and off we all headed to the airport, the new zone leader companionship, the Adams, and us. We took photos, hugged, said our goodbyes, and watched him as he reached the security check-in. Perfect. Oh, oh, he is searching through his pockets; NOW he is searching through his carry-on; now he is RE-searching his carry-on; something is definitely WRONG. He walks back to us. "I don't have my wallet and it has my identification card in it." (along with a credit card, about 400 euros, a temple recommend signed by his mission president, etc) He could check-in without his identification card, but didn't want to loose his wallet. My thoughts: all of those things can be replaced, but I don't want the memory of his last hours - not to mention his flight home - to be stress-filled. The questions: when did you last have it, etc? Brent, never being one to be indecisive, asked, "What is the last moment you can check in?" then turned to the zone leaders and said, "Go home as fast as you can without breaking any laws and see if it is there." Zoom, off they went. Waiting...waiting...waiting; silent prayers all around. Phone rings. Brent is expressionless; looks at the elder; still no expression, time stands still; we are all breathless. BIG SMILE. "They have it and they are on their way. " The biggest sigh of relief I have ever heard. Wallet delivered at the curb...happy elder rechecking in...wallet in pocket! THANK YOU!
PHOTO GALLERY:
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| P-day visit to the statue of the Hindu God Shiva on the island of Mauritius. We have a difficult time obtaining visas for the missionaries there because the Hindu government officials aren't in a hurry to have Christian missionaries teaching their people. |
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| Lunch with the missionaries on Mauritius...in rupees which comes to about $21.00, but you gulp when you first see the bill. |
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| The young man in the picture was baptized a few months ago and now his sister wants to become a member. |
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| Wednesday's new addition to the missionary force on La Reunion. I think I'm getting shorter! |
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| The jet-lagged new elders with their companions and the zone leaders. |
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| Leaving for home and these are his GOOD shoes! |
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| The wallet is found; relief for all |
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| Primary in St Pierre with our hostess. |
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| Happy Birthday to you! |
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| I wanted to show you two things with this picture. Of course, the beautiful bank of flowers, but also, look at the gutter. It is about two feet deep here and as the road turns the corner there is no space at all between the white line and the gutter. In many places the gutters are 4 feet deep and on both sides of a two lane road (because of torrential rains). No place to go if a car takes a wide turn and is on YOUR side of the road. |
Each day is a new adventure and a new blessing of learning, depending, seeking, and believing. This mission was definitely a step out of our comfort zone and we are still functioning out of it, but the things we now know seem to be slightly more than the things we don't know, and we are ever grateful for it all.
Love,
The Castaways
