Sister Holmes: Called to Serve: You Sisters are Not Allowed to Leave

So Sister Holmes and I have decided that we have the same brain. This week the title of my email was 'Tap Tap' and it turns out that this week she randomly said 'tap tap' to someone & thought of me. Back when we were growing up, there was this ridiculous show on Cartoon Network called The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and in one of the episodes he says 'tap tap' in this weird and annoying voice. For YEARS she would come up to me and say 'tap tap' and it would bug me so bad. Probably the most annoying thing in my life. Now it's just a fun memory. Anyway, she sent lots of pictures & even shared a recipe! She is so loved here at home & by those whose lives she touches every day in New Zealand.

Enjoy :)

Our ward mission leader Brother Aupouri is great, in MCM-missionary correlation meeting- he said "You sisters are not allowed to leave" He loves us. haha Elders Hester's response was "Fine we will leave!" hahaha poor elders.

Recipe of the week:
Sister Wikiria's Cauliflower salad:

(you have to guess on the amounts haha use your best judgement.)-Cauliflower chopped up to small peices

-Corn

-Mayo

-Sunflower seeds.

Its simply delish! We had dinner with the Wikiria's on Friday night then we went over to do some service for them! They are such a fun loving family! Sister Wikira is supah cool! She is a sweet as Maori lady! She took us to get iced hot chocolate and smoothies after our service. She also gave us green stone necklaces. Which was so sweet of her! Its a big deal in the Maori culture. She loves us :) and we love her and her family! She also let us try on her Maori ceremonial cape things...I am sorry I cannot remember what they are called....I know they are not called Ceremonial cape things... but it was really cool!

We also did some service with Sister Anna Howard. She is so sweet! We cleaned the cob webs off the front porch. New Zealand has sooooooo many spiders! Most of them are harmless....but still haha so we cleaned them all up. She gave us some easy how to learn Maori books so that was sweet as. I am practicing how to say 'nek minit' in Maori.

This week was a good one! We taught English to Anna out Kitibati Friend and this Sunday we went and sat in on their Sunday School class. Which was really a cool experience. Its funny I did not understand anything that was being said....but there as such a strong spirit there! They all have really strong testimonies! We are going to start up an english class for them and all of their friends, hopefully they can get better jobs and they have heaps of nonmember family and friends that we could teach which would be great!

We went and saw Shanit and her daughter Kavita. They are so sweet. Shanti was talking all about all the blessings she has received since she was baptized. She is the sweetest ever! And she gave us heaps of nail polish...which was sooo sweet, I know it doesnt matter a whole heap...but I painted my toes for the first time in 9 months. Its the little things in life that make a big difference hahaha

We went and saw Christine again. She is the sweetest lady ever! Had a mouth like a salilor but she does soo much for her family and others! We taught her the Restoration and man she loved it! She has not been active since she was young so she loved re learning about how wonderful our church is. haha everything we said she was like "far out!" "Really" "thats so cool!"

haha she is great!

I read these verses this wek and thought they were mean as. Mosiah 2:21-22

21 I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeep his^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
I just thought about it and was like man o man. TRUTH! God created us and grants us daily breath. That we my come to earth and have agency, that we can choose for ourselves. All He requires of us is to keep His commandments and then He blesses us when we do! Its crazy if you think about it. He gives us commandments which bless us and allow us to have happy lives..then when we keep those commandments..He blesses us more! He blesses us when we live in such a way that we can be happy! It amazes me!
Well I hope yous all have a great week! I love you heaps and heaps! and heaps and heaps!
Live long and prosper...in the land... by keeping His commandments :)

Sister Holmes