Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Loving new area/companion!

6-2-14

I got transferred back to the Saratoga Zone where I was born, but into the San Jose 1st Tongan Ward!!!!  WAHOOO!!!!  Freak yaaa!!!!!  This palangi is going to learn more Faka-Tonga!!!!  My companion is awesome!  He is from Fiji.  His name is Elder Racule!  Super cool guy and super good singer, player of guitar and uke, good at volleyball, rugby, and basketball!  Man, it sounds like a lot of stuff to go through and do right now.  Hopefully, everything goes all right!  This week has been great!   Tuesday, I found out I was going into the Tongan program, then we went and ate and unpacked our stuff and visited a few members.  I didn't understand a lot, but I was surprised what I could pick up from what I already knew!  Then, Wednesday, we did service at some tree hugger ranch and we found a snake and a Samoan elder was freakin' out, bug big guy, since supposedly they don't have snakes in American Samoa.  That was his first one he's seen!  We made him touch it and it was super funny!  Then, we went around and tried visiting some members and they're all super nice and friendly!  It's awesome!  On Friday, my companion went to Pleasonton to sing at a Lu'au, so I stayed in East Palo Alto and went with some other missionaries there and on Saturday, we went and visited the Makasini's!  It was awesome!  I found out that another family that I used to go visit had their son get married in the temple and the father got his endowments.  It was freakin' awesome to see how they were doing!  Man, Redwood City was awesome!  On Saturday night I picked up my comp and we went back.  Sunday was very interesting going to another ward that I don't understand, but still be able to feel the Spirit so strong and it was awesome!  I was going to bear my testimony and basically introduce myself, but the Tongan ward is different!  There's no gaps during testimony meeting, so I was waiting for a gap since I was used to that being in an English ward, but there wasn't one.  It was super cool!  Then, after church we went to the Samoan branch, which we cover, too.  That was a really cool experience!  I have never been in a branch before, it was so tiny!  It had a different spirit to it, but it was super good.  I learned from the Tongan ward that you just have to go up and wait in line, so I went up and bore my testimony and introduced myself-it was really cool.  Man, Polynesians are the nicest, friendliest people!  I LOVE IT!  IT'S AWESOME!  Earlier, when we went to the Tongan ward, it started and there was hardly anyone there, so I asked my comp if this was how big this ward was and he said no...island time!  It was pretty funny, but sooo true!   Everyone tricked in after it started-it was pretty funny!  That night we had dinner with a family and had lu pulu and ota-super good (basically lu pulu is spinach and beef with coconut milk and ota is raw fish in coconut milk with tomatoes and green onions)...man I'm going to get fat-haha!  Good thing we work out in the mornings!  I am so excited to serve in these 2 areas and we have full car because it's a big area and spread out.  We cover a decent size of the mission!  Super cool!  Well, hopefully, you guys have a great week!  Love ya!

OFA LAHI ATU
Elder Whaley

Elder Racule and Elder Whaley

Missionaries in the Tongan program

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