Nice little surprise!‏

Hey there everyone! So this past week elder vakameilalo was staying with us while waiting for his comp to come from the islands. Well friday we get a call from the AP's and they say my son (lauti) Is transfering and vakameilalo is my new comp. I was surprised cause that was out of nowhere. My son is great though. I miss him even though Vakameilalo is awesome too. He's hilarious. He's been out since may last year. But yeah that was a sad surprise. It's not time for transfers yet. The next one is the 18th of march. Man time flies. I can't believe february is done! So crazy to me! March 10th i'll have been in tonga for a year. It'll be weird to come home. Lifestyle is just different here haha. But anyway work was tough this past week! Every teaching we had fell through. The kid that said he needed to tell his parents he wanted to be baptized hasn't showed up again. His parents said no. Alatini went to new zealand and right now the work is just kinda stuck. Hopefully it pics back up again. But we'll see! Man it's been awhile since i've come up with a challenge. One thing i did this week was got the seminary and institute student manuals for the book of mormon and going through those and keeping a study journal for just the book of mormon and after i read a chapter in the book of mormon write what it was about and what i got out of it! So that can be your challenge i suppose! But i think that's about all for this week! I love and miss you all!
Elder Rose

Put your shoulder to the wheel push along

Hey everyone! Here is the updates this week! Valentines day was spent inside the house all day. The first real hurricane dropped through here. Our house was filled with 2 inches of water. We'd swept it out multiple times. But one time trying to hold the door open a little to sweep it out the wind caught the door and flung it open and just about snapped in half. Luckily it stayed on enough we could close til it was all done. So that was a really fun Valentines day for me! :) Haha so updates on investigators. Nisi and Lasi still can't be baptized cause their dad wont let them. Alatini we just finished teaching and invited to be baptized, he said he believe everything he just feels like he hasn't repented yet, still smokes and drinks kava. But he still wants to meet with us, he leave friday to New zealand to work so i don't know that i'll see him get baptized. Maliu, we just taught him for the second time last night, he's really good. Believes everything, invited him to be baptized he said yes but then said he has to tell his parents and if they say no then he wont. He's family with Nisi and Lasi. Dang wicked traditions of the fathers. People afraid of getting beat for being baptized. That's the hardest part of this mission here i think. So if you could pray for maliu and nisi and lasi's family to have their hearts softened that would be great! They really want to be baptized. They know it's true but just aren't willing to take the persecution from family. Pray for Alatini too to have the desire to really repent! And then yesterday i woke up feeling like i would speak in church. Ended up speaking in 2 of the 3 wards haha. Luckily i had prepared just a little before hand. Just talked about the importance of this work and working together! but i think that's all this week! I love you and thank you all for your support! Til next time!
Love,
Elder Rose

Week after Week

Hey everyone! Hope all is well! Well feels like i just emailed you all but it's been like 2 weeks except that little one the other day. But to catch you up. ualita's baptism went well and i did the confirmation. but right now just trying to set up all the appointments! But other than that all is well! Hope to baptize 4 on saturday! We'll see if that helps! But sorry i gotta go! I love you all and miss you all! WOw that's a pathetic 2 week update but that's all i got for ya sorry! I love you and miss you!
Love,
Elder Rose

Just hold on

Hey everyone. Just want to say that I'm still in Te'ekiu. Pres called about transfers and said we were doing great work and to just keep it up! So Lauti and I are still in Te'ekiu. This will be my 4th transfer there and honestly i prayed and fasted to stay so it worked! Works been great but I just wanted to let you all know i'm still here and i'll just email you all on monday! But I read all your emails you've sent so thanks! I'll try to respond monday if i have time!
Love and miss you all!
Elder Rose

16,17 and 18

Hey everyone! 
Wow it seems like i just wrote you all! This week went by so dang fast! I can't believe how busy we were too! Everyday just super busy! It was crazy! But first things first! The baptism and confirmation of Viliami 'Ofa Mei Muli Huihui and Mele Lueni Huihui and Lose Moleni all went fantastic! Probably one of the happiest days of my mission so far! Almost cried baptizing Viliami! Man i was so happy. President and his wife and the AP's and the Zone Leaders and my district leader all came. It was just great! :) But this week we were super busy. We got more investigators. Nisi a girl age 15, her sister Lasi age 9, a 13 year old girl named Ofa and a 15 year old boy named Ualita. We taught all them and were supposed to baptize Nisi, Lasi and Ualita on saturday but couldn't baptize the 2 girls because her dad said no. Both their parents are baptized and when they asked to be baptized dad said no but he said he knows it's true and the right church and way to be baptized. It stinks. that's the hardest part of my mission. Parents saying kids can't be baptized or people are scared of their family or something but yeah so we weren't able to but her dad goes to new zealand on the 14th and she said she wants to be baptized then. hopefully we are still around but i doubt we will be! and ualita, well everything was set and ready to go saturday but he had a physical problem and couldn't make it so we are doing it on this coming saturday! But yeah! Work was just really busy this week! It was cool! It was exciting! So busy with teachings and stuff all day every day! But We have transfers on next monday and i'm really expecting to leave this area. Te'ekiu. I'll surly miss it here. I love these people. so if i do get transferred to Vava'u like what was supposed to happen. i'll talk to you all when i can! Hopefully it won't be too long but don't worry! I love you all and miss you all! 
Til next time,
Elder Rose

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it's happenin!

Hey everyone! Just to let ya know i got swollen lips! Woke up this morning to mosquito bites on my lips and they get big when i eat and talk! It's great! haha but enough about the bad news for the week! Pretty exciting week this week! So last monday had the FHE with Viliami and Lueni! talked about the BOM and it all went great and before i told bishop my comp will invite for baptism cause he needs to. Well end of the lesson bishop goes well thanks for coming Viliami baptism this week saturday? He laughs and says no. He says okay how about tuesday? 4 o clock?....yes. Yeah!! Viliami and Lueni are getting baptized tomorrow!! So happy! 5 o clock! but that's not all the drama. So tuesday came and we got another investigater. Name is Lose. A 27 year old girl who was taught everything last year and went to New Zealand before she got baptized. Well we were told she was expecting us so we show up and she had no idea. infact we were told it was her sister we were going to teach but that wasn't true. So it was kinda awkward. But we talked a little and found out she doesn't believe in the BOM or Joseph smith. Well we set a time to come back. So thursday was a real exciting day. We planned to go around with our ward mission leader so we went to all the houses in the ward and asked them to find someone for us to teach and ended up with i think 4 set appointments to come back. One happens to be tonight. but so we just got done visiting everyone and go to bishops and talk to his wife and lueni. We were all just talking and bishops wife says you should be going off the island soon huh? Well right after she said the our zone leaders show up outside the house and say pack up tonight you are going to vava'u at 7 tomorrow morning. I almost cried. I just thought NO i have to do this baptism. Go back in the house and tell bishops wife and lueni. Luenis face was just like i told her someone died. I told them we were gonna go home and i was going to call president. We leave and get home i tried calling president but his phone wasn't working. i prayed so hard that he would pick up. finally he picked up and i said hey president, zone leaders told me i'm leaving tomorrow. he said yeah at 7 you'll go to Ta'anea Vava'u. I just said president is there anyway to delay. We have a baptism tuesday with the family i've been working with since november can you please delay it. He said yes he'll rearrange it. I was so happy. We go back to bishops house and his wife had been crying. I'm really close to the people in this area. I love this area and don't want to go. I want to go to vava'u way bad but it's just the wrong time but we told him i can stay to do the baptism and probably til the end of the transfer feb 6. I was so happy and so were they! after that we went to another guys house who said he had some referrals so we went there and he gave us 3 referrals and we are teaching them tomorrow! then friday we taught a less active family. This guy has an arm that doesn't work. It's just dead and dangles. But his wife had some good questions and just wanted to know about the gospel cause she was baptized when she was 8 but didn't know much about the church but she was really receptive! then after that later that day we taught lose. She had ALOT of questions. We answered them all and helped her understand everything but wanted a scripture from the bible that says the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is the true church. I started going to 3 nephi 27 but she was like no the bible so i just asked the same question from the BOM and said when Jesus came he established HIS church. What would the name of HIS church be? She responded. Church of jesus christ. Okay so the bible says jesus is the same yesterday today and forever so if he establhished his church today what would it be? She said Church of jesus christ and kinda smiled and laughed. All in all went well and she's getting baptized tomorrow too! it's awesome! I'm so excited. Haha the night viliami said they'd get baptized i was like a little kid on christmas eve. I couldn't sleep i was so excited! but i'm glad lose is joining them too! We share the same name! haha. saturday all of them were interviewed and passed so all is ready to go! I gave viliami a white shirt and a tie that grandma hamblin sent me with anchors on it that said anchored in faith and told him to read the scriptures to go with it! A symbolic tie for someone who struggled with faith! It was awesome! They both came to all of church yesterday and really enjoyed it actually all the classes and everything so that was good! Well after church we went to our eating appointment in masilamea and got 3 more referrals. Teaching one of them on wednesday! then last night we went to check up on someone who told us to come back sunday when we went around with the ward mission leader. i thought they probably forgot. but they didn't. This less active couple had his mom come who isn't a member and we taught her and she was really good. Her name was aloma. Aroma in english. But it was really good and teaching her again on wednesday! man work just picked up out of nowhere it's awesome! So this morning president called to see what time our baptism was. I told him 5 he said he'll come and asked about work and told him it's really progressing and he's like well good it's progressing and time for you to go haha i laughed and i'm okay with that as long as i stay til the end of the transfer. And then right after i hung up the phone people were at our house from masilamea to tell us of another referal that we are teaching tomorrow! so yeah! Busy this past week and it flew! Seems like i just emailed you all! but i think that's all! Just pray that all at the baptism goes well! oh and then just one thing that i was thinking this week! First i finished the Book of mormon in tongan yesterday finally and want you all to read Moroni 7 it's good. And something i thought yesterday in church. So we are the sheep of the Good Shepard. Well shepards keep there sheep usually in an area with a fence. A barb wire fence. Something to thing about. If you've seen sheep or i see cows usually but they stick their head through the fence to eat outside the fence. How many of us are like the sheep eating outside of the fence of the commandments and even though it's a little painful and we may bleed from the barbwire cutting us or our little sins we still do it. Our body is inside the fence or we are keeping the commandments for the most part but we are partaking of things outside the fence a little or breaking a little commandments even though it is spiritually hurting us? I challenge this week to stop doing whatever it is we are doing even if it's little that's breaking the commandments and get our whole selves inside the fold of the good shepard and be happily in His pasture. Just something i thought that i never thought before. I hope it made sense. I love you and miss you all! Thanks so much for all your love and support! It means so much!Til next time,
Elder Rose 

Still here!‏

Hey still here in te'ekiu (translation for te'ekiu is sea bird crap, sweet eh?)
Still not sure if i'll go to vava'u or not so guess we'll just see! but for now just a few things this week! Woke up to a fight outside our house the other day, bunch of drunk guys. That was funny. Later that day they all wanted to talk to me and were just like man lose(rose) we just love you when you go back to america remember this day haha. It was funny. we have FHE tonight with viliami and lueni. I'm hoping to set a baptism date for saturday. I really really hope they will be! I love that family and want to see it happen! Someone in our areas pig was killed. Thats big news here in tonga. Police almost got involved haha. Ate that pig. It was delicious. Had stake conference saturday and sunday. There were as many people there as in my ward back home. haha. this stake covers half of tongatapu. But yeah not much else. Language is coming. Really starting to understand well and can just talk to people so it's nice! Oh almost forgot! Good news! Lost 5 pounds! only 190 now! haha hopefully i'm not 240 when i get back! That'd be no bueno! But honestly thats really about all this week! Hoping to send some pics home so hopefully they get there! But i love you and miss you all! All is well here on the other side of the world! Til next time!
Love,
Elder Rose

Well, Hey!

Hey everybody! How's it all going? Hope all is well! Everything is good here! We spent this last week looking for new investigators to no avail! Hopefully this next week! We just got done teaching viliami and lueni! It's went good. Bishop and his wife helped us with that! We basically just covered the last bit of the lessons and asked viliami what he doesn't believe. The book of mormon. He brought up how the bible says don't add. Well we helped him understand that and next monday having a family home evening with bishop next monday about the book of mormon! I really want to see them baptized! President came this week and said me and my comp might transfer to vava'u. The most beautiful group of islands here in tonga. It'd be awesome and i've been dying to go but i love viliami and lueni and want to help them! So if i go there i only get to email like every three weeks. So i'll try to let you know somehow if i do get transferred there this week. We were supposed to go the day pres came but he couldn't get our tickets cause it's been to stormy! SO we'll see if we go this week! If so i love you all and will talk to ya in awhile! But other than that not much changed besides my heart and my view of some things. Lately i have really tried to improve my prayers. I feel they have really improved and are just more sincere, i also read a book mom sent me,by the way mom got your christmas and birthday package and grandma and grandpa nielson got yours, thanks!, but the book is recieving answers to prayers and it was a really good book. You all should read it! But that book and  "making the most of your mission" those two books helped me so much, I have so much more of a desire to just work hard and i have been doing better. Even though we don't have many investigators right now i have all the faith in the world we will find some! I don't know I feel like i've just really spiritually grown over the last few weeks. Have some new years goals that i'm excited to work on. I've been able to feel the spirit more abundantly and things are just going good. I love this work and i love what i'm doing and scared to have less than a year now. I feel like i still have so much more to do that will take more than a year! I know i have a father in heaven who cares for each of us and will always do what is best for us at the best time. We need to be patient. I love you all and I hope you guys can just all work to try to love everyone and treat them as your own family. That is so important and what the savior does. But one last thing i wanted to mention. I'm becoming more and more convinced we are what we think about. If we can master controling our thoughts, we won't give into temptation because any temptation always starts out with a little thought. So challenge. Control your thoughts. Think about good things.I hope we can all try harder to do this! I know this work is so important and know it's what God would have me do. I love you all! Til next time!
Elder Rose

Happy new year!‏

Hey everyone! it was sooo great to talk to you all last week! I can't believe it's already been a week! That's crazy! But it was a definite highlight of my mission so far! So thank you all! Something i know you all would be interested in knowing, so i thought i was doin pretty good, but i found a scale, wieghed myself. Yup, gained 20-30 pounds so far. I'm close to 200 haha. Wow that's embarrassing eh? Hopefully the next year doesn't bring 30 more! That would be bad! Well last week we had a baptism and told most of you of that and my first time doing the confirmation for paea ta'ufo'ou! Well transfers were this week! But i'm staying in my area and training again! 2 sons in less than a year! That's crazy! My new son is Elder Lauti from Vava'u! He's really great and just wants to work hard! I had kind of a cool experience this week and was just kind of an eye opener for how important what i'm doing really is! And how important the spirit is! I just really have a lot more drive and motivation to work even harder. But i'm hoping we can find investigators to teach and baptize! We still are just kinda working with Viliami and Lueni but really need to find more people! We went to all the ward members and just asked for referrals and got a few but i don't know if any of them are really ready golden families but my faith is high and i'm gonna put it to the test! I'll be in this area til march and it was hard to get those 2 baptisms the last 2 transfers. But it's okay we'll do good! I had to shed a tear seeing my first son go. That was kinda hard and i was scared again to train but it's been good! I also had to shed a tear seeing a fellow district member, elder groom, leave the district and go to vava'u. he's like my brother! But everything is good. It's been pretty cool this last week just kinda out of nowhere i've really been able to just understand people, don't know what it is but it's been nice and i have really just been talking tongan. My comp understands english but can't really speak it but i've just been speaking tongan anyway it's been good. My comp speaks so fast it's crazy but somehow most of the time i've been able to under stand! But that's about it! I'm excited for what this next year and some days has in store and i'm going to make the most of it! I love you all and i miss you!
Til next week!
Love elder Rose

uike faka'osi

Hello everyone! it's the last week of the transfer so next monday i don't know where i will be! But i get to talk to you on saturday! It's gonna be great! I can't wait to hear you all again! Honestly there isn't a whole lot that happened this past week! We didn't really get to see Viliami and Lueni but hopefully this week that will change. I guess the highlight for the week is that we have taught 1 of 5 muslims in tonga. It's pretty wierd. Their beliefs are kinda crazy from my point of view. it's really interesting. haha honestly it's kind of funny to me. But I don't want to offend anyone who may read this. We just have different beliefs just like any other religion. i have to give it to him though. He's better than any other investigator i've had so far. He read the Book of Mormon in less than a week! haha His name is peili! But really i guess that's all for this past week! I have to go now! So I love you all and talk to you saturday! 
Love,
Elder Rose

What a great week!

Well i feel like i have a ton to say and not much time to say it so i'll say what i can the best i can! Hope it makes sense! So this week We got to teach viliami and lueni, last sunday i fasted to know how to help them and after church our bishop counselor gave us advice, i took that as the answer, he said reteach joseph smith and visit them everyday. Well we visited them everyday and well we went to teach a lesson and it was so cool! Spirit totally lead it! I just talked to them and asked about the last lesson and they both kept their commitment to read 2 nephi 31 and i asked them how it was, lueni said she felt it was true. Viliami said it was good to read about seriously repenting. Ah i wish i could give all the details but i don't have time. no worries i have it in my journal so one day i can explain it to you if you ask. But anyway all of it just lead perfectly to joseph smith and stuff and man it was just great. They both opened up and just said they don't have food or really anything. I just feel so much love for this little family! So after our lesson i gave them 50 bucks. All i had left from my money i got for the month. But luckily the next day grandpa rose sent me money so it was good! But we've been trying to help them buyin them food sometimes and daipers too. And they both came to church sunday! it was awesome! Man lueni is great! She keeps her own study journal for when she reads and took it to church and she just is so ready! The only thing stoping her is viliami still needs to build his faith! Ah i want to see them baptized so bad before i leave this area which is most likely the 26th! it's been going really good with them lately though! Hopefully we can keep it up! I fasted for them again sunday to be touched at church! Hope they were! So the next thing. I read all of conference this past week! Dang it was so good! I really liked elder hales talk waiting upon the lord. He said alot but the thing that stuck out to me was this he said "In my life i have learned that some times i do not receive an answer to a prayer beause the Lord knows i am not ready. when we does answer it is ofter "here a little there a little" (Here is the big part) because that is all i can bear or ALL THAT I AM WILLING TO DO." That last part is so true. Sometimes we pray for something but how willing are we really to make our lives so we can get that answer? I wish i could explain what i'm thinking right now. But just another thing with prayer. WHen our prayers are answered, we know our will is in line with gods, when they are not, probably not quite what he wants for us, that or we just need to be more patient and wait for the answers. I don't know the challenge this week is read elder hales talk from conference! Another talk i liked was sister Daltons. Love her mother, that has actually been a thought on my mind in my life and kinda recently and her talk just made me so excited to treat my wife the best i possibly can! But anyway i can't really explain well all i want to about my reading these talks. Just read them and pray god will let you feel what i felt or get what you need to from it! But anyway i gotta get, I love you and miss you all! Til Next time!
Love,
Elder Rose!

1 Timothy 4: 12- i just like this one

Hey family and friends! I hope you are all well! It sounds like some of you endured a hurricane and might need to again, That's backwards. I'm supposed to be the one in hurricanes, not utah! But please be safe and take care of yourselves! Please! Thank you! Well another week has gone by. Mostly this week i just helped with the funeral in our town. Pretty crazy the funerals here last all week and the whole village comes together to prepare for it and the last day, the burial day everyone just eats! There are lot's of details but due to time i can't share too much. But it was fun helping with it! I saw how they kill cows to eat, That was pretty brutal  but it was just cool to see a whole town come together for a good cause no matter what religion. I'm sure you are probably seeing some of that there to those of you experiencing a hurricane! Something i thought about maybe you can think about it too. Think of those in your life. Think what they mean to you. Now think if they died and werent there anymore. How would you feel. It might change the way you treat those around you to try to always treat them the best because you never know the last time you will see someone. Just like an unexpected hurricane or another disaster and those people in your life disappear. Let's all treat those around us with love. but just another kind of email that it's just been a topic on my mind. Word of the week: Chasten. What does chasten mean? When i think of chasten i think of a chisel to us. And we are just being chizeled into better people. How does the lord chasten us? We all have different ways of being chastened. But i want to refer to the book of mormon. Many times in the book of mormon the good people become prideful and wicked. How does the lord chasten them? By letting wickedness prevail over them until they learn to lean on God and depend on him and do His will. Maybe we get chastened the same way. We get into problems because we make wrong choices. Well like a said a few weeks ago we have agency. God let's us use our agency. If we choose wrong and get into trouble he isn't just going to pull us out. He will give us clues, signs, and helps to get us out, but we have to use our agency to use those helps and do good again to get out of the wrong. Other times he will chasten us by letting us suffer for our wrong choices until we decide to stop, depend on him, and show him we are willing to do his will, that's when he will help us even faster to come out of those dark places. That's just kind of a thing that has been on my mind that i wanted to share for this week. Hopefully it helps you whoever you may be. I love you all and miss you very much! I'm so thankful for all you all do for me each and everyday! It is so kind and means so much to me! I love you! Til next time!

Elder Rose

And again

I just want each of you to know i love you. My heart is full because of you. Thank you for the emails. Your love and support i get each week. I means so much to me. I miss you all. All I want you to know this week is i love you and care about you all. I miss you all too.
Love,
Elder Rose

Agency-Choice-Accountability

Hey everyone! Another week gone by! I swear they go by like nothin! It's crazy! I don't know where time goes some times! So just some updates then i will talk about something that has been on my mind. So we got to teach viliami and lueni again. The spirit was really strong, it was probably the easiest time i ever had teaching, speaking tongan wise. It was just really good. After we taught we again invited viliami to be baptized and he said he still needs to think about it and tui lahi which the best translation i have for that i guess is just believe alot! but i asked them both what they were feeling or thinking after we taught and viliami said it was a good reminder, we talked about faith repentace baptism the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end, but he is slowly progressing. After him i asked his wife and she said, while looking at him, while he was looking down, in sort of come on lets do it tone, "hopefully we can tui lahi and be baptized!!" I know she wants to be baptized so hopefully we can get him to that point to! But it was really good! I really hope they make that step and get baptized! haha after we taught we returned home and viliami came over after a little bit and asked for 5 bucks so he could be credit for his phone haha. At least we know he is comfortable with us! We did alot of service this week. helped plant a garden while it was really rainy and helped people harvest their tapioca. It was fun. Got stung by three bees all at once on my left calf haha it was great. That's about all for the updates this week. Now for what has kinda been on my mind. Agency, choice, accountability. 3 words that all go together and are part of EVERYONE's life EVERYDAY. Everyday we have the agency to make many choices and we are accountable for those choices we make. We can either choose to make the right choice or the wrong choice. And how we choose is ultimately how we end up feeling because of those choices. I have a choice to wake up at 630 every day like i should or not to. When i do i know the days go much better and at first i'm really tired but over all less tired throughout the day. My days are alot easier if i just do what i'm supposed to starting with waking up. i have had lots of people say since i've been out that waking up on time is the most important thing i can do on my mission. Something you think is so small but holds so much weight! If i don't wake up at 630, i don't have the spirit the rest of the day. We all have consequences, good or bad, according to how we choose. Agency is something we were giving since the beginning. Before we came to this earth we all made a choice to come here. We all knew God perfectly. Right now it's our time to try to know god without knowing he is there perfectly because our knowledge from before was taken from us. We can choose to find God and follow what he desires us to follow, or we can choose not to. God allows us this freedom of choice because he loves us and wants us to learn how to always choose good. Yes we will choose to do wrong sometimes. He allows us to do that so we can know wrong from right. If we choose wrong he isn't going to instantly take us from our wrong choice and place us in right. He will give us little tender mercies or little helps to help us remember and give us the will to begin to again choose the right path and so we can know the wrong from the right. It's all about choice. We can suffer for awhile and keep choosing wrong and fall deeper and deeper into our own dispair and then we can feel bad for ourselves and do nothing. Or we can start to try to make the right choices and pray to God to help us do that and dig ourselves out of the wrong and find the light and the good again. All of us deal with this on a daily basis. I see it alot when trying to teach people and help people when you can see in their eyes their dispair and unhappiness when you know what you have can help them if they will but choose to do what we ask them to do to find light and happiness. In order to have true happiness we have to keep ALL of Gods commandments. We cant pick and choose some and expect to be happy and blessed that way. D&C 82: 10. I the lord am bound when ye do what i say but when ye do not what i say ye have no promise. He doesn't say when you do some things that i tell you to do i'll bless he. We must do live by every word of god. Of course we are not perfect and it is hard to do that sometimes and we don't always live by EVERY word of God. But if we are doing our best, choosing to live by his words, repenting daily for what we don't live by and asking for forgivness, that is when he blesses us. When all is said and done, at that day when god judges us for all our choices. We are accountable. Whether it be good, or bad. there is a song i like that helps me keep this eternal perspective that says: When all is said and done, when he sees how ive be come, will i live with him, when all is said and done. I know life is hard. I know that. But life is short. If we do our best, we will be eternally, forever happy. I know this is true and this can only happen because of our brother jesus christ who suffered the most painful death for all of us. He didn't have to. He CHOSE to. I know he lives today as a resurrected being. My we all partake of this incomprehendable gift and choose to do our very best. I love you all very much and i miss you all! Please keep yourselves safe. I pray for you each and every day. I hope God blesses you more than you have room to recieve because you choose to do as he says. Until next time,
Elder Rose

Moving right along

Well today is transfer day! Beginning #7! Still in te'ekiu with my son! I thought i might be district leader but i'm not. Which i'm okay with! Training is good enough for me! :) anywho! How are all y'all? I'm doin great! Things are just going right along here in tonga! Sometimes i wonder what happens to time! Goes so fast! Anyway here is what happened this past week! We taught Viliami and Lueni again lesson 2. it's funny to watch peoples faces somethimes teaching that lesson because you just see them get strange looks like what? huh? Didn't know that! But they both understood it. and they both said they would come to church sunday! Well we went to church and they were a no show. Kinda disappointing. But lueni is reading everything we ask her to from the BOM which is a good thing! In church we were sitting there and the counselor gets up and says. we'll be pleased to hear from the missionaries. Haha oh yeah? Good thing i spoke last week in a different ward so i already kinda had something i could just talk about! So yeah! And for mutual lately we've been just giving the lessons and the kids invite less actives and non members. we have taught the first three lessons. and then on saturday one of the kids that came to the mutual who isn't a member came to us and said hey can you keep teaching me? I've been taught before but i like the church and want to be baptized and serve a mission. His name is manatu. So I'll keep you updated on his progress through time. Right now that's kinda about it with investigators. Something that is kinda funny. There is an elder here named elder Uasila'a. He's from Vava'u. I was on a comp exchange with him back when i was in my like 3rd transfer and he said his dad named him viscount after a hotel in salt lake. Well i just found out a few days ago his whole name is Viscount Tosaltlakecity Uasila'a. Hahah i find that funny. Tongans come up with funny stuff. Like Mele Kalisimasi (merry christmas) haha. But anyway i think that might be all for now. Sorry kinda short! All is well though! THanks everyone for all your support and love! I miss you all! Til next time,
Elder Rose

Another transfer coming to a close

Well it's the last week of this transfer! Already been 6 weeks since i got my son! That was fast! But i already know i'm staying in this area with him cause of the new 12 week training program! So yeah! Fun fact for ya! How are you all? I hope well! I'm doin fantastic! So here is the 411 on the week! We taught the plan of salvation to the mutual kids. Some investigators were supposed to come but didn't but it was still good. Talking about the plan of salvation always brings the spirit so strong! I love it! It really is such a plan of happiness! Then thursday we taught a little family Viliami and his wife and their 3 year old. They are weslyan. They have a lot of family that are members. So we went and they are just wanting to know about our church! So we taught. I had my comp lead the lesson. He got a bit lost haha. But we were able to have the spirit there still and committed both of them to read the book of mormon. Viliami said it was a blessing for him to read it. While i testified of the book of mormon i just felt that it was so true and almost started crying. I feel like this last week was a great spiritually growing week for me. But anyway we are teaching that family again tonight. Hope it goes good! They are nice! I'm eating watermelon by the melon out here and pineapple by the apple. Ken you'd be jealous. This watermelon is so dang good! Haha it's great! The best part is is bishop just grows all this watermelon and brings us alot for free! It's great! So this lady taufa has been supposed to be getting baptized forever and says she wants to but always has excused. Hopefully we can figure out how to help her better and let her desire to get baptized overpower the excuses! Ken happy birthday and tyden congrats on your baptism! I bet it was great! I really wish i could have been there! I heard that was really special and he was just the happiest little guy ever! That's awesome! i'll get home right in time for brookies baptism! So i've really been reading the book of mormon alot in tongan. Trying to finish it before the end of the year and just finishing alma. I decided if we are reading the book of mormon or scriptures daily we always have something to talk about. I serve in a branch, 25 people. On fast sunday the president asks everyone to testify and if they want to give a talk that's great to fill the time haha. Anyway i got up and gave like a 10 minute talk out of nowhere just on what i read in the book of mormon the day before. About moroni doing all his preparations in alma 48 and how we can take that as we need to really prepare ourselves to stand against satan and how we can all become like moroni because verse 17 in that chapter is so strong. You should read it! But yeah. I've really enjoyed the book of mormon lately. It's been great! I'm getting alot from it! Read it twice before but still getting so much from it! So challenge to you all. Read the Book of Mormon. Just like i testified to the family. You WILL feel it is true. I promise you will. Because it is true. And we can learn so much from it! It has so many answers to so many things and it is just one truely amazing book. Read it and I promise you'll feel it's true. Read Galations 5:22-23 and tell me that that is not what you feel when you read it. Something i have enjoyed lately also is spiritual music. It just has made me feel happy and just brings a spirit into the house. So you guys should play some spiritual music every once in awhile! It's nice and relaxing and enjoyable! Today we had a good district meeting with the AP's and ZL's from another zone. I just want to say i know this work is the most important work ever! I love it. I know it can bring happiness into peoples lives. If you lack happiness, search the gospel and you will find it. There is comfort for everyone that seeks it in the gospel of jesus christ that was restored through joseph smith. I know christ lives and died for us. We are able to live again and not feel guilty for the things we do wrong because of his infinite atoning sacrifice that no one else could do to save the world in the most literal sense. I love him and i love my living heavenly father who knows and cares about me and is trying to help me through this life even if it means i suffer some, it's only to prepare me for what is to come. I love you all family and friends and miss you! Have a wonderful week! 
Elder Rose

Hey everyone how are you all? I hope well! Everything is good here! Happy halloween you are all probably trick or treating right now! haha I forgot it was halloween really! So live it up! I don't celebrate it here haha. Well fun facts for the week! We went to talk to an investigator that former missionaries taught that wanted to be baptized and it's been awhile but we went there and she still wanted to be baptized. Her name is taufa. So go there and said she wants her interview the next day and baptize on saturday! That was good for us! So the next day we go to do her interview and she said she's busy and needs to think about it and will tell us next wednesday! Kinda stunk. She's already been interviewed twice before but yeah. Hopefully we can get her to finally really commit! We also did like an open house thing and there was alot of people there. 2 weren't baptized. Basically taught lesson one and committed both of them to baptism! The first time i actually extended the invitation! It was good! So we just need to teach them again and set their date! Oh happy belate birthday isaac and happy birthday to kendra and good luck tyden with your baptism! oh, yesterday well i guess today for you, halloween, is day 300 for me! Well think that's all. SOrry it's short! This computer is slow and i feel bad for makin my comp wait! I know this is the true gospel and it was restored to earth. I know Jesus Christ died for us all to be forgiven and cleansed and become clean so we may live with heavenly father once again. I now they both are living. I know that the work i'm doing is of God and so important. I know that i'm here to prepare the way for the second coming of our lord and savior jesus christ. What a glorious day it will be. May be all be prepared and strive our best to keep the commandments of God. I love and miss you all!
Love,
Elder Rose

14 and counting‏

Hey family and friends! Hope you are all doin well! I found a house in my area with internet so hopefully i can make it here weekly to email! I'll just go over the week real quick! We taught Nuti Ta'ufo'ou this past week and we baptized him saturday. I'm convinced these 2 kids that i baptized the one back in kolomotu'a Semisi and the one here, Nuti are gonna be like prophets or something cause satan tried hard to get them to not be baptized! This one we just had to check twice on the saturday with nuti if he was getting baptized or not cause he had a kid come tell us twice he wasn't. But everything worked out and he did! It was good! Got another haircut. Know you all love hearing about those. It's okay haha. We've had a few times this week where the teaching appointments fell through. Those always stink. I don't like when that happens. I've been kinda scared to go talk and find people cause my language still stinks and my comp is shy so i have to talk but talking to my comp the other day was just good. He was a good comfort and basically just said don't worry. It's not your language. just try and trust the spirit. I think that last thing is why i've been struggling. I guess i haven't been trusting it as much as i should. So it's my new goal to just go talk to anyone and everyone even if i don't know a word they say. It'll be a fun adventure! oh mmmmmman! I saw the biggest 2 or 3 year old i've ever seen. He was so flippin fat!! He was just a ball! haha that's the best way to describe it! I hope i can get a pic of him! So challenge for the week. I hope you do these challenges. I always feel prompted to give them. i dont just give them for fun i always get the impression someone needs this back home so that's why i do it. So the challenge. Anytime before you read the scriptures i want you to pray before. So if you do it at night before bed pray, read, and then you can pray again or something but always pray before you read to get what you need from them or to have questions answered, this is in fact how we get our own personal revelation. I'm just learning how this works. But always pray before and ask to get what you need from them! I know you will have some new reading experiences. and then it's about that time i should talk about christmas and birthday. from anyone and everyone i want pictures, hard copies, and hand written letters, anything else, unless i've asked you specifically for something save your money, and if you desire you can give it to me when i get home haha. Anyway that's about all for this week! Sorry it's short! I love you all and miss you all! Thank you for all you do for me! I know this gospel is true. It can bless you so much in your life if you allow it. Til next time,
Elder Rose

ha...WHAT!?!? I'm a dad?‏

Well hey there! Don't let the subject line scare you! I'll explain in the email! I didn't die or anything! Sorry i haven't been able to get to a computer for a bit and don't have alot of time but i'll just cover the big topics! I had a baptism in my last area before i left, named Aisea Uipi. That was number 13 for me! Sunday the 2nd i found out i was transfering and langi was staying. So monday they pick me up and i was asking where i was going and they didn't know! I asked who my comp was and they didn't know. They took me to stay with elder martiniez, who i came to tonga with, and i stayed with him for a couple days. I have been praying to be his comp and he was praying to be my comp to so we were pretty excited. But we didn't think it'd really happen so we kept asking then they found out we were waiting together for our new comps cause we'd be trainers. We both just thought whatever dont lie. But i stayed with him for 2 days and then it really happened. ha...WHAT?!?!?! I'm a dad? Yup! In the mission when you train a new missionary you are considered their dad, your second comp is your mom. and so basically i have a son now! His name is elder piuleini. He's from tonga. But I just felt sooooo inadequate! My language is still terrible and i still haven't even taught most of most the lessons. Well, i know god wouldnt call me to do it if i couldn't so i've been really praying and relying on him. So we are in a new area called Te'ekiu. I love my comp. He's so helpful to me! Just a little crazy i'm actually training. So that's really just the big news. I was really scared and it helped alot to be with martinez those 2 days and go through this experience together. He's become a really good friend to me. But yeah that's kinda the big news. Had a cool little talk with president after i got my new comp. He just pulled me aside and thanked me for all i did and being so patient with my last comp in my last area and he just said he trusts me. Man, lot's of emotions about being a trainer but so far it's been good! I've gotten quite a bit of mail this transfer too! Got 3 packages from mom one from kevin one from grandma and grandpa nielson and one from merrit! Thank you all for all of that and then i've gotten letters from grandma hamblin, and landon! So thank you all for that! A couple challenges. first read the october ensign! It's so good! second if you have one, pray to get what you need from it then read your patriarchal blessing. I had a great experience with that this past week! Um, one day i ate for 2 hours straight at a fafanga...that was a record. in my new area we visited all of one of our 3 wards on wednesday and asked them all to try to find us someone to teach! had president interviews which were good. Happy birthday lance last week! I saw my first real fight, that was pretty crazy! be careful with the pics i recently sent home.. some are kind of graphic about the second dog i ate! just a warning! our p day is now changed to monday. We taught a little kid sunday and he's going to be baptized on saturday! So yeah! teaching him again today! Anyway think that's about it! Hope you all enjoyed! SOrry it's been a bit! Love and miss you all! Til next time!
Elder Rose