The Marquesas...Terre des Hommes

So yes, the Marquesas Islands are called the "Terre des Hommes" which means the land of men. It was traditionally the warrior islands and they are a proud people. What a gorgeous place! Several climates all on the same island...tropical, desert, rolling hills, and pine forests. We were warmly greeted with beautiful floral couronnes

View on Nuku Hiva. Couronnes made especially for us.

The view from the missionaries home on Nuku Hiva. Not bad!

We drove to the far end of Hiva Oa on a dirt road, looking over cliffs to the ocean...for a total of three and a half hours there and back.. As we would descend from the cliffs, which were desert, into tropical valleys, it felt a little like discovering the Garden of Eden.

One of the valleys on Hiva Oa

A beautiful spot to play soccer!

The largest Tiki in French Polynesia...at the end of the island of Hiva Oa. Steven made him a missionary :)

People who live out in these valleys make their living by fishing or doing copra (coconuts). There is not a lot else out there to do and you would have to be pretty self sufficient to live there.

Atuona, Hiva Oa

There are two Branches of the church in the Marquesas Islands. We went out there for District Conferences. On Nuku Hiva we had about 40 members come and at Hiva Oa we had about 50. Both Branches put on a dinner after the first evening meetings and treated us to some cultural dancing and singing.

I realize it is not feasible for many people to get to the Marquesas, called the Marquises in French, but it is definitely worth the trip if you ever have the chance.

I am always glad to get back to our house in Papeete after traveling. But when we arrived home from the Marquesas we found thousands of dead ants throughout our house. Ugh! What a welcome home! We were exhausted, hadn't eaten for hours, and had an incredibly busy schedule to look forward to the following three days. So...as I write this a week later...we are at a hotel for three days while our house is being fumigated. Hopefully we won't have such a homecoming after our next round of travel 😉

The best part of this mission is being with the missionaries and meeting new people. I wish I could speak the language better and could really get to know them well. I feel honored to be, even if very briefly, a part of their lives.

Love you all!

We Finally Got to the Beach!

Well, we got to spend about an hour and a half of our P-day (ok, P-hours) reading on the beach. Next time will be going in the water! (Who'd think you could live in Tahiti for two months and not go in the water?)

Looking out at Moorea.

Highlights of the past two weeks...

Elder Gary Stevenson, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of our church, visited Tahiti. He held a special meeting just for the missionaries on Saturday, August 26. It was so wonderful to hear from an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. The spirit was strong during that meeting. (The following pictures are just from my camera that wasn't working very well. We are waiting to receive some professional ones.)

Elder Stevenson and his wife.

This past week we had Zone Conferences. We flew to the island of Raiatea for one conference. The others were here on Tahiti.

Zone Conference on the island of Raiatea. This is the view in back of the church. Gorgeous setting!

The best days are when we get to be with the missionaries. I am trying to spend some time with the Sister Training Leader companionships. There are six of them in the mission. I went to lunch with one companionship one week. Another day I had a companionship over for P-day cookie making. I just love these sisters! What amazing women they are!

Thoughts:
Paradise is not a place...it is a situation. Tahiti is not paradise in the sense that it has a lot of poverty and social issues. It is a developing country and has a ways to go to before becoming truly first world throughout. But for the missionaries here, this is paradise. This is where they have found joy bringing others to a knowledge of Christ. This is where they have served people in their homes. This is where they have learned to love others they would never have met otherwise. This is where they have learned to look upon the heart rather than the outward appearance of a person. Paradise is truly a state of  mind and not an island.

Now, if I can just get the lizard out of my bedroom I will get some sleep...

Love you all!