Shark Bait Still Has Christmas Trees/ Chantel's Baptism/ MLC

Dearest Family and Friends! I hope you have been having some great times in this month of January! I am still loving not shoveling snow and the beauty which the South Pacific provides.

This week we have been doing all we can to help Chantel get ready for her baptism! We really have loved working with her and her Mom, Harriet. Before we had the baptism, Chantel expressed to us how she was nervous about the upcoming day before the interview. We explained to her how her Father in Heaven is so excited for her and is proud of her decision. We shared the experiences we had during our own baptisms and it was able to help Chantel feel more excited. The baptism went very well and although Chantel did not say much her smile was enough to make my heart filled with joy for her!

Another great part of this week was having a Mission Wide Leadership Council or "MLC." The Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders from the island of Santo, Efate (our Zone Leaders and STLs), New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands all came in to Vila. The purpose/ Our Game Plan was to think of ways to improve the mission, assist the other missionaries, examine goals, and to share ideas. It was a lot of fun and I felt the spirit as we talked about how we could help the other missionaries.

One of my favorite things from the MLC is when President taught about how  we are the branch and how the Savior is the Vine. We are the Savior's Hands in helping our Brothers and Sisters. As we stay connected to Him we can not only bless our own lives but help those who struggle around us. I know as we rely on the Savior and receive strength from Him we can take this to our brothers and sisters. I love how The Lord works through us in order to help others!

Elder Gunnell and I have talked about how we miss Christmas. But one of the awesome things about Vanuatu is these trees they call Christmas Trees. They have this beautiful red blossom which looks like a jewel among all the lush green. We have been told they only have these blossoms during the Christmas time and they will soon loose their lovely flowers. I feel it is a way The Lord is extending our Christmas, showing His love for us, and telling us to keep going!

I hope your weeks are amazing and you find a way to bless and help others. There are so many signs of Our Heavenly Father's love around us. I hope this week you can try and find some of these signs. Just like Elder Gunnell and I's Christmas Trees!

Much Love,

Elder LaMont, Shark Bait, Island Boy, Your Alekken Ty


Pictures:

Chantel's Baptism 

The Christmas Trees!

This is Aita who is a young woman in our Ward. We love to work with her family (Her Dad is the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric) and we often have Family Home Evenings with them. She will be going to school in Samoa so this will be the last time we will see her! So, we made sure to grab a photo.

Shark Bait Sees More Miracles/ Packed Together Like Sardines/ Things

My Dear Family and Friends, I hope you have had a wonderful week! This is a really exciting time to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Days. We have seen many things revealed by Our Savior through His Living Prophet Russell M. Nelson. The New Come Follow Me Program is so exciting and  has already been a huge blessing in our ward. How is it going for you and your family? I hope you are able to take in every part of this great gift from Heaven.

Both Elder Gunnell and I have had a great time working hard in this beautiful part of the world! We were able to have the entire week dedicated to working in our area. We have done our best to talk with as many people as possible and testify of the Savior. It has been hot and humid but talking with others is what refreshes us and brings joy!

One of the biggest blessing of this week has been continuing to work with Chantel. To understand how we meet Chantel I wanted to share how we met her Mom. Let's recap real quick! Just last transfer Elder Gunnell and I met a lady named Harriet Vatu. While contacting we saw Harriet working in her yard and decided to give her some help. As we talked with her, it was not long before we found out Harriet had been baptized only a few years ago. However, Harriet started to fall away from the church and back into old habits.

Since our first meeting with Harriet we have worked extremely hard with the ward to help her come back. Amazing efforts from the ward members have now helped Harriet to enjoy the blessings of church attendance again! I have seen the spirit able to come more inside Harriet's life and it has brought her great joy! It has touched my heart to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly fits perfectly into all of our lives to help us find peace, love, and support from Our Father in Heaven.
Because of Harriet's attendance back at church she has wanted her eleven year old daughter Chantel to meet with us. We have done our best to teach simply and to help her understand the lessons. Chantel has loved the lessons and reading her Book of Mormon (Buk Blong Momon) She has progressed so well that we will be having her baptism this Saturday.  We are so happy for the Vatu family and they are a wonderful miracle!

There were even more blessings this week! Our ward is usually very small and we meet inside a school. We had several of the people we are teaching come to church! And on top of this the Ward's efforts to reach out with less actives and minister has brought many back to church. We had to go in search of more chairs for people to use because of how many people came. It is safe to say, we were packed together like a bunch of Sardines.

We are working hard and enjoying great success! The Lord is blessing us and His people here. I did not have a lot of time to email today so I will get to everyone that I can next week. I am sorry but pictures will also have to be next week but we will have some awesome ones because of Chantel's Baptism. Please know the Lord loves you and will support you. Keep praying and staying close to Him. I love you all so Much and hope your weeks will be amazing!

Love,
Elder LaMont/ Your Alekken Ty/ Shark Bait/ Island Boy

Shark Baits Contacting Adventures of 2019/ Milo Instead of Tea/ The Golden Opportunity

Dearest Family and Friends! We have all arrived in 2019! I can still hardly believe it and it really does not feel real. I hope your weeks were amazing and you have been enjoying the gift which is this new year!

It has been yet another busy week for Elder Gunnell and I! This transfer because President and Sister Duquettes Passports have been filled up there will not be any Zone Conferences or traveling for us. We recognized this as a Golden Opportunity to work very hard in the area and talk to as many people as possible. We also had the opportunity to welcome new missionaries to the mission this week. I love how much excitement they have and desire to help others Come Unto Christ!

Most recently, we have been contacting in a new part of our area. On New Years Day we meet a lady named Augustine. As we chatted with Augustine we found out she had once had lessons with missionaries many years ago when she was a little girl. She is now in her 60s, so we think she must have meet some of the very first missionaries to ever be in Vanuatu! Crazy huh??
 This week we had a follow-up appointment with her! She must not have remembered much about the missionaries because when we first arrived she had some bread for us to eat and also made tea.

It took her by surprise when we politely explained how we could not drink her tea and she became more fascinated by us as we explained our age and our desire to share our message. Augustine really opened up to us! She started by sharing her success and how she had obtained a degree as a lawyer. As Augustine continued, she explained about her divorce and many other experiences which had left her with many times of sadness. The spirit really guided our lesson and we shared how she could find more peace and happiness as our messages would help her come to know Her Savior.
We invited her to read more about Joseph Smith and to pray about what we have taught her. We are excited for our next appointment! She even joked by saying next time she would have Milo (Best explained: the South Pacific's  version of Hot Chocolate/ one of Elder LaMont's favorite things) ( Mom you would love Milo! :) )

This lesson personally touched me. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ! I know He has come to help each and every one of us individually. He can heal us and give us strength to do hard things. We can find great amounts of joy through Him. He has given us the way to become like Him and return to Our Heavenly Home. We are so blessed!

 I was reminded of a scripture I read this week in Alma 11:40 which says, "And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else."

Another very powerful experience we had also came from contacting. We had been going door to door not finding many who seemed to interested. However we came to a house with an old couple inside. The woman gladly let us in and explained how her husband has been having some serious Kidney problems and they would be going to the hospital soon. We knew the Lord had provided someone for us to help! We were able to give him a blessing and testify of the Savior. By the end of the blessing the couple was in tears and thanked us for coming. They said they knew we were sent from God and happily accepted a Restoration pamphlet. It is a great blessing to be able to be among this wonderful people and to help them in any way we can.

I love you! I am so grateful for you. I pray you are finding joy in this wonderful time to live. Thank you for your prayers and belief in me! I look forward to talking with you next week.

Love,

Elder LaMont/ Your Alekken Ty/ Shark Bait/ The Island Boy

Getting to try Crab! 

Yours truly scratching my very first coconut! 

 Elder Gunnell and I's team effort to scratch all the coconuts

We are teaching this couple (Evalyn and Max) and they made us some Lap-Lap. I thought you would like to see a picture! 

 Just when you thought Lap-Lap could not get any better they add Coconut Milk to make it taste Sweet