Ready to go! Week #9

Ia ora na!

This week was another pretty good week. Nothing amazing really happened, to be honest, so I'm sorry if this letter ends up being shorter than usual!

I guess it just means I'm ready to get out of here! It's now been two months here in the MTC, and the Tahitians have officially been here longer than anyone else. I've loved my time in the MTC, but things are definitely becoming just a little bit stale. Our district is still getting along super fine, so there's no drama or anything lame like that. This whole time I guess it's seemed that going to Tahiti would never really happen, and that we'd be in here forever. It still kind of feels that way even though we leave in two weeks. But on Friday, we will hopefully get our travel plans, so that will wake us up!

The language is improving still. Tahitian is seriously the best language ever. We've been learning how on different islands, like in the Tuamotus north of Tahiti, there's different dialects of Tahitian that stray from the traditional language. The languages there are called Tuamotu and even a little bit of Maori. In one of our huge language books it teaches us how to speak a little bit of those languages, so in some free time I've been exploring those languages. They're pretty similar to Tahitian, with just some different letters. Chances are if I'm assigned up there I won't be speaking French or Tahitian, but Tuomotu or Maori! One of my biggest hopes is getting assigned somewhere only Tahitian speaking, but we'll see. Anywhere will be awesome all the same! Lessons in Tahitian have been going great. It's a very simple language, and it's hard to describe things super beautifully, but the Spirit is still prominent while speaking this language in lessons.

MTC Championship softball team

We had sister Janice Kapp Perry come for our devotional on Tuesday. She was the one who wrote several primary songs and "As Sisters in Zion". It was a pretty fun devotional, because she had us sing some primary songs, and it brought me back to the days of being a kid! It was pretty awesome to have that opportunity to look back where I was then, and then look at where I am now, and feel like "yep, I'm where I thought I'd be. I'm not doing too bad in life right now!" Haha just a good comforting thought!

So I have avoided the flu plague that spread through here! But I did totally have some intestinal blockage... probably the worst I've ever had in my life. I still have some problems, but I've been taking every laxative known to man and things are improving! It wasn't really a huge trial, so it didn't hinder my work or anything. Definitely uncomfortable though, let me tell ya! I'm pretty sure it was because of the move of the cafeteria to the gym for a few days, because they were using the normal cafeteria area for all the new mission presidents who were coming through. In the gym, they literally had no fruits or vegetables, and basically just soda and water for drink, like they were trying to constipate me or something. They succeeded... but I'm just about over that. We're back in the normal cafeteria now where I can drink the famous orange juice. Fun stuff!

Well, I'm sorry but that's just about all I got! Our district is great, and my companionship with Elder Lovelock is awesome. It's just gotten better and better every week. Good unity between us, so it's really been helping in the lessons. Anyway, I wanted to share a scripture in Mormon  chapter 9, verse 21: "Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." This scripture is awesome, and it's in a really emotional part of the Book of Mormon when the Nephites have been destroyed and Moroni is the sole survivor. He teaches really profound, hopeful doctrine, and this is one of them. Every single person has the opportunity to talk to their Heavenly Father, and ask of Him the righteous desires of their heart. All they have to do is pray. And it's a promise, that every person will receive an answer to their righteous prayers, in one way or another. I've tried it and tested it, and it is true. That's how I came to know that the Book of Mormon is true, I asked and I received and answer through the Holy Ghost. I'm almost finished reading the Book of Mormon again, and it has been one of the best reading experiences of my life.

That's it; I'll have more to write about next week hopefully! Keep the letters coming, thank you all for your love! A faaitoito i te mau mahana atoa. Ua here au ia outou! [This one means "I love you."]

Ua oaoa ia outou,

Orometua Popo

Elder Ball

Write Elder Ball. He'll be in Tahiti soon. (use 3 stamps on your envelope):

Tahiti Papeete Mission
Elder Ball, Casey 
B.P. 93
Papeete, Tahiti 98713
French Polynesia