6/22/15

This past week was great Elder Pluim and I are working hard. We
started off the week with an exchange it went very well I got to go to
Scotch Plains with Elder black he's a great missionary.
We now have the ability to have our area books and planners on our
iPads which has been taking up a lot of missionaries time because they
have to Record everything from the paper Area Books into their iPads.
Our area has a very large and not very organized area book so it's
taking us a minuet to convert all of it onto our iPads.  It was kind
of annoying because it cut into our proselyting time but we were able
to reach most of our goals this week.
We met some sweet Haitian Brothers their names are on Arden's, Ordell
and Wade. It was kind of funny how we met them, Ordell was a referral
and when we went to his house to contact him Wade answer the door.
Wade (14-16ish) said he was Jehovah Witness and wasn't interested but
said we could come back the next day to find Ordell. We went the next
day to meet with Ordell and Arden's answered the door so we started
teaching him and soon Wade came to translate for his brother Arden's
because he doesn't speak very good English. The lesson went great! We
asked Arden's if he wants to be baptized and he said "anything but
Jehovah witness!" Hahaha so we set up a appointment with him later in
the week. So when we came back with a member named Oriol who speaks
creole, Ordell answered the door! So we gave him the Bible he had
requested and started teaching him with the Creole material that we
brought to teach Arden's! Soon enough Arden's came walking up the
street and joined us in the lesson. Then a car pulled up and Wade
stepped out! Hahaha so now that we had all of them there we set up a
time this next week to teach them ALL at the same time! I already love
them though! A bunch of goofy kids!
Nadia was confirmed on Sunday it was a sweet experience for all of us!
So much of a great experience that she went into a seizure after
church! Haha she's fine now but she says that her seizures are set off
by emotion and that it's hard when she is really feeling the spirit!
Who knew that feeling the spirit would be a bad thing!? Haha but no
she will be able to control it and everything will work out for her!!
We are praying for her.
Also our friend Eric that I talked about my first week here, came to
church! And he knows Naudia and two other recent Converts! We were
kinda worried that we wouldn't be able to help him progress but I
think we found the key! He's super excited and wants to come to church
every week now!
Last cool experience... Yesterday day Elder Pluim and I were walking
down this super sketchy street! Couldn't find out why we were prompted
to go there but as we were walking this big old black lady yelled at
us to go talk to her, so we started talking to her and she told us
that she used to talk to missionaries before, so we were like sweet do
you want to start meeting with us? And said no I want you to teach my
son he's the one riding his bike over there. So we called her son over
and started talking to him, his name is Samad he's almost 12. His mom
said she wants him in church and out of the streets. (Like most
mothers out here in the hood but there kids start doing drugs at a
young age and it's hard to teach them) We started teaching Samad and
he was just smiling the hole time and he was reading, and just loving
it! By the end of the lesson he told us he wants us to come teach him
everyday! And this morning he called us and told us he started reading
the Book of Mormon!! Super excited to see him again!! PRAY FOR THIS
KID! Pray for him to understand the gospel!!

So much love to all of you!! Thank you for all of your prayers!

-Elder Fotu

Stuck my comp in the dryer.... He was getting on my nerves

The Gate

37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the
manner of baptism--All those who humble themselves before God, and
desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite
spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented
of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus
Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly
manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of
Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism
into his church.

What's good?

God Is Good!
I'm gonna Quaote Elder Hannemann for a sec.. "This has been the best
week of my mission so far!" Elder Pluim and I are just killin it!
Getting super Excited Naudia to get Baptzed this next week! Her family
who are baptist ministers disowned her on Saturday... But at church on
Sunday she told us with a smiling face: "I will do anything now that I
know the Truth". YOOO! She has way to much Faith!! It must be from all
your prayers!:)
We met a woman named Michelle she met with he missionaries in the past
and had been reading the Book of Mormon! Thought her, got her back
into reading and praying. She's pretty solid! Really likes us! Needs
to stop smoking though...

Well that's about it but we continue to push forward! Our mission set
a goal for 185 Baptisms this month! We are excited to work for it! Our
whole mission had a video conference and we fasted from Tuesday to
Thursday for our goal! It was a great experience!

Thank you for all your love and Prayers!!

-Elder Fotu

IRVINGTON

MOST UNBELIEVABLE WEEK OF MY LIFE!!!

So first of all I got sent back to the HOOD!!!😀😊😄 Elder Pluim (my
new companion) and I got doubled in! So we both were super excited to
come to Irvington! Witch is the most hood area in the mission! It's
right out side of Newark and is known the be almost as bad as Camden
witch is one of the worst cities in the US as far as crime! So pumped
to convert some gang bangers! Hahah! So Elder Pluim and I gets along
so great and this last week we blew this place out of the water! The
missionaries before didn't really do great with this area so we came
in on Tuesday hungry to do work! And we've already had some amazing
experiences!
So the first night we were here we had an appointment with a less
active and so we went and he wasn't there but we went two leave and
this guy walked up the the house and we asked him if he know the
person we were looking for and he said he lived on the floor above
him,mouth he wasn't home. So we asked him if we could share a quick
message with him and he was like sure let me go inside and put my
stuff in. And when he came back he said he lost his credit card and
that he had to back track where he had walked to find it and we were
like oh well let us help you find it! So we walked around the black
and we couldn't find it and then he was like it's all good I'll just
cancel it and get a new one someone probably picked it up and is
trying to use it (we in da hood). So we went back and showed him the
"Because He lives video". So we started with a prayer and Elder Pluim
prayed that he would find his card. So we watched the video and we
really liked it. Then we talked to him and bout the restoration and he
really got interested! So we set up an appointment to come back,
exchanged info and said a prayer and in the prayer I asked Heavenly
Father to help him did his card again. Well this guy's name is Eric
and as were driving to our next appointment we get a call from a
random number and it was him! And he says Elders I found the credit
card! Haha! Super cool! Right!? We're super pumped to meet with him
tonight!

So that's not even good compared to what happened the other day! So on
Friday we we were just going from appointment to appointment working
as hard as we can to just expand our teaching pool! We went to a
recent converts house and ended up teaching his sister Sherri who's
not a member and picking her up as a new investigator! And by the time
8:30 rolls around we are just exhausted! But... Like every great
missionary story, we decide to knock on one more door...
So we roll up to this apartment building and we see this girl sitting
on the step and she is just starring at us.. And so we said do you
know so and so..? And she was like who..? Your not looking for Ronald?
And we were like who..? Hahaha and so said guys like you Always come
looking for my boyfriend but he's at work. So we asked well would you
be interested in talking with us? And she was like sure. So we talked
to her and she was just amazing! Sooooo prepared! Her name is Naudia!
As we went through the lesson she just kept saying: "wow! That totally
makes sense!" Turns out she had a lot of questions about her religion
and her pastor wasn't answering them.. We met with her the next day
and her boyfriend was there who is kinda less active because he works
on Sunday's but he bore a powerful testimony about the Book of Mormon!
She is Set to get baptized ether the 14th or 21st this month! Please
pray for her and the 2 other I spoke of! So much other things are
going great here in Jersey! I wish I had time to tell it all!

Thank you for all your love and prayers!
So Much Ofas!! ☺️

-Elder Fotu