Hey everybody, its been an interesting last two weeks but I don't have a lot of time so I will just share the highlights. And I will preface this post by saying that the week of new years is full of many traditions and celebrations here on Rurutu. 

During new years week we were able to participate in a Rurutu tradition called the Tere (which means voyage in Tahitian) where people from the whole island form a convoy of cars and drive around the island, stopping at each city to tell the story/history of the cities, and directly after the story telling there is a tradition where different people lift three very large rocks, the smallest around 60Kg (about 130lbs) and the largest weighing aroung 135Kg normally (nearly 300lbs) and people just go and lift up the rocks onto their shoulders. Very impressive. So we spent a good chunk of a day doing that.

This was a little less interesting thanks to the massive amounts of rain that we have been receiving from a cyclone near Tonga. Every time we would try to go visit members (during the rainstorm) they usually would make us come inside and wouldn't let us leave until it was done raining. But this week was cool also because I got to change the brakes on my branch president's truck. Its been the first time in about 6 months that I have been able to work on a car and it was awesome. Also, it was cool because right after I changed the brakes my branch president (who is a fisherman also) let me take a picture with the 14Kg-30lbs Mahi mahi that he had just caught (picture should be below this post). So that was super awesome.

This week we made some major progress with our investigator Taae also. The only thing really keeping him from being baptised was the word of wisdom - his addiction to alcohol. Coolest thing ever, during our last lesson with Taae I committed him to stop drinking alcohol and on the spot he agreed to stop drinking alcohol and live the word of wisdom. That was our little miracle for the week with Taae.

And this last weekend the church leaders from the nearby island of Tubuai came to visit Rurutu and give some leadership training and set some new goals for the year. Rurutu's new goal. Create a new branch within a year and a half. So in order to do that there needs to be 30 baptisms before that time. So basically we have a lot of work to do right now haha! 

Anyway, thats the major hilights of the week.  I have been able to see God's hand in things this week and have been able to witness some little miracles. I know that God has a plan for every one of us and that he does have a hand in everything. And I know that the Book of Mormon is the coolest, most true book on the face of this planet. That was my week though. Thanks to everyone who reads this. I hope everyone has an awesome week, and until next week, faaitoito

Elder Rose

                                               Here is a picture of me with the 14Kg mahi mahi

and here is a picture of a big guy lifting a big rock during the Tere.