Best week of missionary work to date...

Friends and family,

In answer to my parent’s inquiry… my health so far is great. I have only really gotten sick once. I ate a bad sashimi, right as I got transferred. I threw up for an entire night, and had trouble in the heat the next day--but i got over it quick. There are some weird sicknesses here that spread like wild fire. There is one where your eyes get all red and swell up like you have two black eyes! That one is super popular right now.

The challenge we had (see pancake breakfast pictures) was for all the zones to get member references in the challenge was for all the zones to get more member references in the space of three weeks. We got 74 and smashed the goal of 68 President Bize set for us.

This week was the single best week of my mission when it comes to work getting done. We have seen huge success this week with working with local members. I feel they are opening up to us more. Three people we are teaching have set dates for baptism... and there is possible one more that we think may also this week.  Our week comprised of three planned baptisms, 22 lessons, four investigators came to church, we have three new investigators and another three taking the discussions.  But next week is gonna be the make it or break it week. LETS GOOOOO! The next missionary transfer is on the 10th of May, so I think I’m gonna be in Ta’apuna for a little while longer. I’m starting to get used to how to work in the secteur. Things have started to go really well, the challenges that President Bize has been throwing at us has helped me to become a better missionary... because to be honest I haven’t been working much with members because I’m not used to it. But it has a lot of value to a missionary and I’m learning how. 

I passed SIX months on a mission this week. I can't believe how fast this is going. Life is sweet, I love you guys, keep it real! 

Elder Goodwin

A pamplemousse a random nice lady gave us (but Dad thinks it is a pomelo)

Pancake breakfast for those that achieved the challenge.
(courtesy of President Pierre and Bridget Bize's Facebook page) 

Elder Goodwin two tables back...

Typical Goodwin photo bomb

Another classic Goodwin photo bomb..

Martial arts and creative missionary work

Hey Dudes. Life is Going alright, no requests for my birthday package other then Canadian themed clothing items and stuff. And a usb stick full of Heavenly tunes.

This week was reasonable. I’m actually starting to get good at jujitsu and I’m getting better at boxing. [Russell and his companion are volunteering at a martial arts gym as his companion is advanced].  Last week, some new guy walked into the jujitsu class, and was super nice. He started asked if he could practice some jujitsu stuff on me, so I obliged. We started doing some tapout together and he started going a little crazy for a practice. People where yelling haere maru at him, which means go slow, but he was doing n'import quoi. So I got a bit fiu and stopped going slow and finished the match. Then he challenges my companion, reasuring him that its just practice. You could tell that he was here to test if my companion knew what he was doing. So they start going, and the guy is doing a bunch of stupid things to my companion, so my companion pulled a move called the teepee and the guy tapped out in about half a second and had trouble breathing for a little while. One of our investigators who is also in the class tipped his hat off to my companion for putting him in his place. Fun times. people don’t understand that my short companion did MMA for 3 years before his mission... so now all the guys from age 15 to 30 in our secteur have tons more respect for us. We have now found two investigators with those classes and now share scripture verses to them after every practice. 

The Tahitian Elder in our house, Elder Mcgrevy, is waiting for his visa for his mission in the U.S./Idaho. He is starting to speak more English to us. and it is hilarious, because he just uses "urban slang" all the time. His favorite word we have taught him is 'dibs’ and he just uses it for random situations. It is so fun just the way he uses it. In the car today another Elder accidentally bonked him in his crotch and he said in his new English 'Don't touch my priesthood!" I may or may not have cried a few tears of joy. He has become one of my favorite people in the world.

Regarding the passing of Mike Wiebe---I am not sure how to express the emotions I am feeling knowing now that Mike has passed on. He was one of the most spiritually focused men I have ever seen... and he was so so humble. I remember having conversations with him during classes. You can truly tell that he was a man that understands the need for us, as people, to try and exemplify, as much as possible, Christ-like attributes. He was a a man I have a hard time imagining being mad or ungrateful—he just always was there to brighten everyones day. For that I am grateful. He truely was an inspiration to me. I am thankful that God has a plan for us all, and I have no doubt in my mind that Mike has a big place reserved for him with his family In heaven.

The work is moving, I’m still in a car, slowly feeling my butt getting bigger. Keep it real.

Orometua Goodwin  

"Sunset over Moorea with satellite dish"

Finding a tiny bit of shade at the chapel.

Shade, precious shade...

Language soup!

Family and friends,

This week was pretty stressful, but we got a lot of work done. Managed to get a bunch of lessons in. We worked super hard to get them but I have noticed that when you are out of your comfort zone, you start to learn more. There is learning in your comfort zone, but there is no comfort in your learning zone.

In the house we speak either English or French or Tahitian at the moment. English because we have a Tahitian Elder in the house waiting for his visa for the States….Idaho. We have been building Idaho as the coolest place in the U.S. He is so exited. So we jump around the languages. Even when Elder Owens and I are speaking English we use French words out of nowhere, because sometimes it is easier to say things in French than English... or a Tahitian phrase expresses an emotion better. So basically my English is really corrupt right now. It is a little "n'import quoi” in the house. 

Aita fifi—life goes on. 

Other than that I am becoming super comfortable as a missionary and with teaching. Nothing really fazes me anymore. I’ve been studying a lot that I can answer pretty much any question that gets thrown at me. My goal is to be able to answer any question with a scripture.

This week Elder Owens and I bought recorders, so we are working on some super awesome duets. By the time I get home, I should be able to play stairway to heaven by heart. 

We couldn't heal the fridge this week much as we tried... so a lot of our food has had to be thrown away. Kinda sucks, but at least we now know that we are lacking faith in this particular area. Something we can work on.

Elder Goodwin

I bought a pareo from this guy. He gave me permission to “Send this picture all over the world, to all the nations so I get famous.” His exact words. Great guy. this picture perfectly describes how he talks.

New recorders… the house just got a whole lot more annoying!

General Conference week...

This past Sunday’s General Conference was great.  I really enjoyed it.  I actually got to watch it in English at 6 oclock in the morning. It was a challenge because we had to drive to pick up the Sister Missionaries of Nuuroa and Punaruu. So we woke up at 4 in the morning twice (Sat and Sun). Long story short I went to bed at like 8 o’clock Sunday night. 

The secteur is good. It has been really slow this week. But life is continuing. 

Here is a funny experience this week. So the Elders living in the house with me and Elder Owens are on bike, but they have three huge mountains in their area, so sometimes we have to drop them off at the very top. Well, one of these times we didn't have a lesson and Elder Stewart and Elder McGrevy invited us to stay and sit in on their investigator. Well, their investigator was seriously drunk. He started asking us about where we were from and Owens said "USA baby!” The fellow immediately starts talking about how a America blew up Hiroshima. We get him to stop talking enough to say the prayer and we start talking to him about the Gospel. Well, he says something cool and I give him knuckles. He then leaves his hand up there like he wants a high five. So Owens obliges. He starts to laugh and then he starts grabbing our heads and pushing them down while he laughs. After that he wanted to take a bunch of model shots with the Elders. Anytime though I'd try to get out he would scream "Come here American! Right next to me!" So ya. Super ‘great' and a little awkward.

I talked to Jordan (Bester) a couple times. His visa finally came and he is in the U.S. right now (From Halifax mission (NFLD) to New Hampshire mission). I can't imagine changing missions, because every mission does things a bit differently. It would be weird to get used to the Mission culture. And Brent (Bester) told me a couple weeks ago that he was going to buy a ring... so I’ve known for a while. 

My companion is the District leader now. That makes all three of my companions being district leader. Carrément Top! 

Well I gotta go. I hope next week is better than this week. 

Peace out homies.

Elder Goodwin

Elder Owens ducking a flying water bottle...

Mission genealogy... me in the lower right.

Tahitian style tattoo design

This week's random photo