"You know you're not in high finance"

wrote this email last week but I forgot to send it, sorry guys!!!!

Looked at my emails and it seems like everyone back home is ready for me to come home haha :) 

Last Monday after emails, we had a district P-day with the Opotiki and the Kawerau Elders at Ohopi beach. We started off playing some Rugby on the beach (turns out brand-new elders are pretty rubbish at touch) and after Elder Bwebwetaake and I scored a couple of uncontested tries, they were ready to give up and so we went on a hike. We ended up getting to a section where there were some maintenance going on the trail so we had to turn back.

The rest of the week was pretty mean as we were able to visit our sets and help encourage them. One of them keeps dodging us so we haven't been able to do a whole lot with her but the other is super excited which is really nice. Willie (the more excited investigator) is really cool, he works at Pak N' Save (which is like a worse version of Costco) as a night sweeper. Whenever we go over there, we have to be careful because he can push the conversation or lesson in a direction that isn't favorable. 

Now the last 2 days have just been weird as. The Opotiki Elders locked themselves out of their flat so we had to get the keys from the Zone Leaders and it turned out that none of the keys that they gave us worked. They ended up having to stay Saturday night with us in Whakatane and we took them to Church in Opotiki on Sunday morning. The sacrament meeting might have been the weirdest church meeting I have ever attended. During the speakers we had people talking to the speaker while he was talking and whenever someone would say something that they agreed with, they would say "Kia Ora" which is basically how they do it at the Marae (Maori meeting house).

Hopefully everyone back home is not dead because the only email I got today was from the Mission Cards haha all goods :)

Love you guys!!!

Elder Mitchell

Here in Whakatane!!!

This week's and last week's letter:

I moved this last Thursday to Whakatane (pronounced 'Fakatanee') which means literally " Act like a man" so I'm not sure if that is a sign haha. It is pretty beautiful but on my first night here I got sick so we haven't been able to do much work. We spent a lot of time cleaning the flat because the previous Elders didn't clean before they left, when I see them next I am going to give them a hiding. My companion is Elder Bwebwetaake from Kiribati  (pronounced "kiddybus") and he is pretty mean. He goes home before I do so I have been trying to not get too trunky but I think our Mission President wants me to be super trunky when I go home.

My nose has been running hard out since Thursday night so I need to try and get that all sussed but right now we are in this internet Cafe in town and it costs $6 to email for 1 hour so I am not going to write a whole lot so I will send more next week!

Love you guys!

Elder Mitchell

"Looks like you'll never be a concert flutist"

Short email this week...

I am just going to put in the highlights of the week because I don't have much time.

1. We had a non-member come to church yesterday and try to video tape the fast and testimony meeting for "personal reference". He has a Jehovah's witness background and we think he is going to go show it to them haha....

2. On Thursday during MCM our BML walked into the room late, and then rage-quit out of the room. It turned out that he was having family problems and just forgot to tell us that he was leaving.

3. Our flat is being sold so we had someone rock up at like 7 and just walk inside our house without knocking. Luckily I was not in the main room because I did not have pants on yet. The Lady thought she scheduled an appointment with us but she never did. 

4. Our New Mission President came in this week so we all got a call from our Old Mission President the night before he left. 

That's about all for this week but I love you all and hope to hear from you all soon! 

Elder Mitchell