Malo e lelei!
Another fine week in paradise!
I've made a reputation over the last week as 'elder Brown the fix-it man'. People often ask me if I am good at fixing cars or phones or computers and, up until last Tuesday, I would usually say no. But on Tuesday we were eating at a member's house and they asked me if I was good at fixing TVs, and I said yes. He needed help hooking up the dvd player so I did it and he was impressed and gave me a pat on the back. So ever since then I've been leading everyone to believe that I'm a master fix it man and they ask me to 'fix' all their stuff. When they say 'fix my lawnmower' it usually means that there's no oil, or when they say 'fix my weed wacker' it usually means they ran out of trimmer wire, all problems well within my area of expertise. The citizens of Tu'anekivale are all duly impressed and I've managed to find yet another way to leave my mark on the place! When mom and dad come and everyone's lawnmower's are running smooth and everyone's ceiling fans are properly wired you will be very proud.
President Groberg came to Tonga and came and visited us in Vava'u. He is like 80 but he's held onto his Tongan pretty well (If my Tongan is that good when I'm 80 I'll be a happy camper) and he's got all kinds of the craziest stories. He worked in Niuatoputapu and then spent the rest of his time in Ha'apai, so he never made it out here to Vava'u, but he said that Vava'u was somewhere he always wanted to work. He shared a bunch of cool experiences and he's a great guy. For a guy his age he's full of energy and he's a lot of fun to be around.
As far as getting any baptisms goes, we've hit a bit of a dead end once again. We talked about baptism with 'Ofa and he seemed very uncomfortable. We teach him with a member who recently returned from his mission in Australia, and he is pushing pretty hard for him to get baptized, so when we asked how he felt about baptism or what he thinks would be holding him back we had a long awkward silence party. We'll try to talk to him in his own house and try to get a feeling for where he's coming from.
My dad is the best! I didn't know it was father's day until today, but I love him so much and we're grateful for all he's done for us. He's a special man and I can't wait to see him again!
'Ofa lahi atu!
Elder Brown
