Our Mission Experience in Vanuatu

  December 22, 2025 Christmas greetings family & friends, One of the bigger Christmas trees you would see, this one was at a Chinese restaurant we had a S&I lunch at . It’s my Favorite Time of the year! I absolutely love the month of December! But where has it gone!   The last month of the year seems to go so quickly.   I wish Christmas was more like a quarter of the year! 😊   As I sat in church this Sunday listening to the Tabernacle choir at Temple square sing OH Holy Night, my gaze turned towards the sacrament table where the precious emblems that represent the Saviors broken body and his blood sat underneath a white cloth.   My mind was filled with memories of His Life.   I am so grateful for the written word that was preserved so that you and I could come to know who Jesus is and the purpose of his Holy Life.   I love him. This week I taught the mission prep class.   Our focus was to teach them how to invite someone to be ...

December 15, 2025 While it definitely isn't going to be a white Christmas in Vanuatu, the near white beaches aren't a bad substitute -- we are in a beautiful part of the earth As Darleen mentioned last week, we are soaking in the December atmosphere here, though it's quite different from the snowy Christmases we've known in Wisconsin. Instead of cold and snow, we're adjusting to a hot Christmas—definitely a new experience for us! While Christmas reminders pop up in stores, there’s something missing here: the outdoor lights on houses and buildings. It makes it a little harder to see our traditional Christmas reminders, however, we still are enjoying a simpler Christmas celebration. Seeing a little Christmas wonder from the resort up the road from  our apartment  This week, we spent most of our mornings doing missionary apartment checks across the island. There are 15 different apartments housing elders and sisters, and we visited 10 of them. We really enjoy inter...

  December 8, 2025 One of the seminary teachers walking home from the church to her village - we love them. Meri (Merry) December Family! Mi glad tumas ( I am very happy).   This is the best time of year!   Mark and I are experiencing something very differently.   Summer in December.   School is out and the students don’t return to school until the end of January.     I thought our schedule might lighten up.   I was so wrong.   This week we had seminary graduation.   Those of our friends and family who don’t know what seminary is, let me explain.   Students attending grade 9-12 attend a daily religious class for 1 hour for 4 days a week everyday that school is in session. The student’s study one of the following each year: The Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants and Life skills(taught throughout each year).   I have always admired the sacrifice these kids make each day to start off th...

Greetings Family and Friends!! Some of the wonderful people from our ward a week ago as we met under a tent while our building was being worked on.  Yesterday, Darleen shared a thought that resonated with me.   She said as we drove home from church that: “I believe Heavenly Father placed some of His most cherished people on these islands to protect them from much of the evil in the world and to help them become who they were meant to be.” I couldn’t agree more. Despite lacking certain things that we may say they don’t have, the people here are profoundly happy; they cherish life and adopt a less stressful approach to challenges, demonstrating immense trust in God and each other. This made me recall a passage from the Doctrine and Covenants that mentions the islanders: “ Verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together. ” Church leaders have reiterated recently that the Lord deeply loves the people of these islands, and I...