Week 15 - Things are going great!

Mom and Dad didn't get a "weekly email" from Elder Delgado this week but we did get to enjoy a great video call with him! He's so happy and doing great! He has a 12 year old investigator he and Elder Tongolei are teaching. He also reports that they are eating well. Elder Delgado emailed a video home of him belly flopping into a giant rain puddle in the grass to take a bath. We're so grateful he's happy and healthy.

Week 14 - Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone!

This week was great. we taught a lesson about the Word of Wisdom to a bunch of teenage boys. It was pretty nice. For those who don't know, The Word of Wisdom is a health code that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints follow. The biggest things it mentions is to not to smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, use illegal drugs, or drink coffee and tea. Most people when they hear of this they think it's crazy, But it's really here to protect our bodies from addiction and to keep us healthy. I think some of the blessings that come with The Word of Wisdom is that we don't feel locked down by anything, and our minds are clear and can make good decisions. There's a scripture in the Bible in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 3 verses 16-17, it says: 

16 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17 - If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

In this scripture it talks about how our bodies are temples and that we should keep them clean. When we keep our bodies clean it makes room for the spirit of the Lord to dwell. I know that the Word of Wisdom blesses lives and that it protects us and keeps us healthy.

In other news, Elder Tongolei and I did a few things this week. We hiked to the top of a mountain with people from our town. I rode a horse (thanks to Sandy, Ken and Cory for teaching me how to ride a horse). It was bareback too. I felt like I was in the movie Spirit riding the horse with no saddle! LOL. We also ate well this past week. Last night our neighbor brought us two big bowls of rice, but they weren't just any ordinary bowls of rice they had butter and sugar mixed in. It was my diabetes fix for the week. hahaha.

I hope everyone is having a stellar new year, and I hope ya'll are just happy as can be.

Ofa lahi atu,

-Elder Delgado

Week 13 - Diligence & Perseverance

Hi Everyone!

This week was cool. My companion and I taught the lesson at our district meeting. Most of it was in Tongan but sometimes I would speak in English because I wouldn't know how to say it in Tongan. This week we also cleaned the church building. It is so satisfying to clean the church on Saturday, and on Sunday walk into a clean church building. After we cleaned the church I tried to climb a coconut tree, but I was not successful. I can get about halfway up and then it's just hard. But then right when I got down our bishop jumped on and climbed up and knocked down 6 coconuts, and yes we ate them all! This past Sunday night there was a pretty big storm, not like a hurricane or anything but it was big, and since our water is out we decided to shower in the rain with our clothes on, so we get laundry and a shower in at the same time.

To be honest this area I'm in is a hard area to be a missionary because nobody wants to hear what we have to share with them. I think the biggest thing I have learned from this area is diligence and perseverance. I think these things will help me out later in life with school or future jobs. I can really see the mission starting to bless my life. 

I hope everyone has a great week, and I hope you will dare to be different and dare to be great.

Ofa atu,

Elder Delgado

Week 12 - Merry Christmas!

Malo e lelei - 

This past week was pretty great! Everything in Tu'anuku is doing great, same as always. The members are doing great. I'm so grateful for the members here and everything they do for us. Like the families that don't have much but they decide to give so much. The people here have such big hearts. Another example of how nice the members here are is how this man named Spencer. Spencer left to New Zealand for Christmas, and he told us we can come to his house while he is gone and pick out some coconuts and drink their water and eat them while he's gone. Now I can say I can properly cut open a coconut and that is a good talent to have. I'm going to put that in my resume when I get back home. HAHAHA. 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be around such kind people, and I am also grateful that I am able to be here during Christmas so I can see how they celebrate it. 

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and I hope you all will recognize the true meaning of Christmas this year. It's not about all the presents and Santa Claus, it is about is our Savior. We celebrate his birth and in the big picture his whole life and ministry on earth. 
I would like to invite you all to read in the Second Chapter of Luke in the New Testament. This chapter tells of the Saviors birth. 

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

-Elder Delgado

Week 11 - I'm staying in Tu'anuku!

Hello!

My first transfer ended yesterday! It is crazy how fast it flew by. (Missionaries can be moved to a different area in the country every six weeks.)  I will be staying in Tu'anuku for another six weeks which is great. This past week was great. It's summer in Tonga right now and it is super hot. Because of that we usually study during the day when its stinkin hot and then go about our little village when it's cooler and more people are out of their houses and home from work.

I have been studying a lot and I have noticed that my language skills have been getting better. I am at about the same language skill right now as a three year old. That being said I love to speak to the children. The thing I love the most about speaking to the kids is that they never give up on me. When I struggle they help me out. They are a whole lot better than the teenagers. They just make fun of me when I try to speak. hahaha.

This week was super fast. I just want to remind you all how much God loves you. He wants the best for you, and I know that He is happy when we are trying to do our best and be like Jesus.

Ofa lahi atu!

- Elder Delgado

PS- Our computer broke in our area so I'm at the next area over. So you may not hear from me next week, but I will try my best.

Week 10 - I was sick this week.

Malo e lelei,

This week went by very fast. It started with decorating the MQ (missionary quarters - the place I sleep) for Christmas and getting Christmas ties from my mom. It's funny that it's Christmas time, but here in Tonga it's very hot and humid. I usually think of a white Christmas but now it's just a hot Christmas. This past week I got sick with flu-like symptoms. I had a stomach ache, high fever, stuff like that. Then I got better and we went on with what we usually do which is to walk up our street and say hello to everyone.

This past Sunday I was able to speak in sacrament meeting. I talked about missionary work and how we can be missionaries in our every day lives. So yeah, that was fun. We also cleaned the church building as our ngaue ofa (service).

The other day I also ate a pig. The pigs here are very delicious, and I don't know why. Maybe it's the way they are cooked. I don't know. All I know is that it was delicious. One thing I love about Tonga is how delicious everything is here. Everything. from the taro all the way to the dog ;). It's all so very delicious.

So yeah, this past week has been a blast, even though I got sick. And because it is Christmas time I would like to invite you all to watch a video the church has released called The Christ Child. It's really good! 

Ofa atu,

Elder Delgado

Week 9 - My Home Far From Home

Malo e lelei

Good morning everyone, this past week was pretty fun! Like always we do our walk around our village checking up on the members and other people. Our village is so small, though. It is just one road. It is kind of hard to not get bored, so we think of things to do while we are going throughout the day. The other day we went down to the beach and took pictures, that was super fun. The the other day we also helped burn a dead dog that our bishop found under a bunch of scrap metal. That was not much fun, but it was interesting so I decided to add it in the email. HAHAHA. It is just weird things like that that I vividly remember.
Two days ago we went to a baptism and that was super cool. My friend Elder McCall was able to baptize two people which was amazing. That same day we also got ice cream. Ice cream is kind of rare here so we were super stoked to get some. The ice cream is from New Zealand too, and they know how to make ice cream.

This week was not too eventful, but I am enjoying it so much here. The other day I had just come to realize that Tonga is very similar to Puerto Rico. The houses look the same, they have the same fruits, they have the same louver windows and green water tanks. The forests look the same as well. I'm starting to feel like Tonga is more like my home far from home.

I just want to remind you all that I love you so much and I want to leave you with my testimony

Oku ou ilo'i, koe siasi ko eni koe mo'oni siasi. oku ou ilo'i ko siosefa samita ko ha polofita mo'oni oe Otua pea Koe Tohi A Molomona koe folofola oe Otua. Oku ou Ilo'i na'a pekia a Sisu Kalaisi ma'a tautolu. Ihe huafa o Sisu Kalaisi, Emeni.

I know the church is true. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know Jesus Christ died for us. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Ofa atu!
Elder Delgado