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

Week 7 & 8 - Loving Tu'anuku

Malo e lelei!

I have finally gotten to my new area. The area is called Tu'anuku. It is a tiny village in Vava'u. It consists of one road, 50 houses, lots of friendly people, and many pigs, chickens, dogs, horses, and roosters. The roosters are the worst. They are so loud and wake me up before the alarm. HAHAHA. 

This past week we had our Christmas party, I don't know why it was this early, but it was fun. The party was for all the missionaries on the Island. Each district sang a song, and our district sang Far Far Away On Judea's Plains in Tongan. It was beautiful. Then the next day we had Zone Conference. Zone Conference was awesome but it was hard to understand because it was all in Tongan, and my Tongan is not the greatest.

Yesterday my companion and I got to share a poupou fakalaumalie (spiritual thought) with a family. It was so amazing to bare my testimony all in Tongan about the church, the Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ's atonement. The spirit was strong.

Ofa atu!

Elder Delgado

P.S. Always remember that "faith without works is dead". Whenever you have a feeling you need to do something good, do it, and you will be amazed at the results.

Week 6 - Making new friends on Vava'u

Malo e lelei! Welp, good news every one! I have arrived in Tonga! I left the MTC Monday morning at 3:30 am. We flew from SLC airport to Houston. Houston to New Zealand, and then New Zealand to Tonga. In Houston we had an 8 hour layover, so we found a jazz band in the terminal and listened to them all day.         So we arrived in Tonga and had a meeting with the mission president. In this meeting he was announcing where all the new missionaries will be serving. When he got to me he said Elder Delgado, Hunga; Vava’u. When he said that everyone in the rooms jaws dropped. And I was just confused. Then I came to find out Hunga is a tiny island off of Vava’u. Hunga has no internet and solar power electricity. So I was super pumped to go there.         I flew out to Vava’u on Thursday and found my new companion. His name is Elder Tongolei, he is awesome. We have been staying at Elder Jacobson and Merrill’s Missionary quarters or MQ. We have been here ever since because we are waiting for two things; a sim card for our phone and a working boat that can take us out to Hunga. Because the church' s boat is broken we have been told that we will no longer beserving in Hunga :( I was super sad when we herd the sad news, and mycompanion and I are still waiting to find out where we are going toserve now. My guess is probably back at the main island Tonga.         Although I will not be able to serve in Hunga I am still very grateful for the time I have had here in Vava’u and for the good friendships I have made in here.         Oh, and I just experienced a miracle. The other day I was in thestore and I saw a Mango Arizona drink that I really wanted but it is super expensive in Tonga. So I was like “Welp maybe I'll have one in America” but then just now the bishop came by and gave us food and Mango Arizonas. Alright folks, I love you all so much all the way from the South Pacific. Ofa ‘atu Elder Delgado

Week 5 - My Last Weekend

Malo e lolei,

I hope everyone is having a happy Friday, because I know I am. This is my last weekend in the MTC, and I'm so excited to fly out to Tonga! I can't wait to meet my new companion, meet the people, and kai kuli (eat dog) ... sorry Lola. Anyways, it's going to be awesome. On Monday, 11 others and I will head to the airport at 3:30 AM and fly to Houston. In Houston we will have an 8 hour layover. I'm pretty sure that's the longest layover I've ever had. After the layover we will fly to New Zealand, and from there to Tonga. With how time zones work we will leave on the 11th and arrive the 13th.

Besides this week being repetitive we got to welcome in a new Tongan class to the MTC, and they're super nice. My companion was sick for the most part of this week, so I spent some time being his "nurse". And I believe the highlight of this week was being able to be in a devotional with Dieter F. Uchtdorf as the speaker.

Elder Uchtdorf is my favorite apostle, mostly because he is a pilot, and because he has a cool German accent. But one thing he said that really stood out to me was when he said "your sacrifice is more sacred than your increase." It made me happy to know that God cares more about my willingness to serve for two years and to sacrifice those years of my life than whether or not I am super successful.

I hope you all have a wonderful week to come, and I hope you all can see God's hand in everything. Please know that I love you all, and don't forget to say your prayers.

Ofa atu,

Elder Delgado