Pwa Pwa Poraus

We are very very happy (pwapwa) and filled with joy.  This week has been so full of many, many wonderful blessings and sweet tender mercies.  We want to start with this news (poraus) first.  Let us introduce Riaton and Malinta Newyear. They are parents of 8 beautiful daughters and 1 son.  We have blogged about them before and we love this couple very much.

It has been such a pleasure to get to know them.  We met them when we first came to Chuuk last year. They both speak enough English to communicate and get a long.  Both are members of the church.  Raiton was not coming to church regularly but always had a testimony.  We started visiting them with our Zone Leaders, Elders Johnson and Meldrum.  We continued visiting them after Elder Meldrum left and Elder Butler replaced him.  One day we told him that we really needed him to come because we needed his help teaching.  He said maybe. . . The follow week we waited..........He didn't come - we kept visiting the family each week.  He had a grand-daughter that was needing to get baptized soon and the ZL's wanted him to get ready to do it.  He told Elder Johnson to do it because he couldn't do it.  It's kinda funny but sad how hard we are on ourselves. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind".
Raiton is a very good man and we all knew that.  And Malinta is just a sweetheart of a lady.  His grand daughter did get baptized by Elder Johnson and it was a wonderful celebration for the family.  We continued visiting and asking him to please come to church Sunday because we could really use his help.  He finally agreed and started to come, if he missed we would visit him at his home to let him know that we missed him.  Then we would ask if he could come the following week. Sometimes letting our friends know they are needed and valued can help them take that step into commitment and full activity. We asked him again to please come to church because we really missed him and would love him to come help us teach.  It has been such a wonderful blessing to the branch to have him actively coming to church, not to mention his great family.
He began to attend the English class that we taught.  His english was quite good but he wanted to learn more.  He was a very good student and soon Elder Tiffany asked him to teach him Chuukese.  They developed a friendship and a mutual kinship.
Finally we were able to offer him another opportunity, we asked if he would like to become part of the translation team.  He accepted. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become. Our responsibility is to give them opportunities to live as they should and help them to overcome their shortcomings.  He came with his wife to every temple class, and started to attend church regularly.  We committed to him, along with the others in the group that if we were here for them and do everything in our power to help them then they would do their part.
One very awesome challenge of becoming part of the translation team was given to all of them to plan and attend the temple together.  We were more than happy to help each and everyone.  We  have become close friends to this couple and they now, today, received a Temple recommend and will be going to the Manila Philippines Temple.  Maybe we can figure out how we can go with them.
  We are so happy we could dance... and sing it from the roof tops.  We are so happy for Raiton and Malinta and love them both very much.  There is absolutely nothing in this world that will provide more comfort and happiness than having your family forever and having a testimony of the truth.

“If it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me"!