Kia Ora Whanau!
It twas a weird week. The miracles we had were on Christmas Eve. We went to go finding and contacting less active families and we gave out two Book of Mormons to two different Joe's. They both were visiting our area and on holidays but it was a miracle in our eyes. We then had a dinner appointment with members and then the father said, "Our 10 yr old son is not baptized. Can you teach him the lessons?" And then we taught him a discussion right then and there. His name is Hoera and he is very respectful and mature for his age. So my companion taught her first lesson too. We've been trying to find all week, besides on Christmas and it hasn't been that successful in that case but we have met more members that are willing to help us more in the Lord's work.  Boom. Prayerfully and hopefully, we will find more hearts that are ready to hear the importance of this gospel. Heavenly Father is great and all knowing.
I had a wonderful Christmas,  ate all day and called my family. I know Christ lives and He went about doing good. Are you anxiously engaged in doing good?
Arohanui,
Sister Wihongi

Kia Ora Whanau!
Sorry for not having an email last week! A lot has happened and I get overwhelmed when I think about all the experiences I want to write about that I end up not writing them at all 😅 .
Anyways I said my sad goodbyes to Sister Perry! I will never forget her, she has made me into a better person and missionary and I am so thankful for that. I miss that loud obnoxious positive tahitian 💔 Some things that she has taught me is to walk faster😂 , kiss louder (on the cheek) , sing bolder, work harder, and play just as hard.
Welp, now I am training again. Her name is Sister Folaumahina from Tonga. She is the sweetest thing. I love how genuine she is. We went caroling all day the other day in an old people's home and Carole to our investigators and invited them to the Christmas Sacrament.  President and his wife joined us and it was so much fun. Christ lives and I love being able to feel more of His love at this time as we celebrate His birth. Remember Him.
Ofa Atu,
Sister Wihongi

No email this week but here's some photos of some old friends Mina had dinner with. Roman Greening and his wife Jasmine, (maiden name Strother) and their daughter.

Some more photos:

Kia Ora Whanau!
So much has happened this week.
The whole Hamilton mission (about 170 of us) got together and stayed at a camp for 2 nights as our Christmas Conference. During a devotional, I finally accepted and got the reason why I am serving here in NZ. From the moment I opened my call, I knew I was sent to New Zealand because of my ancestors and because my roots are here. Of course. Well, long story short, guess what the spirit confirmed to me during our Christmas Conference?
"Sister Wihongi, you are here because this is the land of your ancestors."
Is that surprising? Nope. But it brought immense peace in my heart. I guess I always took that reason for granted. But as I pondered on it more and more through out the devotional, the spirit became stronger and stronger. Most of the people that the missionaries are teaching in this mission are: my family. The "500 baptism goal" is 500 more souls, my family, coming into the fold of our loving Savior. This Christmas Conference had given me more drive, more confidence, more faith in doing the Lord's work. I will not take my name for granted anymore, I will treat everyone with greater love because I have gained more charity from this conference. These people are my family. On my father's and on my mother's side, there has been a strong heritage within the church and I know some stories of my missionary ancestors as well. I have felt their presence & I know they are helping me with the Lord's work. I grieve as I look back on my mission and could have done more, asked for more help, depend more on the spirit more. It has made me also want to help my fellow missionaries. I want them to know how important this means to me and Heavenly Father, and how important it should mean to them. I loved being with fellow full time servants of the Lord.You bet I am taking this more seriously.
Among the spiritual high, we were able to watch Narnia & The Other Side of Heaven 2, play volleyball, jam on instruments, play touch, and had other fun activities with the missionaries.
Well, we came back from camp and got to work. We have met a whole lot of potentials and have return appointments with a few. We should be getting a few new people to teach within the week. We need to find more!!! And with the Lord's help, we will have success! Also sister Perry and I made it a goal this transfer to finish reading the Book of Mormon by the end of transfers and we are caught up. Sister Perry started from the very beginning and I just started from where I left off. I think it has helped us immensely to remain focused and hardworking this transfer. I've seen my companion improve from this goal. We never have any problems are contentions with each other. That's a promise that comes from reading the Book of Mormon. I know that you are not alone, Christ Lives. God answers prayers. There are no coincidences. You are loved. In the sacred name of your brother and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen!
Arohanui,
Sister Wihongi

"The spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness."
-Marion G Romney (promised blessing from reading the Book of Mormon)

Kia Ora Whanau!
Happy late Thanksgiving!
This week, Our district had a Light The World stand at the lake and gave away wrapped Book of Mormon presents, Light the World Calendars, and had people make Christmas cards for kids in the hospital. It was successful. We gave out all the wrapped Book of Mormons. We had our ward Christmas party and an investigator came. She stayed for a long time and even told us that she wanted to go to church. The members were a big help! Stake conference was awesome! They called a new presidency & we saw a lot of returning members!
Tomorrow we have our Christmas Devotional with the whole mission and we are going to be staying at Camp Tuhikaramea for 2 nights! I love this season to remember our Savior's miraculous birth! If you haven't seen the Christ Child video yet (it's at comeuntochrist.org) then I recommend you do! It's so authentic and very spiritual! ♡♡♡
I know Christ lives!
Ofa Atu,
Sister Wihongi

What an awesome surprise! Ran into Auntie Liz at Dinsdale store!

We had Zone Conference this week and Exchanges! I would just like to say that God is a God of Miracles. We taught a lot of people this week and met a new friend at church as well. It is getting really hot here which I enjoy! Lately there has been a lot of youth wanting to be baptized when their parents are not active, which is amazing because they will then set an example to their family. The youth at this time are truly special. Sorry I don't have much to say this week but I know our Savior lives and He is there in the happiest times as well as the hardest of times. He is even there in the in between.
Ofa Atu <3
Sister Wihongi

Bremworth Park and Tuhikaramea Wards, Hamilton

Kia Ora Whanau!
I sadly left Pukete ward and moved to Tuhikaramea!! I cover two wards now, Tuhikaramea and Bremworth Park. I have a new companion who is so hilarious and loving. Her name is Sister Perry and she is a loud, tall, tahitian beauty. Our double covers are the AP's (Assistants to the President) and I've never had so much fun while doing so much hard work, and I've only been here for about 5 days!
But I'm sad to leave Pukete, it was a great ward and we started having a lot of people to teach the last couple weeks there so when we heard the news that they are taking sisters out of Pukete again, I was a little upset and sad (that was the natural man's reaction lol) But now I know that they are in the Lord's hands now and He loves them beyond comprehension so I trust Him through these changes. It was sad to leave my little trainee too, Sister Raymond is amazing and I love her so much! Is this what it feels like letting go of your own daughter and watching her be free? Haha It's sad but exciting at the same time.
The first day in the area, actually within 10 minutes of arriving at the Tuhikaramea flat, the Assistants called us and said they need us to teach someone right then and there because there was a house that had no males and they couldn't enter. So I dropped off my suitcases and Sister Perry and I had our first teaching lesson together. It was amazing and two girls our age are wanting to strengthen there relationship with Christ. We are seeing them again this week.
I want to tell you more about my blunt and outgoing companion. We were contacting people on our ward list, and we came to a house with a big windowy screen door. Sister Perry's knocks match her personality. They are LOUD and obnoxious, but I love it so much. Anyways, after pounding on the door twice, we saw a woman in the home walk into the front room, stared at us for about 10 seconds, and then she just turned around and walked away. Clearly uninterested. So, like any normal missionary at this point, I started to turn around and carry on to the next house on the list but then I heard the thick tahitian (french) accent say, "OH NUH AH! SHE IS GOING TO HAVE TO SAY NO TO MY FACE! *POUND POUND POUND* LADY! DON"T IGNORE US! WE SAW YOU" I was just cracking up laughing and in shock of how bold my companion is. But the lady never came even though her screen door nearly cracked from the knocking. Haha. My companion is very good at connecting with people, we will visit less actives for the first time and she will act like they've been friends forever. Sister Perry finishes her mission at the end of this transfer.
I also went on a mini exchange and I was with a sister and an investigator who both spoke spanish. I was just there to testify and read the Book of Mormon. But the spirit was really strong even though I didn't understand some of it. The gospel is true and gives so much Peace. Trust in our Lord. He Lives!
Ofa Atu,
Sister Wihongi

Kia Ora Whanau!
This week we focused finding through the Ward List. We also had set 2 Family Home Evenings (We taught the Plan of Salvation) with less active families that had unbaptized children. They both went very well, and they want us to come back and keep teaching. It's been awesome because we know that the parents are learning and feeling the spirit as we are teaching simply to their children. One of the Family Home Evenings actually became more of a lesson for the parents, the kids soon became bored because of all the questions the father was asking. But it was a great time to bear testimony of Christ's Atonement and that it's never too late to make a change and come unto Him. And that they can make it to the Celestial Kingdom. We can't wait to see the families again this week!

We went to go see a mother who just had a baby. She's a member and has a strong belief in God and Jesus Christ but hasn't been coming to church for a long time because her Husband is having a faith crisis. He saw something about aliens on the internet and has become confused ever since. He said he would pray to God asking if aliens are true and never got his answer, and now he is questioning if there is a God. He was very honest with us and we were able to commit him to pray and know if God is real and to forget about aliens for a second. We ended up singing I am a Child of God to them as their 3 yr old boy was dancing gracefully to it. The mother felt the spirit and was crying, and we believe the father was also. We left immediately after that. Hopefully they will ponder as the spirit was there.

We meet new friend named Sandy. We actually found her from the finding fast! We were planning to teach her the Restoration and invite her to church. She mentioned her friend would join us, so we were excited. It turned out that her friend was also Christian but he started telling us how our beliefs are wrong and we are prideful. And telling us that Joseph Smith is a false Prophet & that adding to the Bible is a sin (He just made a lot of false assumptions). The spirit was not there and it was a little awkward. But then I started talking to Him about our similarities and how Jesus Christ is the center of our message. As we talked about our Savior, the spirit came back. While I was talking to him, Sister Raymond was talking quietly to Sandy and teaching her. Really, I was distracting him while my companion was having the lesson with Sandy. There was s point We all got on the subject to how we came to know these things are true. We read Moroni 10:3-5, and her friend agreed to the scripture! We are seeing Sandy again to have a proper lesson. Her friend won't be there again though....

I know this church is true! Not because I was raised in this belief, but because I prayed and asked God with Real intent if these things are true. "Real intent" meaning I wasn't praying to know the truth because that's what we are told to do, I wasn't praying just out of obedience, I was praying to sincerely know. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, it was revealed unto me. I love you family! Christ Lives!

Arohanui,
Sister Wihongi

Scripture of the week: Alma 30:44
"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Kia Ora Whanau!
We had a Triward Trunk or Treat and it was a Success!
Sister Raymond and I came up with the idea of doing a "Good Better Best" theme for our Trunk with our district. We had a sign that said:
"Choose your -Trick- for missionary work and get a -Treat- !"
Then we listed "Good" ways to do missionary work such as telling someone you're a member of this church or hand out a pass along cards. If they did one of missionary tricks in the Good section, they'd get a candy.
Then there was the "Better" ways such as inviting a friend over for FHE or give our number to a friend. If they did a missionary trick in the Better section, they would get a cookie!
Lastly, the "Better" ways such as giving out a Book of Mormon, giving us a referral, or inviting a friend to church. If they did a Best option, they would get to smash a pie in a missionaries face. It was fun and busier than expected!! 12 Book of Mormons were handed out that night. And a lot of cookies and candy. I got a pie in my face and there was an Elder in our district who got 5 pies in his face. I've never seen so much enthusiasm and hype to do missionary work from little kids just so they can splatter whip cream all over us. The things missionaries do for referrals... haha! We even had someone we are teaching come! It was great! President Golder was able to talk to our friend and even shared his small testimony that was needed. Thankful for him!

We had a lady from Salt Lake come train us sisters at the Online Training Center for three days. Her name was Julia and let's just say, I am doing missionary work a whole lot differently because of her amazing counsel. She was a blessing.

We have been more focused on planning with the Holy Ghost, Sister Raymond and I prayed more fervently on who we needed to see during daily planning. And trusted the spirit more to direct us. Amazingly, we ended up getting return appointments from 3 partmember/less active families in one day. What a blessing it was. I thank God for every good thing! I know that God lives and He can direct us in all that we do! Nothing feels better than knowing that you are being led by the spirit and accomplishing what the Lord wants. I love Him and my Savior Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for Christ's Atonement to help me for when I fall short. In His Sacred name, Amen!

Arohanui,
Sister Wihongi