Week 22: I SAW THE BEACH

Hello,

First things first... I saw a beach. 3 months in Tahiti and I finally saw one. I caught a glimpse then told Wilkinson we have to go. We read the Book of Mormon there and enjoyed the breeze and black sand that's on this part of the island. It was insane.

So the new area is lit. Too city for my taste but the work is insane. We found 10 new people to teach last week and taught over 25 lessons. This entire week is booked. Literally every hour and we struggle to find time to study. We grinded this week so the area is popping off. We have too much that we are putting visits off for in two weeks and putting off lessons and dinners. It's incredible. It has been so tiring and hot but it really feels like I'm finally working hard, doing like 11 hours of field work. It's the dream. We do lessons, visits, Come Follow Me with inactives, english and even piano. I taught a Grandma while her grand daughter took piano. So sneaky. A cheeky casual lesson. We've been so so busy and I love it. Planners are full full. I've truly seen the impact of hard work and am happy to finally have a comp who also wants to grind. It has made the week wayyy better and enabled us to help way more people. 

The only sad thing is I thought change would be the solution to my anxiety but I've still had it in the mornings. Hopefully just adaptation to every single thing being new again. But that's still been rough. Mornings suck but I've finally found true joy in the days while working and I love the people here so much. I've seen my love for these people increase and I'm immediately invested in them after 5 min of talking. 

A fresh start was good for member relationships at least as all my first impressions I'm talkative and comfortable, compared to the homesick struggling in french me everyone at ruatama met. All my first impressions are good so far so it has been a lot easier and I'm already getting tight w some peeps. The ward is a lot bigger too, like 200 people which is a big change that I love. Lots more ward help and connections. 

My butt hurts from biking and that's been a grind. I sweat an insane amount with the Tahitian heat and shirt and tie. Most of our work is in apartments up a big hill too which sucks lol.

I also teach a mami (old person) english and got her back to church after years. She's so cute and knows no english at all. I make her laugh with my Tahitian jokes (like I actually joke around in Tahitian which is cool). The only problem is she hates another mami that we visit too who is making us book covers. Tahitian mami beef. It's okay, we get food from both.

This week was so good with how busy we were and I'm excited for next which is busier. I'm so tired but that is good. How it should be. I'm really giving it all right now and am loving it. 

Oh and people love ripping on faaa here, my old area. I've really realized how much it sucks there lol. But it was also hype. Just not really Tahiti. This Tahiti is way better and people are way nicer.

The wifi isnt good enough for pics sorry.

Have a good week everyone

Elder Fiore

Mom adding photos:

The beach!!

Sweating tons!

Week 21: Bye Bye Faaa

Yup you read it right. I'm leaving Faaa and am hyped. It was sad leaving the ward and saying by but I really needed the fresh start for sure. I'm getting ahead of myself though...

So i did some splits again this week and went to a place called "Oremu" with Elder Cowley. It took an hour and a half walk up a mountain to get to the area where we taught english and visited. It was so hot that day that even Tahitians were complaining. It as rough but hype. But yea, different than a car.

I also got a haircut in the chapelle in a classroom for free from a member. Missionary life.

I also organized and lead a service project cleaning garbage at a member's house. We found many t shirts, toys and a dead dog. A full dead dog. It was insane. We filled over 24 bags like 200L each. Nuts.

But yea transfers were the hype part. I'm in Arue (Ah rou way) in Pare (pah reh) and it's still city which I'm a little sad about; other than that looks lit and I have a part that is jungle which I'm  in right this moment; It's super close to Papeete too so best of both worlds I guess. I also have the big hospital for French Polynesia in my sector so lots of blessings. Bike area too which I'm happy about. Oh yea and an American comp, Elder Wilkinson! So happy for english wow; he's super nice.

I got 12 ties this week wow.

Have a great week everyone

Elder Fiore

Mom's note:

Zach had a ton of pictures he was disappointed he didn't have internet to download. He showed me a bunch on our call - he had taken pictures with all the members of his ward in Faaa. Despite all the ups and downs and challenges, he has loved the people he has served. He is excited to serve in this new area which is apparently very busy and he's looking forward to being exhausted from serving. He is feeling better  - I'd say he's worked his way up to being about 60% better - which is a big improvement from where he was a few weeks ago. Certainly his trials have helped him grow and develop in ways I did not think were possible  - they have helped us all grow as his family too. Looking forward to a new chapter for him in Arue. 

I'm going to add some photos that he downloaded but I'm not sure where and when they re from!

Week 20: 2020 in Toronto

Happy New Year everyone.

I had an unexpected surprise and facetimed home exactly at midnight in Toronto and watched the ball drop w family. It was very fun and unexpected. 2020 is crazy. Full year in Tahiti. Gonna be a tough one lol. I also went to bed at 10 New Years Eve which was sad, but that made it so the Toronto New Years was truly mine too. 

I did another mini split and loved not being in the car again. I also invited a person I taught for the first time, to baptism. I don't know why I invited the ami they're teaching but he said yes. I did the whole lesson too while my comp did a lesson with someone else at the same time next to us. Two lessons at the same time. That's efficient missionary work. I also set up an english tutoring session and taught 8 kids basic intro english. 

Back in my sector we taught a new convert how to get a guy and gave her love and flirting advice. 

We had a poke bowl too which was good and the people we were eating with were freaking out over how many veggies there were the whole meal. Shredded carrots and sliced cucumber. They don't eat many veggies here - it's difficult. But as their son said, we are spoiled to have so much. There are more veggies in a burger smh.

We also had someone get up in front of all in testimony meaning and not only sing a song, which is weird in itself, but chose a song for the ward to sing. About a third of people sang and the pianist did an awkward head shake when asked to play. It was fun and she's crazy. She tickled me after. And pinched me. 

I'm the king too according to gallet to roi, Three King day thing, 12 days after Christmas. I got a little Mexican head in my cake, so of course I win. It was weird but fun.

I've started just planning all our days and have been filling them so we've been a lot busier. Its made days a lot more hard working and fun.  Because I plan all now tho and my comp doesn't care, I've made it so there's literally nothing on a day I'm doing another split, going to another area. I don't want to miss anything haha. So we have every day extremely booked this week, like hour by hour full and jam packed already, and then Wednesday completely empty. Oh well. I have to start planning lessons Wednesday though cause there's no other time this week free. I like planning the days -  it's fun. 

I got 3 free ties too.

In the same crazy testimony meeting there was a 10 year old boy who went up all alone. He spoke for like three min then starting sweating a lot, deep breathing and crying. His dad came up and literally just stood behind him closely. The little boy looked up at his dad, nodded in a I can do this way, then finished well. The silent support of his dad was beautiful. We have support no matter where we are and what we are doing. We have friends and family and Heavenly Father standing behind us, there for us. It was a beautiful moment. 

Transfers are next week and I'm tryna leave lol. I hope i do.

Have a great week everyone

Elder Fiore

1 Conatcting

2. Given food yum

3. mountain

4. Lotus hills view of moorea i have all the time

5.King

Mom note: It was the best surprise to hear from him on NYE and have him there to ring in the NY! The past couple of weeks have been super super challenging, but he has been getting stronger and it has been nice to have more contact with him to help him get stronger. Here's a few more pictures from his week:

Daily views and activities:

Replacing the stickers:

More views and daily life: