Kia Ora Whanau!! Faka Lofa Lahi Atu!

Kia Ora Whanau!! Faka Lofa Lahi Atu! July 10, 2011

I hope this message gets to my wonderful family all safe, happy, and doing well. As the weeks go by....I am just amazed about how fast the time flies by. Everything in the beautiful country of New Zealand is just doing great for me. Me and my companion are both safe and doing great! Transfers are this Thursday so we are really sad that one of us might be getting transferred. I'll let you know if I am emailing you from somewhere else next Monday. The weather here is just rain and rain. It seriously rains EVERY single day....and I’m not kidding! It is all sunny and okay...(still pretty cold) and then the rain hits and it pours down really hard. We just wear our rain jackets all day just in case in the middle of nowhere it starts pouring down on us :) I’m just so grateful to be here in this beautiful place!

Well you wanted to know a little about my new mission President. His name is President Lekias. He, his wife, and their 3 daughters are here in New Zealand. They have a son on a mission right now in Wellington New Zealand. We met them and they are just wonderful people. They are way nice and energetic. They are young...like in their 40's and are really excited to be here. They have such strong testimonies. We didn’t get to meet with them that long...but from what I can see they are going to be just wonderful mission president. It is a little weird not seeing President and Sister Porter anymore....but I know that President Lekias is called of God to be our new mission President.

Well last Monday me and Elder Naicker went to this Fijian Indian restaurant for lunch. It is exactly his food and so he really wanted to go there! Oh I don’t know if I have told you already but I love the Indian Food here...like people from India and Fiji. It’s a lot of good things like curry and butter chicken and so many good things like that. We don’t have really any Indian food where we live. I hope I can find a restaurant when I get back and we’ll all go there. On Tuesday we have such an incredible lesson with Stephanie and the Roger family! I don’t know if I have talked about them a lot but I absolutely LOVE that family. They are incredible in every way and we are over there all the time. The reason why is because we have a lot of lessons with their family. They are a family that I have helped bring into the gospel and they are making their way to be a forever family. When we first went there the whole family wasn’t really interested except Caleb. He is 15 years old. The dad was a less active and the whole family was non members. Well obliviously you know we have helped Caleb get baptized. Then we started working with Destiney his younger sister that is 10 years old. She got baptized and know guess what Stephanie (the mom) is SET with a baptism date!! She is getting baptized on the 30th of this month. (July) The whole family except Azalia (13 year old girl) has been coming to church every week for the past 3 weeks. Then just yesterday Azalia came! So the whole family came! They were all dressed up and it just made me get emotional and full of joy to see their whole family sitting in Sacrament meeting! :) I’m so happy for them! Jared (the dad) wants to come back to full activity and receive the priesthood. Stephanie is getting baptized. We are helping Azalia want to get baptized. And we are just doing our best to help the whole family. Caleb is doing so good and wants to serve a mission! He is going to go to baptisms for the dead in the temple soon! The other night we had a very spiritual lesson on forever families and the temple and them being sealed. The whole family felt the spirit so strong. I know they will go to the temple! Hopefully in a year’s time (one year after everyone gets baptized) I really want to come to New Zealand and be there when they get sealed together! I would love that so much. Mom and gave Stephanie the Book of Mormon you gave me that has your testimony in it. She loved it so much!

Every time we go over there they have a cup of Milo (kind of like hot chocolate) ready for us. They feed us sometimes....awe I just love them. So many good and wonderful memories with them. I will never forget that family. Well Rata and Miriana are still doing good and they are set for the 30th of July for Baptism also!! I’m excited that family is awesome too. Their mom Teresa wants to be baptized too!! Miracles are happening all around! The work is just doing wonderful and we are working so hard. Tony isn’t set for baptism because he is going to get baptized down in Auckland. Oh yeah Elder Naicker is okay...he just had a crash....we were laughing so hard. He is lucky he didn’t get hurt though.

Wow so many people are getting married back home. Life just keeps getting more crazy and is just amazing. I really do miss you so much. My heart is so full of gratitude for all the many blessings I have in my life. I love you more than you know. Thank you for everything you guys do for me. I wish I didn’t have to go now but I do....okay so next week I have to e mail so other people before I e mail this letter. Ryan!! Krissy (she sent one this week) and Ashley!! Time is just so valuable. That is one thing I have really learned on my mission.

Have a great and happy week.
With much love your brother, and son.
Elder Tyler Kitchen