Power of Prayer!

I've been so horrible at keeping up with my blog lately and I am totally regretting it.  I posted back in November that I was going to try and be better at it and yeah, it's been 5 months since then without a post.  I just need to start and hopefully it'll become a passion to me like it once was.

Our family recently had an awesome experience that I just need to record...and all I kept thinking was that I need to blog about it and preserve the memory.

I believe so much in the power of prayer and I've seen many prayers answered in my own life.  I know that if you pray with faith and sincerity, he will truly answer your prayer....and that sometimes he will use you to be the answer to someone else's prayer.  I was grateful to have witnessed and been a small part of an answer to a young man's prayer the other week.

I was at work last Tuesday and I got a text from Ova asking me if I could talk.  Usually we just text back and forth while I'm at work so I knew it must have been something important because he didn't want to just text me.  I called him and he started to tell me this story:

His Uncle had just flown in from California and was sitting at the airport waiting for his ride to come and pick him up.  He looked over and saw a young man in a suit, staring at him.  The young man just kept on staring so he got up and went over to him and asked him if he was Tongan or Samoan, not that his nationality would have mattered, but we just always ask out of curiosity.  He said he was Tongan and he was supposed to go to the MTC.  They got to talking and come to find out, he was lost and alone.  He was supposed to travel with 8 other missionaries from New Zealand through San Francisco to Salt Lake to go to the MTC, but somehow his ticket got mixed up and they ended up sending him through LAX.  He had been sitting in the airport for hours not knowing what to do and he was hesitant to approach anyone because he didn't really speak English.  He told Mevingi that he had been praying for help for someone to come and help him get to the MTC.......and not to long after that, he saw Mevingi.

He hadn't eaten for over 24 hours, the last time he ate anything was when he was in New Zealand and he didn't have any money.  He was tired and scared.  He only had a little carry-on sized hot pink suitcase with him and that was all he had to go on his 2 year mission.  Mevingi immediately called Ova and his other nephews and everyone just jumped into motion.

Ova was calling me to tell me the story and to tell me that he and his cousins had all decided to hurry and put money in together and go and buy this missionary the things he would need for his mission.  One of his cousins bought him p-day clothes and shoes, another one some walking shoes, we bought him some white shirts and garments and as all the boys were out buying the stuff, Tea and Silia took him to Ihop to get him something to eat.  He hadn't eaten for so long so they ordered him a big steak and he killed it.  While they were at the restaurant, they ran into another family member who was visiting from California and they told him the story.  He pulled out $100 and handed it to the missionary and then they said their goodbyes and he left.  A little while later, while Tea, Silia and the missionary were still eating, that man came back in to Ihop with a suitcase.  He ran to the Walmart that was right behind the Ihop and bought a suitcase and filled it with all the toiletries the missionary would need.....razors, deoderant, toothpaste....everything.  He dropped off the suitcase to the missionary and then left.  I told the ladies that I work with what was going on and they both wanted to help too.  I asked Ova to get the missionaries measurements and he just happened to be the same size as Denine's husband and so she brought an extra suit her husband had and a white shirt with some ties to donate to him.  The missionary couldn't believe what was happening, he just kept on crying and crying.  Tea happened to have a calling card in her purse that she had bought a few weeks earlier but hadn't used, so she told him to call his parents in Tonga and let them know that he was ok.  He called and told him mom what had happened and she kept crying and thanking Tea over and over for taking care of her son.  She had been praying for him too.

Come to find out, he's from Eua...which is the island in Tonga where my dad is from.  Who knows, he's probably my cousin!  His dad is the bishop out there and he's the oldest kid in his family and the first missionary.  He just turned 18 and he was going to serve in the Phillipines.

When they left Ihop they all met back at Silia's house and everyone who had run around to get him some stuff brought all the stuff.  Tea was the one that unpacked his hot pink carry-on bag and she was humbled and totally cried when she saw what was inside.  He had a pair of shoes that were worn, some slacks and two white shirts that were gathered in the front (they were girl shirts)... that was all he had with him to take on his mission, that was all his family could afford....and that was good enough for him.  He prayed for help but he never expected anyone to do what Ova and his Uncle, cousins and mom did for him.  Tea packed a new suitcase for him with all the things that people had collected and the missionary just kept thanking them over and over again and he never stopped crying.  They dropped him off at the MTC that night and now he's off to serve the Lord for 2 years.

My heart is so touched by this experience and my testimony of prayer strengthened even further.  Ova's uncle was in the right place at the right time and it's amazing to see how everything fell into place and everyone was more than willing to help this missionary.  We don't have much, but what we have, we're willing to share.  This missionary, Elder Tuifua, may think that it was a blessing for him....but really, this was a huge blessing for us.  My mind keeps going to the scripture "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."  I'm so grateful for these tender mercies that happen and for family members who are faithful and aware enough of the spirit to be the instrument in God's hands in answering the prayers of this faithful young missionary.

Elder Tuifua w/ Mevingi & Baby Katea

 Silia, Elder Tuifua, Mevingi & Baby Katea                                  Elder Tuifua, Tea & Lautala