The work continues to move forward despite conditions world wide. There were 28 baptisms in the Tahiti Papeete Mission with only 58 missionaries. Learning to live with the new normal will be challenging but doable. The work will accelerate as we learn to use it in the work, the technological tools we have been given. The biggest threat will be living in the past and wanting to do things the old way.
Members will also need to adjust in this shift. For example, a simple way to help would be to share an uplifting message on social media and then sharing with the missionaries the contact information of ANY positive replies. The missionaries will take it from there. It pretty painless but reaches a wide audience in a hurry.
The missionaries, on the other hand, must be prepared for frequent, shorter contacts with those interested in hearing the gospel message. They will have more lessons and more investigators.
The gathering of Israel will also be much more collaborative going forward. This week the church announced that members who refer friends can help participate in teaching them through technology regardless of where the participants live. What a blessing for touching the lives of those we love, regardless of where we or they live. Even with Covid, the work will go forward.
Speaking of Covid. The last few weeks have seen a huge increase in cases around the world, including Tahiti. France has initiated partial shutdowns. In Tahiti, they already had a curfew in place and a few new social restrictions were added based on what was recommended from France. Nearly a dozen missionaries came down with Covid by going into members homes, but most have already recovered. As such, the missionaries can only be fed by the members right now if the food is dropped off. In spite of this, baptisms continue.
As mentioned last time, the church is working directly with our Senator’s office to try to get visa exceptions for Sister Banner and me. When they checked with the Consulates office last week, they were evasive in their answers but said our situation had been elevated on October 15th. We are not sure exactly what that means but any movement in the right direction is appreciated. With all that is going on politically in Washington this coming week, the next follow up will be in about a week.
We hope that the recent Covid restrictions do not dampen our chances at getting visas. We think often of all our missionaries who have received calls to Tahiti and we pray for them regularly. We hope that France will begin issuing long term visas for them in the near future and that Tahiti will be a safe place for them to come/return to.
We are so grateful for your continued thoughts and prayers. We are hopeful we can get to Tahiti in the next two or three weeks but know the Lord’s timing is perfect. In a coming day we will see the wisdom in what he has prescribed for us and for your missionaries. We will update you if anything in our situation changes.
President and Sister Banner