Pics 1-3: Mission Christmas Party, Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

So I don't have too much time, but this week has been pretty good! Christmas was amazing and I am so happy I got to talk to my family! I got everything any missionary could ever ask for! Hahaha! I miss you all and I hope everything went well with your Christmas! I love you! I am getting transferred so next week will be a better email! Love you guys!!!

Me and Elder Holland 

P-day at TopGolf

Okay, so this week has been a crazy one! I will continue to number the events in my week because it is easier. Hahaha okay, so 1. Miracle at Angry Crab 2. Throw up at The Hoffman's 3. Monte and Apollo 11 4. Miracle at Subway 5. Moto Cop

1.) Me and the other Elders decided to try out a place that just opened called angry crab and their seafood is to DIE for! And VERY expensive. (We didn't know that till we looked at the menu and after waiting for 30 minutes to get seated. Well we were ordering and a lady tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I am so sorry for rudely interrupting, but thank you for being missionaries and threw $80 down on the table and and we were just in shock. So, our meal was almost paid for. What a blessing!...... So, we thought!?!? We were finishing our 6 lbs of shrimp and 3 lbs of King Crab, and the waitress came over and said would you like your check? With bellies full and gross saucy hands we said, "Yes please!" It took my girl like 20 minutes to get us our check, but the anger quickly went away as she handed us our bill. We opened up the check booklet to a blank piece of paper that said, Merry Christmas, from a friend." We are truly blessed as missionaries and I am so thankful for the members that take such good care of us here in AZ.

2.) We were having dinner at the Hoffman's in the AR 1st ward and they had a sick child that had the Croop. So we had finished dinner thankfully and we were just conversing with the family about their missions that they served and their 4 yr old child came out of her room and sat on her mom's lap. She was coughing like crazy! While still conversing this child starts coughing to the point of gagging. Keep in mind I am a sympathetic thrower upper. And I just have a gut feeling this child is about to burst hot liquid out of her mouth. So she is gagging and her mom is like, "ARE YOU GOING TO THROW UP!?" *Cough cough* *BLAHHHH* Oh my gosh so hear is an image from my point of veiw. The baby is straddling her mom facing her, and she is coughing and I just seeing this river of brown, rice filled vomit projectiling out of her mouth.... I had to get up and walk away I almost upchucked. But Sister Hoffman took it like a champ as the puke soaked into her lap. Oh and the little girl tried re-eating the rice we had for dinner! You're so welcome for the detailed story!😘

3.) So we were tracting one day, Elder Holland and I, and we came across a man named Monte. I guess they had met with him before? Anyways, he was telling us how he used to be an electrical mechanic and he worked on the Apollo 11 and spent more time in the cock pit and crew couch more than Armstrong and Buzz! So cool! He showed us pictures.

4.) So same deal with Angry crab. We get into Subway and we get up to order and there is a Less Active member in front of us that is in our ward. We talked to her until she got her food and paid for it. She looks at all of us and says, "May I please pay for your meal? We were like that would be wonderful thank you so much!! She goes to pay and the cashier said, "Some lady just came in and paid $40 so your total will be $14.87." Or something like that haha. So double pay miracle both at Angry Crab and Subway! What a week! hahaha

5.) The Moto-Cop! So Elder Holland and I were tracting near a busy road, and there is a motorcycle cop on the sidewalk using a speed gun, and this guy would catch car after car and then come back and post up in the exact same spot! He would sit there and spot and flip his lights on and on he went to catch all the speed racers!

Well there are the highlights of the week. I love and miss you all so much! I am so grateful for this beautiful gospel and so grateful for the time I get to spend everyday spreading God's word! I am so blessed with the companion I have and I am blessed to be serving in the area I am in! I love Arizona and the people I meet each and everyday! God bless! I will be keeping you all in my prayers! Bless up Dub-J! Keep it real! And I will see you next week!

OH...and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Alright, so this week went by really fast and not a whole lot went on, but I will give you a quick run down. 1. I helped rewire a 64' Mustang fastback. 2. I guess I sleep walk?? Haha 3. Don't order Mt. Dew at Restaurants... 4. I have a love hate relationship with dogs. 5. Went to the Mesa Temple lights. And, 6. my comp is freaking hilarious with come backs to Anti's!

1.) So I was out on exchanges with Elder Merritt my ZL. And we were roaming around a gated community called Barrington. As, we came around the corner of S Gordon and E Lakeview I spotted a beauty. And, no not a girl, but a 64' Fastback Mustang with a guy slumped over the engine of this beast. Well, we pulled up and OYM'd (Open your mouth) this tubster, and asked him what he was up to. He was rewiring the car and we asked if he needed any help and sure enough this man said "As a matter of fact I do!" So, Merritt and I helped this man out, but he was sadly not interested in the LDS church...

What a beaut!!! '64 Fastback Mustang!!!

 2.) Well, it was Thursday night and usually we would have 10 o'clock and then we chill and talk. But. I went to bed right after 10 o'clock prayer while the other Elders stayed up. So around 10:30 Elder Holland came into the room and went to bed. I was out like a rock. Anyways, 10-15 minutes pass and this is Elder Hollands experience. So, he was almost asleep and he felt his bed shake a little and so he rolled over to see what it was and there I was standing over him with my eyes closed and he was FREAKED out that he punched me in the chest and I didn't wake up, so he shook me and I fell on him and then I freaked out that I was in his bed.. Soooo, yeah I sleep walk?

3.) Don't order Mt. Dew while at a restaurant, because here is the response you get, "Mormon's can drink soda?? I thought y'all couldn't like have caffine?" Ugh, if only people knew... It's all good I just gave him a weird look and he left and brought my apostate drink hahaha.

4.) Dogs are good, but they suck when you are trying to teach. First, they bark like crazy so people get annoyed of their dogs and open the door. But, it's when you're in the house and teaching that you hate those things and just want to punt them to China..

5.) Last night Me and Elder Holland got to take a recent convert, and her non-member husband to the Mesa Temple lights. It was such and amazing experience, because the husband saw a Plan of Salvation video at the visitor center that sparked some interest in the Church! And now we have a lesson with him on the 15th!!

6.) So we were getting anti'd out the WAZ the other day and this guy was attacking us left and right, and the guy said, "I don't want none of *bleep* in my life. I don't want to be a part of a Cult."

And Elder Holland cuts him off and says, "That's funny you say that because we USED to be a colt, but now we are a stallion!!" The Guy lost it and said okay that is a good one and we just told him to have a good day and we went our separate ways!

So things went really well this week and me and Elder Holland are killing it! We are loving the work and we are loving the Lord and we are serving him the very best we can! I love you all and I miss you all too! I hope things are going great up there in SOJO and DUB JAY! Alofas from AZ!

P-Day soccer injury

See #3

So this week didn't have too much going for it... Sadly. But it was a good week! 1. My neck is kinked out the WAZ... 2. I have had a couple of people ask me what nationality I am and I tell them Samoan and they go on and on about Tongans.. 3. I look Hispanic in a cowboy hat.. 4. I met a guy that only has 2 teeth in is mouth and his breath smelled horrible.. 5. Had a few amazing lessons. AND 6! I had the best home made, made from scratch Mexican food!!

1.) So the other morning I woke up and went to roll out of bed to say my prayers, and I could not move to save my life.. My neck cranked the wrong way. And I was down and out for the weekend. But, it is getting a lot better. Even though I couldn't play basketball today.

2.) I have freaking had like 5 or 6 people ask me this week if I was Polynesian, and of course I respond with, "Yes I am Samoan!" Now the answer is always the same. "AHH I had a few Tongan companions on my mission!" Cool dude! I am not Tongan.. So I just sit back and listen to how many people they've met that are Tongan and they always ask if I have ever been to Hawai'i. Oh well. OH! And they always say You can't be Polynesian!? You're too small!? Yes I know.. I am small for a. Anyways.

3.) As you can see in my pictures. I look like a Meeko in a Cowboy hat.. That's all for that one.

4.) Mr. Navarro. This guy is the goofiest looking dude you will ever meet This guy can talk for HOURS! Goodnight man, he only has his bottom K9 teeth and that is all you can stare at when he talks to you! I am not joking. Imagine a 65 ish ol' Meeko man, tall, lanky, and has no teeth except his two bottom K9's. And, the only thing I took away from talking to him for an hour was this.
Mr. Navarro: I haven't met too many Samoan's that are LED!?
Elder Holland: You mean LDS??
I about burst out laughing but I felt bad for the guy only because of the way he looked and his breath was RANK.. Oh and because he didn't have the true Gospel in his life..

5.) We had some pretty great lessons this week! We have a Less Active family in our area and they are an amazing family but they just don't go to church!? And we keep inviting them to come to church, but they never come. So we were prompted to start small with just saying family prayer and they committed to do that and you can see the change in the way they listen to our messages now! We had a lesson with another Less Active family, the VanWagner's. They have never let us in until we started helping out his dad which is also in our area. We shared a scripture and the dad opened up and said, "Yeah we know we need to go and we want to so maybe next week? Sound good hun?" So we are crossing our fingers!

6.) Mexican food isn't my first choice, but homemade?? I think yes!?!? It was like Heavenly food! I cannot pronounce what it was nor spell it. You just have to take my word for it!!

Anyways that is all for this week! So until next time! I love you all and thank you for all the emails! I miss you guys! I hope you have a verry Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays my dudes!

Love,
Elder Matua

Lowridin'!!!

Chinese anyone???

Elder Wilcox and his Santa outfit