Surprise!

Tanna now has computers with internet, so I should be able to email a lot more often!  I'm really sorry I haven't emailed in a while, but now the problem should be fixed, but please don't worry if I still miss a week every once in a while during the time that I'm on this island.

We got 30 new missionaries added to the mission, but 15 left.  We are expecting more at the end of January.

I have a lot of interesting news.  First that Elder Christofferson of the Twelve is coming to my mission at the end the month (January).  One of our missions goals is to have 1000 baptisms in the year 2016, with 200 in Tanna.  I personally have not baptized any investigator yet, because the one week that we did, I was in Port Vila, and didn't get to baptize any of the 8 people that were baptized that day.

I think the biggest news is this:  last week, my companion and I got a phone call.  One missionary arrived between transfers, and the mission president wanted me to train him, and open a new area in Tanna.  Since Saturday, 2 days ago, I am now serving in Whitegrass, Tanna, training Elder Sevao from Samoa (not American Samoa).  This was a really big change, considering I've only been in the mission field for 9 weeks now.  We have had an incredible amount of help from the members in Whitegrass, and we already have 13 referrals of former investigators.  The area had missionaries before Cyclone Pam, but since then it has not had any missionaries.

I will be on Tanna for some time, I think.  With the better chance to email each week, I don't have any problem with that.

I love you all!

Elda Isaac Van Wagenen