6 MONTHS AS A MISSIONARY!!! HOW?!!! It’s very surreal that I’m already at my 6 months time really has flown by! I remember sitting watching General Conference last October saying I would be watching it in Tahiti the next time and now it’s already here and it’s crazy! With that being said this General Conference weekend was absolutely amazing and I feel so spiritually fed! The talks were absolutely beautiful and I received so much peace and comfort that I’ve been needing! I’ve never been more grateful for the English language than on my mission and though I love French and Tahitian with all my heart hearing Conference in your own language is so much more powerful! I had the beautiful miracle of listening to all of the General Conference in English! I was so grateful and Heavenly Father answered my little prayer! Heavenly Father is a God of miracles and like the prophet Russel M. Nelson said, “Seek and Expect Miracles!” I truly have seen so many daily miracles like the one I had with General Conference! 

Now for some Highlights from this week:

-As of April 5th I have 6 months till my birthday!🥳

-I lead a lot of the lessons this week and have been trying more to speak in lessons and it’s been amazing to see the Lord through the Holy Ghost fill my mouth with the words to say and it is so amazing! The Gift of Tongues is REAL!!!!!!

-This isn’t really a highlight but very funny story so I was you know just biking and somebody called to my companion so I looked behind me and didn’t see this garbage can that I ended up running into the side of it and then completely biffed it into the side of the road and the person in the car was like ohh my are you ok and I was like yeah😂 It was quite funny after it happened! Though it hurt a little and my hands hurt from it but you know I’m still alive😊😂 Also the next day I was biking and you know how I got surgery on my ingrown toenail, well I was stopped at a stop light and it turned green and my shoe slipped on my pedal and my side of my nail caught me shoe pulling my nail all the way back splitting it in half and broke the side of it and started to bleed a lot so we went to the AP’s house which was close by and got it taken care of but yeah! Kinda rough 2 days but hey I’m still alive!! 

-Soirée Temple with all of our amis for a night that we talked about the importance of what we do in the temple and how they can too one day enter the temple! It’s a very beautiful night and amazing to see all the missionaries’ friends come and learn more about the temples and that beautiful blessing! Got to see Sœur Grose from my MTC district and also Sœur Harryman who was in my last district in Taravao who is literally the best! Also Sœur White who is cousins with Paige, Maddy, and Lauren Jackson who are my very good friends in Spokane, Washington! 

-Ate at this really yummy New York Pizza place(very strange for Tahiti😂) but it was incredible and huge pieces of pizza and so delicious! It was for Elder Spencer our DZ(Dirigeant de Zone ou Zone Leader) birthday!

-NEW TEMPLE IN UTUROA, FRENCH POLYNESIA WHICH IS IN RAIATEA! It’s in my mission and my companion Elder Laufatte is from Raiatea! We all were so happy when it got announced during the last session of conference! 

-During General Conference while we were at the church building this lady introduced herself to me and we talked a little and then she was like I really like your French accent and I was like what I have an accent because later in the week I was talking about how hard it is to have an accent and then this experience happened! It was a little miracle and gift from God for me and it made me feel good! 

But yeah that’s about it for this week! Full of many wonderful miracles and blessings and I am just so grateful for this wonderful gospel in my life! My life truly wouldn’t be the same without it and even though I have struggles every day I receive strength from the Lord through His Atonement to keep moving forward with faith and trusting I will be ok and I always am! Sometimes I just need to pause and catch a breath and know that all will work out when I turn my will to God’s will for me and trust in His timing! Patience truly is a virtue and with that continue to see the “little rays” that God sends me daily to bless my life! Like that talk in General Conference said about the rays and that it’s not always a grand pillar of light but the little rays that bless my life in the way God knows is best for me when I don’t fully see the full picture He does! Trusting in His plan brings JOY DAILY! Have the eyes to see the little rays daily and know He’s always answering our prayers! Love you all so much and thank you for your support and prayers! I truly feel them daily! Miss you all so much too! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou! Faaitoito!💙

-Elder LeBaron

Joyeux Pâques and Happy Easter! What a beautiful week it has been being able to focus on the Savior’s life and when He performed the most selfless and most important sacrifice to help all of us live again and overcome death and be able to repent and come to Him! Though His Infinite Atonement All are saved and receive His grace to be better and repent daily! What a beautiful gift He is and He is my Savior and the Savior for each and every one of us personally! Every struggle and pain He know and is the only person who can give us the strength to overcome! Thanks to Jesus Christ all will live again and be able to have Joy eternally if we turn to Him and draw from His enabling power of His Atonement! Don’t lose sight of Him! He’s always there for us! He’s our beautiful gift Daily! 

Now for some Highlights from this week:

-All our lessons and contacting for this week we tried to base it all on the Savior’s Atonement and atoning sacrifice because of Easter this week and it was beautiful to see the many miracles for that! We were able to find 10 new amies (friends) this week and it was a very amazing experience and had many miracles! 

-2 exchanges this week with Elder Westerlund and Elder Spencer with Elder Van Dyke and me! It was crazy because this was my first time ever doing that in one week! It was good and it’s always good to see how other missionaries work and see what I can better improve to be the best missionary I can be! 

-Invited our ami Tautea’arii Renvoyé to be baptized this week and fixed a date and he accepted and it was an amazing experience! He’s 10-11 years old! He is ready for baptism and I’m excited to continue to help him prepare! We now have 4 of our amis on date for baptism and there’ve been so many miracles! 

-Went to the hospital to give one of our amie nephew a blessing because he got in a really bad accident and asked if we could give him one! It was a beautiful experience but it was kinda hard to see him so beat up from the wreck! But it was amazing to see his faith and know that he’ll be ok! 

-We helped the Senior missionary Elder Osguthorpe move a bed frame and then found out that he used to be in the General Sunday School Presidency which was super cool to find out and he gave a conference talk and talked about his mission here in Tahiti because that’s where he served and so that’s pretty amazing he’s serving here with us! 

That’s about it for this week but it was very spiritual and all centered on Jesus Christ and His beautiful gift to us all! I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve now and share with everyone His beautiful light and saving grace to be able to have His eternal joy and happiness every day no matter the circumstances! He is who makes every day possible and we can have His strength to do everything because I can’t and we can’t do it alone! Turn to Him always and never take His saving for granted and endless joy and happiness! He is my light and He is my best friend! I love Him and He can change our lives if we turn everything to Him and trust! I love all of you and am so grateful for your support and love! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou! Faaitoito!💙

-Elder LeBaron

Officially I’m King Arthur!👑🗡 We had a SPF(Short.Powerful.Frequent), an invitation from Elder Wakolo when he came for a mission tour, visit with a member family and they had a sword on the wall and I was like I need a picture so after the little message we shared I got up and took a picture and after she was like do you want a picture with the sword and I was like I can’t say no so I got a picture holding a real sword and it was INCREDIBLE!!! So yeah I thought that would be a fun start to my email for this week! 

Now for some Highlights for the week:

-We invited our new ami(friend) to be baptized this week and she said YES!! She was so excited and she is 11 years old and so sweet and full of light! We had 3 lessons with her last week and she wants to continue having 3 each week which is amazing! Her baptismal date is set for April 20th so it could possibly be earlier or later just a goal for her right now!

-Lots of our lessons canceled this week and so we all got a little discouraged but it was amazing to see so many miracles happen when the lesson fell though and we were able to find other friends on the road interested in passing by again for having another lesson with them!

-Tan got HIS MISSION CALL!! He’s going to the Chile, Viña Del Mar Mission Spanish speaking! I’m so proud of him and know he is going to be an amazing missionary and we will be in the mission field together which is going to be a very amazing experience!

-During our Fatams I met this family Avae and they were literally so sweet and the food was INCREDIBLE!!! And their daughter can speak English and so it was cool to talk to her a little in English! We had Poisson Cru Coco with a Broccoli Steak Stir-fry and grilled Fish! It was super yummy! 

-Learned how to make Fried Rice for lunch instead of only eating PB&J sandwiches every day and it’s been a nice change to actually have something more than that! 

-Yesterday being Sunday we had so many miracles and it was incredible! We found 2 new amis and fixed another lesson with them this coming week and it was just amazing to see again that our lessons were canceled but we were able to find others and continue to have miracles! Also during the 2nd hour of church we helped this tourist family who came with understanding the French so my companion translated for them! They were super sweet family and we were able to talked about missions with their son who is wanting to serve a mission so it was another really cool experience!

-We had a big choir practice today with all the stakes on Tahiti for preparing for the celebration for the 180 anniversary of the Church coming here to Tahiti! I was able to see a lot of friends and families from Taravao, my last secteur, and it was a little miracle for me! 

Yeah that’s about from this week but even though it may have been discouraging at times there were many wonderful blessings and miracles that came to help me see that I am still in the Lord’s hands and know that it’s not about me and just keep trusting that He is there guiding me each and every moment of every day!! I found this quote during my personal studies and wanted to share it! In the talk by Brother Newman “Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation” said, “the accumulation of small, simple efforts, repeated consistently over time, can be more powerful and strengthening than an occasional monumental moment or landmark lesson. … So don’t give up, and don’t worry about accomplishing something grand every time. Just be consistent in your efforts.” I love this quote so much because it’s just important to keep improving little by little not some grand change that happens but a constant effort that in the end brings the accomplishment! All I can do is just keep pushing forward and being better little by little each day! Jesus Christ is there to help as well giving me the strength to when I give my all He helps give me the strength because I can’t do this alone! Love and miss all of you so much! Thank you for your support and prayers I feel them everyday! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou!💙

-Elder LeBaron

Wow another week went by! TIME FLEW BY!!! There were many miracles this week and it is just amazing to see the experiences that come each week that continue to grow my testimony and make me so grateful for this Gospel in my life and how my life isn’t the same without it! Also I am so grateful for my family especially my parents they are literally my best friends and their support is amazing! And our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers! It may not be by the way we expect but He is always there listening and wanting to bless us! Don’t let go of Him in hard times and when you feel He’s not there for you because in those times you should turn to Him the most and know that He will never leave you and know that He will answer your prayers just be patient and continue with Faith! It’s not easy believe me I have struggles too but keep holding on and He will bless you! 

Now for some Highlights from the Week:

-Got trained at the Office of what I do as a Tech Missionary and it went well! There’s not a whole lot that we do but mostly just check phones and go through and make sure everyone is using their phones properly!

-LOTS AND LOTS OF CONTACTING! Our secteur(area) is pretty small and so we have a few people we are teaching but when we don’t have lessons we do contacting and so we just go door to door and just ask if people are interested and share a little message! Most people are too busy but we get a few that are and it’s great because we found some that we are going to visit next week with so I’m excited!

-We found this new ami(friend) and had a little lesson to fix another day we can meet with her and it was such an amazing experience with her! She could feel the spirit a lot and was just crying with us! My heart was so touch and I wanted to just give her a massive hug but of course I didn’t but I knew the Holy Ghost was there giving her a massive hug for me!

-Helped move bikes from the office to one of the Senior Couples house with Elder Wong who is over vehicles in the office and they were so sweet to then invite us to dinner with them because we helped and it was such an amazing day with them! They are the sweetest! I also had this really good fish with this white sauce called roquefort! It was incredible! 

-AN AMAZING MIRACLE!! It was something so small! So we didn’t have a Fatams on Saturday because the family had a situation and wasn’t able to do the Fatams! We were like it’s fine no worries! I then was like not sure what I’ll make for dinner but I could just have my good ol PB&J sandwich or cereal! But as we were coming back home from our secteur I said a little prayer in my heart that somehow there would be food at our house! So we got home and sure enough the other Elders in our house got pizza and had a bunch extra that they shared with us! SEEK AND EXPECT MIRACLES! Even if is something so small if it’s important to you it’s important to God! Never hesitate to pray to Him for help! He always provides a way! It was so amazing and I just felt Heavenly Father saying don’t worry Elder LeBaron I’m here I have you in My hands just keep trusting! 

That’s about it for this week but I just want to end with this quote I found! “Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. … Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ”(-President Gordon B. Hinckley). This is what I need to do to become the missionary that God needs me to be! Keep holding on and know that when I forget myself the Lord will always be there to fill in the gaps and help me have the strength to help others! I’m not here for myself but to help others find their way back to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and share Their light with everyone! The weeks don’t get any easier but with His strength I can forget myself and not care if it’s easy or not because it will never be easy but with the Strength of the Lord He can give me the strength to always have a smile on my face and forget my worries to help others and share my love with them! That is why I’m here! And I am so grateful for the strength of the Lord because I wouldn’t be able to make it through every day without His strength and power! He is my strength! Again I am so grateful for my family as well and for my parents! They are my everything and I am so grateful for eternal families! Love you all so so much! So grateful for all of you! Miss you all! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou!💙

-Elder LeBaron

DAY 150 AS A MISSIONARY!!! No I’m not counting every day as a missionary but I finished my flossers that had 150 count and so there you go! Today is officially 150 days ish as a missionary! Crazy!!!! 

Now for some Highlights of this Week:

-Transfer calls on Tuesday so we ate dinner and the Colombel’s and then had the call right after and I’M TRANSFERRING!! My new secteur(area) is Fautaua in Papeete! We are the office tech missionaries! My new companions are Elder Van Dyke and Elder Laufatte so we are a trio! Also my zone leader is Elder Adams who was my trainer so that’s literally insane!! 

-Wednesday I just said all my goodbyes all day to the families I got super close to and it was so hard to say goodbye because they all became family because it was my first secteur and they were all so sweet to me! Especially the Colombel family and Bisiaux family! But we are forever connected! Also sad for our friends who we have on date for baptism I won’t see their baptism like Alexandre and Hitimahana but it’s ok I’m so grateful they are continuing to progress and it’s not about me! Also families gave me shells as a goodbye and they were so pretty! They do shells and not flowers so they last forever!

-My last Fatams with the Family Paheroo was amazing Sister Paheroo made me my favorite chocolate lava cake and ohh my I’ll miss it! It was so amazing and she was so sweet to make it one last time for me! 

-Transfer day! I drove everyone to Papeete who was being transferred in our zone because my companion had already been here for a year and it was a crazy day! We drove straight to my new secteur and got dropped off and then went to work it was a lot better than last transfer when I just stayed home a day and literally did nothing! 

-My New Secteur(Area) So I’m in the city well kinda I live in the city but my secteur is in a valley on the city outskirts! So I actually don’t live in my secteur it about a 10-15 min ish bike ride every day and I get to pass the temple every day to get into my secteur! It’s amazing! Though my secteur is very small and is only a hill so it’s pretty tiring but good for getting strong! 

-My first Soirée Temple! So it’s a night were you bring all your friends of the church to come and have the temple better explained of the purpose and then we go to the temple grounds and just rest there and feel the spirit of the temple and talk with our friends about it more! It’s an amazing experience they do it every month! 

-Got to call Tanner for his Birthday and it was an amazing talk with him and to see he is doing so well! I am so grateful for him and I miss him more than anything and he truly is my bestest friend EVER!! 

-An amazing miracle and experience! We went out contacting and I said the prayer and I prayed we would find a new friend during a lesson or on the road and so we were heading to our first lesson of the day and he wasn’t there but we talk with his brother and had a lesson with him and he is now interested to take lessons as well and it was amazing to literally right after I prayed find a new friend! It was such a beautiful experience and God is in every detail and has me in His hands!

That’s about it for this week but though it was crazy with transfers it was amazing to feel the peace and love from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ though the Holy Ghost every day! They are always there for me and never doubt or fear because I’m exactly where They need me to be and just keep holding on and trusting and just love everyone! I read the conference talk Seeing God’s family through the Overview Lens by Sister Runia October 2023 General Conference and the importance of having a Celestial view point and to see others as Heavenly Father does! Also to just have love and have peace and comfort now that “everything is going to work out much better than we can ever imagine” or something like that she says and it’s so true always have His viewpoint and don’t get caught up by looking through a keyhole but see the big picture by always Thinking Celestial as President Nelson said! But yeah it was a great week and I just need to keep my focus on Jesus Christ and He always gives me the strength needed to get through everyday and be His Instrument! He is my strength and my friend who is always there to lift me up and keep me moving forward! Till next week! Love you all so so much! So grateful for all of you! Miss you all! Beaucoup d’amour! Ua here au ia outou!💙

-Elder LeBaron