Mariella--tru fren blong mi

This amazing woman sitting next to me is having a birthday today. I wanted to introduce you to her. I am a better person for her influence in my life. She is a wonderful example of goodness to others, faith that propels her to be better and courage to stand up for what she knows to be right.

She is the wife of the branch president that I served with on my mission. This is how I originally came to know her and her sweet family. We have shared many wonderful spirit-filled conversations at her home. Her and her husband Katimal had the RARE opportunity of not only being sealed in the temple, but they were able to do it in the Salt Lake temple. Her conversion story is sweet and shows her strength. We recorded it on our video camera when I brought Russ to Vanuatu in 2006. The story of her getting to the Salt Lake temple shows Heavenly Father's love and tender watchful care over her.

I am so grateful that the Saints in Vanuatu have a strong example like her. One of my favorite memories of Mariella was the night Russ and I arrived in Vanuatu. I was extremely stressed about planning the trip and I did something that I NEVER do in situations like that---I didn't plan a thing! I mean it, nobody even knew we were coming until the day before and I didn't even let them know when my plane was coming in because I didn't think I deserved the traditional greeting party that our friends there are known for. Mariella caught wind of my coming and in her Mariella way, organized a huge welcoming party at the airport. She wasn't sure when we were coming in so she had my dear friend Rachel Susurup check periodically throughout the day to see which plane we'd be coming from. When she greeted me with a hug and a bissou (kiss) I did get a scolding! She brought us straight to her house and sat us down with a piece of paper. Her and our dear friend Honore Tiasnmal helped us plan out our 12 day adventure. This meant so much to me because words cannot describe how much anxiety I felt about the whole trip. I was excited to see everybody, but completely overwhelmed at the thought of planning it. She took care of it all and made sure that I felt completely at peace.

My mom and I agree that there are many friends that come and go in life. There are also those that come, but they never "go". We like to call them the "true blues". Mariella, you are one of those in my life--a true blue. You are one of those that I will look for when I get to heaven so that I can embrace you and share tears of joy with you. Happy Birthday fren blong mi. Mi lavem yu sista blong mi.