Down to 3 Weeks!

Week 103

12th December 2016

Well... What to say. I am excited to be returning but at the same time I am really sad inside too. Yesterday afternoon the ward got together for choir practice. My companion and I were supposed to attend also but we had to go to a couple appointments. As we opened with a prayer for one of our lessons, I could hear the members singing. It was loud, strong, powerful and heart moving!! As I was closing my eyes during the prayer I wanted to shed tears, I could picture in my mind the day i would leave these beautiful people and there voices singing farewell.

I have being trying really hard to put the sad feelings at the back of my mind and forget about that day for now, but every now and then they pop out like yesterday. This week Sunday we have a baptism, 2 actually. The baptisms of Brother Savenaca and Maraia. I will be baptizing Maraia and our Elder Quorum President will baptize Brother Savenaca. I am really looking forward to this day, with great anticipation. I have being preparing myself for this special moment.

A couple months back I was going through a bit of a trial in my mission, personally. I felt like I wanted to go home and had no purpose continuing my mission. I prayed to Heavenly father and asked him if he would help prepare one, someone for me to share the gospel with and help change her life. I have heard many missionaries say when they baptize somebody, it was like they saw that persons future flash before their eyes. That confirming feeling of changing someone's life through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I wanted that feeling, I wanted that experience. I prayed hard and made it a goal to find someone that I could do just exactly that. Then came along Maria, and only couple weeks ago the thought and feeling came to, this is the someone my loving Heavenly Father has prepared for me.

I see it, her life changing as she learns more and more about the Gospel. Her wanting to serve a mission, wanting to be apart of the truth she has come to find. Willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ even with the limited knowledge she has. She is young and many things have happened in her life causing much suffering for her but all of which have been given to help prepare her for this moment. God really does answer prayers and he is a true and living God. This I know!! 

Sunday morning though, God showed to my companion and I yet again his love and compassion for us. We left the flat at 6:30am to go pick up Savenaca and bring him to chruch. We planned to take the bus from his house to the chapel but we were late. So we began pushing him in his wheel chair toward the chapel, as we walked a white van drove past and told us to hop in. It was a Senior missionary couple!! God knew we were running late and he send us a tender mercy. Thanks to that blessing we got Savenaca to church on time and then were able to pick up our new investigator. A lady named Sereana who has her leg cut off due to bone cancer. We took Brother Savenaca's wheelchair and picked her up also!! 2 of our other investigators were able to attend church also!! We were stressed about how we were going to get our investigators to church and yet God prepared a way. 4 in total, it was amazing!! #Miracles

God really is in the work more than we know and understand. He is living and he is loving!! I love him and I love his son, without his son. Nothing would be possible especially the gift of repentance. 

In other news though, I have my last Zone conference this Wednesday, where I will bear my departing testimony to the missionaries of my Zone, I don't want to!!! because I know I will cry so much. I am happy though to bear it in front of my cousin Elder Roberts, and my 2 good friends from back home in Brisbane Elder Levasa and Sister Tuivai. Seeing them as missionaries and growing in the gospel brings happiness to my heart. I love them and love being a missionary!! I love you all, talk soon.

Wonderful Week!

Week 102

05th December 2016

Yet another wonderful week here in Navatuyaba!!! We now have 3 investigators that will be baptised this month. On 16th, 17th and 18th of December 2016. Sisilia will be baptised on the 16th, Maria on the 17th and Savenaca on the 18th. I am so excited!! So is the ward and our Bishop!! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were all usual days. PDAY, District meeting, self reliance class which are awesome by the way. I am learning so much about what I want to do with my life after the mission especially in terms of a career choice too.

Friday though we had a mission tour. All 4 zones here on the eastern side of Viti Levu combined and enjoyed a wonderful conference from Elder Cardon who is a seventy & in the South Pacific Area Presidency. He shared with us a lot of knowledge and many things who can use in our missionary work. Whilst we got to see a member of the Seventy, everyone was mostly excited to see each other and catch up. 4 zones together! That never happens here in the mission, so we were blessed spiritually and socially haha. I got to catch up with all the Australian missionary which by the way are all mostly Samoan. It was fun and full of laughs as usual.

Saturday we worked hard, and I gave much thought to one of the trainings that were shared at the Mission tour. The insight was called "What will be your legacy?" It applies very much to missionaries and also everyday life. What will be your legacy? I heard once a quote that went like this "We are remembered by others from the gifts we leave them." I gave much thought to my mission, what has being my legacy, what have i been remembered by?? It was a deep question. I thought about the word success and how I measure myself as a successful missionary. Many missionaries measure themselves in regards to their success by baptisms, lessons, looking/ sounding good for leaders. Others by helping people and making them happy, sharing their love and showing the way to Christ etc.

For myself, if the people I teach understand and come to find out it is true the message I share with them is true and that causes them to act on the faith and truth and at the same time i can make them smile, be happy and feel love and comfort in their lives. Than i judge myself to be a successful missionary!! I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and he has created us all different, no-one likes a robot missionary. I have always tried to be a REAL missionary. I don't mean like your stereotypical missionary but I mean a honest missionary. As in honest with myself. So many missionaries I think take it wrong when they say "The mission will change you" to me that means you don't try to fake who you are and be someone else, you allow the Gospel to replace and add onto you. Just like a house, when a family moves out and another moves in. You don't just demolish it completely, you enter and turn it into your own house. You simply replace that of which you don't want and add to what you do want.

Whilst you do that you rely on the Lord always and he will guaranteed direct your paths. Trust and Love. My legacy currently.  

Sunday we walked 5km to Brother Savenaca's house early in the morning, it was soo hot!! We got him dressed into his church clothes and pushes him in his wheel chair all the way to church. Another 5km again, only this time it wasn't so hot. God had blessed us with clouds #blessings. He enjoyed church so much, members were conversating with him and catch up. He knew a lot of people there, we took him to our lunch appointment and then let him rest. After wards we began pushing him back to his home, but Heavenly Father blessed us and let a car stop and pick us up and dropped us to Savenaca's home. #miracles

And well now it is Monday again, returning home is exciting but also scary and complete nerve racking but it is another chapter in life that I am coming to. At some point I must accept and embrace it, but I will continue to work as a missionary and disciple of Jesus Christ even after I have finished the mission. I love being a missionary. Wish I could tell you all the miracles I see each and everyday, they are out there in everyday life you just have to change your thinking of what is a miracle and a blessing. Once you do that you will begin to see them more often and it will slowly change you, believe me though the change is amazing!! 

What a week!

Week 101

28th November 2016

My companion and I attended a wedding of one of our investigators. The Samoan half Fijian girl if you remember?? Her and her boyfriend the returned missionary finally got married and it was such a great experience to be there and witness that special event for them and their families. The whole village was in attendance, it was a great celebration of love and unity. My companion and I though were slightly freaked out, as we talked afterwards saying "Man, did their wedding really put it into perspective for you too, or was it just me?" I asked my companion lol. He laughed and agreed! One day that will be me with all my family around, making those sacred vows to someone oi leeeii!! Freaaky huh?? haha

That was on Friday, Saturday was interesting! We went to go teach some lesson as we had planned. After visiting a couple investigators we visited a man named Savenaca. I haven't talked about him much to you but Savenaca is a old man 60yrs, lives by himself and is paralyzed on one half of his body. He is very weak and slow. He's been like this for years since he retired from the Fijian Military. People in the village bring him food everyday but that is it, no one talks to him or comes to help him around the house eg. eating, shower, moving around etc. We went to visit him, we shared with him a small message, afterwards he asked if we could help him to the shower for him to bath. So we did. We placed him in the shower on a chair then he asked us to undress him, my companion turned to me and said "Okay your turn" hahaha egghead lol. So I did, I undressed the guy and long story short I showered him too. He sat there on the chair while I washed him, in the beginning I was waaayy reluctant but then I thought he hasn't showered for how long, I'm probably helping him out big time.. I began to just converse with Save, asking him about his family, children, life in the military. He really is a smart man. People just don't give him a chance. After washing him fully, I dried him and then dressed him and my companion and I carried him to his bed where we said goodbye and let him eat his dinner. Next week we will come again to see him and cut his hair and shave his beard. I really did feel the spirit of charity, love and understanding as I helped this humble man. Others may laugh but it was definitely a lesson and great experience.

Sunday was awesome!! We had Brother the recent Return missionary bear his homecoming testimony. It was so powerful and inspirational. Everyone was touched in the chapel, especially a visitor named Maria. She is the niece of Sister Hawea, she's from Rakiraki. So we connected immediately as I spoke to her in her dialect. Brother Sivo invited her to take the lessons and she agreed. We had a lesson with her yesterday afternoon and I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for preparing this young girl. She is so ready, the questions she asked during the lesson, her response to the questions and things we taught. God has definitely prepared us and Maria to meet. Maria is 20yrs old, from Rakiraki. Her Mother left her when she was a young teenager and was sick for almost a year. Doctors said she was going to die but something saved her and she believe that God has saved her for that exact moment we had with her yesterday at church and during the lesson. Her experience has only strengthened my testimony that the God I serve is a true God, loving, all powerful and all knowing living God. I love him and thank him for preparing the field for us especially when missionaries told us this area was dead. 

Even one investigator for your teaching pool is a miracle and you must be grateful, take hold and enjoy those small and special moment of happiness, moments of testimony and miracles. As my aunty told me once when she served in California, Ventura mission. 95% of your mission will be hard, struggle, tiring, stressful, sweat and tears will be shed, moments of loneliness and mental and emotional hardship, but the 5% is what keeps you going that's the happiness, the joy, miracles and blessings and feels of success that motivate you. Much like our individual lives.

Afterward we had a nice get together with the YSA, the YSA here are just like home in Sydney. There are heaps of them, they're way energetic and social and willing to have activities to increase YSA attendance and unity etc. They love the church and most of them are preparing to serve missions. We enjoyed a nice evening together talking and laughing having fry bread and ice cream :D It was awesome!! I really do love my area, everyone knows who I am here haha so no need to worry about accommodation when I return to Fiji lol.  Trying my hardest to go hard before finishing the mission. 

Six Weeks To Go!

Week 100

21 November 2016

Isa lei Viti,

This week had all the missionaries, getting me wayy trunkie telling me I have only 6 weeks left oi auuuee time sure has gone like nothing... I see everything different now, seeing as I am so close to finishing. Its scary but I believe I am somewhat prepared to return home.. Well not really, I love being a missionary and living here in Fiji.

Hard to return home, when this is my home right here. Last Sunday we had our ward primary presentation.. Mann the children always have a way of just softening your heart and making your reflect on how you can become better. As the presentation was going on I thought about my mission and the lessons I had learned from each of the area's and how it has changed me and molded me to be the person  I am today. It is crazy! I thought about the miracles I witnessed in each of my area's too and how I know serving a mission had being the most best experience of my life. on the outside I may be still the same but on the inside I am totally different and that what counts, what on on the inside aye lol

Sisilia's Baptism is approaching very quickly and I am very excited!!! Cannot wait to witness that wonderful moment. I have thought much about my departing testimony though here in the mission. what will I say?? I will have to plan it out well and really think about what I have learned and seen change etc. especially my testimony of Christ. A missionary that just returned from his mission to Navatuyaba arrived on friday and Saturday was his homecoming party. I spoke with him and he said he knew Elder Lemusu in the Philippines and reports that he is well and healthy and has amazing language skills in the Philippines language. I'm proud of him.

Speaking of cousins, Elder Roberts and I are back in the same zone again and I am so happy to see him again before I finish as a missionary. I am so proud of him and how far he has come and changed since being here in the mission. I look forward to catching up with him and catching up with him before finishing. I hope to share all the wisdom I have attained and try help him as much as I can. I love my family. Work is slow here in Navatuyaba but it doesn't mean we give up hope, the members are still strong and it was good to see the less actives at church on sunday to support their children in the presentation.

I am grateful to my saviour for his death. Through his death, he made literally all things possible for us. EVERYTHING is possible through him. I know this to be true. I am grateful everyday for making the decision to serve a mission and come out here and serve these beautiful people, it will impact me for the rest of my life. through every trial there is a blessing. i love you my family and friends, i cannot wait to share my experiences and things i have learned with you when i return home :D Love you..

P.s Congratz to Elder Crichton who has officially returned home!! Love you bro

Full on week!

Week 99

14th November 2016

It was a great week, loved it. My companion and I had a lot of fun and we hit 19 lesson, we had a goal of 20 lesson so that we could be up there with the standards of excellence for the mission but we came short by just one lesson. It is all good though, that is what goals are for to help challenge, push and stretch you. Helps you to know what you are really capable of. 

We are working with many less actives here in the bush of Navatuyaba. Not a lot of progress but we still moving and Heavenly father is definitely providing us with blessings and miracles. One family we have being working with are all less active and have being attending church every week so far as a family. They say it's great to be back at church and be around those who have the same values and desires as you. 

Sisilia is doing wonderful!! The lessons are moving really good and fast, she actually is almost finished. We had a lesson about the Law of Chastity telling her that her and her boyfriend would have to be married first before being baptized so that she could be living the commandment. We were hesitant to ask her and her boyfriend about this but they accepted. We returned yesterday afternoon after lunch and they said that their entire family just finished having a big family meeting about the welfare of the family and their marriage was brought up and talked about. With the support of the boyfriends family and desire of Sisilia and Iliesa her boyfriend. They are to be married on the 16th December 2016... WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

We were so excited for them, so happy. They kept the commitment to be married and actually did something about it and are now to be married this year. They'll be married on the 16th which is a Friday, Saturday will be the baptism and Sunday she will receive the Holy Ghost. As well as the Samoan lady if you remember me talking about a while back. Good news about her, her and her boyfriend will be married on the 24th of this month. After which we will be able to begin teaching her and her husband so that they can be sealed as that is the desire of her boyfriend.

Other event coming on though in Navatuyaba!!! This Friday a return missionary will be coming home, so expect a big party and homecoming for that day. Then 2 weeks later another return missionary will be coming back from the mission in England. Navatuyaba has at least over 6 preparing missionaries and at least 10 return missionaries. Our ward mission leader served in Brisbane in Logan ward haha small world here in the church. Gotta love Navatuyaba!!

Its hot, beautiful, loving and just full of new things everyday. This week I was asked to teach the whole Relief Society how to do printing. It was their home making activity, they were so excited and amazed to see me demonstrate it for them. I am the talk of the village at the moment because of and have so many orders from Relief Society to cut out prints for them so they can print their own shirts and blinds etc. Now that they know how to do it haha... 

Tomorrow is transfers, lets hope I don't get transferred. I want to die here for my mission!!! I am a bush boy and as my mum said Yes "I am such a Fob" hahahah and I love it :D Love you all take care :D Be safe and be nice to one another :D 

I'M 20YRS OLD!!!!

Week 98

07th November 2016

Yes! so with the help of a member family the Savu's, I and the missionaries from my district had a small birthday party last Saturday to celebrate not only my Birthday but the birthday of Brother Savu also. It was a great, fun and memorable event. All the missionaries and I chipped in to pay for the food and drink for the Hangi and the Savu provided their land for us to have the celebration along with making heaps of food too.

Living in the bush is awesome I love it!! Felt right at home helping make the Hangi and guiding my American district members on how to do a Hangi haha love it. Ill try and send a couple pictures if the computer loads fast enough.. not long now its stil loading haha

It was great! I loved everything about my 20th Birthday here in beautiful Fiji. There isn't too much to say this week though. Sisilia is progressing like crazy!!! it amazing.. She is way prepared. She has being in pain though a lot lately due to the pregnancy but her husband is a great support especially the member family she lives with. Other than the birthday and Sisilia, this week was really slow!! and e had a lot of fall through appointments. 

Sorry not too much to tell this week but I am grateful to have had my birthday here in Fiji and thank you for all the support and love you give me!!! Love you all!!!! Love you xoxox I'M 20YRS OLD!!!!

Sunday Best

Week 97

31 October 2016

In my eyes, I think we had a great week!! I don't care about numbers nor have I ever cared about the number of lessons or stats I get in my mission. I personally, the way I measure my success is by how well my investigators understand the gospel and how much stronger members become through my missionary service to them. I am about souls not numbers.  As I said though we had a great week!! My favorite day though of the week was Sunday.

This week we had Stake Conference. It was fantastic! The new Stake Presidency and stake leaders. The YSA choir, all the missionaries in the Nausori Zone and over 1,400 members in attendance. Due to stake conference, our little village of Navatuyaba was assigned by the stake to host the members from Naitasiri so that it would be easier for these members to attend conference. If you ever come to Fiji and ask someone about Naitasiri they will tell you that is the land of the "Kai Colo's" meaning the land of The highlanders. The people of Naitasiri, live in the interior/ mountains of the eastern side of Fiji. They are known to still live as the olden day Fijian, with no power, running water etc. I would call these people the Elders of Fiji in my own opinion, as they still are strong in Fijian culture and tradition. Over 100 of them came from the highlands all the way to our beautiful village of Navatuyaba. It was a very special time for the members here in Navatuyaba as they were anxiously excited to host their spiritual and physical brethren. Members prepared foods from their plantations, prepared their houses, cleaned the village etc. in preparation of their coming. They arrived Friday afternoon in the village, then a 2 buses came to pick them and our members to attended a all ages stake dance.

Everyone loved having them over, Sunday morning everyone got ready wearing their Sunday best and hoped on buses to get to conference. The conference was fantastic!! The talks we strong, powerful and touching. Hymns beautifully sung and lots of smiles and laugh as old acquaintances and family met up again. Us missionaries we're beyond happy seeing other missionaries we hadn't seen for a long time!! I was overjoyed as I got to see members from my old area of Nakelo. It was wonderful!! We went back to the village and had a nice Lovo or Hangi for lunch and then we went around visiting the Naitasiri members as my companion started his mission there and knew the members. So funny the conversations we had with the members, such a happy and fun loving people.

My companion wanted to take a picture with one specific family. A single mother of 7 children, who's husband died last year, my companion was really close with them. The members told us that they were staying all the on the far side and all the way inside the interior with a member family. It was far but the Nataisiri members told us to just ride in the bus with them because they will go pick her up to go home. So that's what we did, we saw her and got the picture. She cried seeing and saying goodbye to my companion again, it was a sweet moment. So was the moment of our members waving goodbye to the Naitasiri members. We didn't want them to leave. As we rode in the bus again after picking up the single mother member, my companion and I were supposed to jump off at the main road to walk back to the village but the driver didn't stop and so we got taken all the way to the main main road which goes to town and jumped off there lol. The Naitaisiri members just told us, just come with us to Naitasiri hahaha so funny being in the bus with them. My companion and I then walked for 2 hours back to the village in non stop rain, we reached the village drenched and with smiles on our faces. Why you might ask? Well serving a mission in Fiji there is never really a dull moment, it's just so fun :)

Apart from a fun and spiritual Sunday. We committed Sisilia to baptism and she said yes to the 10th of December to be prepare herself for baptism. She is very prepared! very willing, soft hearted and open about learning about the church. It helps to have a husband who knows the church well even though he is less active and to live with his family who are all strong members. She testified herself saying the church was true and she could feel as we share with her, that everything we share just makes sense. It was a powerful moment. Especially to have our best member present ever there as well Brother William Hawea :D.. We had 2 member families who are less active attend conference also which was terrific!! Things are moving well here in Navatuyaba and I hope that the area really doesn't get shut down. The member are preparing a small Birthday party for me so I am excited for that this Saturday. The bush really does suit me better than the city lol I am a bush Elder, I always have being right from the very start of my mission :D Its week 4 of this transfer now and I only have 2 more weeks and then I only 6 weeks left. Time is moving so quickly!! I can definitely say though I am appreciating more and more of serving a mission. It has definitely shaped me to who I am today.