My Testimony

Week 17

27 April 2015

Well this past week was a good week, normal... nothing too major. We are working with 3 progressing investigators Bro Isimeli, Sister Laite and Sister Veitinia. They are all awesome but they each have their diffrent problems. Bro Isimeli is ready for baptisim but he wants to be baptised with other people and not alone. So we accepted his request and are working hard to get Sister Laite and Sister Veitinia baptised also...aiming to get them all baptised on the same day.

We're working hard and trying to push through the obstacles as they come but all is well we have some plans to address the issues. Sometimes missionaries have to do more and also be more. 

Fiji is all that I imagined and I love my area so much. This is my last week of training and then I'm finished being a rookie hahah how time has flown by. 3 months almost gone, I hope to achieve so much in my area. I literally love it these people especially the small amount of members we have a true inspirations and miracles in themselves and how they came to know the gospel. 

I serve in an area called Rakiraki. As Elder Groberg said in the movie "The other side of Heaven" quote "For 2 years I was surrounded by people that literally have nothing and yet have everything they could ever need" That is how I feel serving here in Fiji in this wonderful place the lord has ordained me to serve in. I know I shouldn't think of home but I cannot wait to return and to share this fruit that I have the privileged to partake of each and every day of the mission, how blessed I am. 

We are missionaries, many of us are not of this country. We hail from America and Australia and countries where the gospel is strong and prosperous and therefore we have partaken of the Fruit that Lehi saw in his dream and therefore we have the responsibility to share the fruit we have tasted and to help others on the path to the Tree of Life so that they may partake also and share the delicious and pure taste that is the Gospel. 

I have a testimony of the Plan of Salvation and the mission has helped me to strengthen that testimony and I know that "Salvation is not a cheap experience" - Elder Jefferey R. Holland. It takes work and once we understand the Plan of Salvation and the 3 questions involved. Everything just makes that more sense to us.

Jesus suffered so that we wouldnt have to. Suffering is a choice ..and if we choose right we dont have to suffer... but it is a choice and when we choose we do not always choose the consequences that follow ..but God did not send his only begotten son to leave us alone in our suffering - he sent him to feel the tears you and I shed so that we may have the choice if we desire to not feel such things. 

Agency is an almighty gift and when we fall to rock bottom we have only hit the rock of our redeemer because he will always catch us. The decision is then ours whether to build our house upon Jesus (the rock) or upon the sand (the world). 

As we build upon the rock and strengthen our temples we then can reap the blessings of this life and enter through the gates that the Lord Jesus guards awaiting our return ...as he looks over the horizon to see his siblings use the gift he gave and walk upon the bridge (the atonement) to our Father in Heaven. 

This is just a little of what the mission, my companion and many more blessings the Lord has given me to further my knowledge in the gospel.

Fiji is Beautiful!

Week 16

20 April 2015

Fiji is awesome... beautiful night sky filled with stars painted all over the sky. A moon that illuminates the land. Wonderful people, smiles and laughter. Rivers and waterfalls and many mountains.

The struggles come but thats what being a missionary is. It's 98% hard work and 2% of sheer and pure happiness. That 2% makes all the diffrence and makes everything worth it. 

So far I have come to know that "The Other Side of Heaven" movie is completely true ...especially the part with families offering their daughters to missionaries. That experience has occurred at least 4 times to me already. Lol!

The work is good, enduring and hard but moving and is wonderful. 

Conference... Proposals... Miracles... Interesting Week!

Week 15

13 April 2015

My companion and I love President Thomas S Monson. I hope he can come to Fiji next year when the Fiji temple is dedicated but if not then there is a reason which the Lord has for President Monson. Truely my favourite President!! Will be so sad to see him pass away... but we all shall pray for him. 

Conference for me was hard because it was all in Fijian so still trying to translate what was said lol. Henry B Irings talks was the best one for me because I could understand that one pretty well...especially talking about Vanuatu. 

This week has been a week of miracles and I can testify of that....Aside from invetigators trying to set me up with their daughters (The Other Side of Heaven movie was true) hahaha but its okay I always say no lol.

We have a girl who wants to be baptized so were teaching her family first so that they all can be baptised together. We had a great lunch and lesson with some recent converts, they just want to be the best members they can be so we've made plans to teach the husband properly about the Priesthood and the wife about her calling as YW's President. We found some of our less active YSA and are working hard to get them to return to church. They're so cool hahah they're like the YSA back home lol so nothing too difficult.

Our Branch President I think got struck by lighting because now he's all about helping us in the work and finding all our lost less active members. He called a meeting and got everyone in the Branch to discuss how we can help build Zion in our area lol (even though the meeting was during sarament meeting) we were happy Elders lol. Enduring to the end surely does pay off!!

Experience

Week 14

06 April 2015

Well I had an experience on Saturday when we were walking along the road near the ocean.   One of our investigators Ana, 16yrs old, she walks past. We hadn't seen her in ages and we spoke with her. She is very shy and we tried to ask if she was still interested in lessons ...but she's too shy to talk... as we walked away I felt prompted to share a message with her after my companion told me her family have problems because the parents are divorced.

When I went  back it was too late and we had missed our chance to talk with a gentle soul.. I was sad so we went to the house and dropped off a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet... so yeah .. I was somewhat satisfied but disappointed too.. I learnt that you always need to take advantage of the moment and always listen to the spirit otherwise you miss your chance.

Had a lot of rain here too, little flooding but its all good. 

Our Branch President has had his calling for a very long time... we are trying to help him all we can but it is very difficult.


General conference for us will be next week and hopefully we get to watch it at the chapel.

Tough Week!

Week 13

30th March 2015

This week was a good week just like them all.  We only had 4 lessons scheduled because we had to organize everything for our branch to be able to get to Stake Conference this weekend.   We were running around trying to find proper and affordable transport but not many people had good transport that we could get, then we needed to confirm members and confirm plans with the Branch President . It was a stressful week and to top it off none of the members ended coming  to conference, only the Branch President and his family, 1st counselor and a member who drove...

It was a depressing end for a week but I am looking up. Today I was feeling a bitt unmotivated lol .. but I need to keep going and do what I need to do today and have the Lords work done for this day :D 

Tomorrow will mark my 7 weeks out in the field CRAZY!! 

The only Samoans in our Stake!