A Week of Learning!

Week 18

04 May 2015

This past week was a week of great LEARNING!! I learnt about Love, simple and pure love. I learnt about Faith, simple and doubtless faith.

This past Wednesday we were in the village Rakiraki koro. We spend every Wednesday in this koro (village). As normal we made visits to recent converts, investigators and less actives.   We went to visit Brother Ratuluke (a recent convert) and his wife, Sister Veitenia (an investigator). 

We walked up to the front door and we saw Sister Vetenia lying on the floor asleep, she had just come back from the hospital the night before because of her diabetes. It had been playing up and she wasnt very well either due to other medical problems and suffering with a fever. No one was home it was just the two of them. She lay asleep on a ibe (ia koga or woven mat) and her husband sat on a old broken microwave in his lavalava and shirt with two iri's  (woven fans) in his hands fanning Sister Vetenia because of the heat. I really learnt about pure and simple love in that moment.

Preach my Gospel talks about when you love someone you have the pure love of Christ and that because of that love you will help, serve and honor that person. I am not yet married but from what I have learnt in my life I have come to know that when you love someone you will literally do anything to make that person happy to see that simple rewarding gift of that persons smile, laugh or warm embrace.

My companion and I love Brother and Sister Natavuto. They and the Fijian people together, are people of pure and simple faith.  In Fijian you say "Na tamata ni viti sa ikoya na tamata ni vakabauta rawarawa."

It truly baffles me that we as members in the bigger countries where the gospel grows stronger and stronger and yet many of us grown ups have many doubts to our faith. The people of Fiji are people of simple faith, they need not doubt, need not question whether God loves them or is blessing them. They know it and they know he does all according to his will and his reason. 

As we sat on the front porch of their old worn house, we spoke with Brother Ratuluke. He jumped up and greeted us with us smile when he saw us and when Sister Veitenia discovered we had come she was happy too. She couldn't move, she stayed lying down but we knew she was happy we had come. Brother Ratuluke talked to us about his reading in the Bible in the Book of Job and how it talks about Satan. He goes around the world looking for people to hurt, give trials to etc. But that God knows this and will always aid us but he does not take away the trial. The trial is for our learning but God will always aid us in getting to the end of the tunnel guarded but its the mist that confuses us and causes us to lose our way.

He said he was going to come to church on Sunday but just before he left Sister Veitenia wasnt well and she said "Please dont go, what about me? Please dont go without me. Its better we stay together, read scriptures and talk of God. So we can be together." I thought that was just beautiful. They have taught me so much about pure, simple and unquestionable faith and love. My companion and I love them so much... so much!!! Sister Veitenia just wants to come to church and be baptized but her health and age stop her from moving. We love her and her faithful loving husband.

Email time is not alot so I dont get much time to write a good and well thought through email... but I hope you understand the message I am trying to share.

Everyday I think of ways I can show and administer my love to my family because of my faith in the Savior. Truly he is the ultimate example of love, after all he did die for us, suffered and wept for us. And yet his love continues, as he paved the way for us to return. His arms are open and his aid is always close at hand. we need only "look up and reach out and grab his hand" 

I love Fiji and these beautiful people, I think of ways I can show them my love everyday. "Don't just say you love someone, show them." Any one can say "I love you",  Facebook has no limit to the amount of time one can post the phrase I love you on ones page but showing ones love to another, thats something totally different and rewarding in itself. 

I love the mission, my companion and these people and this work. Being a missionary is truly the best!!!