Moving Areas

Week 56

25th January 2016

Well missionary work wise there isn't too much to report. We received a call on Tuesday afternoon that my companion and I would both be transferred. Our Mission President was calling us in advance to let us know about our area being white washed. Meaning we would need to prepare very well and thoroughly the area book and the are for the new set of missionaries.. My companion and I were really shocked that our area was going to be "White washed" they call it. But the decision is Presidents and the Lords so, we did what we had to do to prepare for this week being the transfers week.

Missionary work wise we just went to go visit families, investigators and let them know of our leaving this week. We arrived in our area Tuesday evening and had a big day on Wednesday because on the Thursday and Friday we would be in my old area of Tukavesi (MY HOME) to have mine and my companion before Elder Davis's farewell party. Tears could not be withheld from anyone, I'm about 11 months away from returning home and yet leaving Tukavesi I felt like was actually leaving home. I felt like I was at the beginning of my mission where I left you all and said goodbye to head to the MTC. I received many many Masi's of Tapa as it is generally known in the Pacific. Never before had the members of Tukavesi ever gone so hard out to give the missionaries gifts in preparation to their leaving. Elder Davis and I were given Ibe's or Woven mats, fans and a great big Salusalu or necklace each. I will miss these dear members, these people I hold so close and dear in my heart.

We ate together and they sang for us. Then it came to the part where we had to leave. As we said our goodbyes, tears again began to fall from peoples eyes it was so hard to say goodbye. One members Sister Litia, or Nana Litia as I call her. Nana meaning mother. She hugged me for a good 2 minutes, whispered to me in Fijian "Come back home soon okay" and she handed me her personal gift from her to me. What really got me was being in the truck as we began to drive off down the road, all the little primary children came and stood next to the truck jumping and shouting "Moce Elder Lemusu, Moce Elder Lemusu..." Moce meaning goodbye. Me and Elder Davis could help but cry, if you could imagine the movie The other side of Heaven. The scene when Kolipoki leaves and says goodbye to each individual and then rides the boat off in the ocean with the members behind him waving goodbye. Maan that's what it felt like... Driving through the village, waving goodbye to good people I know and love. Ohh man, really the words don't do any justice to what happened that day..

Friday night we returned back to our area and man did I feel bummed out when I got back. We used Saturday to get as many lessons as we could because it was pretty much our last Saturday in our area before we receive the call tomorrow to find out what area's we will be transferring to me, Elder Van der Linden and Elder Davis. We used Sunday to get all we could done on the area book and have it fully ready and prepared for the next set of missionaries. And so today is Monday and it is PDAY and here I am emailing you. This week has gone really fast way to fast. Where did the time go, as I think about it I only have 11 months left of my mission and there is so much to learn and do.. Where did the time go?? I will miss Nabua very much, but I will be more so worried rather for them as I wrote in my journal last night only because Nabua is a very small area and it has only just got back on its feet. I hope the next Elders will learn and grow to love just as much as I have..

But anyway enough of the sad and teary eye stuff,  im looking forward to my new area where ever it may be. Im glad President called me in advance because it has really given me some leeway to prepare and all. And so I'm ready now, ready for new experiences and adventures. My time in the North was most definitely a adventure, so many memories to remember, the laughs, smiles and happy faces of those I have come across in my service 

Woah! Vanua Levu is definitely the real Fiji. If you ever go tot Fiji, go to Vanua levu because Viti Levu is so not the real Fiji its the tourist rip off side of Fiji haha. Ive had the chance to travel all over the Vanua levu island, for me to go to Rabi, Kioa, Taveuni, Savusavu and the Cakaudrove province, Labasa and all places of Vanua Levu, what a blessing is has being to me to serve in the beautiful friendly North. This is definitely going to be one of my areas I'll always remember and tell stories about to my Family when I return home Woohooo, it sure is a adventure. I love the mission, really I do and I can't believe how I could tell myself before the mission I didn't need to serve. How grateful I am now for all that I have received in knowledge, wisdom, experience, personality, spirit etc. Really the mission does put you 10 years ahead of everyone else in life once you return home.

Let me share my testimony as I close my email this week, I know the gospel to be the true, only and everlasting Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. Who is the only begotten son, given to us by our Father in Heaven that he may make the ultimate sacrifice for us his siblings that we may become clean and perfect from this mortal state we live in. I know he is the King and he will return to reign upon his people and Kingdom in due time of the Lord. I believe that Faith is a verb not just a noun, we need to challenge, exercise and use our faith if we are ever going to receive a testimony, a experience etc of the Gospel or Jesus Christ or of Heavenly Father or of any teaching in the Gospel of our Savior. Faith without works is dead and useless to one as it read in the book of James chapter 2. 

This Life is our chance and opportunity to prepare to meet God, and once we understand the eternal truth that we are eternal and have come from a divine heritage, possessing within us all individually that same divine potential to become Gods, even as our Father in Heaven. I know and understand that in this life we have been given and chosen to take, we will suffer hardships, trials of every kind, pains and agonies of great intensity, we will come across those that seem different to us, or that deny and criticize us. BUT if we understand our divine purpose, heritage and potential then all we need do is have hope, love, patience, tenderness, meekness, gentleness, diligence, humility, charity and obedience so that one day we may all return together to the Kingdom of which our Father and Brother in Heaven stay. Life is not easy, though I am young I do know a small thing or two about hardship and trials. 

I believe that God has called us all to do a work and when we trust in him with all our heart, might, mind and strength he can move mountains for us, he can split seas as he did for Moses, he can appear and speak to us as he did to Joseph Smith, he can turn a loaf into loaves, calm the troubled winds and sea and create worlds and creatures without end because that is what he is capable of if we believe in him. We need only believe. 

Missionary Work there is no other kind like it, no there is not. It is the almighty work of the Lord to enable his children to come unto him and be perfected to seek refuge and healing, to allow their burdens and troubles to lightened. In him there is peace there is safety and i know there is love. As a missionary I have had the opportunity to see miracles occur before my eyes, blessings and tender mercies effect the lives of families and individuals, I have experienced more in the past year than I would have experienced in 5 years. Missionary work is hard work and requires so much for sometimes so little and yet a smile, a laugh, a word, a greeting, a piece of food etc. These are the rewards of being in his service and only believing. 

The Atonement of Christ is real, I am no saint but I am a Latter-day Saint which means I am always continuously trying to become better to improve myself for the better of me and those whom I love. I am so thankful to have served in Rakiraki, Tukavesi, Tacilevu and Nabua, I am grateful to be a missionary of him who saved me. I mess up all the time and yet no matter how imperfect I am or how ugly or beautiful I may be.  I love my savior, I do. Sometimes I cannot believe how he can love me and yet he does. I testify and know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true living church upon the earth today in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

tourist mode lol

nabua welcome sign into village

and a place we go to have lunch sometimes

Ocean View

one of my masi's this one was done by nana litia

this morning bus didn't come so we had to walk to the main road and catch a carrier lol

Going Tongan Style

Catching a pig

This is Nana Litia, my favorite mum!!! in this photo she just finished making me cry my eyes out lol before giving me my masi

us and bro loganimasi

Sister Qabale and us

If you all remember my OYM experience with Selai, well this is her :D baptisim

my farewell @ tukavesi

My District (The sisters arent in it because they left already to suva to be the guides for the open house)

Elanoa my baptisim and Kalisi, a non member but she is wayy cool its crazy how smart she is!!!

Branch celerbration @ the beach for the opening of the two new groups. Kanakana group and Drekiniwai group. This is some of the relief society lol

This weeks experiences

Week 55

18 January 2016

Hello Family and friends... Its being a while. Sorry I couldn't email you all individually, but know that I love you all very much and hope that you all take care please. Hope those who went to FSY had a fun time and those involved in the Heilani end of Year Performance had a ball!!!! I'm having a ball of a time on my mission and sometimes cannot believe where the time goes you know. Im in my second year of my mission now and I sometimes marvel in my mind time goes too quick... truely its something we take for granted.

Well family and friends I leave you with the email to my mission president this morning to fill you in about my area. Things are going great and we hit 11 lessons this week sadly no new investigators but there is always another week to try again right?? I love you all, I leave you with this quote "The path which you are currently on, if it does not lead upwards then where are you going my friend?" Love you!!!

xoxoxoxo

Ni sa Bula Vinaka President Layton,

Warm greetings to you President on this good morning all the way from the wonderful Bush Nabua :) This week I saw miracles occur in Nabua, wonderful, memorable and unforgettable miracles happen :) 

Tuesday afternoon we arrived in our area. It has always been our goal to visit in House of the Village Methodist Preacher and share a small message with his family. His children absolutely love us, as does his mother in law. We got off the bus and walked through the village to our home when we heard the wife of the preacher invite us to come eat, she never does this. She usually pretends we're invisible. Elder Van der Linden and I were shocked!! We entered their home, shared laughs and smiles and stories. We had dinner together and then left to return home. Now to other missionaries it may not seem like too much, yet to me, to us that was a pure MIRACLE!!! Never in my whole service in Nabua, as well as Tukavesi and Tacilevu have I ever been invited nor heard this women speak to me and then to be let into her home Woooohoo!!!!

Wednesday bought more miracles. We made the usual journey to the Village of Vuinadi, a village and hour away by bus to adminster the sacrament to a temple member named Sister Qabale who is blind and with her husband started the Fijian branches in California, also the Lautoka stake in Viti Levu. Her husband before his death served as a Bishop twice and a patriarch and many other various callings. As Elder Van der Linden and I adminstered her the sacrament and had our own small sacrament meeting.. Tears could not be withheld from anyone's eyes in the home, the Spirit of the Lord fully enveloped us as we performed this most sacred ordianance to Sister Qabale. She told us that she hadn't being to church to renew her baptisimal covenants in almost a year, and to paratake of the bread and water this day, in her words she explained " I feel renewed again ". Tears fell like rain that day as we all bore testimonies of truth. I'll never forget that experience...

President Layton, the reason I wanted to tell you about these experiences is to let you know that Nabua is not some dead area like some may think. It is not just some small branch of members that no ones really knows or has heard of way out in the bush. Nabua is alive, breathing and ready to move!! The smiles and laughter of these people, their beautiful faces and the pure and simple joys we share with them I will always treasure in my heart. 

During this week I have suffered a lot of stress coming into the RED ZONE on thursday evening. Due to this sickness I caused myself to become sick and so on Saturday we had to stay home because I was physically weak and couldnt do much without becoming over heated or losing breath. Nevertheless even though I was physically sick my mind continued to run and run and run because in my mind I knew that there was a work to be done that day and I felt so bad that I couldn't do it. 

President I love my Zone leaders, truly I do because I know they have my best intentions at heart and so they push me to do more because it will not only enable us to reach and achieve goals, but it will also allow us to go further in our individual potentials. What missionary wouldnt want that? 

President I just want you to know that there hasnt being a day I haven't seen miracles, I havent seen blessings in the homes of those we visit and share with including our home. They may not be like the ones in Suva or Lautoka or Nausori or anywhere else but I can guarentee you President there wasnt a day I wasnt constantly active, moving, thinking, trying to do the lords work. To pick up the work and get it on it way to the eternal kingdom of god.

President I dont do this for my gain but I do it for them, I do it for them because they deserve it!!! These beautiful, and faithful members of Nabua deserve the Lords very best missionaries to serve them, to strengthen them and serve them. They deserve it President!! Even in times sickness I want to be moving, there is always a work to be done whether that is loving someone, sharing with a family, serving a woman and her children. There is always a work to be done!! From talking to members and Bro. Loganimasi I have come to understand the reasons this area is like this, its has suffered a drought, a spiritual drought due to many things. Things are moving in Nabua President, these past weeks we have being trying to nurture and strengthen this branch and you know, the plan is repaired and ready to fly. Nabua is alive, I just want my little in the middle of nowhere area to be heard that it is alive and momentum is building.

No one will ever know what I did here in Nabua, sometimes I cry about leaving here one day. These people are beautiful and they deserve the very best, they're not just another bunch of members in some bush part of Fiji. They are the members of Nabua and they want to recieve the blessings of exaltation too. Some of the experiences I had here, I never knew could be possible and yet the Lord has proved me wrong :) Its amazing some areas have great miracles and miraculas things occur in their areas and other have small and queit miracles that bless their lives to help them keep going on. 

One thing I've learnt is that all missionaries are different, we all work different, teach, sing, share, talk different. we have different talents and gifts and yet thats what makes us missionaries and wonderful children of the one and only God. Thanks for listening President, hope this helps you to know more about our area :D

Elder Lemusu
"You can take the Elder out of the Bush, but the Bush will always be in the Elder."

#FijiSuvaMission #SMILE #SpirituallyMindedIsLifeEternal 

#BushEldaForever #Love_you :)))

Great Start to the New Year!

Week 54

11 January 2016

The work is going AMAZING!!! Our investigator at the moment Asena Tabudrami, is her name. She came to church for the second time!!!!! WOOOO!!!! She can be baptized now according to our leaders since she has attended church before with her less active mother :) I'm so excited, we've made a goal to invite to be baptized on the 24th of January. She has being doing so well with commitments and in lessons too, speaking of Baptismal dates. If you all remember Selai a girl I met from Tukavesi well she also will be baptized on the 24th of January :) Truly this week is as our Mission President said, "A Year of Miracles".  We Hit 10 lesson also this past week for the first time in our area!!! Our goal for next week is to hit 12 and build our way up each week. We have planned a great and busy week next week so we really need our Zone leaders not to pull any last minute things on us in order to get our goals for next week. Because last week they organized ZTM and it threw our plans off by 2 days -.- due to traveling back to our area and our Mission President coming to the North to visit. He came on exchanges with me and my companion and wow!!! what a experience that was to take our Mission President around our area. I felt sorry though because he is a bit old and he's walking around with two fit and young Elders in the blistering hot Fijian sun lol but I give him credit because he managed hahah and used a lot of sun screen :) It was a humbling experience also to have him in our tiny flat which is literally the size of my bedroom back home in Australia.

Even the members commented it was such a humbling experience too because as one member said 'What if that was a big Methodist Preacher, that came to the village to visit the Methodist members Booo!!! there would be a big party, food galore, people all dressed up, the village would look brand new. But with this on, nope nothing. All he did was simply come, and walk around the village speaking to people in the village. So simple and so humbling." - Brother Loganimasi. Its true though what he says, it reminds me of the Savior and how when he came to heal the people, he was such a well known person by the people who talked about him and yet he came unto people so humbly and lovingly. I loved it, especially the exchange, he gave us lots of wisdom and advice for our area. 

Sorry Family I don't have my SD Card reader with me to be able to send the photo but in the mean time I do have this photo :) of me and my companion at a restaurant last week waiting for our meal. We had a wonderful and very fun filled Branch Counsel this past Sunday as well, my first ever and we organized a lot of things with in the branch. Our Branch President took and embraced all the things we presented to him. Thank goodness for Brother Loganimasi our 1st counselor and his help to push our points, ideas and suggestions for the Branch. Things are really looking up in Nabua, I can already feel the church, village and people coming alive. Things are moving, and I'm so happy but at the same time so sad because I know its a possibility I will be transferred in  2 weeks. As they say in the mission its always time to transfer when things start getting good in the area lol. DONT MAKE ME GO!!!! haha

The re dedication of the Fiji, Suva Temple is not too far and we have being told all of the plans for it. The re dedication is on the 21st of February, Cultural Celebration on the 20th of February and we fly in on the 19th to Suva for it all. President Henry B. Iring will be attending along with Elder Cook we are told. All the missionaries will have a chance to meet them and during the Cultural celebration at Suva ANZ Stadium all FSM missionaries will walk across the field with a white handkerchief in front of thousands of members and non member Fijians. I cannot wait to enter the temple once again, its being a year since I went last, and that was in Provo, Utah at the MTC. 

Time sure has gone by so quick!!! where did it go?? There is so much more to learn though, and achieve as a missionary and as a son of god with Divine potential. On the 22nd of this month will be my farewell in Tukavesi, I miss them so much and they miss me too haha they even call our missionary companion phone sometimes just to talk to me and see if I'm okay in Nabua lol. 

Well something I have being pondering this week is this phrase I heard "If you're not going up, then where are you going?" Its a good phraseIi mean no one wants to go back or down in life, and well if we're just going straight then its kind've just going with the motions and all of life. But if we're going up then we know we're trying to reach somewhere. Heaven is up, God is up and if they aren't your goals then what is and which way are you going my friend? I invite you guys to think about the phrase... really makes you think about you and your life huh? I am so thankful for god and for always hearing my prayers though i know im not perfect and forget to say them sometimes too haha but i am grateful for his atonement that enables the possibility of perfection for myself. Isn't it amazing!!! Faith requires works and if your not will to try new things then your not challenging yourself or your faith, and your faith is hollow. Your faith is just going straight not up!! Fear and doubt are the opposite of Faith so 'Just Do It" - NIKE lol

Wish me luck for this next week im hoping we can beat 10 lessons and get 2 investigators :) Love you guyyys!!!, take care okay :) 

Elder Lemusu
"You can take the Elder out of the Bush, but the Bush will always be in the Elder."

Week 53

04 January 2016

No Update.

Week 52

28th December 2015

No Update.