Week 61
29th February 2016
Cyclone or Hurricane Winston, has caused a lot of destruction!! So many sad stories I have heard from members and different people.
A small island off the east coast of Fiji known as Koro Island is completely destroyed no houses, farms or anything stand. Completely obliterated. A story I heard was a mother had her 3 children with her and they left the house during the cyclone, as they were going through the village the mother told her children to wait together in a specific spot while she ran back to the house to get her daughter's school bag for when her children would return to school after the Cyclone. As she ran back inside the house collapsed on top of her. She was found dead holding her daughter's school bag. Another was about, a couple and their children, they knew the storm was coming and so the father asked his wife to put the children under a table to somewhat safe and secure and the mother and father tried to hold the walls of the home up with tree logs and their own strength. The Cyclone proved too strong and it took the husband, he went flying and then the mother also. The mother woke up in a area she didn't know but found her way to try and find her children and husband. She remembered where her husband had being taken away too and when she found him he lay dead on the ground.
We haven't had power for at least almost 2 weeks now since Winston hit Fiji. Tree's are everywhere, homes destroyed with walls taken and leaving their home open wet, especially as how the weather hasn't really gotten any better since the Cyclone. Water is turned off every night and we're all just using candles and torches to help get around the house and areas in our area. Every is back to hand washing the clothes and dishes. Town is packed with people trying to buy what food they can and charge their phones to contact loved ones etc.
Vanua Levu, Rakiraki and Taveuni I was told had all got badly effected and it really hurts because I know those people, that live there. I just want to go help them and give and do what I can to aid them in this hard time for everyone. They say the power may return back maybe in another week they don't know. Friday we spent the whole day giving out food rations to people. The church was first in to help the people of Fiji. So many people commented how that event he government hasn't even done anything to aid Fiji yet, but the LDS church was first in as soon as Cyclone Winston came. We spent the day giving out and delivering by car food packs to families of our entire area. Not just members but everyone!! They came in their hundreds, I got to speak to so many people that day. It was such a humbling experience, even though our areaa of Nakelo in Nausori in the Province of Tailevu wasn't hit as bad as other area's in Fiji we still were effected and people are still struggling. Families farms are rotting now because of the damage to it from the Cyclone, meaning they have to restart their farms and farm crops take a long time to grow. Taro and Kasava or in Fijian Dalo and Tavioka which is a main food here in Fiji take at least 4 - 6 months to grow and now they have to restart.
Among the damage through and great effects of Cyclone Winston, we had a great week. We have a goal of 2 baptisms this month being Peni and Judi. Peni and Judi are cousin's and apparently having some family drama so they aren't speaking so we see them at different homes lol. To give a little back ground though on them Judi is a single mother, she is 21 years old and has one child. Her boyfriend left her, straight after Judi became pregnant because he was getting married to another woman. Judi moved on though, Judi works everyday trying to provide for her child and has always admired the LDS church and used to go to the temple and stay outside while her grandmother went in. She said she always felt a special feeling there. This week we saw her twice and she is progressing so well. She loves the 1st lesson being the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She says "it makes so much sense" during one of the two lesson we had with her I asked her how she felt? she replied that she felt good and continued asking do you feel the same as you did when you went to the temple, when your with us? And she smiled and said yes joyfully. I told her that the reason she felt this was because it is the Holy Ghost that is here as we share these truths with her and that the temple also is a place where we can feel the holy ghost so strongly!! It was such a spiritual lesson. She is set to be baptized on the 27th of this month and so hopefully all turns out well.
Her cousin Peni, is slightly fa'afafine but not too much haha.. He is way good though, he just wants to be baptized he says! he is way excited. He doesn't ask too many questions though he seems to have a good understanding he says so yeah..But he is really solid like his cousin. He doesn't work though not many Fijian men do, only if you grow up in the city or something? He too is set for the 27th of this month. Im personally excited for Judi because I know this is something that will help change her life, lessons are always so good with her. Last lesson I brought ice creams and cookies and we had that after our lesson and just talked and all. It's good to make relationships with your investigators!!! They feel more loved, like the belong somewhere and it strengthens your relationship with them and hopefully with other members as you bring other people to see them and activities too.
We watched the replay of the re dedication of the temple this past Sunday and again we biked there haha, we did it this time just for fun and it was awesome!! A fun sunday morning bike ride to the stake center :) It was interesting I thought the re dedication, I mean it was my first and so I found some things new to me. It was way crack up though, we sang the Spirit of God along with President Henry B. Iring from the replay CD and us and the member in the stake center were so slow!!! Fijian love making hymns almost like slow jams hahah they sing all hymn slowly so we were behind compared to the people inside the temple and all. Then all you heard was a long silence in the stake center because no one knew where to continue from lol. It was so funny, all us missionaries laughed hahah and then every came in for the chorus haha funny as!!! Re dedication though yeah was amazing such a experience!!
But yeah that is about it for this week, apart from my new companion Elder Aguiar from Mexico. Speaks fluent spanish and is very new, I'm follow up training him :) Hard to believe I was once someones trainee lol. But the funniest thing happend on his 3rd day in the area. We were riding our bikes over this small bridge and he wasn't looking where he was going and he fell off the bridge into a small pond. I was full surprised and shocked, but then he came out laughing and happy and just worried about his camera hahah it was so funny but he is fine and safe though. Bike is too by the way lol.
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