Navatuyaba!

Week 96

24th October 2016

Freak!! Navatuyaba is fun!! I have enjoyed serving here, everyday so far. Each day brings something new and I get to learn more and more. I have gotten really big, putting on a lot of weight lol. All the McDonald, Fat Burger and other fast foods I ate when I was in Suva. Now I am here in the village and we get fed really well here too but the weight is catching up to me, I need to balance it out with some more exercise. I don't want to go home looking like a ball, I want to at least lose as much weight as I can before going home, that way it won't be so hard trying to continue loosing weight back home. 

We have 2 new investigators. One is Sisilia Koroi. She is 21yrs old, dating a man here in Navatuyaba but she is from a island called Levuka. Her boyfriend is a member but less active, he is way cool though. Really kind and loving of the missionaries. Looks after us all the time. She is really open hearted, kind and sweet. She has read the Book of Mormon a little bit and has attended church too so things are looking really good for her. The other investigator is Brother Delana. He is from the interior of Viti Levu, a place called Naitaisiri. He is in his 50's and his daughter is a member. He lives with her because it's closer for him to get to work during the week. He knows his Bible well and so we are going slow with him, he is Methodist and he is really kind. He is a cool guy!! It is really cool getting to know the members conversion stories too, it is a big help when members take you around especially our High Priest Leader Brother Tukana, he is so dedicated with the missionary work and home teaching.

The Navatuyaba ward is awesome! and they are only awesome and strong due to the Priesthood. If the Priesthood is strong then so is the rest of the ward and it's members. One reason why they are so strong and unified is well they meet every Sunday afternoon. They hold a Priesthood meeting every Sunday afternoon where they discuss issues in the ward, area's that can improved, ways they can help members, idea's to bring more people to the gospel. We attended yesterday, it was nice. They started with a song and prayer then a small spiritual thought led by the High Priest Leader. Afterward they left the floor open to everyone if there was any issues, idea's etc they wanted to discuss. Then they discussed specific issues like helping a member and his newly started family. 

They talked about holding an activity where they would all work together to help build this man a house of his own so he doesn't rely on his parent's and so him and his wife can begin their life. The wife by the way is Samoan / Fijian. She speaks a little Samoan and lived in America as well as Browns Plains in Brisbane, she schooled there for a couple years. She knows the school I graduated from. Her name is Loi, she is Jehovah's Witness and she has said she will take the lessons once her and her husband are married. She is nice and looks way Samoan rather than Fijian lol. She is about 23yrs old. Her Husband is a Return missionary from Denver. 

My companion is good, its hard trying to teach him how missionary work, works in the village. It's not the same as in the town. You have to be way respectful of how you go about the work, if not you can cause trouble. There are certain ways of talking to different people of rank and age, also ways of entering a house and leaving a house. Appropriate times to go proselyting. For example 8pm at night isn't really a good time because families are preparing to sleep after just having dinner. It's okay though I don't have much time left so I mean I need to do as much work as I possibly can before the end, the finish line is near!! 

Anyways though, things are going well. Don't think there is much else for me to tell about this week but my self reliance class is fun. We practice introducing ourselves in 30 seconds trying to keep it brief, strong and details as well as preparing various statements that wouldn't make us sounds big headed but that would make us look good for the employer and want him to hire us for the qualities and things we have achieved. It interesting and enjoy the things I learn there, look forward to using these skills for after the mission. Anyways though, that is about it.