What a week!

Week 101

28th November 2016

My companion and I attended a wedding of one of our investigators. The Samoan half Fijian girl if you remember?? Her and her boyfriend the returned missionary finally got married and it was such a great experience to be there and witness that special event for them and their families. The whole village was in attendance, it was a great celebration of love and unity. My companion and I though were slightly freaked out, as we talked afterwards saying "Man, did their wedding really put it into perspective for you too, or was it just me?" I asked my companion lol. He laughed and agreed! One day that will be me with all my family around, making those sacred vows to someone oi leeeii!! Freaaky huh?? haha

That was on Friday, Saturday was interesting! We went to go teach some lesson as we had planned. After visiting a couple investigators we visited a man named Savenaca. I haven't talked about him much to you but Savenaca is a old man 60yrs, lives by himself and is paralyzed on one half of his body. He is very weak and slow. He's been like this for years since he retired from the Fijian Military. People in the village bring him food everyday but that is it, no one talks to him or comes to help him around the house eg. eating, shower, moving around etc. We went to visit him, we shared with him a small message, afterwards he asked if we could help him to the shower for him to bath. So we did. We placed him in the shower on a chair then he asked us to undress him, my companion turned to me and said "Okay your turn" hahaha egghead lol. So I did, I undressed the guy and long story short I showered him too. He sat there on the chair while I washed him, in the beginning I was waaayy reluctant but then I thought he hasn't showered for how long, I'm probably helping him out big time.. I began to just converse with Save, asking him about his family, children, life in the military. He really is a smart man. People just don't give him a chance. After washing him fully, I dried him and then dressed him and my companion and I carried him to his bed where we said goodbye and let him eat his dinner. Next week we will come again to see him and cut his hair and shave his beard. I really did feel the spirit of charity, love and understanding as I helped this humble man. Others may laugh but it was definitely a lesson and great experience.

Sunday was awesome!! We had Brother the recent Return missionary bear his homecoming testimony. It was so powerful and inspirational. Everyone was touched in the chapel, especially a visitor named Maria. She is the niece of Sister Hawea, she's from Rakiraki. So we connected immediately as I spoke to her in her dialect. Brother Sivo invited her to take the lessons and she agreed. We had a lesson with her yesterday afternoon and I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for preparing this young girl. She is so ready, the questions she asked during the lesson, her response to the questions and things we taught. God has definitely prepared us and Maria to meet. Maria is 20yrs old, from Rakiraki. Her Mother left her when she was a young teenager and was sick for almost a year. Doctors said she was going to die but something saved her and she believe that God has saved her for that exact moment we had with her yesterday at church and during the lesson. Her experience has only strengthened my testimony that the God I serve is a true God, loving, all powerful and all knowing living God. I love him and thank him for preparing the field for us especially when missionaries told us this area was dead. 

Even one investigator for your teaching pool is a miracle and you must be grateful, take hold and enjoy those small and special moment of happiness, moments of testimony and miracles. As my aunty told me once when she served in California, Ventura mission. 95% of your mission will be hard, struggle, tiring, stressful, sweat and tears will be shed, moments of loneliness and mental and emotional hardship, but the 5% is what keeps you going that's the happiness, the joy, miracles and blessings and feels of success that motivate you. Much like our individual lives.

Afterward we had a nice get together with the YSA, the YSA here are just like home in Sydney. There are heaps of them, they're way energetic and social and willing to have activities to increase YSA attendance and unity etc. They love the church and most of them are preparing to serve missions. We enjoyed a nice evening together talking and laughing having fry bread and ice cream :D It was awesome!! I really do love my area, everyone knows who I am here haha so no need to worry about accommodation when I return to Fiji lol.  Trying my hardest to go hard before finishing the mission.