July 7, 2009 Email

**The following post contains two seperate letters. The first was to the family, and the second was to Dad. However, we liked the second one so much that we have decided to post it too for your viewing pleasures.**

Letter #1:

Well this week has flown by. It has been an interesting week. We are still in a foursome in Tavua. We probably will be like this for another week. Next week is Zone Conference and my guess is probably transfers also. The plan was for us to come to Tavua while the problems in Rakiraki work out and then go back in a couple weeks. But I am not sure if the problems will work out that quickly, we will see though.

We did a secret move out of our Rakiraki flat, which was fun. President Ostler didn't want the Branch President to know we were leaving, so we snuck in and moved everything out in like thirty minutes in the pouring rain. All my stuff got soaked. It was kinda cool though. I felt stealthy.

Then this week was kinda tough. It was difficult to find enough work for four elders, so me and Elder Alba did a lot of tracting and less-active work. It was good. We met a lot of people they didn't know about before in this area, so that is good. But I am glad I am in a mission that you don't tract a lot cause it is way hard, and we dont even get turned down. I think if I got doors slammed in my face, I would hate it. Good thing the lord sent me here.

Anyways, July 4th... they don't celebrate it here, but we tried to make it a little bit cool. A member who lived in America forever told us about a Butcher shop and we had a barbeque, which was fun. We bought an entire cow backstrap for 15 dollars Fijian, which is about 7 American.... CHEAP! I used my butcher skills and we chopped it up and ate unhealthy amounts of steak and loved every minute of it. We didn't have anything for seasoning though, cause they dont really sale seasoning here. But it was a good July 4th. No fireworks though. The Fijian government is a mess and fireworks are illegal now. But I hear from the older missionaries that they used to have the craziest fireworks ever for dirt cheap.

Well that about sums up my week. I hope next week, I will have more permanant changes to talk about, but until then, we're in the coolest foursome to ever hit Fiji.

Pray for the members in Rakiraki and their Branch. I have no clue what is gonna happen there.

I love you all. Stay strong and have extra fun for me this summer.

Love,
Elder Wall



Letter #2:

I look at the change I have had so far on my mission and am amazed. I have changed so much and am only continuing to change. I just hope I can continue to do good and help these wonderful people. I don't know if I am going to go back to Rakiraki or not, but I feel good cause I can leave knowing that I helped these people and changed/fixed things that have been going on and getting worse for the past six years that no one has been able to do anything about. It was a heck of a challenge and it tried me to my very limits. But after it all, I look back on it with a smile, and feel really good about the things I did.

I kept telling myself throughout it all that if I got through it and made something happen, then anything else I face in my life is going to be nothing compared to this. I think it's true and I am glad I am going to have this to look back on and say, "I have had it worse and I made it out okay."

Thanks so much for all you have done and all you do. I was never as appreciative as I should have been for you mom and the whole family.

I love and miss you all.

Love,
Elder Wall