Happy Father's Day!!! Well I had an amazing week! It was the best farewell anyone could ask for. I told Lasarusa that I was being transferred and couldn't baptize him. He was very upset and said if I didn't baptize him, no one would. I called President Ostler and luckily he is an awesome man and let me stay until the baptism. However due to some flight issues, I just barely landed in Suva today and tomorrow will be flying off to Taveuni. But the baptism was amazing. We had a huge Lovo and made a branch activity out of it. The food was great and we had a great turnout. Forty people came. We went to the most beautiful beach ever and did the baptism and played volleyball on the beach while all the members snorkeled. The baptismal service was amazing, the most spiritual one I have ever been apart of. The baptism went so good and everyone loved it. Afterward, two of the members bore awesome testimonies and the spirit was so strong, leaving so many people in tears. They all also expressed so much gratitude and farewell to me! I got all choked up and couldn't talk when I was trying to give my concluding remarks. When we sang come follow me (Muri Au Mai), there weren't very many dry eyes. It went so so well! One of our investigators was so touched by the spirit; you could just see it in his face. He just buried his head in his hands and I am pretty sure within the next couple weeks, he too will be baptized. He is ready for sure.
On Sunday, we had 41 people in attendance at sacrament meeting. I think my first week we had 12, so it was so good to see the intense growth and progression. I started out with an empty building and by the time I left, we had all the 30 chairs full with more sitting on the ground, a white board, a pulpit, a book cabinet, and flowers to decorate with. It was so amazing to witness the amazing progress. It was such an amazing meeting! Everyone was crying and evidently they all just thought that the topic they were assigned to speak on was nice things about me, which they all exaggerated on to make me cry too. Anyway it worked and I was so choked up I couldn't speak and just cried like a little girl. Then Elder Farley thought it would be a good idea to sing "God be with you till we meet again" in Fijian. I just lost it and sobbed. I felt like the biggest wuss ever. I love the people so much! It was so so hard to leave. But I know the work will continue to explode. There is so much potential in Kadavu.
Dan (the intellectual one) is so close to baptism and is going to be baptized soon. He also happens to have a boat and has been providing transportation for the people in Tavuki. Sera and Lati are also awesome and Sera asked us to baptize her. Now they just need to get her husband to jump on board. I think the future in Kadavu is beaming brightly.
Well I have given it my all in Kadavu and I know things will continue to grow. I am excited to go to Taveuni but it is hard to leave Kadavu. I had a meeting today with President Ostler about Taveuni. It was just barely made into a district and has a new District President and new Branch Presidents as well. I am supposed to go down and help them learn how to be a Branch and a district. I think I will be working with leaders a lot and doing training with them.
There are 3 branches in Taveuni as well as an Annex. I am supposed to figure out how we will distribute and use our 3 companionships there to cover them all. I also have a branch on an island of Rabi that I am supposed to go visit often and continue running. Rabi is an island Fiji gave to the Kiribati people because Kiribati is sinking. It is all Gilbertese people and they don't speak Fijian, they speak Gilbertese and the Branch President there does not know English, so that will be fun for me. I am excited to go over there and see how things are going.
We are also going to be getting some senior missionaries who are going to be doing lots of training. I am supposed to help prepare for them. It should be fun and I think I am going to be very busy because I have the entire island to be running around and trying to help out 5 different branch units. So I have a big adventure ahead of me and I am very excited. Taveuni is supposed to be beautiful, but it's still an outer island so I get to live the primitive life still. I am excited about that. Well I think that covers everything. I love you all. Pray for the people of Kadavu they send their love to you. As do I.
Loloma Levu,
Elder Wall
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
June 13, 2010 - Transferred
Well this week was amazing, such an awesome week. But like I predicted and like it always does, just when things are great I get thrown a curve ball. I am being transferred to Taveuni to be a district leader, which normally every missionary in the mission would be so happy to do. But I really love Kadavu and the people and really really don't want to leave. I have finally "figured it out" here and things are just starting to really roll and the church is going to explode here in Kadavu in the next few months. But I guess I need to learn to say "thy will be done", so I am gonna do my best to not be bitter or slothful to be transferred...but I really love Kadavu and the work is going so well. Plus I think if I had one more month, I could be fluent in the dialect. Well enough of that. I will explain my awesome week.
So the best thing that happened this week was the interviews for baptisms. We pushed back the baptisms for this Saturday so we could do four baptisms all together. This week Elder Logsdon and Elder Tavo, the Zone Leaders, came to do the baptismal interview. It went awesome! We found out two really cool and important things. One: we knew that Ratu Lasarusa was a chief which is a big deal, but we didn't know which chief he was (there are different levels). We found out he is the chief of the Yavusa, which is the highest you can be. He is second on the chain of command and the only person higher is the King of Kadavu, so he is very very high up. He also found out he is the Tuirara of all of Kadavu. We knew he was a Talatala, but we didn't know he was that high up in the Methodist church either. Basically he is like a Stake President. He is over all of the Methodist churches in Kadavu (over 40). He said that when he is baptized and joins the church, many will follow. The head of the Methodist church approached him and said they were afraid that all of the congregations would follow him. He said he would just invite people to listen to the elders but wouldn't force them or try to influence them to join the church. He is so great and has a solid testimony. He said after the interview that he knows this is the true church and even if we don't allow him to be baptized, he was going to continue to go to our church and leave the Methodist church. His wife is also the Relief Society president and we heard that everyone cried and cried when she asked to be released from the Methodist church. They are so awesome.
We also have an investigator named Dan who came back from Suva. He has a boat and brought them to church and we are going to pray really hard that he can continue to help them with transportation and hopefully join the church himself.
We had 26 people at church even though we have four members who are gone to Suva. Church was awesome and we had great meetings for all of it. A member from Utah who is doing service projects here in Kadavu spoke in sacrament and everyone was very touched. The spirit was so strong and he is such a good man. He has a great spirit about him and I am so grateful for the help he gave the members here with his words.
All of our recent converts are doing very well and progressing so well toward building the kingdom here in Kadavu. It is great as well to see the Lord pour blessings out upon them as they live the gospel and change their lives. Great things are happening here in Kadavu.
I am going to call President Ostler and beg him to let me stay until Saturday to do the baptisms. Ratu Lasarusa has asked me to baptize him and I am so honored and excited. I am going to hit my knees and pray like the dickens that I can stay to baptize him.
We also saw a lot of dolphins this week and sea turtles and lots and lots of fun with the Zone Leaders so it was a great week to end my stay in Kadavu with, but I cannot explain the remorse I have knowing I am going to be leaving my family here in Kadavu. These wonderful people truly have become my family and I have an amazing love for them and it is going to be so hard to leave them. I guess the Lord has a different plan for me because I was dead set on finishing my mission in Kadavu.
I love you all and need your prayers please pray extra hard for the wonderful saints in Kadavu. As well as for me to not cry like a little girl.......I love you all!
Until next week,
Elder Wall
So the best thing that happened this week was the interviews for baptisms. We pushed back the baptisms for this Saturday so we could do four baptisms all together. This week Elder Logsdon and Elder Tavo, the Zone Leaders, came to do the baptismal interview. It went awesome! We found out two really cool and important things. One: we knew that Ratu Lasarusa was a chief which is a big deal, but we didn't know which chief he was (there are different levels). We found out he is the chief of the Yavusa, which is the highest you can be. He is second on the chain of command and the only person higher is the King of Kadavu, so he is very very high up. He also found out he is the Tuirara of all of Kadavu. We knew he was a Talatala, but we didn't know he was that high up in the Methodist church either. Basically he is like a Stake President. He is over all of the Methodist churches in Kadavu (over 40). He said that when he is baptized and joins the church, many will follow. The head of the Methodist church approached him and said they were afraid that all of the congregations would follow him. He said he would just invite people to listen to the elders but wouldn't force them or try to influence them to join the church. He is so great and has a solid testimony. He said after the interview that he knows this is the true church and even if we don't allow him to be baptized, he was going to continue to go to our church and leave the Methodist church. His wife is also the Relief Society president and we heard that everyone cried and cried when she asked to be released from the Methodist church. They are so awesome.
We also have an investigator named Dan who came back from Suva. He has a boat and brought them to church and we are going to pray really hard that he can continue to help them with transportation and hopefully join the church himself.
We had 26 people at church even though we have four members who are gone to Suva. Church was awesome and we had great meetings for all of it. A member from Utah who is doing service projects here in Kadavu spoke in sacrament and everyone was very touched. The spirit was so strong and he is such a good man. He has a great spirit about him and I am so grateful for the help he gave the members here with his words.
All of our recent converts are doing very well and progressing so well toward building the kingdom here in Kadavu. It is great as well to see the Lord pour blessings out upon them as they live the gospel and change their lives. Great things are happening here in Kadavu.
I am going to call President Ostler and beg him to let me stay until Saturday to do the baptisms. Ratu Lasarusa has asked me to baptize him and I am so honored and excited. I am going to hit my knees and pray like the dickens that I can stay to baptize him.
We also saw a lot of dolphins this week and sea turtles and lots and lots of fun with the Zone Leaders so it was a great week to end my stay in Kadavu with, but I cannot explain the remorse I have knowing I am going to be leaving my family here in Kadavu. These wonderful people truly have become my family and I have an amazing love for them and it is going to be so hard to leave them. I guess the Lord has a different plan for me because I was dead set on finishing my mission in Kadavu.
I love you all and need your prayers please pray extra hard for the wonderful saints in Kadavu. As well as for me to not cry like a little girl.......I love you all!
Until next week,
Elder Wall
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A note about the Suva Temple
Hey! I thought this was interesting and thought I would share it with y'all. Kelsi was asked to talk about the Fiji temple at YW camp this week. She found out that it was the 91st temple built and wrote to tell Jake because his racing number is 91 and his mailbox number at the MTC was also 91. She asked him for any info about the temple that he knew of and this is his reply:
The Fiji Suva temple has awesome stories. I am not sure where the written version of it is, but this is the gist of it. The US government bought some land, then Pres Hinckley came to Fiji and said this is where the temple will stand. The people taking him around said no, that is US soil owned by the USA. Technically that is a piece of America in Fiji. Pres. Hinckley said no, that is where it will be. Long story short... The USA met with a bunch of problems and decided it was not a good place to build the embassy. So, they sold it to the church and bought new land up the street. Then, when the temple was supposed to be dedicated there was a big Ku (civil war) in Fiji. Pres Hinckley was admonished to stay away, because it was dangerous and there was lots of war and gun fighting going on right around the temple. But Pres said nope, this Temple of the Lord needs to be opened and dedicated. I will be fine. So they literally snuck him in and did the dedication amongst war and in secret without publicizing it. We now have the Fiji, Suva temple. It sits on top of the hill and the seamen use it as a beacon to avoid the reef and maneuver their way into the harbor. A few years ago there was a black out in suva for like a week and the only thing lit up was the temple because they had a generator. People all the way from an outer island said they could still see the temple like a glowing beacon from
heaven. That's all I've got. Hope it helps. Love you.
Elder Wall
The Fiji Suva temple has awesome stories. I am not sure where the written version of it is, but this is the gist of it. The US government bought some land, then Pres Hinckley came to Fiji and said this is where the temple will stand. The people taking him around said no, that is US soil owned by the USA. Technically that is a piece of America in Fiji. Pres. Hinckley said no, that is where it will be. Long story short... The USA met with a bunch of problems and decided it was not a good place to build the embassy. So, they sold it to the church and bought new land up the street. Then, when the temple was supposed to be dedicated there was a big Ku (civil war) in Fiji. Pres Hinckley was admonished to stay away, because it was dangerous and there was lots of war and gun fighting going on right around the temple. But Pres said nope, this Temple of the Lord needs to be opened and dedicated. I will be fine. So they literally snuck him in and did the dedication amongst war and in secret without publicizing it. We now have the Fiji, Suva temple. It sits on top of the hill and the seamen use it as a beacon to avoid the reef and maneuver their way into the harbor. A few years ago there was a black out in suva for like a week and the only thing lit up was the temple because they had a generator. People all the way from an outer island said they could still see the temple like a glowing beacon from
heaven. That's all I've got. Hope it helps. Love you.
Elder Wall
June 6, 2010 - A Boatside Sermon
Here is the latest news from the Island of Kadavu (Paradise):
Well this week was really really good. I am loving things right now! Everything is just working out how I want it too. We went to Tavuki for the first time in a long time and it was great. We just had some awesome lessons with so many people and it just seemed that everyone was in a geniune spirit of learning during our lessons. We taught the law of tithing and fast to Rogo & Lasarusa and it went well.
Then on Sunday, they came to church and paid their tithing. It was great to see them accept and APPLY the things we taught. In church on sunday, they both shared their testimonies and it was amazing! Rogo talked about going to church in Suva and how great the spirit is and how organized church went and how loving and accepting everyone was. She basically begged us from the Pulpit to baptize her and her husband. We decided that even if we don't have consistant transportation to get them to church, they have shown that they are ready to be baptized and who are we to hold them back? She also testified that even though she couldn't go into the temple, she knew the spirit was there and that it was the house of God. She said the feeling she had outside was unlike anywhere she had ever been before.
Then Lasarusa bore his testimony and really blew me away. From the very begining it has been kind of wierd to see his reactions to things and how I thought that he loved us coming over, but wasnt really too interested in changing. He shared a great story and confirmed those thoughts before telling us about what brought the change. He said that from the first time he read the Book of Mormon, he knew it was true and felt that it was the word of God. But he thought he could just read it and use it and stay Methodist and keep preaching. Then his wife started liking the church more and more. When she got back from the main island where she went to the temple and to the church there, he said she had changed and that something about her had changed. She then accepted our challenge to really pray and fast about the church and ask if it was true and sure enough like it always does, her prayer was answered and she knew it was true and that she needed to join the church. She told her husband and he said that was fine but that he wasnt going to change and he would keep preaching for the Methodist church. However when Rogo was in Suva, a member gave her a few church books that she brought back with her. Lasarusa came across the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith and read it and loved it. He said he knew it was true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. This inspired him to accept our challenge to fast and pray. He too recieved the answer and knew it was the true church of God on earth. But he still didn't want to change and leave the Methodist church... then he had a dream.
In his dream, we told him that he had to build a new house in a new place and he didn't know why but he said he just started building his house (in Fijian culture building a house is a big deal and you have to do big ceremonies and things when you lay the foundation and things). He said it was hard building this new house and everyone from his old house kept trying to get him to go back and he wanted to just give up and go back. Then his Mom and Dad who are dead, came and started helping him build the new house. They told him that building this house was the right thing to do. So they worked on this house but when the work was done, he started off to go bathe and clean up. His parents then told him that he couldn't go bathe in the same place he always has. They told him to go bathe in this new place and took him to a pool of water that he had never been to before and bathed him in this pool and told him that this was what he had to do. He said he woke up and instantly knew he needed to be baptized and join this church. So he decided he was going too.
Part two that blew my mind: his son Tuqoro is a missionary for the AOG church and has sat in on lots of lessons, but I never really thought he was too interested. He told his Dad that if he got baptized, he too would follow suit and join the church. So this week the Zone Leaders are going to be coming to do the baptismal interviews and next week we will have four baptisms. It is going to be great! The work is progressing so well and we have so many awesome things like that happending.
We also have another lady, Sera, who is at her fourth week in a row at church and who was a little late for church because the Methodist church went to go visit her and she couldn't get them out in time to be on time for church. She was very upset and told us that she wants to join our church and that she will never go to the Methodist church again. I am so excited to see her progress as we finish teaching her!
Zone Conference was incredible as usual. The boat ride was miserable as usual, however we did preach a sermon on the boat and we had a big crowd beneath as I sat up on a bed and taught all the people below. It felt cool. I felt like apostles of old teaching crowds of people. It was kinda fun. We met some interesting people for lack of a better word, and had a crazy girl spoil the first vision, but we got some good potential investigators still I think.
I haven't been to the temple in forever either, so while we were there we got permission from President Ostler to go do a session and it was great! I loved it. I miss the temple and wish I could go more.
Well it was a great week and I am excited to see how things go this week. I keep thinking that things are going too good and something bad will happen soon because I just can't get over how perfect things are.
Well I love you all. Pray that nothing bad happens and that things stay great. I am praying for all of you.
Love,
Elder Wall
Well this week was really really good. I am loving things right now! Everything is just working out how I want it too. We went to Tavuki for the first time in a long time and it was great. We just had some awesome lessons with so many people and it just seemed that everyone was in a geniune spirit of learning during our lessons. We taught the law of tithing and fast to Rogo & Lasarusa and it went well.
Then on Sunday, they came to church and paid their tithing. It was great to see them accept and APPLY the things we taught. In church on sunday, they both shared their testimonies and it was amazing! Rogo talked about going to church in Suva and how great the spirit is and how organized church went and how loving and accepting everyone was. She basically begged us from the Pulpit to baptize her and her husband. We decided that even if we don't have consistant transportation to get them to church, they have shown that they are ready to be baptized and who are we to hold them back? She also testified that even though she couldn't go into the temple, she knew the spirit was there and that it was the house of God. She said the feeling she had outside was unlike anywhere she had ever been before.
Then Lasarusa bore his testimony and really blew me away. From the very begining it has been kind of wierd to see his reactions to things and how I thought that he loved us coming over, but wasnt really too interested in changing. He shared a great story and confirmed those thoughts before telling us about what brought the change. He said that from the first time he read the Book of Mormon, he knew it was true and felt that it was the word of God. But he thought he could just read it and use it and stay Methodist and keep preaching. Then his wife started liking the church more and more. When she got back from the main island where she went to the temple and to the church there, he said she had changed and that something about her had changed. She then accepted our challenge to really pray and fast about the church and ask if it was true and sure enough like it always does, her prayer was answered and she knew it was true and that she needed to join the church. She told her husband and he said that was fine but that he wasnt going to change and he would keep preaching for the Methodist church. However when Rogo was in Suva, a member gave her a few church books that she brought back with her. Lasarusa came across the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith and read it and loved it. He said he knew it was true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. This inspired him to accept our challenge to fast and pray. He too recieved the answer and knew it was the true church of God on earth. But he still didn't want to change and leave the Methodist church... then he had a dream.
In his dream, we told him that he had to build a new house in a new place and he didn't know why but he said he just started building his house (in Fijian culture building a house is a big deal and you have to do big ceremonies and things when you lay the foundation and things). He said it was hard building this new house and everyone from his old house kept trying to get him to go back and he wanted to just give up and go back. Then his Mom and Dad who are dead, came and started helping him build the new house. They told him that building this house was the right thing to do. So they worked on this house but when the work was done, he started off to go bathe and clean up. His parents then told him that he couldn't go bathe in the same place he always has. They told him to go bathe in this new place and took him to a pool of water that he had never been to before and bathed him in this pool and told him that this was what he had to do. He said he woke up and instantly knew he needed to be baptized and join this church. So he decided he was going too.
Part two that blew my mind: his son Tuqoro is a missionary for the AOG church and has sat in on lots of lessons, but I never really thought he was too interested. He told his Dad that if he got baptized, he too would follow suit and join the church. So this week the Zone Leaders are going to be coming to do the baptismal interviews and next week we will have four baptisms. It is going to be great! The work is progressing so well and we have so many awesome things like that happending.
We also have another lady, Sera, who is at her fourth week in a row at church and who was a little late for church because the Methodist church went to go visit her and she couldn't get them out in time to be on time for church. She was very upset and told us that she wants to join our church and that she will never go to the Methodist church again. I am so excited to see her progress as we finish teaching her!
Zone Conference was incredible as usual. The boat ride was miserable as usual, however we did preach a sermon on the boat and we had a big crowd beneath as I sat up on a bed and taught all the people below. It felt cool. I felt like apostles of old teaching crowds of people. It was kinda fun. We met some interesting people for lack of a better word, and had a crazy girl spoil the first vision, but we got some good potential investigators still I think.
I haven't been to the temple in forever either, so while we were there we got permission from President Ostler to go do a session and it was great! I loved it. I miss the temple and wish I could go more.
Well it was a great week and I am excited to see how things go this week. I keep thinking that things are going too good and something bad will happen soon because I just can't get over how perfect things are.
Well I love you all. Pray that nothing bad happens and that things stay great. I am praying for all of you.
Love,
Elder Wall
June 2, 2010 - A Visit to Kavala
Well we had a great week again. We just got back from Kavala side now. We went up to give support and to pay a visit up there to the members. It was good and all the members are doing really well; the missionary work is very slow though. There are no villages open and the only place we are allowed to go is a small settlement with about ten houses. The problem is they all know who we are and what we share and don't really care about it. So it is really hard to find things to do. We pretty much just go support the members.
We did have one really good lesson with the mother of two of the youth members. She had just returned from Suva and had taken lessons from the missionaries in Suva so she knew a little bit and we just went over the restoration. The spirit was very strong and I think next time we go up there it will be good to go see her again.
Here in Vunisea, we had some good things happen as well. We had a great lesson with the Serus about the plan of salvation. They really love how perfect yet simple the plan our Heavenly Father created for us really is. After the lesson, Bro Seru took us in his little tiny row boat back to our side of the island. It was really fun. Just a tiny boat, but a beautiful moon lit sky on the ocean. It was awesome! We also talked about what members of the community say to them for joining the church and he just very strongly bore his testimony to us and said that is exactly what he tells them. He also talked about how his father is a preacher from the Methodist church and he was a member of the Methodist church 59 years but learned more about God and his plan for us in 2 months while taking lessons then the whole previous 59 years in the Methodist church. He went on to explain that in this church, it is automatic. Before learning about the church, he was really worried about how his family was gonna eat how they were gonna be able to afford to put the kids in school and so many other things. But in this church, when you just go to church and do what the church teaches, the blessings are automatic and things just work out. It is great to see them progress.
The Lal and Sakuka are awesome as well and our little branch is really growing. Sera, the lady we started teaching, came to church again and brought her grand kids. She told her husband that she is going to our church from now on and if he wants to come that's fine, but if not, she is going anyways. This is a very bold thing for her to do because in Fiji, the woman always follows the man. They are great though and I am so excited to continue teaching them.
This next week, we're going to Suva for Zone Conference. I am not excited to ride the boat all day again. But I am really excited for conference and to see some other missionaries and eat some good food.
Well things are going well here and I hope you all are having a great time there
Until next week,
Loloma Levu
We did have one really good lesson with the mother of two of the youth members. She had just returned from Suva and had taken lessons from the missionaries in Suva so she knew a little bit and we just went over the restoration. The spirit was very strong and I think next time we go up there it will be good to go see her again.
Here in Vunisea, we had some good things happen as well. We had a great lesson with the Serus about the plan of salvation. They really love how perfect yet simple the plan our Heavenly Father created for us really is. After the lesson, Bro Seru took us in his little tiny row boat back to our side of the island. It was really fun. Just a tiny boat, but a beautiful moon lit sky on the ocean. It was awesome! We also talked about what members of the community say to them for joining the church and he just very strongly bore his testimony to us and said that is exactly what he tells them. He also talked about how his father is a preacher from the Methodist church and he was a member of the Methodist church 59 years but learned more about God and his plan for us in 2 months while taking lessons then the whole previous 59 years in the Methodist church. He went on to explain that in this church, it is automatic. Before learning about the church, he was really worried about how his family was gonna eat how they were gonna be able to afford to put the kids in school and so many other things. But in this church, when you just go to church and do what the church teaches, the blessings are automatic and things just work out. It is great to see them progress.
The Lal and Sakuka are awesome as well and our little branch is really growing. Sera, the lady we started teaching, came to church again and brought her grand kids. She told her husband that she is going to our church from now on and if he wants to come that's fine, but if not, she is going anyways. This is a very bold thing for her to do because in Fiji, the woman always follows the man. They are great though and I am so excited to continue teaching them.
This next week, we're going to Suva for Zone Conference. I am not excited to ride the boat all day again. But I am really excited for conference and to see some other missionaries and eat some good food.
Well things are going well here and I hope you all are having a great time there
Until next week,
Loloma Levu
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
