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