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