Rex also wrote the following;

Thanksgiving night we visited with the Roths until 10 PM. They were great hosts. They let us sleep at their flat and served us a nutritious breakfast the next morning. It was very good.  I loved the Swiss/German accent. It is a soft, sweet German.

We went with the Walkers on a driving tour of meeting houses and church leaders on the southeastern part of the island.  It was a three hour tour, more like eight, okay ten if you include a little shopping in Savusavu. 8 AM-6 PM The Natewa Bay Road was mostly gravel and full of pot holes. It was a bumpy, jostling ride. We went at least an hour out and back on that road. The Hibiscus Highway, however, was oil half of the way and gravel the rest. We went on that road to Buca Bay, a dock where they pick up missionaries from Taveuni. The ocean was beautiful there. Two hours out and, yes, we returned. The scenery was spectacular. We saw a new coconut tree that was genetically produced to stay short. They also mature faster than a normal tree. An average-sized man can pick the coconuts while standing on the ground without using a pole.  Another plant is the mile-a-minute, a fast growing plant with huge leaves that was brought in to hide war machines. It is pretty, but it is a noxious vine that grows up and over the top of everything. 

One of the places we visited was Nabua. There we met President Joeli Kalougata. His last name means blessed. He is a combination  Nephi, Stripling Warrior, and Captain Moroni. In laymans terms a 6’4” strong-willed, bronze-skinned saint with a pure heart. He doesn’t mince words as he teaches his own children and church members. He tells them to always live worthy to go to the temple and attend the temple. Excuses or unworthiness are unacceptable. He sets a perfect example for them to follow. It was an honor to meet with him and talk with him.

He wrote an article for the Oct. 2004 Ensign called “The Only Survivor.” Please everyone, take time to read it.https//www.lds.org/ensign/2004/10/the-only-survivor?lang=eng 

He is a great man and has a wonderful family. His oldest son was chosen after his mission for a sponsorship (a rich man wanted to help a deserving young person come to America and gain an education.) He graduated and got a good job. He sent money back to his family to help send his younger brothers on missions and to college. This oldest son is returning to Fiji in Dec. for a 3 week visit after an eight year absence to help his father build a new home. Their house is forty five feet from the beach. The meeting house is connected to their home by a common wall. I held his thirty foot bamboo pole used to pick bread fruit. President Kalougata gave us wedges of a giant pineapple he had grown. He called it Honolulu pineapple. It was the best I have ever eaten, and there is some really good pineapple here. It was good to the core, meaning we even ate the core.

After the tour Betty and I drove back across the Island to our flat in Labasa.  It was so good to be home or at least our home away from home.

Elder Rainsdon said I hit the nail on the head about President Joeli Kalougata, but he said, "If you think he looks strong, you should see his son Alekisa. He is 6' 8" and totally ripped. Where most men have a 6 pack, he has an 8 pack! He plays professional rugby in United States with the Eagles."

 President Joeli Kalougata's beach by his home.

The huge tree in the background fell over but some of the roots were still buried. It is still growing and is spreading its live branches upward to stay above the ocean.

Rex with the bamboo pole.