Feb. 17, 2015

    We have been going to the little branch in Naduna for 9 weeks. Each of those weeks Rex has given both the Priesthood/Relief Society lesson and Sunday School lesson. He creates them on Powerpoint. One of our assignments here on our mission is to help encourage English literacy. We are giving these members an opportunity to do just that during our lessons. We sit in a semi-circle around the computer and take turns reading the scriptures and quotes. They seem to appreciate being involved in the lesson, and it makes me smile to see how much they have improved their reading ability by doing that one small thing.

     For the first few weeks, we also gave the Sacrament Meeting talks. One day, Rex told the 2^nd Counselor he could assign someone else to give the talks.

     He said, “Do I have authority to do that?”

     Rex replied, “Of course, just the same way you have been asking us to speak.”

     We haven’t had to give a talk since. He has assigned families to speak. It has actually gotten more people to come to church. The last few weeks, we have had about 20 there, and children have actually come so they broke off and had Primary. A 16 year old girl, Adi Arieta Belewa, conducted Primary all by herself for 3 weeks, including singing, lessons, etc. Last week the branch president’s wife was there to teach the younger children. Arieta had asked if she could have an MP3 player to help them learn the new songs. We bought her a player and loaded all the songs for the 2015 Primary Program, plus many other favorite Primary Songs. She was excited when we gave it to her. She takes all the children with their chairs off to the side in the shade of the trees, and their singing is background music for our lessons. One thing about Fiji, they sing loudly, and they all have magnificent voices, mostly a Capella! One day as we were visiting Labasa before we left for Naduna, I heard beautiful singing coming from a classroom. I thought they were playing a recording of a choir. As I passed, it was 5 young women and their leader singing the opening song. Wow! Impressive!

     Rex wrote: Sunday we got there a little early. In all the weeks we have gone to Naduna, we have never met the Branch President. His family went to his village from the last of November until the last of January to celebrate the holidays and summer break. He had come last Fast Sunday when we went to Labasa. I asked the 2^nd counselor if the Branch President was sick. He didn’t know but had heard that’s why he didn’t come the week before.  He pointed down through the trees and said, “He lives just down there. Just go down that trail, and you’ll come right to his house.” I started down the trail. It had been raining, and I hadn’t gone far before it got very steep and very slick. They had cut a few steps in the clay bank and put cut branches as the landing, but it was really wet and muddy. I was thinking, “It’s good I didn’t bring Betty through here!” The trail got steeper just before it got to a ten foot wide river. They had built a 1 ½ foot wide cement dam across the river, and with the heavy rains, the water was running 5 inches deep over it. I lifted up my Sulu a little and walked across. The bank was steep as I got in and steep as I got out. I grabbed some tree limbs to help me pull myself up the slippery bank. His house was 20 yards further. I stood outside as I had been instructed to be polite, and called, “Bula! Bula Vinaka! Is anyone home?” His wife came to the doorway and invited me in, saying that her husband was not feeling well. As I took off my shoes and came in, he rolled out of the bed and sat by me on the floor. While we visited, he painfully lifted up his t-shirt and showed me two huge boils under his left armpit. I told him I had never had any, but I knew in the Bible how painful it had been for Job to have boils. His friends had told him to curse God and die, but Job had said he wasn’t going to curse God because even if worms ate his body, he would see God in the flesh. I asked if we could have a word of prayer before I left. He invited me to say it. I asked Heavenly Father to bless him and his home and his family. I hurried back up, slipping a little on the way. When I got up, Betty took a double take and said I had mud on my Sulu. Evidently I had caught myself from falling and wiped my hands on my Sulu. I cleaned it off, and we started the lesson just a few minutes late. I felt seeing the Branch President and visiting him was doing the better part. It was good to finally meet him.

Take care everyone!

Love You!