Rex wrote: 

Another Fiji First: As we were out visiting with Sister Kumar, I was impressed with the smooth, grayish surface coating on one porch. It didn't look like cement, and it wasn't the color of dirt. I thought it was some kind of a plaster. When I asked her, Sister Kumar told me it was Cow Poop. That wasn't the answer I was expecting. Kind of made me feel like home, but I had sandals on instead of boots; and it was hard instead of ankle deep.

It helped me understand more how they feel about Holy Cows. The Hindus believe in reincarnation. If a person has a lot of tough lives in a row, he/she is born as a white cow and can rest from all hardships. I knew if a holy white cow got into their house, they weren't supposed to scare it out. I found out here they actually coax a white cow into the house and wait for it to poop to bless the house. My idea of blessing a home and their idea of blessing a home is slightly different.

Got to love Fiji!

We had eight patients at the rest home playing Toss Up today with us. We need to start looking for more dice so two can shake at one time. It’s incredible how much they love that game even though most of them can’t walk and many can’t even talk. Our newest friend pulls himself around on the floor just like the Little One. He stays back a little instead of getting into the circle. When it’s his turn, Rex goes over to where he is and gets right down on the floor to play with him. He is all smiles and claps for himself whenever we cheer and clap for him.

We are having fun!

Hope you are, too!

Sunday, March 29, was a great day. It was Palm Sunday. The people of Labasa are very religious, and on Sunday mornings we see them dressed up and walking to their various churches. This Sunday many of them were carrying small palm branches to church. As we drive and look at the beautiful foliage, Rex often says, "We're in Fiji!"

Our church began with a combined Relief Society and Priesthood Meeting. Evidently, the Relief Society had forgotten it was their turn. President St. John turned to Brother Woodward three minutes before it started and said, “Would you give our lesson on missionary work?” Rex stood up, as he had for 37 years as a school teacher, gave a perfect lesson using no book and no notes.

In one part of the lesson, he asked if anyone had any missionary experiences that they would like to share. President St. John told “the rest of the story” about Joeli Kalougata who Rex said in a previous e-mail is a combination Nephi, Stripling Warrior, and Captain Moroni. When St. John was a young missionary in Savusavu, he was given a referral of a boy whose family was on their way to Suva to be baptized, but they got caught in a cyclone where the mother, father, and a sister died. It was years later, and the boy, now a man, had never been found to be baptized. St. John and his companion had searched for over a month looking for him. Young St. John awoke one morning with a vision of the place where Kalougata lived. (I can guarantee it would be hard to find. We have been there in Nabua. It is over 1 ½ hours away from Savusavu on terrible bumpy roads through the middle of the bush in a hidden paradise near the ocean.) As St. John got nearer, he met people on the road who directed him to his home. The Spirit was strong as he told his story. I felt honored to be in his presence and hear how our Heavenly Father had used our now Branch President to find the man who is now in our District Presidency and a strong inspirational leader in the church. It is a small world, and the Lord is in charge.

     After sacrament meeting, we had another baptism, a little girl named Shriti Shikha Maharaj taught in the Kumar home by the Hindi Elders. It was such a sweet event. She was all smiles. That’s what it’s all about. We love it.

Have fun, everyone!

Love you!

Elder Raju, Shriti Shikha Maharaj, Kelly Kumar, Elder Palelei

Youth Activities: We haven’t even been going inside the church to play indoor party games lately. They are having too much fun playing outside. Parents have been coming and staying to watch. Brother Baliwasawasa, Brother Latianara, and Sister Singh are playing volleyball with the best of them. A CES leader from Suva dropped by and was all smiles as he hit the ball. Rex joins in each week while the youth are gathering.

(At the end of our activity a week ago, someone took our rugby ball. Rex didn't want to reward them by buying another rugby ball. Instead, we bought a soccer ball. Now they will play soccer, basketball, and volleyball until someone brings back our rugby ball.)

I wish the video below could have caught the beautiful rainbow in the background. The chief's son is the one in the red shorts.

We bring chairs out, and those resting or not playing spend the night watching, visiting, and bat watching. I stayed out with the bats this week since Rex was sitting by me to protect me. He got one that came in really close on video and put it on the blog- not anywhere as intense as being there, but it will preserve the memory.

Everyone has such an enjoyable time each week. The bottles of ice water we bring are a luxury, and they continue to compliment our treats. At the end of each activity, they all shake our hands, thank us, and make sure there will be an activity the next week. Then they help us carry things to the car and walk home.

It's a party!

We love you! 

The chief’s son, Ratu Vunibola, came home from his mission still on fire. He brought several of his nonmember friends to the youth activity and to church the next day. Within two weeks of being home, the Branch President called him and set him apart as Young Single Adult Sunday School Teacher, Missionary Prep Teacher, and Young Men’s President. Amazingly, he is up for the challenge. He has about ten in his Mission Prep class. He is a natural born leader, someday to take his father’s place as chief, and others flock around him. We will be teaching him the Education Workshop and helping him get his PEF Loan and Missionary Scholarship. It will be a pleasure to work with him. 

We are well and happy. Hope all is well with you!

Love you!

• We called the Russells at the Self Reliance Center in Suva and learned that the people we had helped train and apply for a Perpetual Education Fund loan were finally accepted. That was a relief. It has been a long time coming, and for a while the prospect looked bleak, but they came through. Our members now have the church loans they need to attend college. It is a sweet offer President Hinkley made available to aid these people. It is one of the reasons we were sent here on our mission.
• Sister Singh was approved, but since the loan didn’t come through before classes started, she decided not to go. Her husband is a good provider. She has older children. Her youngest is about fifteen. She is also raising her two-year-old niece. She realized if she went back to school and got a job, she would have to give the little one back to her mother. They got the little cutie just before we arrived. At first she was unruly and running all over the place.  She wouldn't sit still for a moment. Now she is still active, but much more disciplined and under control. Sister Singh also got thinking of how much she does for her family and how much they need her at home. Either choice would have been good, but thinking of the little girl, I think she made the better choice.
• We will be starting Education for Better Work Workshops again for more people to apply. Here we go again….
• Love you! 

Rex wrote: Tuesday, after our District Meeting and lunch at the Chinese Restaurant, we took the pickup in for its 3000 mile checkup. It passed.

  On Wednesday, March 25, we were at the airport by 8:00 A.M. when the Vermeeren’s plane landed.  They are coming to take the Smith’s place in Taveuni.  The Vermeerens are from Canada.  They are wonderful, as has been the case with all the Senior Missionaries we have met.  We brought them back to our flat intending to let them Skype home, and thinking we could feed them some pancakes, complete with maple syrup squeezed from the maple leaf of a Canadian Flag.

Plans change: When we got to our flat, they said that they were just fine and didn't need food.  We had the computer ready to let them Skype or Facetime, but they told us their children were all on vacation and could not be reached. They did want help on their blog.  Betty and the Sister worked on that for awhile. I asked them if they wanted a drink, and I listed some snacks. I was finally able to serve her a glass of Apple/Orange juice, and he took a small can of peanuts. They fixed the blog, looked at our garden, and took pictures by our growing bananas.

The day before I had told Elder Raju, who is from Canada, that we were going to pick up a senior couple from Canada, and asked if he would like to meet them. He said yes.

We told the Vermeerens we had a missionary from their home country here who would like to meet them. Canada's such a small country, they would probably know him, right?

It turns out Elder Raju and they are all from Calgary, Alberta and that the Vermeerens know Elder Raju’s grandparents very well. In fact the Rajus had asked them to look up their grandson when they came. We helped them complete their first assignment. This couple had worked in the temple on Saturday mornings. Every week, the Rajus faithfully attended the 7:00 AM session. What dedicated and inspirational people. They have just put their papers in for a mission, even though the grandfather is 84. The Vermeerens met Elder Raju, visited, and took pictures to send to his grandparents.

On the way to Savusavu, we stopped in Seaqaqa to pick up a cutting board Sister Roth had forgotten at the handing over ceremony. We saw President Patero’s truck parked at the Church, and we went in to introduce the Vermeerens to him since he is a counselor in the District Presidency. We also introduced them to Sister Patero who was at the church assisting the returned missionary sister we had helped begin signing up for BYU Hawaii. She has passed her English SLEP test and can now finish her application.

We drove across the island talking and sharing stories. When we were comparing ages, we found that Karen and I were born on exactly the same day, September 30, 1952, just one country apart.

Her story was interesting. Years back, as she was preparing for a marathon, she was approached by a coach and asked if she had ever tried speed walking. No, she hadn't. The coach trained her, and she won 2 silver medals in the World Olympics. Now that’s pretty impressive. Betty said she is cute as a button and full of energy. She will tear it up as a missionary. She worked with a dentist for 27 years, and John was a safety inspector. They have 4 sons, all entrepreneurs. One of them is a motivational speaker. They have 16 grandchildren.

In Savusavu, we went to the Roth’s where the Vermeerens were going to spend the night. We were happy for them to meet and enjoy the delightful sweetness of the Roths whom we love.

We all met the Harwards at the Chinese restaurant in Savusavu and had dinner together.  Afterwards, we split up.  We stopped at butcher shop and got 10 lbs of frozen hamburger for us to take back to Labasa.  Betty bought a couple things at a gift shop. Then we went to the Roths and visited with all four couples until it was time to make our cross island drive.  We made it home after dark all safe and sound. It was a good day.

Have a party!

Love you!

Sister Karen Vermeeren, Elder Raju, Elder Palelei, Brother John Vermeeren 

Saturday during the Relief Society Birthday Party, Sister Prasad came up and asked how to get a water tank. They live at the end of the water line, and during peak hours of heavy usage, they have no water. We went home and got the template for the application, and Sister Singh helped her type it onto my computer. While she was at it, she typed in a second application for a water tank for her husband’s village where they have no clean water. They have to drink out of the river. 

Sister Roth has already visited there. I brought both applications home and emailed them to Sister Roth. Sister Roth asked for more information and showed another template of how the final draft should look. I got the information, retyped them, got them signed by the people, got the signatures and recommendation from President St. John, and we delivered them to Sister Roth when we went down on Wednesday. She said they looked perfect. It is in her hands and the LDS Humanitarian Charities now. We felt honored that we were able to help a little in the process. We will report later if they get their water tanks. Rex said I made it sound easier than it was, but we made it happen in good order.

Take good care!

We love you all!

The signing ceremony. They walked across a swamp and stopped us partway so we wouldn't have to drive the bumpy dirt road to their home.

Another Fiji First:  During the youth activity last week, a whole colony of bats was circling in the sky above the church. I have never seen bats that big! They were about as big as hawks. I tried to take a video, but it didn’t do it justice. They just looked like flying dots in the sky. Everyone insisted that they were just fruit bats, and they wouldn’t hurt me. However, after I had seen a total of about 30, I was a little freaked out and went inside the church. Rex wasn't scared. He stayed outside, and I was glad they were right. No one got hurt.
The next week, some of the bats were coming right in. With Rex by me, I stayed out and watched. Rex got this good video.

  Sunday we had a twelve hour adventure.  We left at 6:30 AM and returned home at 6:30 PM. Our first stop was Seaqaqa where we picked up President Patero and his wife, who were our guides to direct us to our little church group called Nakawakawa. We drove through heavy construction all the way over to the west side and down to the bottom of our island Vanua Levu. That’s where the construction ended because from there we traveled on narrow roads, not even on the map, of dirt, big rocks, holes, or gravel. The going was slow and bumpy. There was one place where it had evidently once been oiled, but it must not have been maintained since 1952. No road grader had been there either. I said it reminded me of driving to Willow Flats. Rex said it was more like going up Little Mountain, but not quite as steep. Our top speed was 15 MPH. Of course the top speed on this island is only 48 MPH even on the good open roads. The church is in the tops of the mountains in the middle of “the bush.” Rex says it has “A million dollar view” of the ocean. The saints live so far away that the church pays for trucks to transport them to meeting. The last truck was just leaving when we arrived at Nakawakawa at 10:30 AM. All the meetings were in Fajian so we couldn’t understand many words, but we could feel the Spirit. We got to witness the confirmation of a young boy and girl who had been baptized the day before.

   Rex was asked to come up and give closing remarks. He did such a great job. The feeling came strongly to me as he was ending that “This is a man of God.” I am honored to be serving a mission with this amazing man.

   There were about 62 members plus babies. Between meetings, the youth saw me taking pictures of the scenery and more and more joined in to have a picture taken.

   Rex sat with the Sunday School, and I sat with the Primary. We were on opposite sides of the same room, much like Naduna, but bigger and better built. He read his English version of the lesson on the iPhone while they gave it in Fijian. I sat with the Primary and learned about Prophets. I happily joined in when they sang, “Follow the Prophet” in English.

   President Patero gave instructions of how the group should be run and talked of the priesthood authority and keys.

   Pita and his “Priesthood” had built the church building and added a missionary apartment where the Elders could live so they would always be close. (I was going to take a picture of it, but I noticed the plywood was weathering badly. I told Rex we need to do a service project and paint it for them. That would help the members and we could bond while we do it. I’m having the mission office research which church group will pay for the paint. I am excited and anxious to make it happen.)

   The members loved having us there. They shook our hands many times. One little girl took hold of my hand and escorted me around the room. I finally steered her back to her mother who rescued me. Such adorable children! We will have a few chances to return and get to know them better.

   We visited a few minutes after the meeting, ate our peanut butter sandwiches and boiled eggs we had brought will us and returned home to drop into bed.

The ocean is the dark blue strip between the green and the sky.
The lean to is where they hold youth Sunday School class sitting on a mat.

The little girl on the left is the one who wouldn't let go of my hand.
She was all smiles when she was escorting me around.

 The transport truck is a single cab and littler than the one we drive!

Wall to wall people to go down the bumpy road.

 One rode his horse to church. 

 The horse wasn't too happy to have his picture taken!

President Patero, Pita, and Brother Woodward

March 26, 2015

   It’s ironic, but at the times we are the busiest and are doing and experiencing the most amazing things, we don’t have time to write about everything to do them justice.  That has been the case lately.

   Saturday Rex and I went on splits. I stayed in Labasa with the Relief Society President for the Relief Society Birthday Party, and Rex went to Naduna with the Elders to clean the church.  

   When we arrived at the Labasa chapel at 9 AM when the Relief Society Birthday Party was supposed to start, just the presidency and the Sister Missionaries were there.  They had just begun to make the decorations.  We swept floors, set up chairs, and did whatever else we could to help prepare for the party.  People finally started to come by 9:45 when Rex and the Elders left for Naduna.   That’s what they call “Fiji Time!”

   Rex reports:  We were met at the Naduna chapel by the Branch President’s three sons, about 11, 12, & 14 years old. They were all soaking wet.  Evidently they had taken a dip in the river on the way up instead of crossing over the bridge.

   We started an assembly line to clean the 48 chairs. One got them off the pile, one scrubbed them down with Pinesol and water, one wiped them down with Pinesol and water, one rinsed them with clean water, one set them out to dry, and one piled them back up. We traded duties to give us a rest. It was quite a process!

   When the 2^nd counselor came, he took buckets down the hill to the river two at a time, filled them, brought them back up, and dumped them into a 55 gallon barrel.  The President’s older girls came and joined him. When we were done with the chairs, the boys helped, also.  It tickled me that every time the boys came up with buckets of water, they were just drenched. They must have gone into the river with the buckets.  

   While they were working/swimming, we swept the ceiling and knocked down all the wasp nests.   We also unrolled and cleaned the blue tarps around the edge of the building and rolled them back up.  

   By then the Branch President & his wife and the rest of his family had come.  We threw buckets of water on the wooden floor and scrubbed it down. The cutest was the little girl on the floor scrubbing like Cinderella.

   When we got everything done, they dropped all the tarps around the church and tied them so the animals wouldn’t come through.  They wanted it neat and clean for Sunday.  We all had worked hard and were happy and pleased with a service project well done.

  When I gave the brownies out, I missed the Branch President.  He cleared his throat as if to say, “Hey! You forgot me!” He smiled extra wide when I gave him two brownies to make up for it.  I also gave an extra brownie to little Cinderella. 

The Naduna church all clean and buttoned up, and the 

crew waves goodbye as we drive away.

   Betty writes:  Meanwhile, back at the Labasa Church, the activity started after 10 AM.  I was one of the guest speakers.  It’s incredible how much they look up to the missionaries.  It’s amazing how much I rely on the Holy Ghost to help me. 

   One of the Relief Society counselors is a nurse. She brought a Health Team who checked weight, height, tested sugar levels & blood pressure; and a dietician assisted with diet. I was almost giddy with my report. My weight is below the obesity level.  My blood pressure and sugar levels are normal.  The dietitian told me to keep doing what I am doing which is drinking plenty of water and eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  (My weakness is salty snacks.  Rex found popcorn over here, and he makes it at night for snacks and a movie- Dick Van Dyke.)

   After they were checked by the Health Team, the sisters visited with one another, and the youth, who had come for the checkup, went out and played a friendly game of volleyball.  I went to the kitchen to help dish up the food into Styrofoam containers. 

   The Relief Society President had told me her story about the food earlier.  The Bishop had only given her $75 American for the lunch.  I will paraphrase her words as if I were her telling it:  I have faith that the Lord will help us to have good food for our dinner.  My counselor had already spent money on a store bought birthday cake before we saw our budget, and we had to buy 10 chickens, rice, etc. for the meal.  I called the branch counselor, who is a fisherman, and said, “Do you have two fishes you would donate to feed the 5000?”  He quickly agreed and let me come and pick out the two fishes I wanted.  Next I called the Young Women’s President, “Do you have some passion fruit you would like to donate for our drinks.”  I then called the Branch President, “President St. John, do you have some cassava you would be willing to donate for our Relief Society Birthday Party?” 

   Sister Naidu made Chicken and Fish Chop Suey with rice. They garnished it with cucumber slices and cassava, and there were even more choices of desserts besides the fancy cake.  Rex and the Elders made it back in time to eat with us.  Everything tasted delicious.

   They served large portions to over 80 people and had food left over.  Sister Rakuita felt humbled and blessed.  It meant even more to me, knowing the story of how she had been an instrument in carrying out a miracle.  She is a woman of much faith. 

  Love you all!

Cutting of the Cake - Relief Society Birthday Party, March 2015

March 19, 2015

Today we went out for three hours with Sister Kumar, looking for members to see if they still live in the branch. We had to use 4 wheel drive as we wound our way up red-mudded roads, and we literally “beat the bushes” going to one home. Sister Kumar said, “Now this is missionary work!” 

The color of that road was really pretty! 

This is after driving on dry roads to get most of the mud 

off the outside of the tires, but the color stayed in the middle.

March 19, 2015

We have had the opportunity of going with the young Elders several times to visit the less active family in Siberia. As the name denotes, they live far out of town and it is hard to come to church.

   It is always a treat to go to their house--physically, spiritually, and literally. Brother Chetty is a farmer. He raises various fruits and vegetables, and he milks cows. With the milk and natural ingredients he grows, he makes popsicles he calls an “ice box.” He distributes them to the local market and stores which they sell for 40 cents. Each time we come, we are served an ice box to eat, along with a bowl to catch the drip. Rex says, “A popsicle in the Fijian heat starts out like a dripping candle, then transforms into a little pink thundercloud on a stick. It’s as welcome as the rain, but you have to be careful not to get soaked.” He speaks from experience.

   Before or after the lesson, they also serve us an entire meal of fish or chicken and produce grown on their farm, perfectly arranged and presented. Along with the other things, I love the sliced watermelon, papaya, and cucumbers. I always felt a little strange that they would set a perfect table and then just watch us eat it. Brother Chetty said it is their custom. A couple of times I told him that in America, we eat all together; and I invited him to eat with us. Of course, he said no. Last week, I said it would be our honor to have them eat with us. To my delight, they did! I was so excited! I did feel honored.

   Brother Chetty is very intelligent. He prides himself in the fact that his son is on a government Topper’s Scholarship, a full ride scholarship, in Veterinary Medicine. He says Shivani is very smart, even smarter than her brother. She beams when he says that. I love it when parents set high expectations for their children and praise them in front of others. Brother Chetty always wanted to be a lawyer and sometimes helps represent people in court cases. He says they always win. He converses easily on a wide array of subjects and enjoys talking with us before each lesson. We are pleased and happy with this family.

   Shivani is 10 years old and not baptized. She learns quickly. Even though she has black hair and dark brown eyes, she reminds me of Brad’s daughter, Paige –about the same age and size, beautiful, smart, talented, helpful, loves drawing, sparkling eyes, and a darling smile. The Elders are teaching her the discussions and have set March 28, 2015, as her baptism date. Right after they challenged her, Rex felt impressed to challenge the father, who is an Elder, to prepare himself to baptize and confirm her. We are praying that will happen.

   We are well and happy! The people here take good care of us!

   Love you all!

   March 18, 2015

   Last Wednesday, we were invited to attend a “Hand Over Ceremony” by the Roths for a Humanitarian Aid project. They had worked hard with the Seaqaqa Health Center and were giving them two new computers and printers, two new white boards, and a new wheelchair. All these items are very expensive in Fiji. We gathered chairs from the church in Seaqaqa and set them up. Everything was beautifully decorated. It was a very formal ceremony with decorum, speeches, etc. The refreshments provided by the Roths were more like a meal than treats. They had worked very hard to make it all come to pass. 

  I love these good people. They usually work on water projects, etc. that are $60,000 or so. It was nice to see a small project that meant so much to the people of Seaqaqa. 

   President Layton has given us another assignment to work with the Seaqaqa Branch which includes a couple small groups far off, one of which is Nakawakawa. You will be hearing a lot about these places in the future.

   Take good care!

   Love you all!

Beautiful setup

Pictures used in the local newspaper the Fiji Times. We are celebrities!

 Hand Over Ceremony with the Roths in Seaqaqa

Billowing, black, ominous clouds hiding the mountains two days before Super Cyclone Pam. Fiji was bracing for the worst storm in 28 years. Grateful it passed us by unharmed.

"I Love You Forever!" from beach on Savusavu.

Tuesday when we went to the rest home, Roop’s sister whom I call “The Little One” was not in her usual place on the floor. When I asked one of the girls we play with where she was, she said she was gone, and Roop was gone, too. I asked, “When are they coming back?”  “They no come back,” she announced. My heart dropped, and I just felt empty inside thinking I would never see them again. When the manager came by, I asked him. He said their brother had come to take them home, but they should be back in about a week. That made me feel much better. We still played for a couple hours with our other friends there. They really look forward to our visits.

Love you!

We are grateful Cyclone Pam missed us, but we are sad for the people being hit by the storm on other islands. It was supposed to go right in the middle, and we were just supposed to get heavy rains and wind. School, seminary, and institute were cancelled, and we also cancelled our youth activity last night. As it turned out, we were spared with just a little more wind than normal. The people and the crops are still doing just fine! Thank you for your prayers.

Rex took this video from our carport. Look how beautiful the palm trees are swaying in the wind. Glad the wind didn't get too strong. (Better resolution smaller.)

   We just returned from a convert baptism for sister Filo Wiriwiri. The sister missionaries taught her, and Elder Palelei baptized her. It was a spiritual feast. She will be confirmed tomorrow.

   Enjoy your day!

   Love you!

Sister Eneri, Filo Wiriwiri, Sister Kora, Elder Palelei March 14, 2015

Cyclone Pam is scheduled to pass by Fiji tonight. It's not supposed to hit Fiji, and we will be on the weaker side of the storm. It is predicted that we will have heavy rains and wind gusts. The sugar cane is already over 12 feet tall and not ready for harvest until June. They say heavy wind and rain can lay it flat. Please be praying that the crops here in Fiji will be protected. 

Rex, Elder Raju, and Elder Palelei boarded up the windows of our flat this morning.

We are up on a hill, and even if it floods, we will be fine.

Don't worry. Be happy!

Love you all!

"Hurricane's a comin'. Board up the doors!"

We're scared!

We definitely had a big role to play in this Zone Conference. This is going to be long, but it is only a small fraction of the fun we have had this last week along with our other responsibilities

.

• Rex was in charge of making a five minute movie for the Mission President on “My Best Proselyting Day Ever.” He had to finish the video the night before the conference. It was well accepted.
• Rex was also asked by the Terrys to write a script on cleaning apartments the right way and wrong way. Rex had Elder Obey and Elder Go Play acting out and pantomiming. We sent it to Sister Terry two weeks early. She took what Rex gave her and made it her own. The script was a hoot.
• We picked up the Terrys at the airport the day before Zone Conference and drove them down to Savusavu to inspect missionary flats. We loved visiting with them. What amazing people! He was mission president in Ecuador sixteen years ago and has had many major callings since. His sister is married to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. We raced back to let them inspect the missionary flats here and delivered a broken fridge to be fixed. Through all this, we didn’t have a phone. It had died the day before. It hadn’t charged because the cord was broken. They were able to find and buy a new cord. It was wonderful to have a phone again. They said they had been a little concerned. The last thing they had heard the day before when our phone died was, “That truck’s coming really close!” We took them to our favorite Chinese restaurant and introduced them to Sweet & Sour.
• We met President and Sister Layton and the other senior missionaries for dinner at 6 PM. It was an enjoyable evening.
• We were also in charge of organizing the meal. Since plastic plates here are over sixty cents apiece, and since I have a fetish for pretty plates, we bought ceramic plates from the grocery store for $1 each. They must have been seconds because many had bad blemishes. It took me over an hour in the hot store to pick out 43 matching plates that were acceptable. I went easy ordering Chinese for the main dish. Rex took the huge containers. He was happy because they were burning hot as he got them out of the truck. He was excited because he knew they would keep the food hot that much longer. While the other men were buying rolls, Rex waited and watched as they put three big dipperfuls at a time onto a plate and then dumped it into the pan so they would give the exact portion that was served in the restaurant. Rex was impressed that the owner carefully wrapped plastic over a plastic container of chop suey so it wouldn’t spill. It cost us $150 American for 40 generous servings. While Rex was waiting, delivery men were bringing in a mountain of cases of pop and stacking them in the back of the store. The owner was looking at the invoice and all of a sudden got irate and started talking Chinese a hundred miles a minute. Evidently it was the wrong order. He was pointing and waving his arms, “Get this stuff out of here.” He looked over at Rex, and Rex mimicked him waving his arms the same way, “Get this stuff out of here.” The owner smiled because he knew Rex had no clue what he was saying, but he was trying to help. Rex laughed as he told me. It was quite an adventure.
• Sister Harward brought pineapple, watermelon, and a whole bunch of bananas straight off a tree to cut up; and Sister Smith and Sister Roth brought brownies, carrot cake, and ice cream. Everything was delicious.
• We were in charge of setting up the tables and decorating. We asked the Elders to open the gate at 7 AM to start. We waited at the locked gate until 7:45 for them to arrive. We unloaded the truck, but had to run and get the Terrys from the Motel and wait while Vonafone helped Brother Terry lock his phone into 3 G. The missionaries informed that they were using all the tables for training during Zone Conference. We couldn’t even set up until after 10:45 AM & we had to have it all ready to eat at Noon.  Rex had to leave before 11:30 to go get the food. Anyone who knows me knows that at home a surprise like this would have put me flat in bed. To make it worse, I found we were three white tables short. When I asked, they said, “Oh, just let them sit around on chairs and eat on their laps or sit on the floor and eat. I was unusually quiet and calm and tried to hide my horror. The song “Don’t Worry. Be Happy” must have been written here in Fiji because that’s what we have to learn to do. I borrowed a key and scrounged tables from the family history center and from the kitchen, and we used the stage to serve the main dishes from instead of a serving table. Rex and Brother and Sister Roth helped me set up. When it was time to eat, the food was all there and hot, the tables looked great, and there was a place for everyone to sit. No one would have even guessed what a challenge it was to make it all happen. All the food was amazing. Everyone was filled with extra left over. President Layton, his wife, and many others said let’s do this every time we come to Labasa for Zone Conference. We took that as a huge compliment!
• After Zone Conference, we ran the Terrys to the airport and cleaned up. Sister Roth washed all the dishes with Sister Harward drying. We took all the containers back to our flat, and gathered all the supplies for the youth activity we still had to supervise. I had gotten up early to make no bake chocolate cookies. There were about 40 youth. The Chief’s son who just returned from his mission brought four of his nonmember friends. He said he would be bringing them to church with him Sunday. We fell into bed at 10 PM.
• The next morning we woke up at 4 AM to take three missionaries back to Savusavu to catch the bus to catch the boat at Taveuni. I couldn’t sleep all night, worried that the alarm wouldn’t go off. We were tired puppies when we got home that day.
• Sunday morning, we picked up President and Sister Layton and drove them to Naduna. For Sunday School, President Layton talked of twelve-year-old Jesus teaching and asking questions in the temple. He told the youth he would answer any question they would like to ask. A teenager asked a question that he thought was, “Since the age has been dropped to 19 for girls, what would I do if I don’t want to go?” He took a few minutes telling her that girls are not required to go on missions. She could go to a university, or get married, or get a job. He asked what she wanted to be. She replied a police officer. He continued to instruct her on steps to take, etc. Since Labasa’s branch president’s wife is a police officer, I went up to her after the meeting to get her cell number so Sister St. John could call and talk with her. Here in Fiji, if people are not understood, they don’t usually speak out and correct what is being said or perceived as being said. They usually just let it go and walk away, sometimes being hurt and offended. Even though this young girl, hadn’t corrected the President when he misunderstood her question, now she stepped out of the mold and told me, “What I meant to ask was, ‘What do I need to do to prepare to go on a mission.” Rex thought it was marvelous that even though she didn’t know me well, she would trust me enough to tell me that. We gave her some steps to take: Keep praying and studying your scriptures, take seminary, take a missionary prep class, and study “Preach My Gospel.” When she said she didn’t have a copy of “Preach My Gospel,” we told her we would get her one. It was a special missionary moment.
• In Sacrament Meeting, the president announced that as soon as it is approved in Salt Lake, Naduna will no longer be a branch, but a “group.” They will have a group leader and still meet in Naduna, except on Fast Sunday when they will come to Labasa about twenty minutes away driving distance. President St. John in Labasa will be their branch president. They will pay their tithing and offerings to him and have any needed interviews with the branch presidency. The members in Naduna have heard rumors this was coming; but they thought the branch would be totally dissolved, and that they had to go every week to Labasa. I think this was a relief to them. It will be a great blessing in the long run.
• After church, President and Sister Layton shared a lunch with us, had some one-on-one time with us; and we drove them to the airport. We really enjoyed visiting with them. They are incredible people.