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