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

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• 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.