Friday, June 20, 2015, the head of a little school in the eastern top end of our island called and said three students from BYU Hawaii who volunteer to teach at her school would be coming to Labasa to go to church. She said they would be calling us and asked us to take care of them.  When we picked up Sister Kora and Sister Fiu for church, they told us the girls had called them because they couldn’t get hold of us. We called the number and picked them up at the hotel to go to church. It was a wonderful meeting. They loved the spirit in Labasa.

Rex okayed it with me and then asked if they had any plans for lunch. They were starving and accepted our dinner invitation. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and the trimmings. They loved it and were so grateful. We only had two hours. They had to catch the Sunday 3:30 PM bus. As we visited, they told how they had a visa for four months, but the man at the airport had stamped their passport for a 14 day visa and told them they would have to go to Savusavu to have it extended. They had been here a week and only had a week left. Their plan was to go home and come back the next Friday to go get it extended. I suggested they save a few hours on the bus, stay overnight, and get it done the next day. (It was a good thing because the next Friday was a national holiday, and the immigration office would have been closed.) They called the head of the school and got permission to miss Monday.

Rex asked if there was an immigration office in Labasa thinking it is the largest city on the island. The girls said, “No, they told us Savusavu.” Rex called Sister Terry at the mission office. She said they were to go to Savusavu. They spent time calling on the phone and texting home to find location and work out details.. The hotel was full so we invited them to stay with us. One of the girl’s mom said we are now her new best friends for taking care of her daughter. It was sweet to see how much they and their families trusted us as Senior Missionaries.

We spent the evening playing Golf and Rage. Rex got three of the extra foam mats from the elders, and the girls slept on our front room floor.

The next morning, we drove them to Savusavu. I love to watch others take that beautiful drive the first time. It’s like being in another world with the fern palms, waterfall, and lush foliage. We love talking and learning about those who ride with us. The girls were darling. Rachel Robinson from Texas wants to be an artist and possibly teach art in college. Hailey Page from California wants to be a secondary school teacher specializing in sports and English.  Her boyfriend is a professional basketball player from New Zealand. Emily Halls from Arizona has a bunch of options -journalist, international communications, videographer, and photographer. These talents complement one another nicely. She is motivated and wants to hit the ground running when she graduates.  She was especially enthralled, and took lots of pictures. We found the Savusavu Immigration Office, and the girls pled their case; but the worker said they had to fill out a form and it would cost $190 Fijian each to extend the Visa. That hurt. She told them to fill out the paper and hand it into the Immigration Office in Labasa since it was much closer, and they wouldn’t have to make the long trip back down to finish the process. 

Rex didn’t even say, “I told you so.” He just drove them back to Labasa. 

They got the form filled out and handed it in at the Labasa Immigration Office, and they will be back when the office calls them. We took them out to lunch, watched them shop at the market, and left them at the bus stop. That was an extra special experience not in our planner. It is wonderful to serve in any way we can.

Have a party!

Love you!

Emily, Hailey, Rachel