Rex and Betty Fiji Mission

June 15-16, 2015

While the US navy ship Mercy was docked in Savusavu Bay, we and the other Senior Missionaries and young missionaries from the lower part of the island were privileged to help two days at the Health Fair in a large rugby field where servicemen and medical volunteers from the Mercy came on shore —doctors, nurses, pediatricians, optometrists, etc. with seven dentists including Dr. Larry Hogge and his wife from Logan, Utah.

While the people waited in the long line outside the gates, they were given color coded wrist bands for their major complaint --orange-optometry, purple-dentistry, pink-pediatrics, green-adults. We were there to direct the people where to go and expedite the process. Rex was especially loved and appreciated by all. After they filled out their papers, he greeted them and informed them if they needed to have their vital signs taken. Elder Hendrickson was there to translate. Then Rex visited and entertained them a little, and kept the line moving. From there, I escorted or pointed them to the man who was crossing off the numbers. That man would send them with escorts straight to the stations to be treated or would have them sit the bleachers and call them later in numerical order.

The first day it rained pretty hard a couple of times, but we took shelter, and the breeze quickly dried our clothes. The sun came out later, and it was beautiful. After the clinic was over the first day, it really started pouring. All night we heard the heavy rain and torrents of water coming off the roof. The next morning at 7 AM it was still raining hard. I looked outside and saw what my father would call a “valley rain” the kind that usually lasts a day or two. It seemed almost blasphemous for me to pray for the weather to cooperate, and maybe it wouldn't work this time. I knew it was in the Lord’s hands, and His will would be done. Still I kept praying that the weather would be good for the Health Fair that day.

At breakfast, Brother Vermeeren suggested we go to town and buy some yellow full-body rain gear.

Rex said, “No, we will be fine.

We told the Vermeerens and Roths a couple stories of how the Lord had blessed us with absolutely perfect weather in Washington DC the first of July when it is usually hot, humid, and unbearable; and again as we visited the Canyonlands and Disneyland. It would be raining hard while we were driving, but would clear up and be perfect for our activities, and start raining when we got back into the car. When we went to Disneyland, the parking lot was a lake, and they warned Rex that they would close the park with no refund if it started raining again. He bought the tickets anyway, and we had the whole park to ourselves with plenty of sunshine, smiles, and absolutely no lines. President Hinkley had that gift of having perfect weather, and our family has been blessed often, too. We always attribute it to the Lord and quickly thank Him for His Tender Mercies.

(Back to the story.) At 8:30 AM, as we drove to the park, water was standing everywhere on the sides of the road, and the gutters were whitewater rapids. We sloshed through the deep mud from our parking spot to the park. The park was extremely muddy and full of puddles; however, the storm had broken, the rain had stopped, and the sun came out from behind the dense clouds. The whole day was the most perfect weather anyone could ever ask for. Not one drop of rain. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for the hundreds of other people who were praying for this miracle.

Deep mud was the only issue. Rex escorted a blind man straight to the optical tent, guiding him around the small puddles and any obstacles. He also escorted a couple of older ladies, holding them up so they wouldn’t fall in the mud. He warned them to let go of him if he went down, but if they started falling, he would catch them. What a gentleman! Fajian Red Cross volunteers cut palm tree fronds and laid them down as paths to walk on so the people wouldn’t sink into the mud.

The two day Health Fair was a huge success. We estimate over 1700 people were seen.

As the old familiar story goes, that same day at 4 PM, after the Health Fair and our tour of the ship Mercy was over, and as we began driving home with the sister missionaries to get them to Zone Training Meeting, the rain started again so hard that we had to turn the wipers on as fast as they could go.

Yes, we felt blessed and said many prayers of thanks!

Here are a few pictures to give you a taste of the Health Fair: