Rex Wrote: 

Update to the tale of two ladies:

Anna is meeting with and taking the lessons with the missionaries at the Church.

Saturday night at 6:00 P.M. we had a branch movie night. Since it was the 24^th of July back home, we showed 17 Miracles. We used the branch projector and sound system and put the movie up on the big screen. A least 30 people showed up. I told them my great grandfather was one of the captains on that trek and had the same reasonability as Levi Savage in the movie. Betty had made chocolate chip cookies for the treats at the end.

After the movie and treats, we found that Shahila, the Muslim girl, had been kicked out of her home by her dad earlier that night. The Elders were trying to find her a place to sleep. She couldn’t stay with the Sisters. As Missionaries, it was probably not kosher for us to keep her, but as Christians we could not just put her out on the streets. She came to our flat. I told Betty we needed to not make it too comfortable for her or she might want to stay. We put a foam mattress in our extra room for her.

We were tired from the day when she asked to watch T.V. 

“We don’t have any TV, but we do have some Mormon Messages and other church videos.”

She’s a tiny drink of water. She said she was hungry so Betty had her cook her own food. She chose fried egg sandwiches. She ate while she watched TV.  We showed her “Come to Christ,” “Courage,” and since she was curious about baby Jesus, we showed her “Joy to the World.” At that point, it was midnight, and she said, “I want to go to sleep now.”

Sunday morning, as she was cooking more eggs to go with rice Betty had made. As Shahila and Betty were alone in the kitchen, she asked Betty, “What should  I call you?”

Betty replied, “Sister Woodward or Betty, which is my name.”

Shahila sweetly said, “Or Mom?”

Surprised, Betty insisted, “You may call me Antie.” (in Fiji older women are called Antie.)

When Betty told me, it sent off the alarms, and I warned her, “This girl wants to move in to stay!”

She got ready and went to with us church. We had her bring all her stuff.  She borrowed a skirt from the sisters, and Betty had her sit with them. After Sacrament Meeting, the Elders introduced Shahila to Shallot Chand who was close to her age. She went to the other meetings with her.

Betty and I had to leave right after Sacrament Meeting to go to Seaqaqa to help there. As I got into the back seat of the truck to get the chocolate chip cookies we had brought to share, I saw Shahila’s night bag and purse in the back of our truck. We knew she couldn’t stay with us again. As we drove back to Labasa, we called the Elders, got Shahila’s phone number, and then called her to meet and get her stuff to her. She said she was downtown at Chicken Express.

Sister Woodward said, “Could we meet you behind the stores? We don’t do shopping on Sunday.” 

Shahila excitedly answered, “I would love to go shopping with you!”

Betty reiterated, “We do not shop on Sunday!”

Shahila more excited then ever, “Yes! I would love to go shopping with you!”

Betty had the phone on speaker, and I could not help but laugh and say, “I would love to go shopping with you, too, Mommy!”

Betty told her we would call when we got closer.  As we circled around the main drag of Labasa town, Betty saw Shahila on a corner a block away from where she had told us she was. We stopped, and she got her things.

She said that she was having a family meeting later in the evening with her dad and mother to see if they would let her come home. She did not call so we assume all want well. When we told the missionaries the story, they laughed and then said maybe they should not teach her for a couple of weeks to let things cool down and see how things go from there. Elder Kumar was still laughing a day later and asked for her quote about shopping with us to write it in his journal.

Sister Fiu, Shahila, Sister Kora

Besides the Sister Bull who plays the piano and is Primary President, there is another Sister Bull. She was the first person I was introduced to here in Labasa when we arrived Nov. 2014, or at least the first name I could pronounce and remember. She has been here faithfully every week. It wasn’t until about a month ago that I learned she is not a member. In fact, she is mostly divorced and living with a man. Something happened to her divorce papers that she couldn’t get remarried. She has had missionaries teaching and visiting her off and on for a couple of years. Sister Kora and Sister Fiu have been teaching her, and they had extended family members help her get her divorce finalized. On Friday, July 17, 2015, she was married. The next day she was baptized. Now, since I can’t pronounce her last name any more, she says I can call her Anna. She seems so happy.

Back row: Elders d'Aquin & Kumar
Front row: Sisters Fiu and Kora and Sereana Bull Mudaliar

Sister Rakuita’s grandson, Taitusi Psalms Filipe Kotobalavu Rakuita, a child of record, was baptized the same day. He’s a cutie. Rakuita works in a government office. She pays her little grandson to come often to help organize, staple, and file papers for her. She pays him 50 cents an hour when he comes. Pretty good experience and wages for a 7/8 year old. He is very good and responsible. She’s so proud of him!

Sister Fiu, Anna, Kora, & in front Taitusi

 After the baptism, we had treats, including some brownies I had made that morning. Then we had to stay around with Elder d’Aquin while Elder Kumar took his SLEP test, an English Proficiency test required for those in the Pacific Islands to apply for BYU Hawaii. (We had suggested he take the test here, instead of waiting until after he returns home. We arranged for Brother Safeti to come give it to him. I had helped him go through some sample questions from online. He said they really helped. He passed the test!)

While we were waiting, we helped d’Aquin teach Shahila, the Moslem girl, about prayer. She seemed very receptive. We aren’t supposed to teach Moslems unless they come to us, but she had come to the Elders and asked to learn more about Christianity.

We drove the Sisters to Siberia to teach the mother of the little boy with the cleft palate. They have given her several lessons. Getting his operation lined up is not the only miracle coming from the Ship Mercy’s visit.

We got home exhausted, very grateful a busy day was over. We had just gotten a bite to eat and settled down when President Layton called. He asked if Rex could watch over Seaqaqa (pronounced Sengonga), and preside and conduct when necessary until President Petero returns from Australia. That is their home country, and they had gone there for medical attention after Sister Petero fell and hurt. It will be at least another month before she is well enough to return to Seaqaqa. President Petero is both the Branch President and a counselor in the District Presidency, leaving a huge hole when he is gone.

Just after President Layton hung up, we got an e-mail from President Petero asking Rex to Preside, Conduct, give the talks, and teach the Sunday School and Priesthood lessons. If they could get him authorization in time, he was also supposed to help count the donations. No pressure! Even though Rex was dead tired, he got the Sunday School lesson prepared. It was too late for him to prepare the Priesthood lesson, but I woke up during the middle of the night and put the lesson on Power Point so Rex could check through it before we left for Labasa’s Sacrament Meeting at 8:45 AM.

Rex did all the above in Seaqaqa except he didn’t get the password for the finances. Their branch clerk, the only one other priesthood holder in attendance, blessed the sacrament in Fijian, and Rex passed it. As Rex was handed the tray, he partook first, since he was the one presiding, then took the tray and passed it to others.

We had a combined Relief Society, Priesthood meeting. I was the only woman. There was the clerk, a 12 year old boy who turned out to be a nonmember, and Rex. We got over 2/3 of the way through President Benson’s lesson on tons of ways a man should cleave to his wife and treat her tenderly and with love and devotion before we asked if he had a family. He said his daughter was the Young Women’s President. Oh, no! She was the returned missionary we had helped apply for BYU Hawaii, and we knew her mom had died of cancer. How painful that lesson must have been for him! Fortunately, from then on, it taught more about family and children and how to teach and love them. We tried to put all other references to wife into the eternal perspective! He seemed appreciative. He had been sealed, and he knew they would be a forever family.

Last week when we returned to Seaqaqa, the Elder’s President was there to Preside and Conduct. We have visited that branch a few times before, and he has always given the Sunday School and Priesthood lessons. We still had to speak, but he gave the Sunday School lesson and during the ten minute break, he asked which conference talk was to be given for the Priesthood lesson. It was Boyd K. Packer’s talk on the Plan of Happiness, which also talked about how to treat wives. We told him we didn’t want to put the clerk through that again, and we suggested we watch the talk we had downloaded by Clayton about the little girl who was in a plane crash and followed the light to safety. It taught how we should follow the Light of Christ. It was the perfect length and well accepted. Our testimonies are being strengthened through service. 

We can feel everyone’s prayers in our behalf. 

Thank you! We are being blessed.

Warning: This is not one of my orations. It is a tirade, more like a pamphlet or, as Rex says, a mini series of a five week saga. He insisted that I write it down and share it whether it turned out well or not. I promise this a summation. Living it has been a monster roller coaster ride, worse than New York, New York in Las Vegas!

Helping the young BYU Hawaii girls to get their Visas extended on June 22, got us to the right place at the right time. On the way back to the truck, we met Joana, one of our young single adults who has a special place in my heart. She was excited. She had just talked to FNU, and, even though she dropped out of school after Form 5 (Grade 10 US), she can start school in Hospitality July 27. She asked us to get her a PEF Loan. If only it were that easy.

We told her to go right back into the school and have them give her a letter of acceptance and an invoice that listed classes, how long the course will be, and total cost. She went right back to talk with them. They asked her to come back the next morning, and bring us with her. We all arrived at opening. They sent her to get a birth certificate and passport size picture while we waited for over an hour while she walked to get both. When she returned, they told her the lady who could give her the info she needed was not there. Joana had to come back that day at 4 PM. Still not there. Come back the next morning. Still not there. Come back next Monday. When she went Monday, they said they needed a sponsor letter attached to her application guaranteeing payment. They needed us to come back and talk with them.

This was a bad start. The PEF  loan application process usually takes about three hard months, and we had just one. We warned Joana there is an intricate “process,” and we were basically trying to do the impossible. We knew things had to go smoothly and expeditiously for this to happen.

Things have gone anything but smoothly. The first challenge was that the school would not give the acceptance and invoice unless a sponsorship letter was attached promising to pay for the course in full before classes begin. If not she couldn’t attend. They thought we were the sponsors. We explained Joana would be applying for a loan from the LDS church, and we needed the info before we could start the application. They said it was impossible. I kept insisting. After returning and talking with them a couple more times, they finally asked us to call one of the heads of FNU in Nadi on the big island. He stated policy demanded they have the sponsorship letter first. I explained more and more, looping a bit. He finally said he would see what he could do. I think it was, “…lest by her constant nagging she weary me.”

A few days later, Joana called and said she had the invoice. The man had come through. When she came to scan it, we were surprised and delighted to see they had given her a letter of acceptance, also. Tender mercies.

Then the real fun began.  We called the new Self Reliance Manager Ned Taito in Suva and told him she had previously taken all the classes for the PEF Loan, but he maintained the old classes didn’t count. She had to take all 24 new classes again. We spent 3 days solid teaching her the classes back to back. She is such a sweetheart. She didn’t even complain or act bored, and she did everything we asked. She is just so grateful.

At one point in one of the last lessons, she had tears in her eyes. I asked her what was wrong. She just shook her head. I asked her what she was thinking. She finally shared that she was thinking of the PEF loan and just hoping she could get it.

At that point I had tears in my eyes, too. We had done all this before with two other girls, and the gears grind slowly. It had taken the full 3 months before the school received payment.

I asked Joana if she had thought of going on a mission. She said, “Oh, yes, Sister Woodward. I would love to go on a mission more than anything.”

“Well, do you think you should go on a mission instead of taking this course.”

“No, my father won’t let me go. He says I am too cheeky, and he is afraid I will embarrass him.”

Back to the drawing board. Finally, we had filled the requirement to apply online using her LDS account and password, but she couldn’t remember it. We tried to recover it using her membership # & birthday. They said it didn’t match. We waited until Sunday and had an ordinance sheet printed out. Everything was correct. We called Salt Lake International help, and they gave us a number to call, but only during certain hours. It was two more days before we could get someone to answer. They helped her get a new name and password, and we were able to sign in.

We were not expecting what we found there. She already had a $150 PEF loan she had never even paid on. She insisted she had never gotten PEF before and had never gone to school. They had just kept calling her to pay off the loan, but she didn’t know why, and she kept insisting she didn’t have a loan. We called the Self Reliance Center in Suva. They verified she had a loan and sent us two documents with her signature committing to pay it back. It was mandatory she pay off the old loan before she could even begin to apply for a new one. She had no job and absolutely no money, and her parents couldn’t help her. Her father makes $3.50/hr ($1.75 US). The mother works in the fish market, and they can barely pay the rent and put food on the table. Joana takes care of the large family by doing all the cooking, cleaning, washing, etc., but she doesn’t get paid anything for it.

The issue is, if she couldn’t even remember to pay off a $150 loan, how could she dream of paying off $3550?  We were done. After all the hard work and all the obstacles we had faced, and the fact that Joana had put her whole heart and soul into this to make it happen, could it just be over? I had to cry a little. I could hardly sleep. I just couldn’t accept it. The next morning I asked Rex if we could pay off the old loan and have her work for us to pay it back. Yes, I am the world’s best enabler. Joana was so excited at the prospect. She happily accepted for us to pay her in advance.

We called Foki and asked how to make payment. She said we needed payment vouchers from Suva. Was there no other way? No. We didn’t have time to wait for them to be mailed. Mail is painfully slow in Fiji. Then Rex had an idea. Missionaries were flying to Labasa the next day. Could they bring them? We asked Foki. She said she would run the vouchers over to the mission office. Wow! That actually worked!

We felt blessed. We met the missionaries at the airport, but no vouchers. Now what? It seemed I had seen somewhere on the PEF documents that we could print out a voucher. I was searching frantically, but I couldn’t find it. Again, tears.

Rex came to my rescue. He said to get onto Joana’s PEF account. There it was. We printed out the voucher, raced to the bank, made the $136.45 reduced payment for paying it off early, and sent a copy of the receipt to ReNee, one of our leaders in New Zealand.

As we got on to start a new loan, somehow they had noted that Joana had asked to be her own mentor. It said that the mentor could not be changed until after the mentor interview. After a few e-mails, Renee found she had to check a box to accept the conditions of the new loan. We were able to make the change in mentor and start the application, but more days had passed. It was now July 7. Joana still had to fill out papers for her aunt to be her mentor, and have an interview with the Branch President to get his priesthood endorsement. Many documents had to be uploaded. It was intensive. We were doing it as quickly as we could.

At one point, I asked Rex, “With so many road blocks being thrown in our way, does it mean this isn’t the right thing to be doing?”

He replied, “Nothing comes easy. Anything worthwhile takes effort. It isn’t the Lord sending the road blocks. That’s not how He works.”

The first Foundation class we had taught Joana was on Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As Joana was teaching it to her family, her father said, “If you had faith, you would already be on your mission.”

Surprised at his statement, she reminded, “But you told me I can’t go on a mission.”

Joana then had a heart to heart talk with her parents, and they gave her permission to go. She told us, “I will take the course first, and then I can go on a mission. But wait, I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to pay the loan off if I’m on my mission?”

We asked the next day; and if she sends a copy of her mission call, they will defer payments while she is on her mission and for 3 months after while she looks for a job. She can do both, or if the loan doesn’t come through in time, she can just go on her mission. It made us all feel a little better. There was an option. Maybe that was why we were trying the impossible. If we hadn’t, she would have never known going on a mission was a possibility.

We kept going. We got to the point we thought we had done everything required. A few days later, we were told that before she could get a new PEF loan, she had to send a transcript from the class she had taken with the old loan. Are you kidding me?

Joana said she had a certificate of a class she now remembered she had taken when she lived on Taveuni, but she had handed it in with a job application. When she didn’t get the job, she went back to get the certificate, but they didn’t have it.

Suffice it to say, it took more days and more people helping us to track down the name of the school and get a phone # to talk with them. Service Pro said they didn’t give transcripts for short courses, but they could print out a new certificate for $20 and mail it to her. I expressed that there was no time. I asked if I could pay over the phone and have them print it and scan it and e-mail it to us. No.

Finally, in passing, they mentioned their office was in Suva, not Taveuni as I had thought. That made a big difference. I wish I had known that before. Now I was planning a whole new scenario of how I could get someone from the Self Reliance Center in Suva to go pay them, and have them print out a new certificate; then take it, scan it, and e-mail it as an attachment. However, I felt prompted to ask the sweet lady if instead she could just use school letterhead and write a letter of verification saying that Joana had indeed taken the course, listing when and how much. Later that night, as I checked the e-mail, I had to cry again. I was so grateful! Este had stayed an extra half hour after work on a Friday night to write a letter more beautiful and more complete than I could have ever dreamed. She even listed the topics and skills the course had covered and stamped it with the school’s official stamp. I forwarded it onto the PEF people stating that the school didn’t give transcripts for short courses, and I asked if this document could be acceptable. Evidently, it was.

When checking status, a few more issues with documentation came up that I won’t list; but, with the help of ReNee, Dallas, and workers in New Zealand, we addressed them.

Friday, July 17 Joana and her mentor were interviewed, and finally the loan status says “APPROVED!”

We were rejoicing; however, now Joana had to make a payment of $10 before they would pay the school. Rex, reading my thoughts, said, “No, Betty, she has to pay it herself!”

 I asked Joana if she had the money. “No, Sister Woodward. I will go right now to the market and ask my mother for the money.”

I called later and Joana dejectedly said, “They won’t give me the money.”

It was down to the wire. Classes started a week from Monday. If we wanted the school paid before then so Joana could attend, we had to make the payment as soon as possible.

I told Rex, “We haven’t come this far and done this much just to let $5 US stop us.”

Without even waiting for his approval, I called Joana back and told her we would go pay it, but she would have to work for us more hours. “Oh, thank you so much, Sister Woodward!” She was crying and laughing with happiness.

We got to the bank at 3:55 PM, 5 minutes before closing. Rex took a paper with a number that was sitting on the machine. The door was chained shut, but evidently they would service those of us who were inside with numbers. We sat there watching the screen with E 702 report to teller 4. Our number was E 703. We would be next. We waited about 20 minutes before we realized that we had the wrong kind of number. It was for talking about loans, not general telling.

Rex said, “They’re not going to wait on us. Let’s go! We’ll come back Monday.”

I just sat down and showed my stubborn streak, “I’m not leaving. We’ve got to try.”

My thought was to wait until the last person had been waited on and then plead my case and see if they would wait on me. There was a good chance they wouldn’t.

Rex knew at that point it would do no good to argue. He went to stand over by the machine that prints out the numbers whenever someone pushes the button. For some reason, a new number had printed out. It hadn’t been there before, and no one was near the machine. Rex tore it off and showed it to me A1, but since the last number of the day had been A298, we assumed A1 was for Monday morning.

The last person was just finishing up when the automated service announced, “A1, go to teller 11.” We just looked at each other, made the payment, and said a prayer of thanks when we got home. Call it a tender mercy or a miracle. We know the Lord is playing a hand in this. Almost there. Yes, almost there!

Joana was invited last Monday to orientation, and she loved it. She is so happy at the thought of going back to school, she is giddy. She deserves this.

The fight wasn’t won yet. Even though the the PEF Loan department had a copy of our bank slip saying the previous loan was paid of July 3, it had never been acknowledged on Joana’s account. The day before the payment was due to be paid, her account still said, “Not Current.”  It was causing headaches for those in New Zealand who were trying to complete the process to get the school paid on time. They had me take a screenshot of Joana’s account page. On their end, they were seeing different numbers than we were seeing for an early payoff for the old loan.

In the meantime, I called FNU to see what we could do if the payment didn’t reach them on time. They didn’t give us an answer of whether she could attend. They just told us to come in with Joana Monday morning before classes were to start, and they would discuss it. We have been praying this will actually happen if it is the Lord’s will.

Since New Zealand is long distance, we could not call them. All of this has had to be done by e-mail. We received one status email sent at Midnight. Overtime is an understatement! I have expressed to Joana that many people have gone above and beyond to make this happen for her. She says she is so grateful, whether she gets the loan or not.

Friday, I received word from ReNee that she had called the finance committee. Even though we had given the bank teller a voucher with Joana’s PEF #, the teller had neglected to put her # on the transaction. Since the early payoff amount was different on their end, they had no idea who had sent the money and no way of knowing which account to credit. With ReNee’s authorization, they were happy to credit it to Joana’s account. With that being done, they were finally able to make payment Friday to FNU.

It will be received “in a few days,” but that will be after classed start. ReNee offered to send a letter of verification if needed. I tried to call the lady again at FNU, but she didn’t answer so I texted her with the status. I also forwarded the e-mail from ReNee and sent a screenshot of Joana’s account that showed details of the payment that was made.

Sunday morning I received a text that Joana can indeed attend class Monday, July 27, which is today! She is so happy! Her parents never believed it could happen. Her father has changed his tune, and now seems to be ready to support her more. With everyone intensely working overtime, and with the Lord’s help, we accomplished the impossible! Now it is all up to Joana to work hard and take advantage of this opportunity and remember to pay this loan back. All this was to open her door to education.

I am grateful for President Hinkley’s vision of the Perpetual Education Fund that will help lift her out of poverty and help her succeed. If all goes well, and if she does her part, it will change her life forever!

P.S. After all this, Joana’s account still says, “Not Current!”

Rex wrote:

Monday July, 23

I awoke and looked through blurry eyes to see why my thumbnail was moist. I could see little specks all over my nail. I had rubbed it and killed some of the sugar ant sized critters. I got up and washed my hands. There were still a few wiggly things hanging on. I used some hand sanitizer and an old toothbrush and got rid of them, or so I thought.

While we were shopping, I saw one more and asked a man, who studying to be a nurse, to look and tell me what it was. He  said he had never seen anything like it before, but he had read of some people with similar holes in their nails. He said they could be Fijian Nail Mites. They are like termites, only they eat fingernails. He said the first thing they do is bore through the nail and lay eggs in the tissue below. I asked how to get rid of them. He told me there is no known cure except permanently removing all the nails from both hands and feet. They are contagious, but only by direct contact. He said handshaking is right out. If I wanted to keep my nails, I would have to live with it rest of my life. I would need to warn everyone I meet that if my mouth is moving, I am lying; or in this case if my fingers are typing.

OR the hole in my nail might be the result of trying to put in a difficult flat-blade screw with a power drill and having the drill slip off the screw and tear into the base of my nail. This is after 2 or 3 months of growing it out, but that is not as fun of a story. I can only go so long without telling a big one.

Rex wrote:

                                      The Tale of Two Ladies

Lady One

The Elders were asked to teach Anna. She is an amazing lady. When she was a baby, her parents were both killed in a car crash. She was thrown into a bush. She was raised by a Hindi family. She graduated High School at 13, University at 17, and law school by 20. She is married with two children.

She was asking why there were so many Christian churches, The Elders gave her an overview of the Apostasy. As she heard how the church leaders left by Christ had been killed, and the church without its inspired leaders was changed, she cried. When she heard of the restoration of Christ’s church through Joseph Smith, she rejoiced. She asked why everyone was not a member. She said, “I will tell everyone I know about this.”  She did! They did not accept it as “Good News.”

Her mother-in-law is a Witch Doctor, and the rest of the family is Hindu. They took away her Book of Mormon and church pamphlets and forbad her from talking to the missionaries.

Lady Two

Shahila is a tiny eighteen year old Muslim girl. She was sickly and had to drop out of school at Form 3 (8^th grade.) She has been working since then as a sales girl in a relative’s clothing store up to 60 hours a week for $35 Fijian ($17.50 US.) Sounds like child labor to me.

She was sitting on some stairs in the middle of town when the missionaries walked by. She stopped them and asked them to teach her what Christians believe. We were invited to help. Our first meeting was at the church house. She said it was alright with her parents to learn about other religions. One of the hardest ideas for her to understand is how Christ is the literal son of God. As we were teaching her, we were taking her on a tour of the church building. We went into the room that is used for the nursery and on the wall there were lots of Gospel Art pictures. The pictures helped. I used my limited knowledge of Islam to explain the differences and similarities. She treats us like new best friends.

After she left, I told the elders that she was more of a student than an investigator.

We met with her again on Saturday after the baptism for Sister Bull Mudliar. She had brought ‘sweets” made by her mother. One of the main subjects we talked about was how to pray. The spirit was strong, and when this discussion was over, I told the Elders she is now an Investigator.  She says she is going to teach her family what she has learned. I hope it goes better than with Anna.

Rex Wrote: One day as we were parking behind main street to go shopping, Betty got out to help me back up into the parking spot. I was watching her signal from the passenger side to let me know how much further I needed to go when her signals got weird. She was pointing at me, which doesn’t tell how much farther to back. She kept pointing until I looked out my driver’s side window. There was my Hindu barber with his face in my window. I rolled down the window to see what he wanted.

He said, “I can tell you are a man of God. I want you to pray for me.”

I asked, “What do you need?”

He lifted his right arm up about half way and winced in pain. “My arm is hurt. There is pain shooting down from my shoulder to the elbow, and I can hardly cut hair,” he moaned. “I’ll go to your church so you can pray for me.”

I asked him if he would like a blessing. I explained that in our church when people are sick or hurt, we give blessings.

He said, “Yes.”

I said, “Do you have the faith to be healed?”

He said, “Yes.”

I told him, “The blessing is in two parts, first I will anoint your head with oil, and then I will give you the blessing.”

I had him sit in the back seat of the truck with the door open, and I gave him a blessing. Betty said it was the most powerful blessing she has ever heard me give. The Spirit was so strong.

As he left, he raised his arm three-fourths of the way up kind of test to see how it felt.

I told Betty it was an incredible feeling that people who don’t really understand exactly who we are would come up on the streets and ask me to pray for them.

A few days later, I went into his shop and asked how his arm was. He said it was still hurt, but he was cutting hair.

We can see why he would get hurt. He always has a line of people waiting, and he works really quickly, cutting hair nonstop all day long. Still, we were a little taken back that his arm wasn’t better. We kept praying for him.

About a week later, The Harwards come and got the little shelf I made them and she offered to repay me with a free haircut.

I said, “No, I have a local barber.”

Sister Harward came back with,” I can cut your hair better than he can!”

I agreed, “I know you can, but I need to support him.” I told her the story. Plus his haircuts are $2 Fajian which is $1 US.

A few days later, I went in to get my hair cut, and the barber said his arm was completely better. He treats me special, and I think a lot of him, too.

Getting a Fijian haircut from my barber.

Rex Wrote: On July 11 Shamal was baptized. He is 17 years old and works with Brother Kumar in the fishing business. His mother and family live in the Squatter Settlement of Namara. This means they live in the tidal swamp in the middle of the Mangrove trees. The land does not belong to them, and it is illegal to live there so the rent is very cheap. People put up shanties and live very simply.  Since it is not part of the city, people have to hook up to the water line and bring it to their house themselves. The water hookup for this family is about a block away. They had already run a line halfway to their shanty and had been hauling the water the rest of the way from there.

On Thursday July 17 Elder Kumar, Elder d’Aquin and I went there to complete the water line to their place. The family had bought five 20 foot lengths of ½ inch PVC pipe. We hooked these together quickly but they only reached a little over half the remaining distance to the lot. They had some old used pipe and their plan was to scab all these short ugly pipes together. Elder Kumar would heat the end of the scab and when it was soft he would push the end of another scab into it and make a “Bush Connection.” A video is at the end.
We did this for a 10 foot piece, and they were trying fit a 4 foot piece next.  They failed on their first attempt, cut the pipe shorter, and were trying again. I looked at the small group of scabs and said, “even if we hook all these pipes together, we will still be short of the house. Why don’t we just buy some more pipe and take it on over?”

I stepped it off and found we needed 80 more feet.  They found another pipe that had been left rolled up in the bush. That meant we needed 3 more. The mother gave me $5 Fajian and said that was all she had. I said it would be enough. I went with the Elders and bought 3 more 20 foot pipes. They cost about $14 Fajian total. I made up the difference. We returned and fitted the rest of the pipes and hooked up her spigot where she wanted it just a few feet from her outside kitchen. After the work was done, she fed us a lunch of curry chicken and rice. I know we are not supposed to give charity, but it was a small price to pay, and it felt good to get it done and do it right.

Even though my contribution was only $4.50 US, it reminded me of how Christ will treat us. We do all we can to be like him, to follow him and keep the commandments, and then his atonement will make up the difference so we can live with him and our Father again. 

They have baby ducks!

Their home with crab nets they use to get food out of the swamps..

Not quite like the troll in Three Billy Goats Gruff, but we had a neighbor who said, "You can't put your line under my bridge. That is where my children play, and  they might break it." She wanted us to go under the road, put it on the other side where the bridge was, then bring it back under the road and go on. The other side of the road was where they burned their trash. No. We  did it our way.

 Since the low temperature in Fiji is about 70 degrees, there is no freezing. 

They don't have to bury their pipes. 

They just leave them above ground unless they want to plant over them.

Kish Kumar

Elder Kumar from the big island of Fiji, Elder d'Aquin from Atlanta,
and Shamal's Mother, a nonmember.

A meal after to celebrate.

Business workshop 

July 2, 2015 Rex and I taught our first “Starting and Growing my Business” class from the Self Reliance section of the LDS website.  We acknowledge we are terrible business people. We couldn’t even sell our Money Making Moron Movies, but we are just presenting these people with the Church’s script as written, playing the designated videos, and giving them the assignments. They work hard. It is very intensive.

Ideally we would have had each student have a book to keep, but since the branch here can’t afford books for everyone, we put the materials onto a Power Point presentation for everyone to take turns reading. We then copied and pasted the text and pictures onto a word document so they have the entire script to take home and refer to without having to worry about taking notes the whole time during class. It is appreciated. The first meeting, we also gave them each a 100 page notebook to write notes, impressions, findings and in which to keep their business records.

The workshop is once a week for 12 weeks, plus a graduation. We have had three classes so far. The first class, we had 7 people. Marica, our Young Women’s President, had asked to take the class, but she was not there. She has a table in the market where she sells mats and crafts. She is definitely one we know will benefit from this class. We called and invited her to join the class. We set up an appointment and gave her a one-on-one lesson in her home to catch up with the others. We also gave her the assignments to do that week.

It takes about 45 minutes at the beginning of each class for them to return and report all they have done and share some of what they have learned. It is enlightening as they teach the rest of us.

It had taken me about a week to get all the Power Point presentations finished and ready to go and all the notes ready to print out. Now we just meet, present the materials and learn from them. It is a growing experience for all of us. Businesses here in Fiji are indeed different from America.

Elder Kumar and Elder d’Aquin have had us going out to teach with them as “member present.” Since they speak Hindi to those who speak little English, many times we just listen; but the Spirit is strong, and we can tell by the expressions how their words are being accepted. As Elder Kumar was growing up, they were extremely active in the Hindu religion. After his father died, the family was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Elder Kumar received his mission call when he had been in the church only ten months. He left for his mission just after the mandatory year mark. He is 25 years old. Hindi is his native language. He talks softly, smoothly, and with great conviction, and it is well accepted. He is our district leader- strong and good, a spiritual giant. I know he will be a wonderful husband, father, and church leader someday. Elder d’Aquin, from Atlanta, is also good and strong,; yet, not as fluent in Hindi. His words are much slower and more distinct. Some of his worlds sound like Pig Latin, yet they seem to understand him well. He is from Atlanta. He is very knowledgeable and well versed on about every subject church-wise or other. Everyone loves him, also. The elders make a good team. They have had several baptisms together. Yes, I know. We get extra close to these young missionaries, and they get transferred. I am just so impressed by their spirituality and diligence. We feel it a pleasure to serve with them.

They had another baptism last Saturday-Shamal. His sister was baptized earlier. I love to see the anticipation before the baptism and the happiness after. They have a certain light in their eyes, a glow about them, and a contagious smile. I feel so privileged to attend. It strengthens my testimony and makes me happy to be a member of the only true church on this earth! We are so blessed! 

Shamal's baptism

As we waited to pick up the young missionaries, we took the road less traveled by in Siberia and went through this beautiful little valley. 

Labasa River

This heifer's horns curve down instead of up.
Notice the rope threaded through its nose.
There are few fences here, and most of the cattle are staked out.

The Sugar Cane is high as an elephant's eye. Notice the beautiful plumes!

They cut the cane in sections and lay them in a row to pick up.

Rex splurged $3 US money and bought a tiny bag of Doritos corn chips, Topping them with fried "mince," which is hamburger from Savusavu, Fijian cheese, and his own tomatoes he grew, he made himself a delicious taco salad. American is still the best! We miss the food and pay dearly whenever we see the brand names here!

When people here are learning how to drive, they put a huge L on the back of the car. Some cars also have a sign saying don't follow too close. In fact, I risked life and limb to get close enough for Betty to get this picture. I think it might mean Learner, but with all the strange things they are doing, it could mean _______. 
As crazy as taxi drivers and others drive, this adds to the fun. Fortunately, they are not allowed after dark.

Rex wrote:

     The Fourth of July was a big day here in Labasa. There were no fireworks or parades, but it was very exciting. The Roths came to town bringing a new wheelchair for Roop. He has been waiting for it for almost a year, and we played a small part in getting it here.

     We met the Roths at the church and rode with them. On the way to the rest home, we drove by the sugar factory and Sister Roth could not believe all the trucks and tractors parked alongside of the roads. She had to stop and get some pictures. She ran from spot to spot for over a half hour excitedly taking shots. Betty talked to two workers directing the trucks, and they told her there were about 500 vehicles waiting in line, and it would take each up to 18 hours before they could get the cane unloaded. I got a picture of the cars of a Sugar Cane Train. It was not moving, but it looked fun.

Rex and the Roths by the Sugar Cane Trucks

Sister Roth was literally running to get all her pictures.
These are the loads of the Sugar Cane Train

     When we got to the rest home, we unboxed the wheel chair, and Brother Roth and I carried it in as not to get the wheels dirty. Roop was sitting on the front porch as we came up the stairs. We carried it up to him, but he really didn’t see it. He had a blank stare on his face from sitting so long with nothing to do. When he did see it, he wheeled his old chair around and rolled away from us toward the main room. That was not the reaction I had expected. It looked as if he didn’t want the chair after all. As he got into the main room, we saw his little sister and a brother. Roop had headed there to share the celebration of the new chair with them.

     We put the new chair close to him, locked the wheels, put the new padded seat in the chair, and helped him into his new ride. He was very proud and happy. His little sister could hardly contain herself with joy. Sister Roth had never met them before. She couldn’t get over how happy “The Little One” was.  

     We took pictures and talked for a while. It was a long overdue event but worth the wait. 

With Roop Chand and his new wheelchair from LDS Charities

Roop's old wheelchair.
The armrest and seat were broken, and it had no cushion to sit on like the new one has.

Roop with his brother and sister.

With Elder and Sister Roth

It was enough to make my day. But my day had just begun. I took Betty back to the flat to work with Joana on her PEF loan. I changed into Pday clothes to help a family move. I met the the Labasa elders and the Nakawakawa elders already in progress at the home. They had already carried the belongings down from the upstairs and had half loaded a cargo truck. We finished loading the truck and then put as much as would fit into my mission truck.

     We took both trucks to their new flat; and with the elders and the Narayans there to help, they made fast work of it. We all rode back in the transport/cargo truck, loaded the rest of the belongings, and returned to their new home. We tried to put things in the house where they should go if we had any idea of what they were or where they should go. As we finished unloading, we were told to wait for the food that was coming. As I waited, I talked to the lady of the house. She had served her mission in Hawaii in around 2004.  She had hurt her leg about halfway through and spent the last half working in the Polynesian Cultural Center.    

     The food they brought was chicken curry with rice. There was pop and cookies as well.

     When I got home I was tired, but I helped Betty get some things scanned for Joana before I crashed. It was a full day.

     P.S. The whole family we helped move has been less active, but they came to church the next Sunday. We loved seeing them there, one of the rewards of serving!

     Hope you all enjoyed July 4^th as well!