Pictures are at the end.
Part 1: Tuesday, we were busy nonstop. At 8 AM, we had a Webex with our bosses at the Suva Self Reliance Center. As we were talking to our son Ray on Skype, the PEF financial expert, Dallas from New Zealand, called and talked to Rex about a question on PEF. We got dressed just in time for district meeting with our missionaries and Zone Leaders. After the training, we ate with them at the Chinese Restaurant and played with them and the residents at the old folks home, then helped Elders with transport.  As we were driving to Naduna to get the Seaqaqa Elders, the Zone Leaders called. They had left their lights on, and needed Rex to come jump their truck. Rex came to their rescue, as he always does, and then we were on our way to give our Education class to a returned missionary who wants to get a PEF Loan to go to university here in Labasa to become an elementary school teacher. We were told she lives just 10 minutes from the church, but she actually lives halfway to Savusavu. It was a beautiful drive, and we enjoyed our visit with the Elders. (Next door to her house, we bought 4 little pineapples tied in a bunch for $5. We shared with the Elders. They are the best, sweetest, pineapples I have ever tasted.) We taught her the first Foundation class and first two “Education for Better Work” classes as one. It went really well, and she seemed receptive. While we were teaching her, the Elders visited a lady they used to see every Wednesday night before their truck got totaled. They came back in time to hear the end of the lesson. 

We went back to the chapel to meet with Aloisi to help him with some PEF and education needs as well. He is the Elders Quorum President who kept the branch afloat while President Petero was in Australia for 2 months.  A couple weeks ago, we had asked about him and been told he was under a mountain of debt he could never get out of and that he had failed a class so he couldn’t get another PEF Loan. He was stuck and had given up on education. A few days later, we got a strong feeling that we needed to help Aloisi. We jumped some hoops, asked questions of our PEF leaders in New Zealand, and found that he only has to pay $60 Fijian ($30 US) to be current on his loan, and a sponsor has already offered to pay that. Now as soon as he decides for sure on a major, he can apply for another PEF loan to get back to the university.  He is one of the sharpest young people we have met here, and we hope he will succeed and be happy. 

We visited with him and he told his story. While going to classes, he had thought it was not necessary to hand in the stupid, simple assignments. He would just do well on the big tests and pass. Big mistake. (One huge rule for everyone going to school is: Hand in EVERY assignment. Never miss a single one. Rex calls getting a 0 a double F. I teach the students here by saying if they have four assignments, and get 100% on three of them but don’t hand in the fourth one, it averages out to be 75%. That’s a C. That hurts!)

Part 2: We were happy to be at the end of a very long day, and we were on the way home when the Nakawakawa Elders called and said their pipes were leaking and water was everywhere. Rex said we would leave the next morning. I just shook my head. Couldn’t they get someone in the branch to help them? I was dead tired, and I just wasn’t ready for that huge trip. I woke up Wednesday still feeling negative and doubting my ability to go. It takes me a while, but I finally asked for a blessing. I have such a testimony of Priesthood Blessings. They have literally saved my life, taken away my pain, settled me down, and allowed me to do many things that I just didn’t have the strength to do. 
We had the most glorious date! The scenery was beautiful, we were happy, and the day was perfect. Much of the time, we were the only people in sight. It seemed like just us and fabulous Fiji. We were having so much fun looking at the scenery and talking that we missed the turn to the church so Rex took me down to see Pita’s house and the stream by it. Pita’s family was not home. Construction workers said they were at the chapel. 

We drove back to find many members at the chapel. The women were chanting while the men were learning a native dance they will perform when the whole Nakawakawa Branch goes to Taveuni for the District Conference, Nov. 20-21. Taking that many is not a cheap trip. It is always amazing how willing they are to sacrifice to participate in the church and support its activities. It was fun watching and listening to them practice.

     Since the Elders live in a flat attached to the chapel in the middle of a rain forest, they have few amenities in their simple apartment. They had asked for a few shelves and other things, but the mission office hasn’t had time to fill their order yet. Before we left home, I had called our landlord and asked if we could buy the small cabinet that has been sitting on our back porch for the missionaries to use. She said they could have it for free. That made my day! We took it down with us in the back of the truck. After about an hour of terribly bumpy gravel roads, we hit one of the huge holes, and the truck jumped into the air and hit hard coming down. Only then did I think of the cabinet. I wondered if it would be reduced to kindling after two hours of this torture. Fortunately, it was still together when we arrived. I cleaned the cabinet and sorted all their missionary pamphlets to put on the top shelf. They fit perfectly! That still left 2 shelves and 2 small drawers for them to fill. It was old and a bit weathered, but it had been beautiful when it was new, and it looked very much at home there. It made me happy.  

     Rex has a way of always making a difficult task seem easy. He had bought the necessary plumbing parts without even seeing it first. He worked hard and efficiently and fixed the water line. He even added a shut off valve to avoid future problems.

     Rex played a little volleyball with the ball we had given them earlier, and we visited a few minutes with the members while the missionaries changed into proselyting clothes . Pita said 6 more months is not enough time for us to be here with them. He loves the Woodwards. He is so appreciative of us, and he treats us like royalty. Ironically, he is the one who will someday take his place as the chief of his village. The white chapel we helped them paint can be seen from some of the villages and looks like a  temple on the hill.

      We dropped the Elders off down at the village to save them the long walk they take each day. They call it their daily exercise. Then we were on our way home. Rex decided to take the long way home with less distance on treacherous roads and less bouncing. Plus, he wanted to see how the road construction was doing going around the west end of the island. We got to see a lot more ocean and wave at many more people. I love how they smile broadly as they excitedly wave back. We had one hour of more subdued bouncing, and then smooth roads the rest of the way home. The construction is proceeding well. The Chinese are here putting in beautiful concrete bridges to replace the rickety old ones. The trip there took 3 hours 20 minutes. The way home took 3 hours 45 minutes. We got to experience both. The day I had dreaded turned out to be one of my mission highlights. What a beautiful world!
Take care and have a party!
Love you!

One view of the ocean from the road

This new home looked happy sitting on the hill in the middle of the greenery. Even up that high, it is still built on stilts.

Part of the pond by Pita's home, looking down a long ways where the his daughter fell off this ledge and landed in the deeper part safe from the big rocks on the side.

Where water runs from one pond to the next. Notice all the rocks in the bottom.

Rex standing in front of rocks gathered from other parts of the river to be used for construction.

Men practicing the native dance

They really got into it.

Women learning their chant

Rex serving volleyball

He gets close to the members by playing with them.

On the way home, we saw a new foal nursing. When we stopped to take a picture, the children lined up to be in it. You can still see a little of the colt. It is not very old.