Family History, Volleyball and Christmas in June

Family History, Volleyball and Christmas in June

It’s another beautiful day here in Fiji.  We have had 3 gorgeous days in a row.  Wow, it is so nice to have the sun shinning.  I can’t believe how much brighter my attitude is when the sun shines.  I’m sitting out on our porch with a jacket on if you can believe that.  Elder Peterson is inside struggling to get his New Testament lesson done for this week.  I think it is a hard one to teach and he has really had a struggle.  He will do a great job I know because he always does.

As for me and my lesson, I have had a very easy semester.  The YSA’s in my Family History class are finally having some success in finding names and they just want to be on the computers, so I think I am done preparing lessons for this class.  I don’t mind at all.:) My numbers have gone down for the class a bit, but the ones who are there are really interested and doing a great job. 

 Vere, Joei, Sister Kama, Rachel, and Kumar are finally seeing some success in their search for family names.  Indian names are very hard to find.

Mere, and Tina are hard at work searching, search, searching

The Family History couple is so happy to have us use the library. They have been asked many times by their advisors in Auckland to get the youth and YSA’s involved in Family History.  They haven’t been very successful in doing so until we started our class.  Brother and Sister Senekuraciri (that’s their names) asked us to please take a picture of the YSA’s after our baptism on Tuesday and have them hold their “Family Story” booklets.  We did this a few weeks ago and sent them the picture.  They were so excited and sent it to Auckland.  Their advisors called them right up and gave them many (how do you spell Koodoe’s)?  Then, I guess Auckland sent it to their boss and their boss sent it straight away to the First Presidency.  Pretty cool huh?  Who knows, it might show up in some magazine or church site.  That would be very fun for the Senekuraciri’s for sure.                                                            

We had 4 or 5 YSA’s turn in their mission papers last week and then a few more this week.  Willey will be leaving for Washington sometime this week and we are sad about that but he is so ready to go.  He will be running that mission before to long.  His ward is really going to miss him.

 We have another YSA leaving in July and several leaving in August and Sept.  I think they are all trying to get their papers in and get their calls before the temple closes in Oct.  Otherwise, they have to go to Tonga to receive their endowment.  I hope we get the chance to go to Tonga to the temple before we come home.  I’m not sure what the protocol is but we will see.  The temple will really be missed around here.  We are trying to find something to replace our spiritual Tuesdays with something else.

Because I have a little extra time on my hands, I decided to start a Book of Mormon Scripture Mastery Challenge.  We have several YSA’s who are preparing for missions who have only been in the church for a short time.  They didn’t go through the seminary program to memorize the Scripture mastery verses.  I didn’t learn them either while I was in seminary so I wanted to memorize them.  I think this will give me motivation to really work hard to learn them.

I made a chart where the YSA’s interested can sign up to take the challenge.  I found an app for my iPod that helps memorize them.  It starts out with the whole verse and then you can push + and it goes to the next level.  On this level, there are blanks where words or letters should be.  By the time you get done, the whole think is blank and you know the scripture.  I have memorized 3 scriptures this week.  Well, almost 3.  This last one 2 Nephi 2:27 is kicking my butt.  I’m not sure why but I’m getting there.  If I can learn even one scripture a week I will be happy.  After the challenge is over, we will have some kind of party for whoever completed it.  I think this will help them in a fun way to memorize the B of M scripture mastery.   

These past 7 months, I have grown to love the scriptures so much.  My Testimony of them is so much stronger.  I look forward to getting up at 5:30 every morning and spending an hour or longer reading and studying the Book of Mormon.  I love the Peace and quiet in the morning and it starts off my day the right way.  I am reading in Alma 35-39 and Alma’s council to his sons.  I love how he talks about Missionary work, The Atonement, The Plan of Salvation, Prayer, Repentance, record keeping and Genealogy.  I love the verses 37:6-8 that talks about how the Lord works through “small and simple things” to bring about his eternal purpose.  Isn’t this so true.  The gospel isn’t hard.  It is simple and all we have to do is try.  Papa and I are pretty simple people and being out here is sometimes hard, but in the long run, it will be but a small and simple part of our life.  Through our small and simple acts of kindness and through our small and simple testimonies, we can inspire someone else to take small and simple steps to become a little better and come a little closer to our Heavenly Father.

Thursday I took  the afternoon off from the Institute and went home to bake cookies for the Nasori Stake YSA dance.  Their theme was "Christmas in June".  They asked me to help bake christmas cookies so that's what I did.  I made 14 dozen cookies.  I knew I couldn't possible frost all those cookies without the help of my grandkids, and I knew I couldn't get them here in time, hahaha, so I had cute Asenaca and Elenoa come to our flat and frost.  They were so excited and we had a great time.

We had a fun activity night last night.  We felt a little piece of home as we played volleyball with the big volleyball and taught the YSA’s all about “Oreo dunking contest”.  It was great fun.  We did learn however, that the big ball doesn’t work very well outside when the wind is blowing.  Hahahah.

We went through 10 cartons of Milk and around 20 or more sleeves of Oreos, but who's counting right.  They were in Oreo Heaven.  So much fun.

  Even our cute Missionaries got into the actions.  We love being around these wonderful young Elders

We live right across the street from the Samabula primary school. We love watching the kids play all day.  As we were driving past the other day, we saw this boy just hanging out at the top of this poll.  WHAT??? How in the heck did he get up there.  We couldn't resist taking a picture.  He posed very willingly.

Ya gotta love these Fijian kids

fun drive to Rakiraki

We have had a pretty quiet week this week which isn't all bad!

Marica finally got off on her mission this week.  She has been waiting for 2 months for her visa to be approved.  She is one amazing girl and we will miss her terribly, but Canada is one lucky place to get her.  Good luck and God Be With You Till We Meet Again.

After a very rainy week, I could hardly stand being inside any longer.  We were so happy to wake up on Friday to SUNSHINE.  We hopped into the "Old White Rhino" and headed for a drive.  We packed our swim gear just in case we came across a beach (we are in Fiji you know).

We decided to head East since we haven't traveled very far on that side of the Island.  Rakiraki was our destination.  We stopped at a little waterfall, went through a darling village where the kids were having recess at the school.  They waved at us like we were their long lost friends.  I don't think they get many big white vans with LDS written on the side coming through their villages very often.

As were were driving Elder Peterson spotted an LDS church sign so he stepped on the brakes and we pulled into the church parking lot.
It really wasn't a church parking lot, but a driveway to a little house that was attached to the church.  There were pandanus leaves drying in the driveway so we had to be very careful not to drive over them.  Pandanus leaves are the leaves used to make the beautiful mats here in Fij.


As we pulled in, a darling lady and a little boy ran out to greet us.  President and Sister Koro and their grandson Antoni take care of the church there.  President Koro has been branch president  for the past 10 years but has just been released because of a bad accident.  He is finally getting around, and he showed us his huge scare from a surgery on his broken hip after he fell of a bridge.

They invited us in to see the chapel.  It was small but very humble. The structure could use a little work, but it was clean and well taken care of.  As we sat in this little chapel, Antoni sang God be With You in Fijian and it was adorable.  After that, they took us outside and retrieved a coconut from a tree with a bamboo poll and opened it for us to have a fresh drink before we left.

We gave them some fresh bread that we had just bought. We hugged and said our Moce's and we were off again.  The whole day was complete with this wonderful visit.  The beautiful people here make us feel so loved and so welcome.  There can't be a more friendly people in all the world.

Last night we had activity night at the institute.  Our council planned a Minute-to-win-it night and it was a huge success.  We laughed till we cried and everyone had a great time.  We had around 50 YSA's there and I think it was a record.  We are so grateful that the YSA's love being at the Institute.  It is a place of love, peace (well sometimes) and safety for them.  We love them so much.

YSA's On the Move in Nasori

Today we had the opportunity to visit the Toga (pronounced Tonga) branch in Nasori with a large contingent of young single adults who once a month, visit a ward or branch in the stake and associate with the ward and branch members while working on the less active YSA's in that particular ward or branch.

We have the opportunity to work with 3 stakes, the Suva North Stake, which we attend, the Suva Fiji Stake, and the Nasori Stake.  The first two are close to us but the Nasori Stake is about 40 minutes away and the multiple wards and the branches are very hard to find.  They are literally tucked away and hidden from the outside world.   This branch has a huge piece of ground available to build on.  

We just haven’t found the time to get out there.  The YSA’s in that stake asked us last fast Sunday to come visit but we were unable to get there.  Today, we finally had the time and what a great treat it was for us.

Ahhh - Outdoor Priesthood Class with a message from the Stake President Councilor who has responsibility of the YSA's.  He indicated that they are considering making a YSA branch in the stake.   How exciting is that?  

YSA Sunday School Class

The Group After their PMG Class and Break the Fast Meal provided by the branch.  

Each Fast Sunday, the Active YSA’s get together and go out to one of the less active branches to fellowship them. They go to their sacrament meetings, teach their YSA Sunday school class and then attend RS and Priesthood.  After the meetings, they all go together and visit some of their less actives.  After that, they all come back to the chapel and have a Preach My Gospel class.  Papa ended up teaching most of that class today.  After class, they have lunch that one of the branch members have prepared.  It is a long day for them, but they love it and they are reactivating so many YSA’s in that stake.  Today they had 45 YSA’s attend.  It is amazing to see how the Lord is blessing them for their hard work and love for each other.  We were invited to participate in two of their activities for this month.   Oui!  

There is never a dull moment and WE LOVE IT!

Happy Birthday to Little Rosie

While shopping for fruit and vegetables in the downtown market Saturday, we spotted (or rather he spotted us) one of our YSA's attempting to get our attention.   Titiko Mateimacava, a rather quite and unassuming young man, ran to our van and asked if we would like to attend a birthday party for his niece who was celebrating her 1st birthday.   We looked at each other and said; "why not?"   First, we must explain that birthday celebrations by tradition here in Fiji are only really celebrated on the 1st and 21st birthday's.  

Since this was a first for us, we had no idea what to expect.  At the appointed time, we met Titiko at the Nasori Ward Chapel and he directed us to his home.   Only Titiko, his mother and brother are members of the Church.   The elder brother served a mission in the California - Santa Rosa Mission.

Little Rosi - Age 1 Holding a Chicken Leg

The Birthday Girl, Rosie, is being raised by her Aunt - Leba (pronounced Lemba) while her mother and father have moved to Australia for work.

This is not an unusual tradition here in Fiji.   Family associations can be vary diverse sometimes.   There is never a lack for a place for one more.   This custom is something that we from the U. S. could learn from.

At the party were grandma's, step grandpa's, aunts, uncles, cousins and two pelage (pronounced "pelongee") senior missionaries.    At first we felt a little intrusive and out of place, but it didn't take long before Elda Peterson was invited to sit with the men outside around the kava bowl to sit and talk.  Nope, no kava for me and they respected my beliefs.  Sista Peterson, meanwhile stayed inside and played with the little ones and socialised with the women while the meal was prepared.

Grandma Peela in her element with the kids

They had fixed a nice lovo dinner.   We had to admit, it was best tasting lovo we've had since we've been here.   And they sent us home with containers of left overs.

"Happy Long Life to You"

In Fiji they sing "Happy Birthday To You" just like we do but they add the verse:
"Happy Long Life to You" using the same tune and a big:
Hip, Hip Hooray at the end cheered three times.

The little ones love it.   We have fun too.

They Don't Come Any Cuter!

The weather was rainy so most everything was indoors.
The homes are cozy and simple.
They love to make us feel warm and welcome and special.

Birthday Cake Comes Before the Dinner - Yeah Baby!   Dessert First!

This is an example of the simple toys the children play with.  Some plastic duckies and popsicle  sticks.  (Note to Grandma and Grandpa. . . . . )

Elda Peterson was asked to pronounce the blessing on little Rosie.  This is an honour to be asked to be the spokesperson for the family in this event.  

The Family Honoured us for attending and providing the blessing for little Rosie by gifting us this beautiful woven mat.