"Jisu, Vinaka." *Right as I start the prayer*

Well it was a different week this week that's for sure. Elda Haderlie is gone and now I'm with Elda Hibbert. He just got off of Tuvalu and is a wonderful Elder

We got the chance to teach and re teach Rose and Derrick for their baptisms. Rose recently turned 8 and Derrick's records were lost and it was awesome to teach them. Definitely makes you have to think really hard about what you say when you are teaching.

Vika, the woman we put on baptismal date last week told us a few days ago she was moving to Labasa for the next month to harvest Sugar Cane over there. It was pretty sad but she said that she still has the desire to be baptized when she returns.

Elda Hibbert and I have beautified our flat a lot today and are currently transitioning it into the most spiritual bachelor pad possible.

Well we have some travels tomorrow so that will be fun, but sorry for the short weekly email. We also have Mission tour which will be awesome!

Loloma Bibi

Elda G

Elda Deters is dead. Heading home after "2 Short years."

We got our eyebrows done. Just for fun

Branch Baptism and a Re-baptism. Glad for the opportunity to see the awesome testimonies of children

Only flat in the FSM with double beds.. One of the bedrooms. 

Right after Derrick got Baptized, he shook my hand and whispered, "Sili Mada" or Swim please and then slowly sunk back into the water and swam away. 

Broken Ankles

Well transfer calls came around, and my ankles have been severely smitten.

We've been able to recover pretty nicely over these past few days. We've had a lot of good progress with people this week! So I guess I'll talk about the people a little bit more. Sharen (The one who read the Book of Mormon in 9 days) is getting married to her husband and plans on being baptized soon after!

We also teach a girl named Mere. She didn't want anything to do with us before, but her brother left on his mission about a month ago and has totally changed. It was an amazing feeling walking into her home when she was listening to church songs and was reading the scriptures when we walked in. The spirit was very strong that lesson and it went great!

We taught a woman named Vika. Her husband had passed away and so we taught her about the plan of salvation. The next time we visited her we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel and asked her to pray about it. The next visit she was very excited to tell us she read the pamphlet and prayed and knows it's true!

The main part that I always remember is that us missionaries don't do the converting. We just have to be obedient to the standards and hope we can carry the spirit to them. Then it's up to them to accept or reject. If they accept it's nothing that we did in particular but their accepting of the Holy Ghost. Grateful for that in my missionary work. If it wasn't there i'd be wasting my time.

Loloma Bibi

Elda G

Me and Haderlie before he Flew off

Savusavu sunset

She wanted to take a no smile picture

Sa Kama Vakadua na Vale

Well it was quite an eventful week, probably the most intense week in the mission so far. We finished off our exchanges in Taveuni. It was a good time! Finally made it over there. I got to work with Elda DeBruce and it was a riot! He's a great missionary and it was a fun day.

Then on Wednesday morning we were able to take the boat back to Viti Levu. We had a nice drive and then went and got back to work. We went and started to visit people and then had a few fall throughs and went to visit one recent convert family. We went and had dinner there and then went home after teaching the Plan of Salvation.

Upon arriving home me and my companion saw a strange fire-looking light inside of the house adjacent to ours. My companion and I decided that we needed to go in and check it out. When we got out of the truck we saw smoke coming out of the windows and heard a boy crying and a patting noise that we later found out to be the small boy trying to put out a fire. When we ran inside my companion went into the room and I went and told the rest of the people inside there was a fire and told them to call the Fire Department. It was us, the boy (about 4) and about 4 girls (from 12-18) and one neighbor boy (about 16) started to try to get water on the fire. And then the water cut out so that was great. We were working on putting it out meanwhile on trips back and forth between the sink I had to go outside a few times for fresh air. Too much smoke and I couldn't get low enough. Dry-heaved a few times and then went back in. At that point we realized there was no stopping it because it had taken the whole room and part of the hallway.

At that point we got everyone out of the house and went outside. We asked a few people if everyone was outside and they told us that the boy and the youngest girl were in the room next to where the fire had started. We walked over and sure enough the 2 kids were in the room and at that point was where the adrenaline went from 110% to 150%. I don't remember much, but my companion said that I came out of nowhere and "hulk-smashed" the windows with my hands. But there was a metal mosquito screen blocking us from the inside. One big Fijian man who was the neighbor came and ripped the whole wooden thing off with his bare hands. He took the girl out and the little boy kept jumping out of reach. After a few tries my orangutan arms came in handy and we were able to snatch the boy out of the window.

Then we took the kids to the hospital and by the time we got back the whole complex was up in flames. Then we helped a next door neighbor douse her house with water. After lots of excitement we were at the police station till about 12 giving statements.

The 2 kids got transferred to Labasa for the burn unit and seem to be getting better.

The next day we were walking through a village and saw someone's kitchen cooking fire and I almost threw up. It's all good though we've recovered from that.

But rumor around town is that Fijian Secret Service CRW saved the kids and if they weren't there us elders as well as everyone else would be dead. Seems like the more plausible story to me.

1-4) Taveuni Fun before the excitement

What Fijian Windows look like and what was trapping the kids inside (Minus the burglar bars)

During the Fire

After the Fire

Yes my hair gel got burned in the fire also

Sorry for the Picture and email overload. Hope it looks like a fun time

Sai Taveuni, oqori na yacana, na tagimoucia.

Well Made it out to my 4th island this week! We will be here in Taveuni until Wednesday morning. We took a boat out here this morning (about 2 hours) Very pretty place here! Excited to get some work done.

We had some pretty good progress with investigators here! Nobody ended up coming to church though.... We still had a good time though.

Also got to go on exchanges with the Hindi Elders this week. Fun times with brand new Elder Sherriff. Club kei party hei?

Sorry for the quick email. Running low on time. Hope the pictures make up for it!

Elda Gwilliam

Rainbow over Somosomo's church building

Taveuni gang chowing fried rice 

Waitui's with Elda Sherriff

Overhang

Nice beach

Dirty Grace Road Water

Hello all and to all a goodnight.

It was a great week here in the North. We had zone conference, so we were able to go to Labasa and see more of the island! Way fun times. Also got to see Elda Jonathan again which was a way good time.

We've seen some crazy miracles this week in the work. One of our investigators finished the whole book of mormon in 9 days! She told us that she finished it but we thought she was talking about the thing we invited her to read and then she started talking about stuff in 3rd Nephi and we were like hold up what? And then she said that she had finished the whole thing so that was crazy. She said she knows it is true and that she was going to be baptized when the Village culture allowed it! (Some issue with her not being allowed to leave her house after her new baby was born) Which will be exciting

Well sorry short on time and don't have too many pictures but I did manage to send a picture of a Savusavu sunset and Uncle Jona at Grace Road!

Loloma Bibi

Elda G

I got conjunctivitis

Well yeah it was a good week. Lots of traveling and planes but i'm finally back to the area. While I was travelling my eye felt a little weird and then next thing you know doctor Ishaq told me I needed some medicine soon or i'd need an IV. So yeah it looks like someone sucker punched me and i'm just going to start a rumor that's what happened and see how far it goes.

It was an awesome experience yesterday for Isaia's baptism. Afterward members were just hyping him up and he asked us when the best day for us to come back to his village was because he has people in mind to start visiting!

He had a nice thought that he bore his testimony about. He said that too many people get caught up about the name of the church or nicknames like Mormons or LDS and don't even focus on the church itself. Too many people see those mormons and don't even give them a chance when they don't realize what the church is actually about! Really honestly all we missionaries try to do is help. We don't come to your village to burn down your church and take your money. We just want to help.

We've had a few Americans coming to church who also do humanitarian stuff in Savusavu and they got thrown right into the deep end with an after baptism feast. It made me realize how far i've come with food in general. Looking over at them just looking at their massive plates with items including sea cucumber and pig with the hair still on it as I had tomato sauce on my fingers as Rourou was falling out of my mouth while I licked a bone clean. The mission does things to you.

The Waitui m e g a  burger. Only 6 USD. 

 Savusavu reefs from the sky.

Brother Isaia's baptism! peep the eye. 

More plane

Kwaca na Vatu

It's been a great week. New area, new work, and new people.

Transfers were interesting. Got to ride a plane alone which reminded me of my travels to Fiji. Only a 40 Minute quick ride. My new companion is Elda Haderlie. He's from Wyoming and a hard worker. Lots of nice beaches here.

The work is good here. We have a few people on baptismal date for this month! Way crazy stories here. It's a way great area. The work has been slower in the past but my comp and his last companion really boosted it.  Hope to keep up the Hard work.

Sorry for the shorter email this week. I'll get more pictures and stuff for the next week.

Loloma bibi

Elda Gwilliam

Last area from the Air. Malake island is the weird triangle looking one. 

Me and my last comp. I look like a stickfigure. 

Plane