Proselyted in a cyclone! *NoT CliCKbaIT*

It was another awesome week here in Fiji.

Well it was another cyclone. It was more intense than the one last year but still not too crazy. Everytime you ask any Fijian what the latest new is, they will all guaranteed give you a different answer. But the cyclone didn't do much, just knocked a few dead trees over and cut out water and electricity for a few days. We just got our water back this morning and our electricity yesterday.

It's been a good week work wise too. We had to end up dropping a lot of our people here these last few days. Many of them are so willing to accept a date and follow through on smaller commitments but when it comes to church and a few of the commandments it's always a roadblock.

But on a good note one of our people really opened up to us this week. We were finding some new people and stumbled across a member from the English ward. We came back a few times to visit and met his caretaker! We gave her a Book of Mormon and she had endless questions for us. Then just these past few days she told us that she has never met with any other denominations but she felt like she should meet with us here we are! Cool stuff!

Well other than that it's been a pretty good week. New transfer, new year! Loloma bibi vakanuinuivinaka ena nomuni yabaki vou!


Elda Gwilliam

Closed it a little too fast. Now there's no excuses for forgetting her reading assignment

 Flooding from my first area

Storm Chasers

Some clever seatbelt propaganda.

Siga Ni Sucu

It's christmas time. And the only way you can tell is because Feliz Navidad is on repeat. There's about 3 christmas songs in Fiji and that seems to be the most liked.

Running short on time, but thought I would share some pictures and some scripture insights.

I was reading in the BofM the other day and thought it was interesting how even the worst of the worst can be saved through Christ's Grace.

Alma the Younger was the "vilest of Sinners" and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies were the "Most lost of all mankind" but regardless they were saved through Christ's atonement. Just a reminder that nobody is lost and that Christ is always waiting for us to repent.

Love you all!

Elda Gwilliam

Vilisi and Elizabeth

Rainbow

"Christ walked on water, but i'm walking on air."

That quote is from recently baptized Adi after getting out of the temple for the first time. It was also my first time at the temple since the MTC. She was really happy and wants to go every day now.

Our area is pretty much right next to the temple, so it's nice to see the temple all the time. The church did a good job of picking the spot. You can see it for miles pretty much anywhere in Suva and greater Suva area. We could even see it on Korobaba.

We've been making good progress with our people! Are wasn't able to get married this week so his date may be pushed back a little bit.

Also both the Church Technical college and the Church Primary school are in our area, so every once in a while a less-active brings their 9 year old kids to get baptized for the member discount on tuition, but then sometimes it reactivates the parent! So we have been teaching Elizabeth for a few weeks and hopefully will be baptized this next week.

Well that's pretty much it. Don't take the temple for granted

Elda Gwilliam

Adi

Peep the Obedience

Temple

sa cabeta oti na ulunivanua cecere duadua i suva

We hiked Mount Korobaba this morning, which is the highest mountain in Suva. It was over in just under an hour but pretty much a staircase the whole time with Fijian summer heat. It was a fun time though my legs were uncontrollably shaking afterwards.

Are and his wife Lou have been progressing great over these last few days. We were teaching him the other day about living prophets and it was hard for him to catch it. Finally we explained that Russell M Nelson is like a living Moses here on earth. He responded with, "Parofita sa bula tiko? yawa." (Prophets are living? Far out.) We asked him to pray and ask God if He was a prophet and he said, "It's okay Elders, We believe everything that you share in this home."

Well i'm about out of time so I'll send some pics to make up for the short email. Love you all!

Elda Gwilliam

Korobaba (Gotta flex the fake preme)

Elder D'Arc from the intake

Exchanges and Temple with Elder Hibbert

Mosquito Island Badge Pic from last week

Us with Ratu

Service

Oca

It was a great week. Once again. We teach some really cool people so I'll just talk about that because my mind is drawing a blank on everything else.

A few weeks ago a man walked up to the Suva Zone Leaders and asked them how he could be baptized, but he lived in our area so they referred him to us. We've taught him these last few weeks and he has been progressing great! Always accepts the things we teach, and loves the Book of Mormon. We set his baptismal date a few days ago.

We also just recently started teaching one other lady. She walked up to our van when we were waiting for an appointment and started talking to us. We had seen her once before but she said that she felt prompted to talk to us. Then we invited her to church and she came! Very Cool.

We taught a man whose father is Chinese and his Mom is Fijian. We invited him to pray about Joseph Smith's story and he said, "Sure. Nothing to lose and something to gain I guess." It was awesome to see his humble and willing attitude. Plenty of people wouldn't even consider the offer.

That's pretty much it right now. We got a lot done this week but it seems like the weeks where lots happens I remember the least. Love you all!

Elda Gwilliam

Soli wale

Twas a nice week. Started off pretty nice. Elder Rasband came to visit his grandson which was nice because he met with all the missionaries as well. It was awesome to hear from him and everyone was really excited to go do missionary work afterwards. He talked a lot about the importance of following the spirit when doing missionary work and it's the same back home. If you have the promptings to talk to someone about the gospel do it!

Adi was baptized as well! She's been meeting with the missionaries for about 7 months now and now everything worked out for her to be baptized. We also started visiting a less-active man who lives in her house (who was also baptized in Missouri, close to Odessa as a matter of fact)  and he says that now is his time to change! He knows he was being prideful and says that he is starting his pathway back to church. We have family home evening scheduled with them tonight!

Cool Miracle. In Savusavu, the one lady that we put on baptismal date in the area close to Brother Nainoca's home went to a wedding one time and never came back. I was always just waiting for her to come back so we could visit her and she never did. Well we talked to her neighbors and she was in Suva. Then just a few days ago we were walking down the street after a few fall throughs and I saw her son walking towards us on the side of the road! We talked to him and got his mom's number and now she permanently moved into my new area! Coincidence? I think not. But we've made contact with her and I'm excited to see what comes from it.

The primary program was yesterday which was awesome. Love watching those. The Stake President in my first area made an interesting comment about a year back. He talked about how the Primary is the only organization in the church that gets its own sacrament meeting. There's no YSA program, there's no Priesthood Program. So maybe Heavenly Father wants us to learn from them. I can attest that it's true. Even if the kids do try eating the microphone.

Love you all, bout to head to mosquito island.

Elda Gwilliam

Adi got baptized! (I don't know why Fijians never smile in pictures. LIterally every time we've been over there she's talked about how excited she was to be baptized with a big smile)

Share a coke with Boso.

Elder Rasband and *most* of the FSM. Let's just say good thing I got off the North island when I did

Hello and Goodbye

Plenty of goodbyes. Got transferred to the Tacirua area this week. My new comp is Elder Tautu who went to Lone Peak and we are going to have a good time. The work here is going really well and I'm excited to be here.

Just started off with Ana and Salome's baptism! Our area has a TON of people, and it's weird finding people who have lived there for years and never had the missionaries meet with them before. And so many people here are from Naitasiri which is fun to make connections. Veivosaki VakaNaitasiri mada.

Elder Rasband's grandson lives in this mission and he is coming to go on exchanges with him, but he has set up a meeting with most of the missionaries in Fiji! I guess that's a nice perk of having the grandson of an Apostle in the mission. That will be this Thursday

Well I think that's about it for this week.

Elda Gwilliam

 Elder Tautu my new comp, Hunky Dogs, and our van

Massive Yaqona (Grog) plant behind me. Worth a Few thousand

 Hibiscus Flower

Vuniyasawa Kids

Goodbyes with Derrick and his Fam (Plus one random Indian Kid)

Farewell to Elder Jonathan

Ana and Salome got baptized.