November 22

Tuesday morning as we were walking to the institute on of the teachers at the Primary School called to me.  I left Scott to continue on to open the institute.  The teacher asked me if we were free on Thursday morning and I indicated that we were.  She then asked if Scott and I would be the honored guests and the end of the year awards ceremony for the kindergarten (kindie) and classes 1 through 3.  I told her we would be honored.  She told me she would bring us the official invitation before we left the institute at 2:30.  Well she missed us.  We did not get the invitation until early on Wednesday morning.  We opened the invitation and sure enough we were the honored guests.  We had not, however, anticipated that there was a speech to the students included in that position.  

What does one say to 5 to 8 year olds on the theme "The glory of God is intelligence, in other word light and truth?"  Scott was so busy getting his Book of Mormon lesson prepared for later today, I knew I would have to come up with something---fast.  Yesterday before we went to the institute at 6 o'clock, I threw some ideas together.  Fleshed it out after we got home at 9.  Thought about it all night, and then made Scott sit down at home early today to go over the ideas I had trying to come up with the perfect talk.  We then rushed to the Service Center to type the outline up and then raced to the LDS Primary School.  What was I worried about we had a whole five minutes to spare.  I was fine with everything until I came around the corner and saw all these parents sitting in the back of the chapel (Samabula Ward chapel is also the auditorium for the primary school) and out into the cultural hall.  Indeed, the entire cultural hall was full.  GULP!!!!  Of adults.   

Our View from the Stand.
Graduates in front
Parents filled the Cultural Hall.

They gave us the most beautiful leis.  Fijians do not use the word lei, but I do not know what they do use.  We gave our talk which was short, interactive, active, and funny (thanks to Scott's subtle humor).  Then we were privileged to give each child his/her award and shake her/his hand.  The kids were so darling.  The girls curtsied to us and then the audience.  The boys bowed instead.  The parents were so proud of them.  As they were coming through I got all teared up.  Here, here is the future of Fiji, but more importantly HERE is the future of God's church in Fiji.  I was honored.

The Leis Given Us at
the Primary School
Graduation

A Closeup of the Leis

Class 1(1st Grade) Graduates
Almost all wore leis which
were not made of fresh flowers.

Scott Awarding Certificates of
Completion.

The Speech (both of us at the podium)

LaNae 
Bula brothers and sisters.  Bula vinaka, children.
Congratulations to all students for a great year, and for these awards
We understand your theme is "The glory of God is intelligence"  Do you know what intelligence is?  It means smart and wise.

Scott
Who knows where you lived before your were born?  (They knew--with Heavenly Father)
Why did Heavenly Father send you here to earth?  (little harder--to get a body)
Raise your hand if you have a body?  (Scott's humor here.)
Lets see how this body works.
     touch your nose         put your hands on your head             shake your neighbors hand
     wave good-bye          look up
Aren't we grateful to Heavenly Father for our bodies.

LaNae
There is another reason Heavenly Father sent us to earth 
Do you know what that is?  (to learn; to learn through experiences)
Heavenly Father wants us to learn!  He wants us to be smart.
There are things we sometimes do that make us bad learners.
In America a thumbs up=good (demonstrating) thumbs down=bad (demonstrating)
I am going to name some actions that make us good or bad learners.  
Will you tell me which is which by using your thumbs.
    listening quietly in class          getting to class late                            doing your best in school
    missing school                          helping others do well in school      talking out in class
    praying that H.F. will help you learn                   not completing assignments
    learning from your mom/dad                                being reverent in Sacrament Meeting
    readin a book during the summer holiday         reading your scriptures

Scott
Even though you are not in school, you can please Heavenly Father by learning everything you can this summer.

November 21

Our speaker tonight was President Sefiti.  He is the seminary and institute coordinator for all of Fiji which makes him our boss; he is the president of the Suva Stake, but more importantly he is our friend.  I just love him.  He is fun to be around.  He and Scott play pool after our Monday meetings; they are battling it out for the best pool player award.  He has a great sense of humor, and yet I have watched him lead with the Spirit.  Sometimes he almost glows with the Spirit.  It is an honor to associate with him in every compacity.

He has a wonderful conversion story which we wanted him to tell. He also had a miraculous experience getting his family to the temple. In brief, he and his wife had told his Bishop, who had set up a ward temple trip, that he, Sister Sefeti, and their two children would go to the temple in Tonga to be sealed as an eternal family. He began saving, but he did not earn much and it was slow going.  Some time before the trip his boss at the LDS Primary School asked him if his salary was sufficient.  No Fijian is going to say "no"to a question like that;  they do not want to lose their job. He told the principal that his salary was OK. The principal never mentioned it again. Two months before the trip President S. realized that he would not have the money to get his family to Tonga, but he told no one.  The school year ended and when President S. had cleaned up his room and done all that was required of him, he went to see the principle as is customary. They had the final interview and the principal handed him his pay check in an envelope. President Sefeti went home and it was night before he opened it. Inside was way more money than his normal pay; the principal had given him a raise and paid him that raise all together in his last check. It was more than enough to get his family to Tonga and the temple.

November 20

Today was our second Temple Tuesday.  We had seven in the baptistry and two in endowments.  We are so grateful for these wonderful Fijian young adults.  Two of the girls doing baptisms for the dead were so excited to have a recommend which they informed me with enthusiasm and wonder were good for a whole year---a whole year!

Scott did not need to worry.  Word had spread and we had 19 in Mission Prep.  

November 19

After thinking and praying over the weekend and much discussion, we decided to move the Mission Prep class to Tuesdays right after the temple session.  I just felt that following that wonderful spiritual experience with pool was not such a great idea.  Scott was worried that no one would come to the Mission Prep class as we had not announced any of these changes, although as soon as we made the decision Scott made up new schedules to pass around.  We also decided to have Scott teach Book of Mormon on Thursdays at 5:30 to replace the Mission Prep class.  He has been out of sorts because he isn't doing enough with this summer schedule unlike me who is glad for the easier schedule.  I am only teaching piano.  Oh yeah, leading the new choir.  

Today was Scott's first real Pday.  We have not had any Pdays as we just do what needs to be done when it needs to be done, or when we are invited to do it.  Since we arrived in Fiji we have not had one whole day free.  So today with the APs and Elder Whiting, Scott went golfing.  He had a great time and came home so happy although the grass on the golf courses (that should be spelled coarses) is sup par.  I just went to the office and worked on the computer all morning.  

We were just about to go to bed tonight when Scott said he had to go up to the office.  We have one of those credit card keys that lets us in anytime.  I tried to talk him out of it, but up he went.  He was gone for quite a while longer than I had thought and just as I was getting worried, he came in and told me he was taking Usa who was sleeping in temple housing and leaving on his mission early in the morning and several other YSA men to President Seru's home.  It seems that President Seru was supposed to go to Temple Housing after 8 o'clock to set Usa apart for his mission, but at 9 he had not shown up yet.  Scott told Usa and the other YSAs that President would show up and went to do his work.   When he was done and leaving he checked on Usa and President Seru had still not come.  He drove all of the YSAs to the president's home, sent Usa in and sure enough, the president had forgotten.  The president told them to go back and he would come which he did slowly and so by the time the setting apart had been done, and Scott had driven everyone home that was going home including the president, it was well after 11:30 p.m.  So nice to have a husband who hears and obeys inspiration.

November 18

Went to the Samabula 2nd Ward to watch Oni be confirmed.  It was interesting that no one had been asked to do it.  The APs and the bishopbric were in the circle.  The newest AP was asked to do it by the bishop.  The spirit was so strong.  I am afraid that I do not remember anything about the rest of the meeting.

November 17

Oni was baptized tonight. We closed the institute until after her baptism, then opened it for a movie.  Oni, short for Mereoni, was brought to the institute by the sister missionaries. She has been attending activities and classes when she can. She works full time, and I believe, had some difficulty with her parents over the discussions and had to move them away from home to the church. She did the last four during institute class on Thursdays. I would imagine her folks thought she was at institute when in reality she was having the discussions.

Most of the YSAs showed up at the baptism to support her. It is a good thing they did as her parents were not in attendance. I was flattered to be asked to give the opening prayer.  Monika (mo nee kaw) gave the talk on baptism, and Timoci (Tee mo thy) gave the one on confirmation; both are YSAs.  The YSAs that attended the institute had a special number that they had prepared to sing. Scott and I sang with them. They had practiced on Thursday night before and after class. Last Saturday I heard this beautiful singing and when I went to investigate about 10 YSAs were on the front porch being led by Filipe. The hymn is one found only in the Fijian hymn book.  It has a lovely tune and a beautiful bass descant. Thursday the practicing was spontaneous; someone would be playing pool and start singing the hymn others would join in. Several minutes later someone playing cranboard would start and everyone would join in.  This happened all night long.

For the baptism, we sat in the choir seats in the chapel instead of in the pews so that we would feel closer to each other. When the YSAs sang they stood in front of the pews facing Oni.  It was a sweet thing.

Every chapel in Suva has its own baptismal font which is located outside in a courtyard.  Oni will be confirmed tomorrow in church.

Scott wants me to included that the movie we showed was Enchanted.  I couldn't bear to watch it for a third time, so I sat in the foyer/lounge hoping to read, however, a recently returned missionary (less than a week) came out before the movie had been going 10 minutes.  She just did not feel right about watching a movie yet.  We talked for the entire movie.  Some times one is privileged to be in the right place at the right time.

November 16

OK our schedule is really off; a testimony that experience is the best teacher.  Today we opened the institute at 3 o'clock for activities.  There were only two YSAs there until after 4.  We ended up with seven total.  Obviously too much playing time.

We will think about, and pray about the schedule this weekend.

November 15

Bummer.  Our weekly institute schedule in not perfect.  Today included way too much time to just hang around.  We had set our opening time at 3 o'clock and then scheduled Mission Prep class to start at 5:30.  Two and a half hours to play is too long even though we have many different activities they may choose from.

Played cranboard for the first time tonight.  I am way bad.  Cranboard is a poor man's pool.  The table is square with holes in each corner.  It sits about six inches off the floor.  The object is to get all of your pieces (which look like tiddlee wink pieces only wood) in the holes first.  One does that by flipping the taw into the piece which hopefully goes in the hole.  My flipper finger did not do so good at first, but with lots of tutoring from every Fijian in the room I got better.

Scott's lesson, as usual, was marvelous.  He is so good that we have returned missionaries taking the class.

November 14

We had our first institute fireside tonight.  Principal QaQa (ngaw ngaw) and his wife spoke about their conversion to the church.  That woman is a saint.  He certainly was a cross to bear for her before and after he was baptized.  He was a tough guy; said that his mom and dad were in and out of prison.  They earned their living intimidating people.  When they were in prison people in his village would take care of him hoping that when Dad got out he would be nice to them in appreciation for taking care of his son.  Brother Qaqa's goal was to be tougher than his dad.  He ended up in a boarding school and became a famous rugby and soccer player.  Well, the missionaries found her and she let them in.  He would tell her to tell them he was not home, but she could not.  She explained, "How could I lie in front of my children.  How could I have them see me lie."  It would make him mad when she told the missionaries that he would not come out.  They were baptized, but she was the only one really converted.  He continued to carouse with his friends and many night the bishop would find him drunk and take him home to her.  He spoke of gratitude to the Lord for  being given the truth, and the amazing love of Heavenly Father for all of us.  She of the difference between being baptized and being converted.  The YSAs sat in awe for 70 minutes.  When they were finished Scott told me to end the meeting.  I was so choked up that I prayed all the way to the front of the room for guidance and clear thoughts.  

I told the YSAs that they had heard many messages and that I wanted them to take a minute and listen to the Spirit tell them which message they needed most.  I watched as those wonderful YSAs took my challenge seriously and it was evident when they heard the Spirit whispering to them. That little respite gave me time to get myself together. I ended with my gratitude for the QaQas, and to Heavenly Father for giving us the blessing of the Holy Ghost.

The room was filled to capacity for which we were also grateful. 

November 13

Happy Diwali!

Everything in Fiji shut down today for Diwali.  Diwali is the Hindu holiday of lights.  For over a week we have been listening to loud fireworks, the ones that just go boom really loud, and watching all sorts of fireworks. These fireworks are purchased by private individuals and they are just like the ones we see the fire department set off on the 4th of July.  It worried me some.

Today was the culmination of the celebration we are told.  All the senior couples, but us were invited to  a Hindu home for dinner. Sharing what one has--food--is a huge part of this celebration.  Most of the businesses in Suva are owned by Indians and although all Indians are not Hindu most here are.  So the other couples got invited by their landlords, but our landlord is Fijian. I was feeling kind of bad about missing out on the traditions when our cute little landlady came up with two plates full of food that was left over from what her good Hindu friend had brought to them tonight. It was an interesting meal; a bread like naan only deep fried and greasy which is used to scoop up the curried lentil dish, curried meat which could have been lamb, or beef with tiny bones left in (honest, it was not chicken), a mashed something that looked like stiff mashed potatoes and was slightly sweet (really good), plain rice, and a whole bunch of Indian sweets which are hard to describe.  How nice.

Around 8 o'clock we picked up the Hogges and the Wells and began to ride around looking for the homes that had the prettiest lights. It looks like Christmas in the US.  Of course, fireworks of all varieties were being set of every where we drove. Someone had told us to keep our windows up in case one of the fireworks was aimed incorrectly and sure enough early on some kid set one off that barely cleared our roof. Those things could kill someone, however, we were not diverted from our quest to see all the beautiful homes and see all the fireworks from the best hills in Suva. We dropped everyone off at about 10:30 p.m. because morning comes early as a missionary. Tough for us. We listened to the loud booms and watched the sky light up with the bright fireworks until after 1:30 a.m.

 

November 10

Why do we start at 7 o'clock?  Why?  We held our closing social dance last night.  The committee which is made us of YSAs from each stake chose to start the dance at 7.  We knew better.  If the dance starts at 7 no one will show up until 8.  After 8 they will start coming and by 9 the majority will have arrived.  Next time we are not starting till 8 and saving ourselves from sitting around for one hour.

We had a huge crowd.  200+  The food was good. The decorations were cute. The music was good except it was waaaay too loud. The YSAs had fun. We had an ice breaker with questions they had to ask each other which ended with the questions "If I asked you out would you go?" Not very subtle, Scott.   We also played musical chairs and had a dance contest with prizes. The prizes were--get this--regular Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. They are so expensive here and the kids love American Candy bars.  They fought to win them. In fact, I thought we were going to have a problem when they played musical chairs, but the gentlemen in the last two guys finally came forth. These Fijian kids dance with everyone.  Everyone dances. Girls ask; boys ask. Girls dance alone if they want; boys dance alone. It was fun to watch. Every senior missionary couple came and some even danced. What a great night.

We spent the morning driving around buying the food at cheap factory outlets. The van was full of YSAs.  We bought them lunch and brought the fish and chips home to eat; each meal cost us a whopping $2.50f ($1.50 US) for two big pieces of fish and more chips than anyone would want. The the YSAs left to go decorate the cultural hall. The decorations reminded me of the dances we use to have back, back when I was a teenager.

Decorations and beautiful YSAs
Notice the newspaper on the windows.
They put it up so everyone would have
to come into the dance instead of
standing outside and watching.
It worked.

Final Social Dance.
Sister Jackson in the foreground.

I spent the first hour of the dance helping Vasemaca (vaw seh maw thaw) get her dress (which I drove clear to Cunningham Road to pick up only to find it had already arrived at the dance), get showered which she did at our flat, and get her to the dance.  Brother Wells loaned me his car and Sister Wells accompanied me on our travels.  Fun.

Half way through the dance I realized I did not have a camera.  Dumb.  I started to walk to the flat when I realized I did not have the umbrella. Because getting it meant going into the dance, finding Scott to get the car keys, getting the umbrella out of the car, returning the keys to Scott and then walking home, I decided I would be fine without it.  Sure.  I got home, got the camera and by the time I was walking out of the flat it was pouring. I decided to sit it out, but after 15 minutes and no let up, I threw on my little rain jacket and ran for it. By the time I got to the church which is less than half a block, I was soaked. It was worth it, because I got great pictures.

Oh, one fun thing that happened today.  Elenoa had to go home while we were out buying food.  Of course we took all six YSAs with us.  When she got out, I suggested we have a contest to see who could guess how long she would be gone.  Right away her brother, Timoci (teem o thee) said it would be ten minutes.  Everyone guessed around that.  By the time I got a guess all the good times were gone, so I picked the second to the longest time.  So we began to watch the clock.  By the time she was standing across the road from the van ten minutes has passed, the kids who had times left were screaming for her to cross, but she could not.  There was a long line of steady traffic.  Everyone moaned when their time passed. I watched the clock and as usual it looked like Scott was going to win. He always wins the "guess how long" game.  I started yelling, "Don't cross, Elenoa.  Don't cross."  Just as the minute hand moved from 17 which was Scott's time to 18 which was mine, Elenoa put her hand on the door handle.  I had won!!!!   I gave Elenoa fifty cents which was the big prize.  It was so fun to watch them.

The theme for the dance.

Oni (with back to us)
Me dancing with Vasemaca in her
new dress.

November 9

Woke up this morning cold.  Was huddled under the bedspread.  When I did not get warm, I began to wonder what the temperature was.  Scott made two Celsius to Fahrenheit charts; one he put on the end of the kitchen cupboard, the other on the AC unit in our bedroom.  We do not turn the power off to the AC unit in our bedroom as it is the one we had trouble with and do not want anymore trouble nor do we want to live without the AC when we need it.  So I got up and checked the digital temperature reading on the AC.  It said 25.  Now I have been here long enough to know that 25 celcius is what we set the AC at in the institute.  If we set it lower the kids freeze.  Get to it, La Nae, I can hear you say!  Well, 25 is 77 degrees Fahrenheit.  77 and I am cold?   Alleluia!  Hopefully this means when the real heat comes we will have adjusted and it will not seem so hot.  Am wearing a sweater today.

Taught our final Pearl of Great Price class last night.  I was to covered Joseph Smith History--all of it in one lesson.  Couldn't do it.  Joseph Smith is a favorite.  I love his story.  I am so grateful for the work he did under horrible trials.  So coward that I am, I took the easy way out.  I took all the principles that we learn from those 75 verses and had the students teach them.  They paired up, and I had them read a sections of verses to get the story line, then they reread just the verses that the principle came from and additional verses from all the scriptures that explained the principle and helped them understand it.  They were to then give a short lesson of three to four minutes explaining what happened in Joseph's life, what the principle we learn from what happened, how the principle affects our lives today, tell an experience they may have had with the principle, and bear their testimony.  It turned out so good.  These kids do not know it all, but they know the gospel is true.  The testimonies and personal experiences were amazing.  Much better coming from them than from me.  I had a hard time with my testimony when I ended the class.  It is such a privilege to be in their midst.

November 6

Woke up with a horrid sore throat.  Decided to stay away from the service center.  Because we have lollies (wrapped hard candies) in a dish on our desk, we see lots of our fellow workers every day.  Did not want to pass this around.  Was grateful for the books sent to us by Brandon Larsen, because they provided me with something to read and stave off the boredom.   I am reading Gerald Lund's historical novel "Undaunted".  It is about the Hole in the Rock Expedition of Saints who traveled from the Cedar City area to the Montezuma Creek/Bluff area of Southern Utah.  I like the way he writes.  It has been a good read.

I did teach my piano class today although I probably should not have.  Because the stake was advancing 25-26 men in the priesthood, I told President Seru that we would vacate the institute building.  Darling man said he was fine doing the ordinations in the institute kitchen and out on the front porch.  Not on my watch!  So we had individual lessons at our flat which was such a blessing.  Working with one student at a time gets so much more done.  I could see what they knew and did not know and then we could address it.   I am thinking that once a month we will have individual lessons.

Isn't it amazing that when one does the right thing blessings come. I would never have done individual lessons unless I had honored the priesthood enough to give up our classroom.  One never gets ahead of the Lord.

November 5

Spent the day trying to figure out our summer schedule for institute.  School ends the week of the 16th; we want to provide more open time so the YSAs have a place to come and play.

Our final decision looks like this.
Monday        open          3 to 5     activities of their choice
Tuesday        temple       10          baptisms or a session
                     open          12 to 2   activities of their choice
Wednesday   open          6            activities
                     speaker      6:30       speaker
                     close          8
Thursday      open          3 to 5     activities
                     class           5:30
Friday           open          3 to 5     activities

Looks good.  Hope it is what the YSAa need.

November 4

Our first job this morning was to go to Lami and pick up a couple that is here from Idaho.  The Taylors live in or near Rexburg although he works for a company in Northern California.  He telecommutes for work.  They are here because they have a goal to visit all the temples in the world.  This trip is to cover the South Pacific region temples.  They have been to the Hamilton, New Zealand Temple,  the Tonga Temple and our temple here in Fiji.  They leave here for Australia and all the temples there and will pick up the Samoan Temple on the way home.  Brother Taylor says they could not get to the Tahiti temple this trip.

So we picked them up to take them to stake conference held in the LDS College gymnasium. We knew they were here because they faxed the temple asking someone there to email them. They have found that the senior temple couples will help them know which hotels to book, where to eat, etc.  My guess is they have also found that those same couples will chauffeur them around which we did, and offer to feed them which is what Elder and Sister Jarman did today. We were lucky to get invited to Sunday lunch also.

The Jarmans are a wonderful couple.  He has worked for the church forever and mostly in the temple department so he is a wealthy of information.  It is, however, Sister Jarman that is the real attraction.  She is so sweet, and so fun.  We love being with them.

We also were invited for dinner at the Hogges.  Two dinners in one day.  It is a record.  It was so nice.  The food was excellent.  The conversations were uplifting.  A great day.

November 3

Stake Conference began today. Priesthood was at our Samabula (sawm awm bula) chapel. The session started at two o'clock and lasted two hours.  The adult session began at four.

We heard from our wonderful Stake RS president and Primary president. It is interesting that the Stake RS president is also the YA advisor in her ward, she works full time at the LDS College as an assistant principle, and has two YSAs living with her that are not her own children. Sister Miawiriwiri (my weary weary) is, indeed, a remarkable woman.   Sister Qaqa (ngawn gaw) is also remarkable but for different reasons.  She is the one who listened to the missionaries first, kept listening until her husband joined.  In fact, she said that he told her to tell the missionaries he was not home when they would come, but "I could not lie.  I had small children.  I did not want them to see me lie."  She has had 11 children, and has fostered many relatives children.  Right now she has two Korean children who live with them because their father asked.  He felt that they would be better off in Fiji in the church schools and  in an LDS home.  So the Qaqas took the children for him.

It is such a privilege to be among these great women.  It is a privilege to be a woman and I am grateful to be one.

November 2

Scott has been swimming two or three times a week lately.  Suva has a wonderful Olympic sized pool.  A week or two ago, he lost the hearing in one ear.  He figured it was swimmers ear, so he started to put hydrogen peroxide in his ear.  It made it worse.  Then the other ear started to have problems.  Our mission nurse sent him to a Dr. Mitchell who is Australian by training, but married a Fijian and moved to Suva in the 1980s.  It has taken her three visits to get his hearing back, and the resulting infection cleared up.  I laughed when she told him "No more fingers in your ears."  She obviously has not looked at his fingers.  Scott has wonderful hands that are large--square really.  He could not get any of his fingers in his ear.  We decided she really meant q-tips.  It is good not to have to repeat everything I say two or three times.  Through this I also realized that when one does not hear very well, hearing requires effort things like; turning to look at the speaker, getting closer, trying to fill in the pieces that were missed, etc.  We are both now praying that our hearing lasts for years to come.

Fed the APs tonight.  Elder Meyer has gone home.  We will miss him.  His replacement is Elder Hawk.  He is pretty green--only thirteen months in the mission field--to be an AP.  I always ask if the Elders want something special for dinner.  It is interesting that the senior AP always answers the question.  Elder Estill wanted cookies and cream ice cream.  Easy! And I do not like it so the leftovers will never tempt me.  Nice!