Fridays are always our clean up day. We have taught everything for the week and so it is a day of stress free work. We do what needs to be done in a really relaxed way. It is so nice. We spent the morning running errands, working at things that did not have to do with lessons, and talking about things.
We spent the afternoon with Elder and Sister Jackson at the institute building. CES has been told that they need to prepare the building speedily for the Jacksons to move in. The Facilities Management team sent Auckland CES director John Maeur a plan to create an office on the front porch of the institute. The roof is there, the cement floor is there, so all it would entail is putting us walls. It was lovely of Auckland CES to conference call us and President Sefeti and ask us if the plan would work for us. They also felt that we should get rid of some of the interior walls so that we could hold firesides. We listened and said that we would get back to them hence this meeting with the Jacksons.
I suggested that it would be better to split the clerks office and the president's office into three offices. One for each senior couple and one to put in the five or six computers for PEF, job searches, and online homework. When we measured, it worked out beautifully. The windows were in just the right places and only a doorway in one office would need to be moved. Simple. Tear down one wall and put up two walls. We also suggested that they enclose the porch, but leave it as part of the lounge. It would become a permanent place for the pool table further away from the conversation area. The space now used by the pool table would be a dual purpose area; semi permanent space for the ping pong table, and and an extension of the lounge area for firesides. We hope they like it, because we really really do not want the wall between the classroom and the lounge removed and a partition put in. Elder Jackson was to draw up the new plans and President Sefeti would send it via email to Auckland. Cross your fingers.
Had a Friday night date and doubled with the Osbournes. We went to the Mango. We chose to eat outside. We had a great time which included great conversation. The Osbournes are a lovely couple and they are here after spending six months in Tonga and six months in Samoa. They will spend six months in Fiji doing what they did in Tonga and Samoa which is work with the LDS secondary schools in the technology area. Elder Osbourne ended his career at Davis High School as a technology teacher. I believe in drafting. Just before our food came, we noticed the tall trees across the fence were shaking. As we watched we realized that we could hear bats shrieks. It looked like black monkeys moving from branch to branch high up in the trees. No monkeys in Fiji. It became apparent that it was fruit bats. They are huge! I had not realized how big fruit bats are. These bats had wingspans as long as hawks. They were using their wings to swing from branch to branch. I love awful fascinating things and this was one of them. We tried to get a picture, but we only had our phone, and Scott was not quite fast enough to get a good one. We will try next time we go. Another first; dinner with bats. Awesome.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
January 31
We finally got the Family History couple to open the center for us. We only had four there, but that is a start.
We had 20 in the temple. We had only one in the session, one in initiatory, and the rest were in the baptistry. When we went into the session at 6:00 there were only seven in the baptistry. It seems that the rest of the YSAs meandered in until 7:30 which, of course, causes a problem for the temple. The laundry is done by the senior sisters, and Sister Davis. When the last baptisms are done at 8:00 whoever is in the laundry does not get out until after 10:00 and on Friday the temple workers have to be the temple early in the morning. We were asked by President Davis and Sister Davis to fix the problem. Sister Davis kept saying,"Tell them we love them and want them in the temple." Over and over.
As we spoke about it, Scott said, "This is like the Parable of the Ten Virgins who were late and the door to the wedding was closed and they were left out forever." Inspiration. It is the way we will approach this issue with the YSAs. I think we will also speak about the House of the Lord is a house of order. We are going to talk about it with each class we teach and then ask them to be in the waiting room of the temple before 5:30. At 5:30 we will go to the baptistry and those not with us will have to go to an endowment session or initiatory or wait till the next week to do baptisms. We are praying that they will feel our love and the love of the Davises.
We had 20 in the temple. We had only one in the session, one in initiatory, and the rest were in the baptistry. When we went into the session at 6:00 there were only seven in the baptistry. It seems that the rest of the YSAs meandered in until 7:30 which, of course, causes a problem for the temple. The laundry is done by the senior sisters, and Sister Davis. When the last baptisms are done at 8:00 whoever is in the laundry does not get out until after 10:00 and on Friday the temple workers have to be the temple early in the morning. We were asked by President Davis and Sister Davis to fix the problem. Sister Davis kept saying,"Tell them we love them and want them in the temple." Over and over.
As we spoke about it, Scott said, "This is like the Parable of the Ten Virgins who were late and the door to the wedding was closed and they were left out forever." Inspiration. It is the way we will approach this issue with the YSAs. I think we will also speak about the House of the Lord is a house of order. We are going to talk about it with each class we teach and then ask them to be in the waiting room of the temple before 5:30. At 5:30 we will go to the baptistry and those not with us will have to go to an endowment session or initiatory or wait till the next week to do baptisms. We are praying that they will feel our love and the love of the Davises.
January 30
OKAY!!!!! Heavenly Father blessed me. The lesson tonight was right on spiritually. I am so grateful! And to think that it was on 'dating'. Maybe I am trying too hard, or being too critical. Anyway, we had a great discussion which was attended by the Holy Ghost.
There were more surprises to come. I told them they had to have a date in the next two weeks. They were excited which surprised me. I thought they would be horrified, but they were excited especially the men. I was also surprised when I asked them to tell me all the free or inexpensive options in Suva for dates. No one--yes your read that right--no one knew of any free or cheap things to do. So being the teacher that I am, I gave them the assignment to come back to class next Wednesday with five to ten ideas for free or cheap dates. I will also ask the young married employees in the Service Center what they did/do for cheap dates. Should be interesting.
There were more surprises to come. I told them they had to have a date in the next two weeks. They were excited which surprised me. I thought they would be horrified, but they were excited especially the men. I was also surprised when I asked them to tell me all the free or inexpensive options in Suva for dates. No one--yes your read that right--no one knew of any free or cheap things to do. So being the teacher that I am, I gave them the assignment to come back to class next Wednesday with five to ten ideas for free or cheap dates. I will also ask the young married employees in the Service Center what they did/do for cheap dates. Should be interesting.
January 29
I love studying the Doctrine and Covenants. I love that teaching forces me to study in depth. Scott taught D&C Section 6 tonight. He did a marvelous job as always. We had 25 students in the class. Almost all of those attending come to learn which blesses our lessons and us.
January 28
Read a quote by President Kimball in my studies for my next Doctrine and Covenants lesson. He said that if repenting did not include pain, we had not truly repented. It has bothered me some as I have not always felt pain. Guilt surely. EVERY TIME. Great sorrow every time, put not pain. Or maybe I think the pain should be agony. I have been studying The Atonement. It is hard to remember all the times I have repented as I have to do it so often, but I can only think of two/three times I have felt anguish or agonizing pain. When I get a minute I will have to reread "The Miracle of Forgiveness."
January 27
Up at 5:45. At 7:00 Vasemaca arrived at our house. Opened the chapel at 7:15 with the guards key. Only Olive was there. At 7:20 Elder Jackson showed up. At 7:30 had ten YSAs. Even offering breakfast did not make a difference. Fed muffins to the ten who were there and then I led practice at 7:35 as Maggie was not there yet; she had problems and did not show up until the meeting had started. Six YSA women came in so late they had to sit in the back of the overflow. Two of our YSA men were at the sacrament table and did not get up to sing. I will never get used to this----NEVER.
The choir sang beautifully. How can these young people sing 'because I have been given much, I too must give' with so much feeling? They have so little. However, they mean it when they sing it. I was so touched as was Scott.
We spent over an hour getting those with callings to their ward buildings. We drove to Nasinu first dropping off YSAs as we went and then turned right around and came back to Suva into Tamavua and then out to Lami. Filipe was giving a talk in his Sacrament Meeting and we got him to Lami at exactly 10 a.m.
Our ward Relief Society President, Sister Bahn, was released today. As I was asking her if she needed condolences or congratulations, she told me that the Relief Society presidents in this ward only serve six months---that is right 6. She was quite proud that she had lasted eight. I know that leaders here do almost all the work, but I did not realize it was quite that bad. I do know that there are only four visiting teaching routes with about seven sisters to be visited in each route. I do not know who is visiting the rest of the sisters in this ward, but I am sure there are more than 28 relief society sisters in the ward.
Ate lunch with the Jarmans. They are the neatest couple. I just love Sister Jarman; she is kind, perky, and a lot of fun. Elder Jarman takes such good care of her.
The choir sang beautifully. How can these young people sing 'because I have been given much, I too must give' with so much feeling? They have so little. However, they mean it when they sing it. I was so touched as was Scott.
We spent over an hour getting those with callings to their ward buildings. We drove to Nasinu first dropping off YSAs as we went and then turned right around and came back to Suva into Tamavua and then out to Lami. Filipe was giving a talk in his Sacrament Meeting and we got him to Lami at exactly 10 a.m.
Our ward Relief Society President, Sister Bahn, was released today. As I was asking her if she needed condolences or congratulations, she told me that the Relief Society presidents in this ward only serve six months---that is right 6. She was quite proud that she had lasted eight. I know that leaders here do almost all the work, but I did not realize it was quite that bad. I do know that there are only four visiting teaching routes with about seven sisters to be visited in each route. I do not know who is visiting the rest of the sisters in this ward, but I am sure there are more than 28 relief society sisters in the ward.
Ate lunch with the Jarmans. They are the neatest couple. I just love Sister Jarman; she is kind, perky, and a lot of fun. Elder Jarman takes such good care of her.
January 26
I spent this morning catching up on this blog. I can not believe I had not posted anything for almost a month. Thank heaven for my iPad. It goes everywhere with me, and I have gotten in the habit of writing my journal notes as I sit waiting. I write in my iPad because I have figured out that the reason I can not keep this blog current is that by the time we get home at night I am too exhausted to think let alone write, and then the mornings go so fast that I find myself once again coming home at 9 or 10 too tired.
Worked on the blog from 9 until about noon and then changed and went to eat lunch with the seniors which lasted until three. We raced home and I made muffins for the YSAs who are singing tomorrow morning for the Samabule 2nd ward's ward conference. The muffins are an incentive to come to practice in the morning at 7:15 a.m.
I was not quite finished at 5:30 when Sameli's baptism was supposed to start, but knowing Fiji time I figured I had time to bake the last batch. Got to Sameli's baptism at 5:50, practiced our song once with the YSAs and then went into the baptism which had not started yet.
Scott saved me tonight. He recommended that since the YSAs were all sitting in the choir seats, because that is where Bishop Sautu has those who attend baptisms sit that I should just ask them to stay and practice for the ward conference tomorrow. Great idea, except I had asked Elder Jackson to come whenever it was convenient between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. to play the piano for our practice at the institute. Scott said start anyway. He left to go to the institute to see if Elder Jackson had come and sure enough he was walking towards the chapel as the institute was locked up. Tender mercy! Elder Jackson had decided to come early. We had chosen "Because I Have Been Given Much." Filipe was not at the baptism nor later in the institute and he was supposed to lead. Thankfully I can always count on Maggie.
Worked on the blog from 9 until about noon and then changed and went to eat lunch with the seniors which lasted until three. We raced home and I made muffins for the YSAs who are singing tomorrow morning for the Samabule 2nd ward's ward conference. The muffins are an incentive to come to practice in the morning at 7:15 a.m.
I was not quite finished at 5:30 when Sameli's baptism was supposed to start, but knowing Fiji time I figured I had time to bake the last batch. Got to Sameli's baptism at 5:50, practiced our song once with the YSAs and then went into the baptism which had not started yet.
Scott saved me tonight. He recommended that since the YSAs were all sitting in the choir seats, because that is where Bishop Sautu has those who attend baptisms sit that I should just ask them to stay and practice for the ward conference tomorrow. Great idea, except I had asked Elder Jackson to come whenever it was convenient between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. to play the piano for our practice at the institute. Scott said start anyway. He left to go to the institute to see if Elder Jackson had come and sure enough he was walking towards the chapel as the institute was locked up. Tender mercy! Elder Jackson had decided to come early. We had chosen "Because I Have Been Given Much." Filipe was not at the baptism nor later in the institute and he was supposed to lead. Thankfully I can always count on Maggie.
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