August 5

Left home at sometime after 6:45 a.m. to do my thrice weekly walk up Princess Road towards LDS College.  I stopped for a short time to talk to Sister and Elder Wells and Sister Updike.  I really did not want to be walking, but after I turned the corner by the temple to go up the hill, I found myself getting into the groove.  I was really hauling--for an out-of-shape 66 year old woman.  I passed the grocery story, MH, in about 15 minutes.  I had just decided to go all the way to the LDS College when I noticed two dogs just sitting in the driveway of a home.  They were just there watching the road.  I did not pay too much attention to them.  I walked about ten feet beyond the driveway when I felt real sharp pain in my calf.  It took me a moment to realize that one of the dogs had bitten me.  I jerked my leg away, and, I hate to admit it, screamed.  I turned just in time to see a black Doberman let go, thankfully, and head back up the driveway. 

I looked down and my leg was a mass of blood.  It was running into my shoe.  A sweet Fijian man who was waiting for a bus came to help me.  When I started looking for something to stop the bleeding, he stopped me and started to take of his shirts--shirt s.  He had on three probably to keep warm.  He gave me the middle shirt to use to stop the blood flow.  I wiped my leg and saw three puncture wounds and one long tear which probably happened when I jerked my leg.  The man told me the dog lived at the driveway house.  I was going to limp home, but decided to take a cab when I got to the taxi stand.  The driver helped me into the car, and while driving me home told me the Doberman lived at the house with the driveway next to the taxi stand.

I got home just as Scott was pulling up from his swim, and we went into the house and cleaned me up, washed my shoe and then Scott insisted that we report it to the police.  They wanted us to drive them to the house where it happened.  When we got to the house, the lady was outside and preceded to tell us that the dog was a stray.  She vehemently denied owning the dog.  We took the police back to their station, Scott filled out the preliminary form and we went to the mission home to have Sister Limburg, the new mission nurse, look at the wound.  She said we absolutely had to go to the hospital which we did.  There we checked in, waited, had my vital signs taken (why?), waited, saw the Doc who gave us a prescription for an antibiotic and at Scott's insistence an antibiotic cream, waited, and then a nurse cleaned up the wound and dressed it.  That was so painful.  She stuck a syringe (no needle) into each wound and irrigated it with iodine. GULP!  We were told to come back in the morning to redress it.  I will have it done by Sister Limburg who wants to watch it anyway and there is no charge and no waiting.

I am in considerable pain.

We spent part of the day helping Edwards shop for ties.  I rested.  Had Dinner at the Wellses.  It was nice to be busy so that I would think about something besides my leg.

I could not sleep as my leg hurt so much.  Turned out the lights at 12:30 p.m., but did not fall asleep until after 2:00 a.m.

The Dog Bite

August 4

Wame (wah may), who is male, was confirmed in church today.  Bishop Farpa'pau did the confirmation.  Bishop is such a spiritual man.  The blessing he gave was amazing.

It was Fast Day today.  I love Fast meetings in our Samabula Ward.  There are never any silent times and the testimonies are just that--testimonies.  No travel logs.  No thank-a-monies.  Just pure testimony.  Today, however there were many--but not long--quiet times in the meeting.  I kept track today of the topics of the testimonies: this is the true church; charity never faileth, as a daughter of God, my life has a plan, a purpose, and a destiny; faith is found in the lion's den, in the fiery furnace, and in the eye of the storm; I would not change my trials for anyone else's, because I know my trials will make me stronger and better; always serve God; if we pray with sincerity Heavenly Father will always answer us and he will answer what is best for us.

Sister Farpa'pau told about an experience that Bishop had this week in one of his university classes.  The professor asked each person to stand and answer the question "Who are you?"  When it was Bishop's turn he stood and said, " I am a son of God."  Before he could say anymore the professor said, "Bah" along with a wide swipe of his hand.  He did not want to hear it.  I am proud of the Bishop.  We should always be proud to stand firm for the truths of God.

August 3

We were invited to and attended Mereani Delaitubuna's 21st birthday.  Twenty-first birthdays are a big deal here in Fiji.  Even poor families find a way to do a big celebration.  Mereani's was held in a restaurant downtown.  She had invited her entire family.  There were between 35-50 people in attendance.

There is always what mother calls a program with Fijian occasions.  There was an opening song, and prayer.  Her brother-in-law was the emcee; a relative from her mother's side and one from her father's spoke, a member of the bishopbric spoke, Scott was asked to speak for the institute, her mother talked, and then Mereani spoke.  All of the talks were in Fijian except Scott's talk and part of Mereani's.

It is interesting that Mereani's mother gave her a big wooden key.  When I asked why, Mereani explained that it is a symbol that she is grown and can now go out and do whatever she choses to do.  Interesting.

After the program Scott gave the prayer on the food, we ate and I really loved the miji (me chi).  The cake was in the form of an open book with a scripture from Jeremiah on it. We left as we had a baptism we needed to attend.  Everyone else stayed to talk, or to dance.

I am sure that Mereani's mother had saved all year to afford this celebration.

Wame was baptised today.  He is the grand nephew of President Mica Seru.  The YSAs sang.

August 1, 2013

Today Sangrita showed up for baptisms.  She is not a YSA, but a single mom who is trying to get ready to go to the temple. She is in the Samabula Temple Preparation class that we taught this past Sunday for Elder Wells.  We invited her to come with the YSAs today, so that she could feel how wonderful being in the temple is.  Scott and I were late getting to the temple.  Because I knew that she had planned to come, I checked the baptistry; no Sangrita.  I was sure she would be there, so I checked the dressing room once more and found her just standing in the middle of the room.  She was so excited to see me, because she was nervous to be alone in the temple.  I just gave her a hug, got her to the door of the baptistry, told her that the temple ladies would take good care of her, and went into the endowment session. 

She had a great time, and we believe that being in the temple today had strengthened her resolve to become worthy for the rest of the blessings the temple has in store for her.

July30

Taught the Tuesday Doctrine and Covenants class today.  I had planned the lesson around lots of self study and discussion, however, when the class started it was made up of: a convert of one week, an investigator, a new member of two months, one member who is just becoming active again, a member of just less than a year.  I knew my planned lesson was not going to work.  What should have been a discussion ended up scripture reading followed by an instructor (me) explanation of the reading. The discussion after the explanation was really a painful experience even after more students who knew the gospel showed up for class.

After an experience like this, one can only pray that the students felt the Spirit and, perhaps, learned one new thing that would increase their faith.

July 29

Mission Finances
This is the unspiritual part of the mission.  I thought it would interesting to know how much our mission is costing us a month. All these amounts are in US Dollars.  So here goes:
$150 Van Rental
$180 Gas and Car Washes
$36   Mobile Phone
$700 Rent and Utilities
$396 Church Health Insurance 2x$198
$1,600 Food, Clothes, and Misc. Living Expenses

So for about $2,000 U.S. a month we can pay for our mission. Our food costs are high because we eat out a lot.  Often after our classes or at lunch we will go to McDonalds if we are in a hurry, or  it we are not in a hurry we go to a sit down restaurant.  We could definitely cut our food expense if we needed to.  We also go to a store called "Cost U Less" about once a month.  Every time we go it costs me more.  They have American and New Zealand products.  Stuff we recognize and think we need it when we see it.  We go in for a small $30 (Fijian) item and come out spending $300 Fijian on lots of stuff.  How does that happen?

We have a very easy way to get cash.  All our money is automatically deposited into our bank account at home.  I then use a debit card at the ATM when I need cash.  I can withdraw $800 Fijian at a whack.  This costs me an $8.00 service fee a withdrawal.  We operate totally on cash and it works beautifully. The conversion rate from Fijian $ to US $ is take half the Fijian amount and add back 10% of the Fijian amount.  That gives us the cost in U.S. dollars.  So $20 Fijian is about $12 US.

On this budget we suffer for nothing.  I did not mention fixed expenses at home we still pay like property taxes, electricity, heat, telephone, truck insurance, taxes etc.

Has the cost of the mission been worth it?  Absolutely, undeniably yes! yes! yes!

July 27

Scott's Exercise In Fiji

This is the Olympic 50 meter pool in Suva. What you can't see is the 25 meter pool in back of the camera and the grandstand. Early each morning swim teams practice before school.  The pool is not chlorinated but has some kind of a saline solution that does not burn the eyes or smell.

It now is the middle of July which is the middle of the winter. The pool is not very crowded because it is so cold that the recreational swimmers do not come during the cold months. The temperature gets down to a freezing 70 degrees in the early morning.  The early 5 a.m. morning pool staff are always cold and come to work wearing hoody sweat shirts, scarfs, beanies, and long warm pants.  They think I am very brave to swim in such cold weather. 

My routine is to get up when I wake up between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., read my scriptures, say my prayers, change into my swimsuit, go to the pool, and swim 1,600 meters which is about a mile. After the swim I use the metal bars, shown above, to do 50 pull ups and 50 lat pulls.  The swim and workout takes about 45 to 50 minutes.  Needless to say I am slowest in the pool.  I then shower there and go home.  From our house it takes me about 8 minutes in the van to get there and up to 20 minutes to get home if I am too late and hit Suva rush hour traffic.

On the off days, I do yoga to a video tape.  This takes about 30 minutes and really helps my back and bulged disc and my arthritic hip.  When I first got here I ran in the morning, but found that it hurt my back and hip so I went to a workout that had less impact, swim 3 days and yoga 3 days each week.

This is another picture of the big pool.  The year pass cost me $150 Fiji dollars.  This is about $90 US.  The pass allows me to swim every day if I want for the entire year. What a deal!  

Each morning when I go to the pool and start swimming in the dark, there is one bank, or set, of lights on for about half my swim.  Then as it gets light the pool lights are switched off and I get to watch the sunrise behind the palm trees for the last half of my swim.  It is stunningly beautiful when it is not raining as the sun rises reflecting golden and orange colors across the whole sky. I feel such gratitude for the privilege for serving a mission in such a beautiful land with such fabulous people.

This is Sharon Pickering Smith a swim coach.  She starts the kids swimming at 5 a.m.  I got talking to her about her competitive experience and swim background.  I found out that she was a two-time Olympian and a Fiji swim record holder for a number of years.  This week she is taking three Fiji swimmers to Barcelona to compete.  I was awed at her experience.

In the morning when I come to the pool I always talk to the two ladies, Sako and Teather. Teather gets up at 3:00 a.m.  Fixes her kids lunches for school and then walks to work at 4:00 a.m. to make it there by 5 a.m.  Sako is a single lady who is about 40 years old and one of the few Fijian woman who is thin.  She is the long jump record holder for Fiji and still competes in net ball and occasionally track meets.  I gave both these woman Books of Mormon and Joseph Smith pamphlets.  I have to laugh because when I visit with them they call me pastor.  

The missionary APS  wanted to go golfing; so we went.