December 17

Cyclone Evan hit Samoa yesterday and made his presence know to us at 3 a.m. The wind and rain were so fierce that is woke us up. I have an awful fascination with this. Having never been in a cyclone/hurricane I want to know what it is like and yet, I am really nervous. I wanted our landlady to put up the window guards that the men made this summer, but she seems in no hurry to do it. We have power and it is humid, so we have the AC on in our bedroom and in the living room. The service center is closed, but no one called us from there to tell us. Elder Wells called this morning to tell us that we should not go in. He found out from the Hogges who serve at mission office couple. The mission office is also closed. FHE for tonight at the Davis home is also cancelled.

The wind is coming from the north west which is where the cyclone is geographically from Fiji. It has rained hard since 3 a.m. and with the wind at tropical storm levels our windows and door on the west side of the house began to leak early this morning. We have louvered windows and when they are shut they do not seal. I can stick my finger between the top/bottom of the glass and the wall around the window. Our living room door on the west side (we also have a door in the carport which is on the south) has had a towel between it and the gate since we got here. I thought the towel was to keep critters from coming into the house under the door until today. I realize now it is to sop up the water from driving rain.  By 6 o'clock this morning we were wiping off the window ledges, and moping up water by the door about hourly.  I washed the first batch of towels we used and then realized that I could not wash and dry towels fast enough to keep up.

We found two really great websites to watch the progression of Cyclone Evan. We had watched them last night and it looked like Evan would stay way out to sea west of Fiji which would mean that high waves and storm surges would be Fiji's only concern, but this morning the cyclone has shifted east and now it looks like the eye wall will be just off the west coast.  People have been evacuated from low lying areas of Lautoka, Ba, Rakiraki, Nadi, and of course all the little villages that no one mentions.  I was surprised to hear that one island resort on the cyclone side of Nadi had sent all the vacationers into Nadi, but all the resort employees had stayed on the island ostensively to protect the resort.

By 10 o'clock we were bored so we started to watch movies.  We would watch, wipe/mop up, and watch again. The wind got so loud that we had to turn up the volume and then we could not hear all the words. It never let up. The beautiful bread fruit tree out our bedroom window lost its top third.  We watched as the tall coconut trees bent until we thought they would break.  Somewhere I had read that palm trees survive cyclones because they move their fronds straight into the air which means they catch less wind.  Yup!  The one palm tree in our backyard did exactly that.

By 5:00 p.m. I had had it with the wind noise, so I thought I would fix us a nice meal to get my mind off it.  It worked and then I noticed at around 5:30 that there was no wind. None. Lots of rain still, but no wind. Now the eye did not pass over us, so I am not sure why the wind stopped, but by 6 o'clock it was really blowing again.

We have had power all day until it got dark.  Right at dark the power went off.  How does that happen?  We had purchased several candles and torches (flashlights) so we were fine except for the humidity and not AC.  We were in bed by 10 p.m. because we were bored.  The wind was still blowing, the rain was still coming down in torrents, but we had had enough.

I am glad that we have been safe.  We have been praying all day the all Fijians would also be safe.  We will see what tomorrow brings.

December 16

Well it is over, finished, completed. We did it.  The YSAs did it. We sang and it was beautiful. Everyone said so. Sister Klinger came up after and told me I had started something that would never be stopped.  She was close to tears. Sister Wells said that it was the best Christmas program she had ever heard which was an exaggeration. However, Bishop Farapapau got up after we were finished and instead of saying anything, he just gave the closing prayer and in it he spoke of gratitude for the strong spirit that had been felt in the meeting, gratitude for the birth of the Savior, and gratitude for the privilege of having been in the meeting today.  Amazing.

I had offered breakfast to the YSAs if they would be to the Sunday practice on time--7:00 a.m. Someone asked if we could change it to lunch. I agreed it was a better idea. So after our program Scott and I went with the YSAs to the young adult class and then to Relief Society. It was interesting that the YSAs did not want to come to Relief Society or go to priesthood; they went to the 2nd Ward Sacrament Meeting instead. I had told them that our kitchen would be open until 1 o'clock. I had made sloppy joes, carrot and cucumber dollars, Fiji koolaid, and chips. Scott bought eight dozen buns thinking that would be more than enough. We had 30 YSAs sing; some had to go to their home wards to fulfill their callings, and yet I fed over 40 YSAs. We did not have enough buns for everyone to eat all they wanted. We had enough meat, but not enough buns. Bummer. We had YSAs sitting everywhere including on the woven mat we had purchased out in the carport. We put the food on the little table in the kitchen so some could eat at the dining table. We actually have enough chairs to seat 11 not counting the couch, two overstuffed chairs or the recliner.

I had good help. Three of the girls helped me get the food on the table and keep the plates full.  I actually just stood around and talked. Afterward when the YSAs asked if they could stay and watch a movie, I started to clean up and two girls gave up the movie to come do the dishes. They washed, wiped, and I put away. It was lovely to chat and I was impressed with their willingness to help.

While we watched the movie, Dan Cegedrau taught his Sunday Mission Preparation lesson out in
the carport, because no one wanted to go back to the chapel.

It was a great day, a spiritual day, a day of gratitude that Heavenly Father helped us sing our very best and allowed the Spirit to attend our offering.

Just an aside. While we were eating two other wards called and asked us to sing next Sunday in their meetings too bad they are at the exact same time. I made the YSAs decide which to say yes to and they hated it. Fiji is made up of the kindest souls in the world and because they are so kind they just detest saying no to anyone for anything. We will be singing in the Samabula 2nd Ward next Sunday and not the Lami 2nd. I hope they will come a second time to sing.

Second aside. I was so nervous. I have never led a choir before, and as always I wanted the job I did to be perfect, but more importantly I wanted the job they did to be perfect. They did great--me not so great. So they could see me, I took the little kid riser every chapel has and put it where I could stand on it. The only problem is that this riser was not flat on the bottom. Someone had cut an L shaped section out of the bottom to fit up and over something. When I stood on it to practice I nearly fell into the choir, so I propped the riser up against the mike control stand which seemed to work until I got too enthusiastic in my leading during Sacrament Meeting. I just about pitched myself into the choir twice. I also forgot to sit the choir down after two of our songs; how does that happen?  And our final number was Oh Holy Night. I got on the little riser and was reminding the choir to sing with their hearts and forgot to stand them up--see I am not cut out to be a choir director. The girls on the back row about had a heart attack mouthing the words "stand up, stand us up." I had to stop Ladonna at the piano, stand the choir up and start over. How embarrassing! We laughed about it all morning. One of the YSAs said that I am the funniest choir conductor she has ever sang for. I am not sure that is a compliment.

December 15

Opened the institute at 5:45 p.m. and at 6:00 no one was there.  I am amazed I did not have a heart attack.  At 6:10 Ladonna's (accompanist) sister-in-law, Maria, came in and told me that Ladonna was sick and would not be attending. WHAT? I did the only thing I could do besides cry; I called Elder Jackson. He said he would come right over. By the time he got to the institute there were 30 YSAs in the room and about 12 of them had never been to practice before. I vowed during the opening pray and the spiritual thought that after Sunday I would never, ever, ever lead a choir again in Fiji. My nerves are not strong enough.

I spoke to two of the choir members who are faithful attenders about what to do with the new singers.  We decided that I would welcome them and explain the rule about two practices before Sunday morning's practice. I made the announcement. Not a great idea. With Elder Jackson's help they sang beautifully--really beautifully. So I said at the end of the practice, "You sang was so well I think we should suspend the rules if it is alright with those who have been coming to all the other practices." Of course they said it was alright.

Scott bless his heart was sitting in the lounge praying that I would come to my senses and allow anyone who wanted to sing to sing. Some days I hate being a second child of two second children. Keeping the rules and seeing that others keep the rules has been my job since birth. Sometimes it is far better to relax the rules. Notice I did not say forget the rules, but tonight I would have been better off just having fun helping these YSAs learn the songs and feel of the Spirit.

Hairspray was the movie tonight. They loved it. Many had not seen it which is unusual.  Because the only movie DVDs you can buy here are pirated they are cheap so everyone has seen most movies, but not Hairspray. We screen every movie we show and if either one of us thinks the movie is not appropriate for the institute we don't show it. We are picky; no sex, no violence, no wear words, etc.
We had watched Hairspray before several times and felt it was OK, but then when I was sitting with the YSAs watching it, I realized how many subtle and not so subtle sexual references there were I was not happy. Why is it we watch movies and do not notice things even when we think we are watching carefully? I love movies. I love suspending real life for a period of time. I hope that there will always be good clean movies to watch.

December 14

I spent the day fixing the choir Christmas program changing the wording and moving songs around.  I can not calculate how long this will last.  I figure five minutes per hymn, three minutes per children's hymn, about ten minutes for the dialog which adds up to 41 minutes, but how long does it take to stand up, sit down, move to the podium, etc.  Bishop Farpapau talked to me today and made certain I understood that we were the whole program and that I needed a whole Sacrament Meeting program.  Gulp!  What happens if we are short?

Attended the Service Center's Christmas Party, the one sponsored by the First Presidency.  The food was excellent.  As usual in Fiji the attendees were the program.  Our table was to sing Away in a Manger.  When we stood to sing it the sister next to me asked me to pitch the song which in Fiji means singing the first measure or two and I could not.  Honestly, how does one forget the tune to Away in a Manger?  We just stood there.  How embarrassing.  I just could not pull the tune out of my tired, over stressed brain.  We are even singing it in our program Sunday.  Finally Scott, yup Scott, got us started.  Bless him.

December 13

Oh dear! Had practice tonight and only 20 showed up and about half of those who came to sing had never been to a practice before. How does one lead a choir when the members come and go? We practiced for an hour and a half; I gave them the come to two practices rule again; and sent them home with a prayer in my heart that I would see familiar faces in Saturday night's practice.

December 12

Elder and Sister Jackson were the fireside speakers tonight. They spoke on goals and education.
We have 26 in attendance. Even though I would say that our YSAs are typical young adults who like to socialize, and play more than work, these kids want meat not mush. We had over 20 suggestions that I teach how to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and yet, there were only around ten who showed up for the class. Tonight there were 26 for a meaty discussion. It makes me proud of these kids. They are such wonderful people. What a privilege it is to serve them, to associate with them, and to feel of their spirits.

December 11

I am working on faith.  No one much showed up for choir practice last week, but the YSAs in attendance asked me not to call Bishop Farpapau and cancel.  Today is Tuesday and we sing on Sunday.  We have never had more than 12 to practice and never enough altos and basses.  I have been praying all week that Heavenly Father will inspire enough YSAs to come to practice tonight that we can learn the songs and sing on Sunday.  In the fireside on Sunday with Elder Hamula there must have been 60 YSAs in the stake choir.  Our Stake.  They tell me that most of the YSAs who sang had not practiced and I noticed that they were not singing parts.  We are/have to/must sing parts for our program on Sunday.

Heavenly Father is so good. Forty YSAs showed up tonight. We had all parts. We ended up practicing for two hours. Even the primary songs we sing in unison they needed help on.  We do not have Oh Holy Night down, but the rest of the songs should be OK.  I told them that if they did not come to two of the three practices we were having before we sing, they would not be allowed to sing in the performance.  We scheduled a practice after class on Thursday, another one on Saturday before the movie and one on Sunday morning at 7 a.m.  I will continue to pray that they will come to the practices.