There were a couple of wonderful one liners at stake conference today.
"You can shoot the messenger, but never ever shoot the message."
The story behind it was that President Seru called Principal Salomone and asked him to do a really hard task. Brother Salomone had had a really bad day at work; he just felt that he could not do one more thing. But as soon as he said yes, his spirit became calm and prepared. He could have shot President Seru, but because he did not shoot the message he was blessed.
"Personal preparation for conference determines what one will get out of it."
As this talk was going on, I was reminded of the story of Joseph Smith in the School of the Prophets. It was at that time being held upstairs in the Whitney Store. Joseph had asked the brethren to spend time thoroughly preparing for the next session. All the men came washed, and dressed in their Sunday best. During the meeting a man, the Savior, came in and sat with the class. Afterward Joseph asked who had seen the man. Not all had seen him. As I sat contemplating this event, I realized that those who had not seen the Savior had come physically prepared, but had not prepared spiritually. Therefore they had not seen the Savior.
I wonder how many times I have missed wonderful, spiritual experiences, because I had not come spiritually prepared.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
November 2
Last evening we were planning on going to the 4 o'clock session at the temple. I like the early session, but last night I really felt that we should wait until six to go. Scott really wanted to go at four, but he agreed that we could wait. It was not until we got into the first room, that I realized that it was inspiration from heaven that we wait till six. It was a very small session so small that one of the senior temple missionaries was asked to be a member of the company. We were the only married couple in the room. What a blessing to serve my fellow temple attenders in such a way.
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| THE SUVA FIJI TEMPLE |
Got up this morning and went to the institute building to work. I feel like I am getting further and further behind and running away for the afternoon yesterday did not help. Rationally I realize that I am not juggling that many balls, and yet I can not keep them all in the air.
We drove all the way to Pacific Harbor to lunch at Baka Blues. It is Sister Whiteheads last request. They are leaving for home on Monday. I love their sheperd's pie, but the drive was made even longer because of all the time we spent in the car yesterday. Sister Wells, Sister Hogge and I ended up in the back of the van (there were 10 of us) which was nice. I also rode in the back coming home. This time it was Sister Limburg, Sister Wells, and I in the back.
No institute activity tonight as this is stake conference weekend and we want the men to attend the priesthood session.
Monday, November 25, 2013
November 1, 2013
When Robert was here, he and Scott along with the Jacksons rode the rapids on the Navua River. To get the the head waters of the Navua River, they were taken by taxi on a long, but very beautiful ride. Scott has been promising me that he would take me on that same ride. Today was the day. We jumped in the van around 9 o'clock and got back about 4:30. Such a nice day. Following are some of the pictures we took with their explanations.
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| THE JACKSONS AND YOURS TRULY I am not frowning, just squinting. |
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| THE LANDSCAPE The haze is from the humidity. |
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| SO BEAUTIFUL |
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| SEEING CLEAR TO THE OCEAN |
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| ONE MUST WALK TO THIS VILLAGE |
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| TULIP TREE |
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| ONE HOUR IN WE COME UPON THIS VILLAGE |
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| STREET SIGN OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! This sign is in better condition than any we have seen in all of Fiji. From this sign one can not see any villages, and in fact, it took us about 15 minutes to get to the next nearest village. |
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| THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE FIJI WAS VOLCANIC |
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| VILLAGE CHILDREN AT A BUS STOP "Buses" out this far are just large open bed trucks with wooden benches and a tarp for sun protection. They go out of the village in the morning and come back at the end of the day. |
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| ANOTHER VIEW OF THE HEAD WATERS |
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| HEADWATERS OF THE NAVUA RIVER |
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| PLAYING IN THE NAVUA RIVER |
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| IT IS JUST A FALLEN BAMBOO STALK |
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| A REAL RUBBER RAFT |
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| ON THE WAY HOME Each of us commented how different the view was coming and going. Spectacular both ways. |
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| WATERFALL ON THE WAY HOME |
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| OLD ROADWAY--NO LONGER USED Looks Roman to me. |
October 31
Received and email from Chaya telling us about Tori's twelfth birthday. All Tori wanted for her birthday was to go do baptisms for the dead in the Bountiful Temple so Chaya and Rex went with her to the temple. She did five baptisms with Rex baptizing her.
When Scott and I read the email, we were filled with gratitude for such a valiant granddaughter. We are so grateful for her parents who have taken the strong, valiant spirit that came inside Tori and have not only watched over it carefully, but have gently guide it over the past twelve years. We are so proud of all three of them.
We finally had the carpets cleaned today. The first time in the 18 months we have served here. Yahoo!
When Scott and I read the email, we were filled with gratitude for such a valiant granddaughter. We are so grateful for her parents who have taken the strong, valiant spirit that came inside Tori and have not only watched over it carefully, but have gently guide it over the past twelve years. We are so proud of all three of them.
We finally had the carpets cleaned today. The first time in the 18 months we have served here. Yahoo!
October 30
Tonight's lesson in Eternal Marriage is one on temporal preparedness. I chose to focus the lesson on budgeting. It is interesting that when I asked the class who had savings accounts only 2 of the 18 that were on time to the class had a savings account. As an aside, one of the young adult men made the statement that savings accounts cost money and that one had to have a job to open an account. The rest of the class heard him, so I asked the class if that was true in Fiji. It is not. Nice way to start class
I created a little budgeting exercise. A family owes money (LDS Primay tuition, back rent, etc.) and needs to find a way to save or earn enough to pay their debt. I was shocked when many of the students decided that they would just cut a little out of the electrical bill and the water bill. They had no idea where a family is able to cut expenses and where they are not. In fact, one of the girls got so frustrated with the exercise that she said, "I would just move in with my family in my village and live for free." Finally we did the exercise as a class which was an eye opener to most of the students. We finally determined that it would take at least four months to pay the debt back.
"If this was your family, what would you do once you had pain of your debt?" I then asked. Only one student said that they would keep living on the tight budget so that they could put money in a savings account. Hearing their reasons for spending or saving was very interesting. I was so grateful for the words of the Prophets that have cautioned us to never live to the ends of our means--to always have money laid away for emergencies. It is a totally new concept to these Fijian young adults. They actually calculated how much money they would save in an entire year. They were really impressed.
Both Scott and I were amazed that not one of these Fijians thought to grow some of their own food to save money especially as many vegetables and fruits grow here without any effort on man's part.
The other day we got into some slow moving traffic caused by road construction. As we were driving down Edinburgh Road (the main road into downtown Suva from our flat) and I noticed a huge bunch of bananas in a banana tree just off the road. I started counting and by the time we had hit the bottom of Edinburgh Road (4 blocks) I had counted 13 bunches of bananas waiting for someone to pick them as the land they were on is public land. No one owns it. No one planted the banana trees. Free for the taking.
I created a little budgeting exercise. A family owes money (LDS Primay tuition, back rent, etc.) and needs to find a way to save or earn enough to pay their debt. I was shocked when many of the students decided that they would just cut a little out of the electrical bill and the water bill. They had no idea where a family is able to cut expenses and where they are not. In fact, one of the girls got so frustrated with the exercise that she said, "I would just move in with my family in my village and live for free." Finally we did the exercise as a class which was an eye opener to most of the students. We finally determined that it would take at least four months to pay the debt back.
"If this was your family, what would you do once you had pain of your debt?" I then asked. Only one student said that they would keep living on the tight budget so that they could put money in a savings account. Hearing their reasons for spending or saving was very interesting. I was so grateful for the words of the Prophets that have cautioned us to never live to the ends of our means--to always have money laid away for emergencies. It is a totally new concept to these Fijian young adults. They actually calculated how much money they would save in an entire year. They were really impressed.
Both Scott and I were amazed that not one of these Fijians thought to grow some of their own food to save money especially as many vegetables and fruits grow here without any effort on man's part.
The other day we got into some slow moving traffic caused by road construction. As we were driving down Edinburgh Road (the main road into downtown Suva from our flat) and I noticed a huge bunch of bananas in a banana tree just off the road. I started counting and by the time we had hit the bottom of Edinburgh Road (4 blocks) I had counted 13 bunches of bananas waiting for someone to pick them as the land they were on is public land. No one owns it. No one planted the banana trees. Free for the taking.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
October 29
This morning at about 3:00 a.m. I had an unexpected meeting with a centipede who had decided to crawl into bed with me. Centipedes are one of the ugliest of all of God's creatures. Just thinking about them gives me the willies. Here is the story.
In the night, I rolled over in bed and hit something prickly with my leg. It was like the feeling you get from a tag in the back of a shirt--scratchy. I remember rolling away and must have gone back to sleep. Later I rolled over again and this time in a half-awake stage I thought that I would just kick the scratchy tag on the sheet off the bed. The scratch was the body of the centipede that had crawled into our bed, and when my leg hit the centipede, he did not like it and decided to bite me. Needless to say, I yelped, jumped out of bed, and screamed at Scott, "It bit me; it bit me!" Scott is really good in a crisis. He jumped out of bed, turned on the light, and then asked me what happened. After I explained that something had bitten me, he carefully pulled back the sheet and there was the centipede hanging onto the side of the mattress. Scott got his slipper and tried to kill it while it hung there. We did not know then that centipedes are as hard to kill as vampires; one needs a spike to the heart before it dies.
Moving on, Scott gave the centipede a heavy whack with his shoe and the thing dropped off the bed and scurried under it. Although my leg was really burning, I ran and got the broom and started to sweep it back and forth under the bed. Nothing moved. We had heard that centipedes were really fast, but we have never seen one move before, so we had no idea where it could have gotten. Finally Scott said that we had to take care of my leg which burned like crazy and was starting to swell. He picked up the bedspread (which was on the other side of the bed from where the centipede was) to put in back on the bed and the centipede dropped onto the floor. The original whack Scott gave it must have hurt it, because it laid there just long enough for Scott to step on it. When he picked up his foot, the centipede tried to crawl away thankfully not very quickly and so he stepped on it again grinding with all his might. It quit moving.
We got on the internet to see how to handle the bite. It said to wash the bite with antiseptic soap and then to either heat it or ice it. Wash it we did. Heat it we did.
Scott got dressed and then he gave me a blessing which promised me that I would be fine and would be able to have a normal day. The bite would not interfere with our work.
Afterwards, Scott told me we had to go to the hospital. He was really worried, because we have had two young single adults who have ended up in the hospital from centipede bites. Well, I have been to the public hospital and I was not going. After a short discussion, Scott called the Suva Private Hospital which is technically closed at that hour and asked to speak with a nurse. He asked the nurse how to handle the bite, and she said to buy some kind of cream. At 3:30 a.m???? So Scott asked her what the Fijian's do for centipede bites. They cut an onion and rub the bite with it which is what I did. It took some of the sting away.
Scott went to bed, but I just could not sleep where the centipede's friends might come. I sat on the couch with my legs up reading and rubbing the bite whenever the sting got bad.
My leg quit swelling. I did not get the usual rash that comes with a centipede bite, and although the bite stung all day, the sting was not constant nor was it awfully painful--just enough to remind me that I had been bitten by a centipede.
Without being too gross, you can see he is pretty mangled, and that much of his insides are spread all over the floor. He was about six inches long.
In the night, I rolled over in bed and hit something prickly with my leg. It was like the feeling you get from a tag in the back of a shirt--scratchy. I remember rolling away and must have gone back to sleep. Later I rolled over again and this time in a half-awake stage I thought that I would just kick the scratchy tag on the sheet off the bed. The scratch was the body of the centipede that had crawled into our bed, and when my leg hit the centipede, he did not like it and decided to bite me. Needless to say, I yelped, jumped out of bed, and screamed at Scott, "It bit me; it bit me!" Scott is really good in a crisis. He jumped out of bed, turned on the light, and then asked me what happened. After I explained that something had bitten me, he carefully pulled back the sheet and there was the centipede hanging onto the side of the mattress. Scott got his slipper and tried to kill it while it hung there. We did not know then that centipedes are as hard to kill as vampires; one needs a spike to the heart before it dies.
Moving on, Scott gave the centipede a heavy whack with his shoe and the thing dropped off the bed and scurried under it. Although my leg was really burning, I ran and got the broom and started to sweep it back and forth under the bed. Nothing moved. We had heard that centipedes were really fast, but we have never seen one move before, so we had no idea where it could have gotten. Finally Scott said that we had to take care of my leg which burned like crazy and was starting to swell. He picked up the bedspread (which was on the other side of the bed from where the centipede was) to put in back on the bed and the centipede dropped onto the floor. The original whack Scott gave it must have hurt it, because it laid there just long enough for Scott to step on it. When he picked up his foot, the centipede tried to crawl away thankfully not very quickly and so he stepped on it again grinding with all his might. It quit moving.
We got on the internet to see how to handle the bite. It said to wash the bite with antiseptic soap and then to either heat it or ice it. Wash it we did. Heat it we did.
Scott got dressed and then he gave me a blessing which promised me that I would be fine and would be able to have a normal day. The bite would not interfere with our work.
Afterwards, Scott told me we had to go to the hospital. He was really worried, because we have had two young single adults who have ended up in the hospital from centipede bites. Well, I have been to the public hospital and I was not going. After a short discussion, Scott called the Suva Private Hospital which is technically closed at that hour and asked to speak with a nurse. He asked the nurse how to handle the bite, and she said to buy some kind of cream. At 3:30 a.m???? So Scott asked her what the Fijian's do for centipede bites. They cut an onion and rub the bite with it which is what I did. It took some of the sting away.
Scott went to bed, but I just could not sleep where the centipede's friends might come. I sat on the couch with my legs up reading and rubbing the bite whenever the sting got bad.
My leg quit swelling. I did not get the usual rash that comes with a centipede bite, and although the bite stung all day, the sting was not constant nor was it awfully painful--just enough to remind me that I had been bitten by a centipede.
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| THE CENTIPEDE |
Rest in peace ye fiend of the infernal pit! (This last was written by Scott. He is so funny)
October 28
In our meeting today, we asked President Sefeti to cover our USP Family Home Evening tonight. We gave him the treats. We ask Maggie to do the lesson. We already have an activity. We are so sad to miss FHE. It is such fun.
We wanted to attend the senior's FHE. It was held at the service center and was in celebration of Diwali. I know I have said it before, but Diwali is the biggest holiday here in Fiji. It is a Hindu celebration that goes on for five days.
Elder and Sister Updike was in charge. She made curry (which neither Scott nor I like) with lots of toppings. Sister Jackson and I made Raita. It is a yogurt based condiment for curry made of plain yogurt, shredded carrots, onions, and spices. Sister Updike also made the best mango chutney. I have asked her for the recipe.
The speaker was Hindu and explained Diwali. He was so hard to understand that I finally just gave up listening.
Oddly enough we had pumpkin pie for dessert.
After it was over, I wished that we had gone to USP for FHE.
We wanted to attend the senior's FHE. It was held at the service center and was in celebration of Diwali. I know I have said it before, but Diwali is the biggest holiday here in Fiji. It is a Hindu celebration that goes on for five days.
Elder and Sister Updike was in charge. She made curry (which neither Scott nor I like) with lots of toppings. Sister Jackson and I made Raita. It is a yogurt based condiment for curry made of plain yogurt, shredded carrots, onions, and spices. Sister Updike also made the best mango chutney. I have asked her for the recipe.
The speaker was Hindu and explained Diwali. He was so hard to understand that I finally just gave up listening.
Oddly enough we had pumpkin pie for dessert.
After it was over, I wished that we had gone to USP for FHE.
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| Standing, left to right: Elder Hogge, President Davis, President Klinger, Sister Updike, Elder Updike, Elder Whitehead, Susan Stanford, Frank Standford, Elder Jackson, Sister Jackson, Elder Wells, Guest Speaker, Elder Tennis, Elder Christiansen Seated, left to right: Elder Collins, Sister Davis, Sister Collins, Sister Klingler, Sister Limburg, Sister Newsom, Sister Hogge, Sister Wells, Sister Christiansen, Sister Tennis, Sister Whitehead. |
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