Don't Let Life's Distractions Eclipse Heaven's Light

Look through a gospel lens and be vigilant not to allow insignificant and inconsequential matters in life to obscure your view.

As I read this quote by Elder Gary E. Stevenson, I thought how often I let the inconveniences of living in another country bug me.  I need to STOP!  Fiji is beautiful, the people are beautiful, it's just the taxi and bus drivers are a little CRAZY! 

We've moved from our first flat because it was not a clean place and a lot of creepy bugs.  We'd made arrangements to stay until the humanitarian couple left on the 17th of November and then we would move into their flat.  Everything was fine until the landlord asked us to move because she went ahead and rented it so we had to find a place for about 2.5 weeks.  We've been living in the temple presidency housing.  It's been amazing to walk out the front door every morning and see  this. . . .

Fiji Suva Temple


The last couple of weeks has been a beautiful blessing, to rub shoulders with the Twilight Missionaries who work at the temple and to get to see this beautiful sight.  We will be moving to the other flat next Tuesday, not too far away.  Yeah!!!  But I will be vigilant not to let the insignificant things obscure my view of this beautiful country.

Waterfall on the Navua River

The Twilight Missionaries (Senior missionaries) took a trip on the Navua River a couple of weeks ago.  It rained and rained and rained, but we were prepared, it was warm and we had a great time.

We're off

It was definitely wet

When we got to the falls those who wanted to could swim, I was so
wet that I figured as Sister Eliason said, "when in Fiji....."

When we got to the village, they welcomed us with the lali drums and coconut milk

Meke Fiji Dance

 

They fed us a traditional Fiji lunch, which was pretty good and then some of the village children sang to us.   It was a fun day.

The last couple of weeks of school have been a little crazy.  Last Saturday our humanitarian missionaries asked us to attend Diabetes Day.  The kids at the Secondary school were marching and singing.  This humanitarian couple were asked to come to Fiji and work with Diabetes.  He is a podiatrist and diabetes, prosthetics and wound care and amputations are his area of expertise.  In Fiji they do not know how to take care of wounds, and there are a lot of wounds to the feet here, because they don't wear shoes and the humidity is so high.  When a foot is infected, because it hasn't been treated properly, even by the doctors, they just amputate the leg.  Dr./Elder Clark has been working in the hospitals and teaching them how to care for wounds so that they aren't doing so many amputations. One of our senior missionaries was telling us about someone they knew who had sprained his ankle and eventually it was amputated.  Anyway so we went to the Diabetes Day Parade.

Students from Fiji LDS Church College

We met the President of Fiji
(It's always hot and very humid - makes for many bad hair days)

One of the teachers brought in some fresh warm (he called it bread).  Its grated casava, coconut milk and something else.  It was okay.  They'll eat it for breakfast but I think I'll stick to my oatmeal.

                            

 We were just assigned to a new branch, a new district, to see if we can help them learn and organize their branches and auxiliaries.  Most are new converts and don't feel they can be good teachers.  They come from churches that have paid ministries where pastors and such have been to school.  This may be a new challenge for us.  This church is in the village of Korovou, a little over an hour from Suva.  It's a beautiful drive.  The last 1.5 miles we drive on a dirt road and come to the beautiful white chapel on the hill.  They had their first district conference last Sunday, our first time there.

View of the chapel coming up the hill

President and Sister Yee (Temple President) President and Sister Higgins (Mission President) President Tagidugu (Mission Counselor)

The chapel on the hill

 This last week I was asked to speak at the Primary School graduation, just grades Kindy - 3rd.  There was a few more people than I was expecting. But this is the garlands that Kent and I were given.  Before we leave I'm sure I'll know the different names of these different garlands.

The College (high school) had their prom and dinner.  It was quite an event.  Here are a few
pictures of the kids and the decorated gym.  The theme - A Night in Paris

There were boys there- most came with
dates, the girls were just more excited to get their pictures taken.









We have more adventures coming up.  Next week the teachers have a retreat at the Warick Resort that we understand is pretty nice.We also have some visitors from New Zealand coming who will be doing some training with the teachers. Also starting on Monday and going through December 22nd, the Fiji Technical College is coming to the church campus and holding some classes that we've been asked by the office in New Zealand to attend and give feedback and just monitor what's happening.  We were hoping for long break but it looks like now we'll only have about 3 weeks.

Unlike Nepal, Christmas is a big deal here in Fiji, the shops and malls are all decorated for Christmas, the kids at school have been singing Christmas songs, it just doesn't  feel like the holidays.  The missionaries will be celebrating Thanksgiving but that's when we go on the retreat with the teachers, and there is definitely no snow and no cold.  So I'll be looking through those lenses to find the Christmas spirit a  little different than I'm used to, knowing Christmas has really nothing to do with snow. I will be vigilant in letting the insignificant obscure my view of what really matters and what's truly important.