Well we had a very sad situation come up here last week that has been very hard on us.  We found out at District Conference that they were going to shut down one of our areas called Nabua.  By shut down, I just mean they are pulling the missionaries out of the area and relocating them.  

The branch will function without the Missionaries.

This is a very sad time because we have come to love those Elders:  Giacalone and Morola.  They will be sorely missed here in our area but we know there will be great things in store for them in OVALAU.  

These 2 missionaries have been awesome!  Elder Giacalone is from Knoxville, TN and Elder Morola comes from PNG.  

Mission Call

This adorable little Fijian girl just got her mission call - to Zimbabwe, Africa !!!!

She reports to the MTC in South Africa, Johannesburg on May 17th - We are SO proud of her.  She is always smiling, always happy, and she is SO excited for her mission to begin!!

We LOVE you LOSENA!

The Market

While at District Conference I went to the Market in Labasa.  It's quite an experience.  

So many vendors, so much food for sale!

 Sue:  this picture is for you - I know how much you love these scales, they have so many of them at the market, but this one was the cutest:  PINK!!

Who knows what's in front of 

this scale?  

Relief Society

At District Conference after the Relief Society Meeting the women had a BIG tent set up outside and they asked each of the branches to bring their handicrafts - things they had been working on over the last year - to share with everyone.  So we could see what each other has been working on over the year.  These pictures are some of those things - these ladies are SO TALENTED!

I really want to learn some of these handicrafts so I can come home with some things to teach my friends and family back at home.

District Conference

We had District Conference last weekend.  District Conference is similar to Stake Conference.  It went Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Below are pictures of our friends we have made here - don't you just LOVE the colors in the fabrics!  These people really know how to wear color here in Fiji.

Oh, and they really love to wear fabrics alike - so, they will find a fabric in town and friends and family will pick up the same fabric and have it made into dresses, skirts, ties, whatever so that they all match!

It's so cute - reminds me of when I used to do that with our five children -:) :)

 This is a picture of the R S Program we had on Friday - If you look at the second picture you will find that I was the main speaker - :)

Our new refrigerator

So we got a new refrigerator yesterday.  The one on the left is our old one, the one on the right is our new one.  The looks are deceiving - because the new one has SO much more room in it than the old one. 

 And if you look closely at the new one, there is a lock on it with a key!  

I wish I had that when the kids were growing up!

The Haircut

Well, a couple of days ago Bob asked if I would take the clippers and clip around his ears and his neckline.  I'm not very good at cutting someone's hair (that's why I'm not a hair stylist).  

But, I thought I should help him.

Boy those clippers are SO sensitive!  The second I put it by his ear, it took off a big chunk 

and I said "oops".  

That's never something you want to hear when you are getting your hair cut -

But you know what?  It will grow back!!

 (It's not that bad, is it?)

The Shoes

If you remember, a dog took Bobs shoes and we couldn't find them.  Well, here is an update on the shoes -
Yesterday Bob was getting ready to leave the house as he was walking out the door, I noticed that there was only one of his flip flops on the porch -  NOT AGAIN!!

I said:  "Hey, that dog must have taken your flip-flops again."  And just as I was saying those words, I looked across the street and there was that dog sitting there looking at us with the flip-flop in his mouth!!

I wish I had my phone at that moment - because I would have gotten a really great video of  Bob racing across the street and trying to catch that dog who took off for his dear life!  

Across the street is a really beautiful lot and behind the lot is a home, that's where the dog lives.  So, here is Bob chasing that dog down and the dog running for his life.  

By the time I got there, Bob was behind the house and I was on the side of the house when I found in the grass his flip-flop.  As I looked a little further, I noticed a shoe.  It was the shoe that had been taken by that dog.  There was also a rubbish pile and I found the matching pair there.  

What a story!!  What a day!!  At least we found out exactly where the little culprit lives!!

The sad thing is the good pair of shoes are completely ruined!  BAD DOG!!

First Transfer down - now on to the second!!

So, here are some random pictures taken from this week:

THIS WAS PRIMARY MOVIE DAY before the kids go back to school for the new school year.  We watched "Cars" - they LOVED it!!

 Just an adorable kid - Brother Vosa's youngest boy

Me, helping a perspective missionary with his paperwork ~

I made this crochet blanket for a little 10-year old girl that has Cerebral Palsy ~

Cute little girl (Rose) wearing Kate's dress - thanks Kate, she loves it!!

Bob and Branch President Maleli - Bob loved his shirt!

 It's been an incredible first six weeks here in Fiji.  We have lost two of our Elders who have been transferred and have gotten two new Elders.  It's hard to lose these guys - you get so attached to them and before you know it, they have been moved to another area.  I wish they could stay here with us the entire time we are on Vanua Levu.

We are getting more and more adjusted to Island life and the Fijian culture.  It is certainly different from living in America.  We are even getting more and more used to driving on the other side of the road!  

We keep a fast pace and are enjoying our mission immensely. We have at least six Elders over for Sunday dinner every week - twice a transfer there are eight Elders that come and join with us.

I'm learning how to cook again!  

Our testimonies of the Gospel have grown so much. We have opportunities at church each week to share a thought or a testimony or even a talk! 

We know that this is where we are to be right now in our life - we can see great things happening here in Fiji and we love it!

We miss our kids, our grand-kids, my parents, my sisters and brother, Bobs Brothers, our friends.  

Good thing is we know you are all well and taken very good care of (that's the American way).

We only have 16 more fast sundays and we will be home!

We love all of you so much!!!

Saying goodbye to our zone leader Elder Ruwhiu

This is Elder Ruwhiu (the one on the Right)

On Monday night we had a Family Home Evening at the church and had a little going away party for him because he is done with his mission and going back to live in Australia.

We got pretty close to him and his companion 

Elder Tamasese.  

They are both wonderful Zone Leaders and they were with us when we first arrived in Savusavu.  They helped us get to our island and have helped us find our way around.

Bob taught Elder Ruwhiu Self-reliance classes and helped him try to figure out what to do when he goes home to Sydney. 

 He is such a great leader and friend to us.

The branch really came through for him with a beautiful program, food, dancing, and music.  It was such a great night to say our farewells!

Visiting or Rescuing

Every Thursday at 4pm you will find Elder Ford with a couple of men in our branch visiting less active members and inviting them to come back to church.  One of the men calls this "rescuing" our members.  It has been very successful as there have been entire families come back to church and start attending again.  

These men usually go out on Thursday and again on Saturday (as just another reminder to come to church).

So as a Relief Society, we took their idea and decided to go visit the sisters in Vunavesi which is the unit that is attached to our Branch.  The village was supposed to have been notified that we were coming to visit, but I guess that message didn't get relayed because on the day we went, there were 6 of us women who took the bus the 1/2 hour drive to Vunavesi and we found out there was no one in the village.  We had just wasted money for the bus and a whole lot of time.  We had to wait over an hour for the next bus to come and take us back to Savusavu.  WHAT A DAY!

Our day wasn't wasted though, once we got back to Savusavu we went and did a visit with a woman who just got out of the hospital from having a stroke.  We took all kinds of things to her (it's the Fijian way); pineapples, coconuts, banana bread, coconut milk, etc.....  Things like that.  

A lesson to be learned:  even the most humble of people have things to give...Time...Love...Kindness...and giving - always giving.

Elder Ford's Shoes

Here is a picture of an innocent looking dog, right?

WRONG!  This dog has been found GUILTY of eating Elder Ford's shoes!

The story goes like this.... As you know, in Fiji when you enter a house, you remove your shoes and leave them on the front porch.  Well, Elder Ford has about four pair of shoes on our porch and one of the pairs were a really nice pair of Keen shoes that he bought specifically for Fiji.  He actually has two pairs of Keens, but he likes one pair better than the other.

So, one day we got up and we noticed that one of his flip flops was out on the driveway.  Hummmm.... We thought this was a little odd...How did the flip flop get onto the driveway?

So, we took the flip flop and put it with the other one.  Story closed, or so we thought!

Next day and we go out to the porch to put our shoes on and we notice there is one of his nice Keen shoes missing.  So, we thought maybe it was on the driveway like the flip flop was.  But no.  We searched and searched.  We even told the full-time missionaries there was a reward for whoever could find the shoe.  No one could find it.  We searched for days looking for the shoe because Elder Ford really liked those the best.

About a week later we notice out of all the shoes on the porch the shoe that was lost had now lost its match.  The shoes that he liked so much were now both gone!  We didn't really know what to think other than it must be a dog that is stealing our shoes.

A few days later, our landlord came by and said he saw a dog leave our house with a shoe in its mouth.  He ran after the dog (he had a machete in his hand while he was relaying this story to me), and got the shoe back.  It was one of his other Keen shoes.  So, I gave the Landlord the reward!!

He pointed out the dog to me so I would know which dog it was.

And the other day, I saw that dog in our yard again - so I ran and got my camera and took a picture of it!

You just got to love the dogs here in Fiji!!

Our first Baptism!

On Sunday we had a baptism in our own branch here in Savusavu.  It was of a woman named Olynda, and she is the mother of 4 children.  Two of her children were baptized last year.  They have been very good examples to their mother who as a result got baptized.  What a WONDERFUL day!

She was baptized in what we call "the waters of Mormon".

The Elder that Baptized Olynda is Elder Ruwhiu.  He and his companion are the Zone Leaders here and he is absolutely wonderful!!  We will miss him as he goes home this week back to Sydney Australia.  

Here are some pictures from the Baptism:

We absolutely LOVE the Branch members here in Savusavu - They are so dedicated, happy, friendly, and humble!