Nausori - Week 3

Ni sa bula kece!

Man, it has been another great week here in Nausori!  My companion, Elder Palelei is less than a month from going home so he is keen to just pump out the work.  We were really busy this week, but in the mission life if I've learned anything it is that being busy = happy missionaries. 

It started off with a great zone conference in the beginning of the week.  We all were able to go to the mission home and be instructed by President and Sister Layton and the Assistants.  Probably my favorite zone conference so far!  The theme was Conversion, and we talked heaps about our personal conversion and conversion for our investigators.  I learned so much and am working hard to make myself more converted so I can be a better strength to those I am helping to convert!  During the conference, my companion and I were assigned to do a training on the power of the Holy Ghost in Conversion.  It was nerve-wracking doing a training in front of President and everyone, but I think we did an okay job.

The work is going super well in our area.  We are still working with the Biu and Rokodali families!  They are so good and excited to be baptized in two weeks.  They love the lessons and it is super fun to teach the kids.  We have a few other investigators who are progressing really well, so we'll see how they do next week. 

I'm pretty excited for General Conference!  One of the members in our ward works for the church in translation, and he has already read alot of the talks.  He recommended President Uchtdorf's!

I heard that Samu and Carmen were both baptized back in Navua.  I was way happy when I heard that!

Yeah that's all I can think of for this week.  Have a good one!

Moce mada,

Elder Harris

Nausori - Week 2

Sa qai.

Bula!

Man it has been a way busy, fun week.  Lots of great experiences and fun times!  Let's see if I can remember everything haha.

So Tuesday I went on an exchange with Elder Stock from Sandy, Utah.  We had a way good time and were able to see a lot of his investigators in his area.   I was super lucky because for their dinner appointment we got to go to a Birthday Party!  (his companion wasn't too happy when he heard about that)  We ate so much food that by the time the cake and ice cream came around I could hardly fit it in.

Wednesday I ended up sitting in the flat all day with an Elder Ruwhiu whose leg got super infected and couldn't walk.  I got some good studies in/cleaning the house while he slept.  Unfortunately he had to go to the hospital and is still there now, but his leg is getting better:)

Finally on Thursday, Friday and Saturday we were able to get some work in our area.  We have two awesome families that we are working with where the father is a member and the rest of the family is preparing to get baptized.  The Biu family is doing really good.  Sister Biu has been an investigator for a while, but the thing that finally helped her progress was going through the temple!  She loved it inside and now wants to be baptized along with her two kids.  The Rokodali family is our other investigators.  They are super great and loving the lessons.  Brother Rokodali has an amazing testimony of the gospel which he learned about while he was living up in Vanua Levu, and now that he's back he's excited to share it with his wife and kids.

On Sunday we had to take baptismal clothes up to an area called Nasautoka.  It is the farthest away area in our zone right now, about an hour drive up in the mountains.  Up there was more affected by the Cyclone.  Their power lines are still down and we saw a few houses that were damaged, but for the most part everything is back to normal there.  We were able to attend church there in their little branch of 30ish people and see the baptism afterwards that they performed in a river down below the chapel.  It was a way neat experience!

Things are going really good and I am enjoying life here in Nausori.  It's a great area!  Elder Palelei has been a fun companion and is even teaching me a little bit of Hindi.  He taught me if you add the word "kare" after anything it makes it a command to do that.  So I just keep telling him "cook kare" and "shower kare".  Fun stuff.

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Harris

Elder Palelei selfie with me and Elder Aoina

In the truck with some random kids

Baptism in Nasautoka.  Elder Whiting and Elder Whitworth.

That's part of someone's roof

Someone's house in Nasautoka that got blown over. 
This was the only one in the village they hadn't rebuilt yet.

We had some mean curry

Elder Palelei, Elder Whiting, Elder Whitworth, Elder Harris, Elder Aoina

Nausori - Week 1

Sa toki.

Bula vinaka!

It's been a way exciting week down here in Fiji.  Probably the most exciting thing that happened this week was transfers.  I got the call from President Layton and found out that I am going to Nausori!  Nausori is probably the biggest city right outside of Suva.  It sits right on the Rewa River on the east side of Fiji.  So far it's been pretty fun here getting to know the area.  My new companion is named Elder Palelei.  He is Samoan from Australia and this is his last transfer on the mission, so according to the missionary lingo I am "killing him" or I am his last companion.  It's an interesting companionship because Elder Palelei has been a Hindi speaker most of his mission, but now we are in a Fijian area.  Luckily, he's still got really good Fijian from back when he was trained, but I hope I can learn a little bit of Hindi while I am with him.

It was pretty sad leaving Navua, especially the Waqabaca family and the other families in the ward.  I heard that Samu got baptized and that Carmen is getting baptized this week, so I am still glad that was able to happen.  I am super happy that I was able to serve there; I learned so much from all the people there and from my companions.

So my companion and I are over one of the coolest zones in the mission.  We cover everything north of the Rewa river, which is a pretty bush area.  It goes up quite a ways into a place called Korovou and towards Rakiraki.  The top part of our zone was hit pretty hard by the cyclone.  So hopefully we'll get to go and do some service up there.  

We have a truck!  A nice powerful Toyota Hilux which has been way fun driving so far.  

Anyways, I am pretty excited about the new area and the new things I will be doing here.  The work is going good and we are teaching some great families right now.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,

Elder Harris

Navua - Week 18

Toso tiko ga

Bula everyone!

First of all sorry about last week.  Right after my first email was sent the power went out again all over Suva for a couple of hours so we didn't get to finish emails.  But hopefully today will be better!

Fiji is starting to wake up after Winston.  We finally got power in Navua!  But only a tiny little sliver of Navua which happened to be our house.  We were able to do some service for an Indian family in our ward who had a few trees fall over, but nothing too big.  From the stories I have heard, Navua has next to no damage compared to the rest of Fiji which is completely rebuilding.

But the work goes on!  We have been seeing a lot of success lately.  Jerry and Emma are still not married (I know, this is getting a bit ridiculous), but we fasted really hard that the government will be able to get that document figured out so they can get baptized.  Hopefully it will come soon because they are getting ready to move in a month or so!  But they are coming to church and doing really good at waiting patiently.

We've been working with our investigator Samu for a while and now he is finally getting baptized!  This Saturday we will hold his baptism with a small 8 year old girl named Vini from the ward.  And the following week we have a baptism scheduled for Carmen, a way golden investigator we just found about 2 weeks ago.  She is half-Fijian, half-Rotuman and loving the lessons we have been sharing with her!  She went through the temple open house with her member boyfriend and felt the Spirit really strong inside, and has been wanting to feel that Spirit ever since.  She is super excited to be baptized!

Transfers are this week so we'll see what happens to me.

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Harris

Selfie at Cultural Celebration

Front Row Mada

Elder Carlson and the car

We thought this was pretty funny.  Investigators never do this.