Week #10

Ni sa bula vinaka matavuvale! Au misitaki na kemuni kece! (Hello family and friends, I miss all of you!)

So I'm hesitant to tell you everything that happened this week....Before I begin - I'm okay and so is my companion, we've just had an interesting week! Tuesday night we had an amazing lesson with some of our new investigators, Taubale and Paulnia. We met them once last week. They are this awesome Fijian family who are as ripe and ready for the gospel as can be! So on Tuesday we started talking to them about the Book of Mormon and modern day prophets. When we told them about modern day prophets they got so excited and started asking so many questions and that's actually rare for Fijians to ask questions. Normally if you ask a fijian if they have any questions about what you've taught them they interrupt before you can even end the question and they say sengaaaa (which means nooo). When they do this it makes me so livid hahahah! After Tuesday...our work came to a halt. And it was long. It was boring. Miserable. And I almost lost my mind hahha! But, I was able to see some small miracles. It started on the dreary October night of Tuesday the 12. Have I got your attention yet? haha. Just kidding I'm so dumb haha. Okay but no, really it all started Tuesday night. My companion and I were walking back in the pouring rain back from our investigator’s house and we were both just soaked and the wind was insane! We got home, did our studies and went to bed. When we woke up the next morning we both woke up with fevers. Not going to lie, it stunk really bad. We both had really bad stomach pain and everything we ate didn’t stay in. Yeah! I know gross! My fever was at 102.5 degrees and it was freezing and hot but I had my sweatshirt. Honestly I'm not trying to make you sad but it was the worst pain/sickness I’ve ever been in. I guess I haven't ever been really, really sick before this though. So we had to stay home all Wednesday and we called the mission nurse and she told us what medication to take. I was really upset because I really wanted to go out teaching. But, me and Elder Barnaby were just so sick and the fevers made our bodies ache so it would have just been stupid if we went outside in the rain...At one point we were both just done spiritually and emotionally and really struggling to stay positive and so we gave each other blessings. The spirit just came into the room and even though we were sick there was a peaceful feeling with us that we both felt. We knew heavenly father would take care of us. We were able to get some more sleep that night. The next morning we were supposed to get up and catch the bus to SomoSomo to make it to the Zone training meeting. We were both feverless but still nauseous and it took us awhile to get ready and we missed the bus! The walk was a 3hr walk so we started. In our heads we just thought...why is this happening to us!? So I said a prayer that someone could come pick us up. I was begging in my prayer because I was really discouraged and losing faith. Five minutes later this old beat up truck pulls up next to us. It’s our investigators Taubale and Paulnia and their family! We got in and they gave us a ride. It turned out they were having some questions and doubts about the church that we were able to clear up for them. I felt so grateful for this small miracle. It was no coincidence that they picked us up! God knows how much we can handle and in my lowest moment he answered my prayer and it turned into a huge blessing for me and the family! The rest of the week I got better although Elder Barnaby did not! Thursday night I went on splits with one of the zone leaders-Elder Condie!!!! And I had to take the senior couple along with us and lead the area and lead the lessons. IT WAS WAY NERVE WRACKING! During one of the lessons I felt prompted to invite our investigator Dipika to be baptized. OF COURSE SHE SAID I ALREADY AM BAPTIZED IN THE PROTESTANT CHURCH! :( So in front of a zone leader i had to explain to her the whole priesthood authority thing and talk in fijian and she said she'd talk to her husband about it. Elder Condie said he was way impressed with me so that made me feel a little bit better about that whole stressful evening! It helped strengthen my confidence a lot!!! As for the rest of the week we had to stay inside for Elder Barnaby to get better. I almost lost my mind staying inside all day hahahaha....no joke. But I learned a lot of patience so that’s good;) I also got a lot of studying in! I’m almost done reading Nephi in fijian so that’s cool for me! Other than that the rain has been crazy this week and some guy thinks there is going to be a hurricane but we were informed that was unlikely. Last night we found a spider in the house....It was a wolf spider but this wasn’t just some ordinary wolf spider....This thing was a mutant monster that was bigger than the picture of that one spider that I sent. And when it ran between my legs on the floor in our house I screamed like a girl and about peed my skirt (wow never thought I'd say that......) anyway, it’s dead and life is looking up from here ;) haaaaaa this week I’ve learned patience. I've learned more about the atonement and small miracles. I am just praying Elder Barnaby gets better. We don’t want to stay inside anymore and we’re ready to start some preachin hahaha UGHHH! I love you all. Missions are hard. They are insane. But they are amazing! For all of those people who said the fiji mission is a vacation ha ha haaa. This is the best mission in the world but it is no picnic in paradise haha. I love you all. Mom, I have plenty of food. I miss normal food though like, goldfish, bread, cold water hahahaha! I’m all good. Heavenly Father is definitely protecting me. I'm not sick anymore. I’m just acclimating so don’t freak out. Miss you all a lot.

Love,

Elder Jonutz

Sweet View from up on tagi mocia mountain. Guys go on itunes and look up the song Tagi Mocia. They play it on all the buses here. It's about this flower that only grows on taveuni. No where else in the world. You have to hike through the jungle to get to it and we are doing it next week for p-day. Its a fijian song and it's way catchy!!!