Week #18

Bula Vinaka Matavuvale! Bulumakau Tabu! Au lomani na cakacaka oqo! Hey family! This week has been wild! I love this work though! This week was one of the first moments so far on my mission where I fell asleep as soon as I walked into the flat hahaha! There is no better feeling than working as hard as you can and feeling like you truly earned your pillow for the day. This week started off really slow. We set up a whole day to go see all of these people on Tuesday and not one of them was available or home.... This is because this week there was a huge rugby competition down in Qeleni for like the whole week. On top of that there were 2 funerals and a huge birthday party. Funerals last like 3 days down here...and all they do is drink grog and party. Although it was a struggle to find people to teach this week, I've learned so much! I've been trying to get an answer to a certain prayer for awhile. I was starting to get discouraged that I hadn't gotten it answered yet until I came across this scripture in Alma 5:46! It talks about Alma and how he had to pray and fast for days to come to know the thing he desired! It really hit me because Alma was a prophet and I just always figured prophets got immediate answers to their prayers because well ya know....THEY'RE PROPHETS! But that’s not true. Even prophets have to earnestly seek and pray for answers! And sometimes it takes awhile. After a lot of praying and searching this week I finally found my answer. I've learned that prayers are always answered. Sometimes they do come fast and sometimes they don't. But if we keep praying and keep being diligent God will Bless us. Diligence is the second most important thing I have learned this week. With a slow week like we had this past week it was important to stay positive and diligent! On Tuesday after a whole day of only 2 lessons we were planning to just go back to the flat but we decided to go make a last minute visit to Elia! Elia is the MAN! He's one of our investigators. He's Taubale's cousin so if we can convert either one of them then we're set hahaha ;)) But we sat down with Elia and I FINALLY TAUGHT LIKE A WHOLE LESSON IN FIJIAN! The words just came to me and I was able to ask him questions in Fijian that I didn't know I even knew how to ask! It's just such a testimony builder to me that Heavenly Father is so involved in this work! He aids me in help every moment I need him. Just the other day I was absolutely Oca sara ga (very very tired). I was starting to feel sick and we had a lot of walking to do just to get to this one house. I heard a car driving from behind us and I just said a silent prayer that the car would stop and give us a ride. The car drove past us and I still had this feeling like I was going to get a ride. All of the sudden right after the car drove past us it changed it's mind and put the car in reverse and drove up to us and gave us a ride.... If that’s not a miracle I don’t know what is. I feel like I’ve been so watched over and protected on my mission so far. On the way back after our visits we even got a ride back to our house. I feel just like overwhelmed with blessings I don't deserve. I've learned so much more about the Savior this week. All the scriptures I’ve read this week have been directing me that I need to be more Christlike so I’ve been like trying everything I can to learn more about Him and try to come closer to Him. Sometimes I wonder what he thinks about me wearing his name on my chest. Something funny that happened this week was the Vermeerans (the senior couple) called me and elder barnaby and said they were on their way to do a detailed annual inspection of our flat. Well....Me and Elder Barnaby about had a heart attack. We hung up the phone as fast as we could and did what I think was the fastest cleaning job in the history of the world! HAHAHA. I've never worked so fast in my life. Long story short, God has not ceased to be a god of miracles and well......WE PASSED! :)) Later that night we went to go see this member in Matei named Sister Hill. She made us passion fruit juice and rolls that she made in this oven. Now let me explain this oven. They found it in the dumps. They picked it up and put it over an open flame and then put stuff in the oven to bake. It's not an actual working oven. But the way they use it actually works ahh haha. Sums up Fiji for ya! Saturday was the weirdest day of my mission ever. We went to go see this old guy who used to be a member named Brother stalls! Guys this guy took me on a trip to “nutville”....He's so nice but to describe him in quite simple terms he is INSANE! He told us all about how Eve is a scientist and he told us stories about nothing and went on and on. He said the best girlfriend he ever had was his mom and the best boyfriend he ever had was his dad....Stuff like that. We sat in his house for 2 hours trying to tell him we needed to go and listened to the most strange things I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth hahaha! I walked out of his house and felt like it had been years since I’d been on planet earth. I was thrown off for the rest of the day. Sunday was a way amazing day! Last week we had 80 members and that was combined with Qeleni and Fiji because they combine on fast sundays. This sunday in Matei alone we had 48 members. More members than they've had there in 8 months....Miracles are happening here in Matei and Qeleni. I’m finally seeing what I’ve been praying to see since my first week here in Taveuni! I love this work with all my heart! Tomorrow I find out about transfers. Pretty nerve racking. I’m almost positive I’m not leaving. But it's a possibility so wish me luck! I don’t want to leave my area ugh. I love the people here. I love you all and it's hard being away this christmas. First christmas ALONE haha... It's weird not seeing any christmas lights or hearing christmas music. But it’s helping me focus on the savior more and I can tell my christmas is going to be very different here then it ever has been for me. I hope you all have an amazing week. Missionary work is centered on Christ and I’m coming to know him more and more everyday. I testify that He lives today! That he loves you personally. He is coming again to the earth and he will again be the leader for this church in the last days. I know that families can be together forever because of him. I LOVE THIS WORK no matter how hard it is and how hard it can be sometimes. I love you all.

Love, Elder Jonati