Reminiscing Over Our Past 9 Months

Annie's memories of the first half of our mission:

It is with regret that I attempt to record some of our mission experiences as to not lose them to time as memories will fade with the passing of years.  I knew better, but neglected and ignored the pressing feelings that I should be saving them in writing.

For me our MTC experience was overwhelming.  That may have been the reason I didn’t begin with the good habit of writing each day.  I felt flooded with expectations that I should be capable to be a missionary and yet I did not really feel prepared. Throughout my life, I feel like I have grown in my understanding of the gospel and lived it as best I could, but I have not seriously studied the gospel.  Arriving with the many other couples who I was sure were far more prepared was a challenge.  Add that to the fact that we had just packed our home in our garage, given away our cars to our kids and left it all behind to go to a country not of our choice for 1 ½ years, we were in a bit of a shock.

 Those few days Monday –Friday were some helpful transition in retrospect.  Jumping in and swimming, I guess you might say.  Getting a taste of what it would be like to teach was uncomfortable to say the least but necessary.  In the evenings we added a few hours to meet with a sweet young man from Fiji who introduced us to the Fijian language.  That in itself was enough to say, “this is too much.”  I admit to knowing early on that adding that thought of learning the language was going to be an impossibility.  My brain was not able to take it all in and I am grateful we had English as a viable option.  I know it has been a handicap but it has not made it impossible for us to still make contributions.

Our kids were so thoughtful right to the last moments we departed.  Leah had arranged for us to stay Friday night with them and took us to an outdoor Lower Lights Concert.  The temperatures that week had started in the 80-90’s, snow fell about Thursday and so Friday night was down right cold.  Thoughtfully she had brought me some of her bigger clothes and we changed and then headed out for our last non-missionary outing.  Great night! 

Saturday we reorganized, had last calls to the kids who lived away, and nervously went through any remaining preparations.  As always, Leah made wonderful meals.  Matt came down and drove us the airport.  Goodbyes are never easy and this was no exception.  I so easily remember saying goodbye when he left on his mission.  It was as if it would be our last time to ever see him.  Now it was our turn to walk away and head through the doors at the airport. 

We had several hours to wander and take in the fact that we would be leaving our home, family and country for 18 months.  We were emotional and unsettled with the unknown.  As we were finding our way to our gate, we noticed a woman walking close by who also wore a missionary name tag.  We were drawn to her and asked where she might be going.  She explained that she and her husband were serving as mission president and that she had traveled with a sick sister to return her back to her family so she could heal.  As a professional nurse she was just the right person to comfort this ailing sister and for us she was just the right person to comfort our worried hearts.  She hugged us and reassured us that she understood our fears but that Heavenly Father would watch over all. We shed a few tears that came easily and know that it was a tender mercy for us.

Our flight was exceptional with comfort, food and service.  New Zealand Air is the way to go.  We had been changed from Air Pacific because the flight had been canceled and that was a real blessing.  We flew through the night and arrived in Auckland bright and early.  A brisk wind greeted us there and fortunately we found a spot in a hotel where we could email to let our family know we were successfully on our way.  Nine hours later we headed to Fiji.  Five hours later we anxiously were peering out the window trying to get our fist glimpse of Fiji.  Lots of water and green vegetation was the predominate view.  Once the doors of the cabin opened, the humidity and warmth enveloped us and have become our constant companions.  As we entered the airport, a lovely Fijian band, all smiling and warmly greeted us with their music. Two Elders met us there in the Nadi Airport.  Although we could barely understand their English (both were Americans but speaking with heavy “Fijian” accents), they instructed us that we would need to repack and take only enough clothes for a few days in Suva.  The travel across the island to Suva is only with a small plane so each passenger is allotted 15Kg. We would be returning to the west side of Viti Levu for our assignment so there was no need to take it all with us and pay extra money.  Upon opening our bags we found cream rinse had spilled out and calcium tablets were scattered throughout my bag.  Time was short to reorganize and decide what we might want for a few days but we did the best we could.

Darkness was closing in by the time we arrived in Suva and kindly President Klingler and an office couple, Brother and Sister Barfuss (an unfortunate name) were there to greet us.  Sister Klingler’s mother had died and she had returned to the US for her funeral.  Our days in Suva were important to get our feet under us.  We spent most of them gathering furnishings for our new home (an apartment on the lower floor of an Indian family dwelling).  We would be the first to live in it so it was starting from scratch.  It turns out shopping in Fiji is a whole new experience from the US.  There are few options, most products are very inferior and customer service is very limited.  Our few days in Suva turned out to be 10 days partly because our new truck was not ready.  That allowed us time to find some food options to take with us that are only available in Suva, which was nice.  We attended the temple several times, got acquainted with people who work in the Service Center and more familiar with our assignment to Ba.  As MLS missionaries, Pres. Klingler asked that we work with the leadership of Ba as well as teach investigators. One of the temple missionary couples (the Lawlors), had served in Ba some 8-9 years earlier and they were happy to share with us.  The stake president of the Lautoka Stake also met with us so when we left we felt a bit more prepared.  The drive over included speed humps to some 52 villages and that makes for a pretty slow drive.  We took in all the new sights and sounds.  Poverty colors everything here and surely that was predominate to what we saw as well as the lush vegetation.

Even before we left Suva, when asked where our assignment would be, the response from most when we told them we would be in Ba was, “Oh, it is really hot and dry there – “the burning west!” Since we’re already overcome with the heat in Suva, that was not good news.

Because I am writing this many months since we first arrived in Fiji and our Ba experience is behind us we can now reflect on it with fondness.  The friendly people of Ba took us in.  Most store workers became friends; we didn’t always know their names but they smiled and treated us kindly.  Many members did become “family” and we hope we will one day be with them in the kingdom of God where all language differences will be gone.  We went through two floods together and all the aftermath.  We had the special opportunity of helping to prepare several families and individuals to go to the temple.  Dear Tuliana and Olivia, loving and teasing sisters welcomed us to share the gospel with them. They were our first official investigators.  When we arrived in Ba we needed to find a stove for our flat. Naively we thought stores there would have something different than what we could find in Suva.  The store, “Courts,” was our destination and Tuli was our clerk.  She was kind and professional.  We knew we would need help connecting the gas line to the stove.  As we talked of it, she offered, “I think someone in your church would help you.  Don’t members do things like that?”  Tom was quick to ask her if we might share our message with her and invited her to church.  The first Sunday she came we were watching a recorded session of General Conference.  Few came and although we felt less than great about her first experience there, we continued in asking for an appointment.  We went with the Elders and they shared something in Fijian. Although we met in Olivia’s home, she was missing.  Afterwards she proudly emerged, having prepared a huge set of refreshments.  As we walked back to the car, I asked Tuli if her sister would be interested in listening to the message.  “Yes!  She was a so excited to have guests from America that she was preparing the refreshments.”  From there on we met with the two of them for many months.  In the beginning especially we had many missed appointments.  It was our first opportunity to see many of the Fijian problems ie.-phone not working, no calling to change appointments, forgetting, lateness, etc. In spite of the challenges they both progressed and we became fast friends.  Tuli took us on a hike to Fall #7, we went to the beach for a day, made roti together, had meals together, played games, traveled the long road to visit the last traditional village of Navala, and visited in illness.

Tuli's baptism, supported by Olivia

As desirous as Olivia was to be baptized she never did because of her Muslim husband and his family.  Tuli chose her birthday (March 6) to be baptized and happily it took place in a the river due to the flood recovery still going on at the Ba building.  It is captured well on our blog - simple and private yet all that needed to be.  We remain long distant friends and are hopeful she will desire and qualify for a mission.  Sadly it would seem she has been less than valiant in attending church and fulfilling her calling of teaching Sunday School to the youth.

The Nairoqo family opened their heart and home for us in so many ways.   We met them right in the beginning when Elders Hill and Tay took us through what seemed like an endless maze of paths through the sugar cane fields.  Saimone was quiet, sizing us up I think.  Eleanoa was gracious and the kids were quiet, yet receptive.  Here was a family just awakening to the gospel.  Lusi and Peni had been baptized months earlier when their dad was in prison for stealing a large amount of wire (to sell the copper for money to help his family). Although a member for several years, he had not been active and in his time away had picked up some bad habits.  His faithful loving wife stood by him and continued to pray for him.  Our friendship came about at a time he was looking to find God again.  Soon we were visiting at least weekly and helping them prepare to be sealed in the temple.  Here is a family that truly love one another and their fellow man.  They have but little and yet they gave much of what they did have to others and without fanfare or notice.  In the end we found a family’s love for us and ours for them. One of the crowning moments was to be in the Suva Temple with them as they were sealed. Our greatest hope will be for Saimone to be able to have work that will support his family.  He has paid a dear price for his mistakes that took him to prison.

 Sister Mate (Saimone’s aunt) and her grand daughter, Miriama shared their mat with us each Sunday evening where humility and the spirit taught us all.  She had been a member for many years, yet due to convenience of a Methodist church just outside her front door, she had quit attending the LDS Church.  I think she saw how the Nairoqos were being blessed and realized she too wanted to return.  Temple blessings had not been hers and so that became our blessing to teach her.  Due to the fact that Miriama’s school was within walking distance of her grandmother’s home, she was living with her and that made her request to be taught the Gospel very handy.  We would meet together and Sis. Mate would assist in our teaching.  Oftentimes they would be asleep on the floor for a Sunday afternoon nap when we arrived.  Sis. Mate sold little bits of produce at the Ba Market and had long days, Sunday was a treat for her.  As her spirit came to life, she would tell us how she would awake very early.  At night she would ask the Lord to awaken her so she could study her Book of Mormon.  By 3am she would begin with prayer asking the Lord, “What you going to teach me today?”  If she didn’t understand she would keep reading and praying to understand.  We have no doubt she is one the “noble ones” and it was our privilege to have learned from her.  One added blessing was to be able to coincide our time in Suva on our way from South Africa and meet her in the temple on August 28, 2012.  Sis. Ratu and Sis. Luveitesau accompanied her as well.  Miriama was baptized and has remained faithful.  Her mother (Ulamila) has since been baptized and we understand her husband and stepsons are now taking the missionary lessons.

The Luveitisau family in all their needs allowed us to serve and learn how to set barriers when needed.  A very large family of 8 children ages 17 to 1.  Sis. Luveitisau has been a faithful Primary President and taken her family to church without her husband for way too long.  He was a police officer who has lost his way in keeping the commandments.  Their oldest daughter, Vasiti, has also lost her way being drawn to older boys and “freedom,” stealing, dishonesty and immorality.  Her path was not looking good last we knew.  Little brothers and sisters will be all too susceptible to her bad example but for now they looked upon us with much fondness.  Running up to us when we visit their village with hugs and smiles was sometimes too much.  It didn’t hurt that cakes and treats had been offered and were loved.

Dear Simi, my sweet little 10 year-old Fijian “grandson” who hugged me tightly and smiled through the barriers of culture and language lived with his grandmother, Sis. Serukalau who is also the mother of Sis.Luveitisau.  How his parents could leave him and he could be as trusting and loving as he was I could never figure out.  Somehow we had a special bond that was there from the start.  He would gaze at the pictures of our family and want to know their names and some things about them and then he would remember them!  Many Sundays he would sit by me and look up at me and smile.  One day he was looking at our wedding picture.  Back and forth his eyes would go between the picture of a young girl with long blond hair back to me “glowing” in Fiji many years later with time showing itself in my appearance.  Before we left I gave him my “Shally Rally” shirt (from our Sherry Family reunion just before we left) since he had been so enraptured with the family picture on our computer.  I hope that it will be a reminder of our special bond. 

His grandma, Sis. Serukalau is one of the faithful ones of Ba.  Nothing flashy, just stalwart and true.  One day while at the temple in Suva I asked her if she was sealed to her dead husband. “No” was her answer and that became a special opportunity to support  her son, Villiame to obtain the necessary information so they could be sealed at the time Villiame was endowed.  Many months of preparation brought that special day.  After he was endowed his mother was sealed to her husband and Villiame was sealed to both his parents. We had come to love Villiame over the many months of helping him to learn his calling as ward clerk.

Even with much, much warning about the need to be careful of the tithing offerings he would be handling, we were so saddened to hear he had succumbed to need/temptation and taken some of these sacred funds.  Now a long road of repentance awaits him from where we last left him.

 Sis. Tabualevu’s righteousness shown through poverty and family challenges.   As a 3 moth old baby she had suffered the loss of sight in one eye when a piece of the ceiling in their bure fell down and stuck in her eye.

Bishop Ratu and his dear wife served with their form of faithfulness.

The Bainivalu families brought such a mixture of experience and emotions but such special children we encountered there - Alveretti, Serenia, Mere, and beautiful Ulamila!

Vaceseva Bainivalu was such a trial for us.  She had been the first “success” in our time there.  A lost soul, she seemed to flourish with some focused interest and care.  Yet some months later she became very apostate and went back to living a life of sin. Temesi and his mother Sis. Naio trying to be faithful in the loss of her husband who died as he was serving as the former bishop of Ba ward.  He endured his mother’s public ridicule and sadly kept his hard armor around himself so Tom could not penetrate and offer help.  Our efforts to obtain some really nice soccer boots from the Cole’s generosity was so disappointing.  No expression of gratitude came until we asked him to write them a letter.  He experienced a miracle days after the first flood when a huge thorn came out of his foot after it had been there for days and causing him much pain. Dear Sis. Naiker and her niece, Pillay who deeply appreciated all that we were able to offer.  Lewa Ratu, gifted yet buried with family responsibility once she chose a relationship outside the boundaries of marriage.  Gratefully her story is changing as they married and her husband, Peteli was recently baptized. Angeline Steiner, a sister of great need yet really just needing to be loved.  Many others we tried to help and encourage back yet had not yet chosen to do so.

With our 9 months there, we felt like we had true friends but the reality was that the ward was still terribly weak in leadership and real strength.  Even though Tom was persistent in trying to have regular bishop meetings, it just didn’t happen.  Never were they all together, not even when we had dinners for them. 

Introducing the Ratus and Matewais to Phase 10