Vatulaulau Village

     There are so many sweet and humbling experiences as we move around among these humble people.  When you go into the villages, you can't help but be "put in your place" regarding the wealth we all experience in America.  Out in the villages there is so little but people are happy, joking and playing around.

Well, almost everyone is happy . . . 

Sikeli Luveitasau cooking up some dinner

     When we walked into Vatulaulau village a couple days ago, we were just coming up the footpath when the kids started noising about that we were there.  They ran out of the houses and came flying down the hill jumping into our arms and chattering about in Fijian.  Then they hold your hand and ask if you're coming to their home, and if not, they look very sad - so they walk with you hand-in-hand to the home you're going to.

   
As we entered a very poor home to visit a woman, we noticed that she has a large white spot on one eye where she is blind and we thought how easily that might be fixed if she were in America.  Sister Luveitasau is a wonderful, faith filled member of the Church and we visited about her children and the difficulties she lives with.  Then a cousin of hers came in from the cane fields, a big brute of a man - so strong and chiseled in appearance.  As we talked, prayed, and sang together I felt the promptings of the Holy Spirit to speak directly to him.  Turns out that he is a member but has not gone to Church for some time.  I felt full of love as we spoke of him being a child of God and that he was loved and needed back at Church.  Annie caught my attention and suggested I give him a blessing, something we do commonly in the villages due to the faith of the people and the fact that they have no other resources.  While giving him a blessing along with the young elders who we were with, I felt overwhelmed with guidance from the Lord particularly for this man.  I was also aware of the irony of the moment -- we had come to visit the woman and her family but the Lord also led her cousin to stop by right at that time, we were blessing him in ways he could not otherwise be blessed, and there we were kneeling in this home with flies all over our arms and legs and while blessing the man I felt the hands of a little child begin to play with my feet.  It was all so unique.  Afterward, the woman said her one son would be 7 tomorrow and begin to prepare for baptism at age 8 so wouldn't we give him a blessing also?

Adi Kelera Tabualevu and son

     When we left, we were accompanied by several children who wanted to walk with us to the next home and again were so sad when we weren't able to go to theirs (because we had other commitments). Annie and I walked down the hill past the banana and coconut trees and felt we had again participated in the Lord's work blessing these people as best we can but being twice over blessed ourselves for being here.

First Days in Fiji

It is amazing how attached we have become to the little circle of friends we have made here in Suva.  People have been so kind and thoughtful and it has made a big difference as we have tried to become more oriented to Fijian ways and our role here.  Our pantry is pretty limited and so a meal out each day or so has been especially appreciated.  One friend took me to the market yesterday via taxi and walked me through telling me about different produce and their uses.  She and her husband have lived here almost 3 years and render a huge amount of service both through employment services, at the temple, church callings and privately to people like us. Today we were invited to lunch in honor of a Fijian couple who have just completed a service mission in the church services office here in Suva.  It was an interesting experience to be eating Chinese food with Fijian people with the Beach Boys etc.playing in the background.

A very expensive Toyota truck ($45,000) is now in our keeping.  Dad has had an hour or so of driving experience and since there is only one road that goes to Ba once we get out of Suva we trust we will find our way.  Actually one of the temple missionary couples who coincidently served in Ba some years back will be riding with us to the airport in Nadi.  Sadly, last week their 14 year old grand daughter was killed in a car accident while out with young friends and so they are returning for 10 days to be with family in Canada.  We had talked with them last week but more time will be good.  As far as we can tell our flat should be shaping up.  Added since last week are a bed, washer and dryer, air conditioning and frig.  It already had a sofa and table and chairs.  As hard as we have tried here with the kind help of the office missionaries, we have determined there are no all electric stove/oven combinations to be had here.  With gas one needs to have a propane stove in the kitchen and we had hoped to avoid that, so that appliance will need to be obtained once we arrive.  You wouldn't believe how inefficient shopping can be and how very few choices there are.  Grocery shopping will be another major need although we have purchased some things from the Fijian Costco type store;  here it is called Cost U Less but prices would say otherwise (about 2-4 times as high as the states for similar items).  

We said good bye to a special young couple today who had been here just since Sunday as part of their effort to legalize an adoption of a baby boy from Tahiti (the US Embassy for South Pacific islands is located here in Suva).  Unfortunately the baby and adoptive mom will need to stay in Tahiti at least 2-4 months longer while France and the US work out details.  Both they and we felt so fortunate to have overlapped here as emotional and physical help went both ways.  They kind of filled a void we have missing our own kids and we could offer some support and breakfasts in a foreign spot.  Our kids may appreciate the fact that their Utahn grandparents are neighbors of the Lee and Carolyn Perry family in Orem.

The universal response after someone asks us where we will be serving and we tell them Ba, is, "Oh that is very hot and dry!"  Here is a site that proves half of that, but 80 or so inches of rain doesn't seem too dry to us.  Converting the Celsius temperatures it looks like 86 degrees to about 74 degrees is the average for most of the year.

http://www.worldweatheronline.com/weather-averages.aspx?q=BFJ

So as you enjoy the beauties of the seasons, please don't tell us about them (except for Seth and Caroline) because we're more than worried about the long term.

So it's bedtime here.  We'll tell you Wednesday is a good day - since we have already lived it.  We'll let you know how Thursday goes once we have arrived in Ba.  We are acting as the pony express here delivering mail to missionaries along the way; postal dates include late August and Sept. so I'm sure there are some families in the US wondering why their child never mentioned the package or letter.

May we say how much we have needed and appreciated your love and support.  This is not like anything we have ever done for sure.

Our love to you all,

Mom and Dad

Elder & Sister Sherry