Craig and L'Or L.

Happy Thanksgiving! We celebrated ours with the senior missionaries and some guests at the mission home on Saturday. We may have had chicken instead of turkey, but it was almost like home. Reading and contemplating Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation gave it extra meaning. We have so much for which to be grateful! And we know from whom our blessings flow.

Elder and Sister Harper invited Bro and Sister Creamer to join us. Sister Tami Creamer wrote the music to the Primary song “I Know That My Savior Loves Me.” As we sat across the table from her at dinner, we listened to the story of how that song came to be. When she spoke to the group later, she showed how important our individual gifts are by playing a hymn without using two of the piano keys. She then played it as it is written using those keys, and it was beautiful. We all have something to contribute. She ended by accompanying us as we sang “I Know That My Savior Loves Me.” Moved to tears, I could hardly sing the words, “I did not touch Him or sit on His knee, Yet, Jesus is real to me.”  What a beautiful experience!

Monday night we had our exit interview with Pres Layton, followed by our farewell dinner. It is so hard to say goodbye.  Pres. and Sister Layton have been wonderful.  We will miss being with our fun fellow missionaries!

Elder and Sis Clark, Stanfords, Olsens, Elder Willis, Shavers, Andersons, Sis Alldredge, Greenburgs, Sis Willis, Elder Alldredge, and us.

Afterwards we stopped in Fatburgers to snap this picture, since this is the year we’re both 66. I used to wait for the bus when I was a kid along the side of Route 66.

We also said goodbye this week to Bale, who is on his way to Australia to play rugby with a professional team. We wish him well!

What do we say to someone we think we will never see again? I have been asking some of the YSAs to tell me what I should tell people at home about Fiji. Joey said, “Fijian smiles are as warm as the sun. So true!

Avinesh and Shammi came to say goodbye, too. They have been fantastic landlords, and we are so thankful we’ve had the opportunity to know them.

Tetika brought his younger brother and sister over to say goodbye before they left for Tavalu. Elder Whitehead shared his tie with Tibau, and taught him how to tie it, so he could wear it when he becomes a deacon and passes the sacrament.

 

Sunday we attended Tamavua 2^nd ward. It was the first ward we attended when we arrived in Fiji, so it seemed fitting to make it the last. We spoke, then stood and bawled our eyes out as the ward members sang “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again” and put beautiful shell leis around our necks and kissed our cheeks. What a treasured memory! We learned so much from the people in that ward — especially from the YSAs, and their YSA adult leaders, Frank and Susan Stanford.

This will be our last blog post.

It is hard to believe, but it is true. I don’t know how it can be, but this really is the week we go home. We will teach our last classes, lock the door, and get on a plane.  We will count on having the joy of seeing our family warm our hearts enough to help us adjust to the freezing winter cold at home.  We have loved this tropical paradise, but are excited to see our family.  Family and friends are what make this world a paradise for me.  We are so thankful for their love and support.

This has been the most wonderful/challenging/rewarding/frustrating/humbling/incredible experience of our lives. For the rest of our lives, when we take turns going around the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day sharing what we are thankful for, we will include the blessing of this mission.

It has been a sacred experience to consecrate a small portion of our lives fully and completely to the work of the Savior.  He is the light of the world!  The beautiful video #LIGHTtheWORLD motivates us to try and follow His example as we prepare to celebrate His birth with our loved ones.  Surely that will help fill the hole in our hearts made by leaving our wonderful friends in Fiji.

Moce, fair Fiji!  Vinaka. Vinakavakalevu from the bottom of our hearts!

What a super week!  Complete with a super moon, no less (wasn’t that fun to see?).  We stood outside to oooh and ahhh with the Edmunds, and I thought of you all being under the same moon:)

Exams are over, school is out, and everyone is ready to have fun!

These wonderful women were our bakers this week…

…along with these talented tasters (you have to check for quality, right?).

We enjoyed another serenade, this time by Bro Nawatu, our favorite custodian and friend –

and learned something new from Shivani.  She shares the gospel online with about 1,000 contacts!  It was fun to see how she does it.

We celebrated Sumeet’s 20th birthday, and loved hearing Loraini give him the scoop on all he will encounter on his mission to England.

But the real event that made this week truly superior was being Lydia’s escort as she received her endowment in the temple.  That was a special and sacred experience.

Jeanette also received her temple endowment that evening, and plenty of friends and family were there to congratulate the two girls.  They even served pizza in the parking lot to celebrate, and to say goodbye once more to Brandon  Never heard of having a temple tailgater before, but it was a beautiful night for it.

 

Elder Whitehead and I spent Saturday evening with Elder and Sister Greenburgs to thank them for being great zone assistants.

The other senior missionaries have been a huge part of our mission — which surprised us.  We really have enjoyed getting to know them all.

Talk about enjoying people — we attended Wailoku ward today, where Elder Whitehead taught the YSA Sunday School class, of course.  We loved seeing our good friends there. We have learned so much from them!  We will bless their names forever.  The picture below was the whole RS today. Sister Edmunds is assigned there, Sister Olsen (next to me in pink) was also visiting today.

Sister Waisu, standing on my other side, is so humble.  When we broke into groups to discuss the RS lesson, she practically whispered her comment, and did so in Fijian.  Marica (in bright orange) interpreted for me.  She said that when she faced a huge problem at home with family members, and it made her angry.  Her husband, who is not a member of the Church, told her to not be afraid but to have courage, and remember what she was being taught at church.  What a sweet reminder to us all of how we can be an influence for good.  And, what a blessing the gospel can be.

We have two more weeks to be an influence of any kind with our YSAs (makes me cry just to type that). We hope to be an influence for good in someone’s life before we leave.

 

 

 

We began our week listening to heavenly music as Michelle and her daughter sat by our institute carport preparing for a recital.  We loved it.  Michelle brought her 12 year old daughter here to learn English.  

One night in institute class students were asked to list lessons learned from Joseph Smith’s first vision.  One surprised me: “English is the language of the restoration.”  I am grateful I haven’t had to leave my home to learn it.

Sione taught us that Tongan sulus are longer so it’s easier for men to be modest (Elder Whitehead was so jealous).

He also told us that while he originally came to Suva to apply for a visa,  he extended his stay because he felt he needed a spiritual lift.  It was rewarding to have him tell us he found that in institute classes.  We have appreciated his comments in class.

We don’t have a TV, but election news was broadcast in every building I went into Wednesday.  We didn’t know the outcome until we got home that night, but everyone was interested in it.  Someone even referred to it in our Fijian Sunday School class today.  

While everyone was in a frenzy counting ballots at home, Elder Whitehead was teaching Brandon how to perform a baptism here in the temple.  That was a tender scene.  It was even more special when it turned out that our wonderful Jeannette was the first person to stand as proxy as he performed baptisms.  

Just before we sang “God Be With You” to Brandon on Thursday, he bore sincere testimony saying that once you know the gospel is true, how can you not share it?!

We bought more yarn so Racheal could crochet a hat for Elder Whitehead.  Now with his hat and my scarf, we are ready for the Wyoming winter! Almost.

Saturday we joined over a hundred people of all faiths in a march to promote awareness of the problem of Diabetes in Fiji.  Many sang as we walked through downtown, and we sang some primary songs along with other LDS members.  I walked with a muslim young man who wore a long white robe, and who was very nice.  At the end of the walk and before the Minister of Health spoke, prayers were offered by Islamic, Hindu, and Seventh Day Adventist leaders.  Our Elder (Dr.) Clark also spoke, and told of  going from hut to hut helping amputees in Taveuni.  One was a 32 year old mother of ten.  Although insulin is available, few have access to refrigeration, and the effects are devastating.  All were encouraged to eat right and live a healthy lifestyle.

This was an important month in the history of Fiji for another reason:

I’ll never forget watching Sumeet and Racheal search online for information about the ship that brought their great grandparents to Fiji.  This nation has a wonderful, but complicated past.

This morning we attended church at the Berry Road chapel with these cute sisters from Kiritibati:  Our Sunday School lesson was on 4th Nephi, and how the people then were not separated as tribes or groups, but lived in peace.  We hope that for Fiji, and for the world:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

After saying so many goodbyes, it sure was nice to say hello to a new face this week.  Edwina brought in a young man from Taveuni named Jale Koy, who recently returned from the Loag Philippines mission. It’s always fun for Elder Whitehead to have returned missionaries help him practice Tagalog.

Lini was the last to leave for BYU – Hawaii this week – she came in for one last final goodbye — a tearjerker, of course!  We will miss her so much.

Elenoa introduced Savaira to the gospel, and both attend my Mission Preparation class. Both are such sweet young ladies, I love being with them. We started class late Thursday because Elenoa wanted to wait for Savaira to bring her a sulu to wear over her pants, as a sign of respect in the classroom. That was worth the wait!

And look who else stopped by – Bale, Moji and friends. Bale is waiting for a visa to play rugby in Australia.

 

We are gathering up souvenirs to bring home. Many of them have been made by Christine (pictured below) and her sister Elizabeth. It has been so much fun to watch them string jewelry and weave items.

Today we attended Suva North stake conference. Forty men were presented for a sustaining vote to receive priesthood advancement. It was a wonderful sight to see them stand before the congregation. Another of our YSAs was called to the stake High council, and another as an assistant stake clerk. These young men do so much!

Pres Farpapau is District president over a branch in Rotuma. He and his wife were called to serve as missionaries from the Suva North stake, and are here in Suva this weekend for a mission conference with Pres. Layton. When the Farpapaus started there were 12 members in the branch, and now there are over 60. He shared a humble testimony about the miracles they were experiencing in Rotuma, and how missionary service was changing their lives.

Tonight was the last Family Home Evening we were in charge of, and at the end we were released as Zone Leaders.  The Farpapaus and other senior couples who are serving off island joined us tonight — forty-four of us all together.  As I looked around the room, I was humbled to be with such a choice group of Heavenly Father’s children.  We are so grateful for the blessing of being here!!!

 

 

This Indian festival of lights, light over darkness, is like Christmas, 4^th of July and about three other holidays all rolled into one.  I asked Rachel how these beautiful sparkly doilies were used, and she said Hindus put them on tables for special events, or dress their idols in them during Diwali.

Kids at the LDS Primary School celebrated Diwali by dressing up in beautiful dresses and jewels or Indian outfits for boys. These girls stopped their basketball game just long enough for me to snap a picture.

Beautiful Salwar Kameez are everywhere this weekend for Diwali – even in the grocery stores. Sarah and Ashiyana in the picture below weigh our produce at IGA. A little different from the polo shirts Albertson employees wear at home,eh?

We were honored to be invited by Rachel to come to her home for the Diwali sweets she and her mother spent all week making. What a great experience! She has a very gentle, loving family.

 

Sudha and her husband also invited us to come for sweets with other missionaries. Since Sudha manages a dress shop, Sister Alldredge and Sister Edmunds decided to go all out for the holiday!

While Hindus and Indian Fijians are celebrating Diwali with lights, sweets and fireworks, the St Joseph’s parish down the street held a huge bazaar with a competition for the best decorated booth, and the YSAs of the Suva North stake had a Halloween dance, with prizes for costumes. Seems everyone was in the mood for a party this week!

This week was a big one for goodbyes: Lasarusa, Lini, Sosi to BYU-Hawaii, and Kelemana back to New Caledonia. Oh, how we will miss them! The institute will be different without them – especially without Lasarusa’s and Sosi’s music.

Sosi and David have had so much fun teasing Elder Whitehead for eating Pepita seeds, he just had to get one last picture of them eating his “chicken feed” (now they love them).

Chicken and pig’s feed aside, today we experienced a spiritual feast at our Nausori stake conference. Seats in the chapel, cultural hall and a large tent filled early with the 1,449 in attendance. There’s nothing like singing “I’m a Child of God” in Fijian, or hearing the men in a congregation singing the Fijian style harmony to “God Be With You ‘til We Meet Again.” During the conference, Pres. Qoroya reminded us that the Lord will always reward those who earnestly seek Him. Another speaker talked about the smooth stones David used to kill Goliath, and how it takes years to make a stone smooth. Years of righteous decisions prepare us to conquer our adversaries, too.  It was a wonderful day, rain and all.

 

We thought seeing a sun dog in North Dakota was fascinating.  Last week we were introduced to another unusual phenomena: a wet moon. Tradition is, it fills up with water, then pours out for the rainy season.  It was stunning to see — like the smile of a Cheshire cat in the sky.  Not your normal view of the moon!

We learned about another tradition this week from these wonderful people from Vanuatu. They were at the church to celebrate a granddaughter’s first birthday (A person’s first birthday and 21st birthday are very important here). I watched them put on their face paint, which is part of a tradition to celebrate someone’s first birthday. For other special events, or for honored people like a chief, they paint different designs. Such a fascinating culture! This woman was so sweet. She told me her son died in last year’s cyclone.  

What an eventful week! We always love visitors, especially when three of our original YSAs come in – Sean, Lini and Joey.   We also had some surprise visits from some fine feathered friends, who flew through our open lady’s bathroom window to build a nest! At first we couldn’t figure out where all the dirt and sticks came from that were on top of a storage cabinet and all over the bathroom. Then we caught them in the act! We closed the window and put up a no vacancy sign.

One of our blessings here is listening to beautiful singing. This group gathered before class and did an absolutely gorgeous (and extemporaneous) rendition of “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy,” inventing their own harmony as they went. What a treat!

For class on Thursday, Sister Stanford put together a matching game about the prophets. The competition was intense, but they sure had fun.

Below is a common scene at the institute. Who needs chairs when you can sit by a friend on the floor?!

Saturday was a special day, not just because we were able to get ready for Sunday, but because Joti was baptized (my hand is on her shoulder). She just graduated from a nursing program she attended with another one of our YSAs, Lyanne. Lyanne invited her to church, and pretty soon, Joti was the one dragging Lyanne out of bed to make sure they didn’t miss a meeting. She bore a simple and sincere testimony about the peaceful feeling that came to her when she  attended church for the first time.

Going over last minute instructions before she was baptized…

Saturday afternoon we went to the mission home and put together gifts for the junior missionaries. For some junior missionaries, our small gifts will be all they will receive. We listened to Christmas music and had fun trying to practice what we try so hard to preach:)

Today we visited the Nausori Ward.  I sat next to a woman who had a huge bandage on her leg because she had been bitten by a dog.  I feel so blessed to have been safe here on the mornings I have gone walking.  A few times I have come to groups of dogs who have, in unison, turned their heads away from me. Maybe it’s because of a cat, but I have felt to say right out loud, “Thank you.”   We know we have been blessed in many ways here, and are grateful for help from those who are seen, and for help from those who are unseen.

 

 

 

Our camera broke last week. The cord to our lap top charger is wearing out, and my iPad cover has disintegrated. Must be a sign – we are close to going home.

We had a good week at the institute anyway. Our classes went well, and we hosted some fun  visa waiters from Kiritbati.  Obtaining a visa sure is a challenging process.  Prospective missionaries must come to Suva from their islands (three day boat ride for some), then wait days for an appointment in the Embassy, then wait for a boat back home.  Sometimes it takes more than one trip.

Elder Whitehead helped Vicky prepare a sacrament meeting talk, them coached him as he practiced speaking it in English.  This was his second talk, and wow, has he ever improved!  Here he is with Tetika, Elder Whitehead, and another new convert, James.

See those ties? I’m going to remember this picture when the wind blows in Cheyenne. What do you know, it blows other places, too — even in Fiji:)

Elenoa has been part of my mission preparation class. She is preparing to serve a mission in Australia, and has been a joy to teach.

We have also enjoyed getting to know some of the people who sell things on the street. This is our fried pea lady.  Fried peas are a favorite snack here.

And this is the young man we see in the parking lot of Cost U Less every week selling rugs made by his mother. We wanted to replace the bright black and orange rug in our guest bedroom, but every time he asked us if we wanted to buy a rug, the ones he offered were colors like the one we had. Finally one day I explained why we weren’t buying them: we needed a solid blue rug. The next time we saw him, he showed me a solid blue rug made by his mother. What a salesman! We bought it, and it looks great in our flat.   See the Golden arches in the background?  There are three McDonalds restaurants in all of Fiji, and two are here in Suva.  Lucky for us.

In spite of the fact that this is centipede season (Elder Whitehead’s record is vacuuming up 30 in one morning from the institute’s carpeted floor!)…this is such a beautiful time of year! Flowers are everywhere. You’d think flower girls were walking down each street because the sidewalks are strewn with beautiful flower petals. We do live in paradise!

This was our last week of cleaning in the temple.  It was a special experience to climb down a ladder to the area below the baptismal font and clean the twelve oxen holding up the font, similar to the oxen bearing up the molten (brazen) sea in the Temple of Solomon.   We look forward to the temple reopening next week, and once again feeling warmth and peace in that holy place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Fiji Weekend! Fiji Day isn’t until Monday, but that didn’t stop the festivities from starting this week. Little boys wore their sulus to school last Friday to honor the special day, and on Saturday there were celebrations galore! There was a marching band, Chinese dragons, speeches and a cake cutting ceremony.

Each government ministry had a sidewalk display, and an award given for the best one. Downtown was again a sea of turquoise, with faces painted like the Fiji flag, and a choir dressed in turquoise singing on the sidewalk. Now that all the excitement’s over, on the 10th everyone can picnic and relax.

On Monday Sister Stanford introduced me to these talented ladies at the flea market downtown. Ma and Emily sit on the floor making bows and other crafts all day long. They are amazing women! They use a lot of masi for their crafts. Masi is tapa cloth decorated with a design of some kind. Kind of like plain cotton material being called gingham because it has a checkered design on it.

Elder Whitehead had a special experience in his class Tuesday. He asked the students what evidence of God’s love they saw in their lives.  Hand after hand shot up, each student telling stories of blessings that helped them feel loved. No doubt about it – we are loved!

We also sang “God Be With You” to Jethro at the end of class. He’s on his way to the Philippines! He’ll be in our prayers. 

It was fun to meet Osea and Lai, who both returned from their missions last week. We’ve been looking at their pictures the whole time we’ve been here, and it’s nice to finally meet them in person. It’s also great to see friends whoop and holler and give bear hugs when a returned missionary first walks in the door. Of all the missionary pictures on our board, now there are only two or three we haven’t helped send out.  Osea, Epeli and Tetika:

Wednesday we closed the institute at 12:30 and joined some YSAs to clean the temple. Can’t think of a better place to be with these wonderful YSAs!

Tonight was our senior missionary Family Home Evening at the mission home.  Pres and Sister Maiwiriwiri came and shared their testimonies. He is a counselor in a stake presidency and the temple recorder, and Sister Maiwiriwiri is the principle of LDS Church College. They lost a second child this year, and have truly been through the refiner’s fire, yet their faith is an inspiration to us all.  Listening to them was a tender and uplifting way to end the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sure had fun with visitors this week. Nine future missionaries (one not in the picture), were here in Suva to apply for visas, and spent some time at the institute. They were from Tahiti, Tonga, and the cities of Savusavu and Lobasa on the Fijian island of Vanua Levu, which was heavily damaged by cyclone Winston. Their English was limited, but it really was interesting to get to know them. They even helped bake! They attended both of our classes, and it was great to have them there.

We also had a surprise visit from Jasmine, who was a volunteer with a humanitarian group when we first came to Fiji. She was such a faithful member of the institute crew, we really missed her and the other U.S. girls when they left. Truth be known, she didn’t actually come all the way back here to see us — she and Sean are “long distance” dating.

We said some sad goodbyes this week. Elder and Sister Martin went home due to health issues. We learned much from them, and will miss them! They refuse to take credit, but we know they put in countless hours coaching those who served on committees for the open house and cultural event before the temple re-dedication, and know it would not have been the same without them.

 

We made our last trip to buy popcorn, too. Our wonderful Indian vendor, Joti, has been such a treat to get to know. She loved to give us generous samples of her spices, telling me how to cook with them and letting me smell or taste them. She and her daughter were always so kind to us.

This was the first time I ever saw octopus for sale on the street, and figured that, and the crab and lobster, were picture worthy. Somehow they just don’t look the same when you see them on a plate at Red Lobster!

Work is also being done on our home in Wyoming in preparation for our return, which makes it feel like it’s really going to happen. I cried just saying goodbye to our popcorn lady! I hate to even think about what will happen when we say goodbye to the young single adults who have come to mean so much to us! Tonight we will attend a Self-Reliance graduation, and I will just have to start giving them all extra big hugs so they’ll all know how much they are loved by the time we go.

 

Wednesday we performed baptisms in the temple with thirteen young people from six different countries — Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Rotuma, Kiritibati, Tonga, and Fiji. Three more were Fijians of Indian descent. Of the six adults there, three were from Canada and three from the U.S. We were quite the melting pot next to the baptismal font that day!

We welcomed two wonderful new students to my Mission Preparation class this week – Elenoa and Savaira.

Kaiava will leave for his mission to the Philippines in two weeks.

Our senior missionary outing this month was a trip to Magoon’s Lagoon. And what a trip! I love Sister Magoon. Her granddaughter Nicole Hussein was in the MTC while we were there, and helped us by telling us all about Fiji. Sister Magoon has been widowed for three years. She and her daughters cater to groups who come from America, and wow, does she know how to cook! I helped her serve once when she catered an LDS Primary school dinner, and now that we have seen where she cooks it all, I don’t know how she does it.

On one side of this kitchen they prepare the food, and on the other side is an open fire where they cook it all (on the table is the roti they served us with our lunch).  They fed us Fijian pancakes, scones, bhajia with a delicious tamarind sauce, egg rolls, jack fruit salad, curry chicken and potatoes, dahl soup, roti, tomato chutney, okra, rice, Irish stew (the Magoons descend from a pure Irish ancestor), green salad, cabbage salad, and fish. Of course, fish. Part of the Magoon’s Lagoon experience usually involves net fishing. Unfortunately the tide was too high while we were there, so she invited us to come out again. I would love to see a hundred fish all at one time in a net.

They have ducks, chickens, pigs, and a litter of dogs under the house.

Natalie and Thomas showed us how they catch crabs for bait, and then fish with only a hook on the end of a line held in their hands.

 

 

While some went boat fishing, Elder Whitehead organized the first ever Magoon’s Lagoon International Frisbee Golf Tournament (from their smiles, you can tell Fiji won). He also took on Thomas in Tic Tac Toe, and Thomas won the gold there, too.

It was a great day:)

Today we visited Tamavua 2^nd ward, where we heard the YSAs sing “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy” to the tune of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” in sacrament meeting, and then again during Sunday School.  It was so beautiful it moved me to tears and I could hardly speak when I offered the closing prayer. It was wonderful to be with them.  The shorter girl with the white shirt in the front of this picture just came from China.  She can barely speak English, but there she was, willing to sing her little heart out with the group.

We received an email yesterday from Pres. Layton announcing that we will be replaced by a couple coming in January!   They are in for a remarkable experience.  We hope to learn more about them soon.