Area 2, Week 15 - Walia, Fiji 12/22/13 New Companion Brother Maleli

Ni sa bula vinaka,

How is everyone doing there in Utah? How is the snow? How is the cold weather? I wish that right now I was in the nice cold weather and I bet you all wish that you were all here where I am where it is nice and hot and humid. 

Anyways, everything is going great with me here in Waila Fiji. I am doing great and and living really good. I am loving it here in Fiji and am going to miss it here when I leave.

We had an alright week this week.   I had to wait until my companion came in on Tuesday night so I continued my stay with the Zone Leaders all day both Monday and Tuesday. We were able to see lots of their investigators and to teach them lots of things about the Church. They have 2 members that live up there in the units that are helping them out so much. They do not even plan anything, the members will plan out the day and find people for them to teach. It is great because the people that we meet, they already know a bit about the church and are interested. We met about 6 new people in 2 days. The work is really moving up there in the mountains and is moving pretty slow down in the city where we are at.

I finally have my new companion, Brother Maleli!  He is Fijian. He is waiting on his mission call. He is from the other island called Vanua Levu. His village is called Tukavesi and he is 20 years old. His father is the Branch President in his village and he has been a Ward Missionary for about the past 15 weeks on and off.  So, we were able to start work in our area again on Wednesday after a week and a half.  It was a little bit hard trying to see all of our investigators because they were all gone for Christmas. Also a lot of the people that we were seeing told us that they do not want us to come back over. Most of the time we can see it in their faces and they are not even paying attention. We had two people do that to us and two other people straight up tell us that they are good where they are at and the do not want to continue to learn more of what we are teaching.  It was a little tough to hear that from them because we know how much this message can affect their life and they just cannot see it at that point. It is hard to see this. I know that what we did teach them though, planted a seed and I hope and I have faith that a Elders in the future will harvest that fruit that has been planted in their hearts.

The work is getting to be a little bit hard. Most of the people that are good and are progressing are out of town for the weekend and will not be back until after New Years. Man I cannot believe that is is already almost 2014. 2013 flew by. So it is going to be some long weeks of finding more people to teach these next couple of weeks. 

I have been really feeling stressed out this week. I don't know why. I have been thinking, "is this really what I am supposed to be doing, because the work is so hard right now."  One day, I wanted to give up. It was just seeming so hard and I did not know what to do. I remember having an impression to just pray.  And that is what I did. After my prayer, I felt a peace and good feeling come over me and said that this is put in my life for a reason. There was a reason why the work is so hard right now. I think it is helping me to rely more on Him and I know that is what I need to do. This is his garden and we need to listen to Him. I read the story in Jacob 5 and that really helped me out. So I hope and have faith that He will help us in our work this week as long as we trust in Him.

I know that the church is true. My faith has never been so tried as it has been this week.  It has got to be the hardest one on my mission, as well as the past month. I have never wanted to give up as much as I did this week.  I know that is will get better as long as I trust in Him. 

I love you all very much and am looking forward to Christmas day.  See you in a couple of days, literally via Skype.

Love,

Elder Grotepas

This was the sunset last night next to the temple.  One of my favorites so far.

Us walking in Fiji

Area 2, Week 14 - Waila, Fiji 12/15/13

Ni sa bula vinaka na nogu matavuvale,

How is everything going up there in Utah? You have expressed to me that it is very cold and you are getting lots of snow. I have to admit that I am really missing the snow and the Christams spirit. Well I am feeling the Christmas spirit but it is not as strong because it does not look like Christmas at all here. It is the hottest time of the year here and it does not even feel like Christmas. It feels like to me the middle of the summer. But, I am doing really great down here in Fiji. Everything is moving along really good and very fast. I know that I do not want to say this to make me trunky but I have almost already hit my one year mark. I always hear that everything goes down hill after you hit your one year mark. Time flys after that. It is going by too fast.

This week I have been with the Nausori Zone Leaders. I still do not have a Ward Missionary. Our leaders have been really busy with a lot of Christmas parties and lots of meetings. So they have not quite got around to it yet. We talked to them today and they said that they are for sure going to have one to me this week. Maybe on Tuesday or Wednsday. So this week we did not really get a chance to work very much in my area. We were only able to work in my area for 2 short days. We got to see all the people that are progressing in our area and see how they are doing. We did get to set up one baptismal date for the 5th of January for a 12 year old girl named Lavenia. She's the daughter of a member that was a little less active that we brought back to church. She is really loving church because of all the young girls that are there. She really likes the Young Women program and the Primary. She really gets into it and does everything that she is asked to do with them. She even took part in the Waila Ward primary program. It was really cool to see her do that and to see all the kids support her.

Another way cool thing about this week is that I got the see the rest of the Waila Ward. We got to go to church up in a place called Lomaivuna. I have to admit that this church service was a big eye opener to me.  It was a lot different going to church up in the Units of the Waila Ward. It is nothing like what I am used to and have seen here in Fiji. It was way cool to see something else. There was a total of eleven people there at church. There was 3 elders, 2 members from the Waila Ward, the Tomani family, one other member, and one investigator. The place that we met in was not even a chapel. It was a home of a member that lives up there in Lomaivuna. Also the church only  went for about an hour and a half. It was a really cool thing to see  how much the church has really improved. It is weird to think about that the LDS church started out this way with 1 or 2 members. It started in a small unit like this then eventually went up until now when we have 15 million members and lots of Wards and Stakes. I have to admit that this was the coolest church service that I have ever seen in my life and I will never forget this oppertunity to see this event and see how it all starts out. One more really cool thing is that I got the chance to bless the sacrament when we were there. We did not even used a peice of bread, we used a thing called roti. Roti is just like a tortillia but more dense. I will never forget this oppertunity that I had this last Sunday and what it taught me.

An investigator of the Zone Leaders that came to church walked two and a half hours to come to church at 10:30. So he left at 8 oclock in the moring to get there. You talk about faith, this man has faith in his Heavenly Father. I got to thinking about people back in America. I have heard that some peoples excuses are that they do not have a ride to church and the live like 10 to a  20 minute walk to church. People here in Fiji have the strongest faith! They will walk miles (kilometers) to get to church and then that same day walk it back. The other really cool thing about this man is that he is 65 years old. Even though he is an old fart, he still walks to church like he is a young 20 year old kid.

On Sunday, this man kerekere'd to be baptized. (Kerkere = to ask/please) So he begged one of the members, Brother Maiwiriwiri, if he could be baptized. This man is very strong and he knows that his Savior is there for him and that this is the true church. I had the oppertunity to help the Zone Leaders teach one of the lessons to him. He is really great  and I am really hoping that he gets baptized and feels the Holy Spirit. I know that he will, he has the faith.

We set a date for a baptism on the 5th of January. That is going to be a great day for that girl. I think that I have already told you about her.

We had our Christmas party this week and I finally got to see my father Elder Ishibashi again. It was like I was seeing my long lost brother. I really missed him and he was really glad to see me. I was not able to grab my card reader because we did not even go to my flat today to grab it. Next week I will send you all more photos and the photos from this week.

I thank you for all the birthday wishes and I hope that you all have a good week this week and are safe. I know for me, I will have a great week and it will be another really fast week. I know that the church is true and it is the only true church. Jesus Christ is the head of it and we all need to heed to his words.

I love you guys all very much and cannot wait to Skype you all next week. HAY!!!

Send my love to the family and friends.

Love,

eLdEr GrOtEpAs

Look who I found at the Christmas party....Elder Ishibashi!

I also got to see Brother Nawaqasema and meet his girlfriend.

Area 2, Week 13 - Waila, Fiji 12/08/13 Good-bye to Elder Banks

Ni sa bula vinaka,

Well I think that this week was the fastest week that I have ever had! It seems like the other day I emailed you. Wait, it was just like 4 days ago that I did. Anyways, this week was a really good week for us. We were able to get a total of 16 lessons this week with 2 investigators come to church. We have lots of people that are progressing. They like us coming over and sharing and they do what we ask them. I know that if we really teach them with the spirit, they will then in turn feel the spirit when they complete the invitations that we give them. So it was a great week for us!

One of the biggest things that has happened to us this week is that we were able to meet a General Authority! On Thursday we got the opportunity to meet and hear from Elder Pearson from the Seventy. It was a great experience to meet a messenger of God and to be able to hear some of his wisdom. I know that what he said to all 80 of us missionaries was inspired from God and that it is really going to change the mission here in Fiji. He talked about how it is ourselves that is holding us back from becoming the best that we can become, or becoming the most effective missionaries that we can become. I know that what he said really changed me and how I view the mission that I am on. He shared a lot on how our attitude is everything. And also along with attitude is the effort that we give into our work. 

He told us that he had met lots of missionaries and the hardest thing that he thinks for us to do has to do with attitude and effort. When he was Mission President, he said that this was the biggest thing. He knew that they could come out of it but it was themselves that would not allow them to come out of it. So his biggest point to us is that we need to push ourselves and it is up to us to become those valiant missionaries. I know that this also applies to everyone. No matter what we do, we need to have that good attitude and put our best effort in to get all the blessings from the task that we are doing. It could be work or even giving service. If we have a bad outlook on it, the outcome to us will be bad. So we really need to follow all this advice in our lives and I know that it has really changed my life as a missionary. I am really going to change on how I ask and what I do as a missionary to help me become that successful missionary.

Well also, I have some bad news. I am now going to be losing my son. He is going to be moving out and going to live at his Mom's place on a island called Levuka. I know that Elder Pence is going to be a great mom for him and I know that when he leaves today, it is going to be sad losing a son. We had lots of good times together. I know that I will never have another companion that is as good as Elder Banks. Then as for me, I have no clue who my companion is going to be. I am supposed to get a Ward Missionary this week and they have not yet found one for me. I think in the mean time, I am going to be staying with the Zone Leaders that are in the same area as me. 

Well that is pretty much everything that has happened to us this week. Not a lot of strories. It has been such a short time. I want to let you know that I love you all very much and that I know the church is true. I am doing what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life. I hope and pray that my brothers will do the same thing that I am doing right now. I am really looking forward to Christmas when I get to Skype all of you. I love you all very much know that I truly do miss all of you and all of your smiles.

Love, 

Elder Grotepas

Leaving Elder Banks in Nausori town

Me with some investigators: Bottom left to right Fane, Meki, Arieta. Top left to right Mere and Me

This is a Fijian Christmas tree made out of a big coconut leaf

Here is a picture of one family that we are currently teaching. They are the coolest family in the world!

Me and Elder Banks at the Singh's home

Another way cool looking flower

The fruit from the cocoa bean plant

I don't know what we were doing but we are with the Danford family.

Here is the picture from the baptism last week but Makalesi was to scared to go in the water so she did not end up getting baptized.

Left to Right: Elder Grotepas, Moji Maiwiriwiri, Elder Banks, and Elder Singh.

2013 Mission Tour –Nausori Zone photo.