Area 1, Week 19 - Nasinu, Fiji 7/14/13

Myself and Elda Moulton after Sunday Fireside

Saying goodbye to Elda Nawaquasema

Elder Moulton

Ni sa bula vinaka na noqu matavuvale!

How has everything been going this week?  Everything here is going great!  Well there is some pretty big news this week. I have gotten another new companion. I think that I may have told you last week but I will tell you again. His name is Elder Moulton. He is from where? What do you think? Well, he is from Draper, Utah!  It is really nice to get a companion that is from my same koro (village/state). Well it was also sad to because I had to leave my companion Elder Nawaqasema. He was a great missionary and I learned so much from him. It was a good thing that he had extended his mission so he could be my companion.  Now he is about ready to go to school. Now he can focus on his schooling.

This week has been a really good week for us. The only bad/weird thing that has happened this week is that I got a cold in Fiji. That is so bizzare. You would think that it is impossible to get one here because it is so hot. Well it just seems weird.

As for our investigators, most of them are doing really good. We picked up a new investigator this week. He is living with one of the members in our ward. 

We went over to their house to eat one night for dinner and the member told us that his brother-in-law wanted to take the lessons. After the dinner he told him to come out and meet us. He mentioned to us that he has been coming to church for the past month and really likes it. One of the big reasons that he said he wanted to take the lessons is because he has a desire to serve his Heavenly Father by going on a mission. I was really surprised to hear that because there are people back home that are members that have no desire to serve a mission and this guy is not even a member, has not even taken the lessons, and he wants to go on a mission. I was so happy. I knew that he was going to be a golden investigator. So we went back to his house and the next day and got to know him a little bit more.  Elder Moulton and I continued to teach him.  When we first started to talk to him he was listening so intently to us. Even before we started the first lesson, Elder Moulton asked him if he would be baptized and he said "yes!" He accepted for the 27th of this month.  Man it is so cool to see how the spirit works. We can tell if an investigator is ready even before we start the first lesson. We are so happy for him. He is coming to church and doing eveything that a great investigator does. On Sunday, yesterday, he explained to us that is is so excited for the 27th, he can not wait and also he cannot wait until a year after his baptism so he can go on a mission. So this has got to be one of the biggest highlights of my week. It is going to be sad when I am going to have to leave Nasinu, I am getting to know lots of people and I know they really like me.

We are still waiting on a couple of couples to get married. It is really hard and frustrating at times with this. I know that they really want to be baptized but they cannot do it yet. They have to get married first. We are waiting on two different couples. One of them is going to be baptized around October. I think that she said around October 10th. When she said that I remembered that that is Heidi's birthday. I think that October 10th is also a holiday here. It is called "Fiji Day."  That is really cool. Now Heidi can say that her birthday is on a holiday in Fiji.  But she said that after that date that she will be willing to be baptized.  She knows the church is true. We visited her this week and she shared with us that she had never been to a church in four years. She did not believe in any of them.  She knew none of the pastors were correct, if that makes sense, and that none were   the true church. When we asked her to come to ours she did and she loved it! She has come three times. I thought that it must have been hard for her to change her normal state and go to church. That takes a lot of faith and power. So we are just waiting on her to get married and then we can baptize her. The sad thing is that I will more than likely not be here for that. I do not know how much longer I am going to be here. More than likely I am going to be leaving this next transfer and so I will be training Elder Moulton on the area. That is going to be a sad day.

Our area is moving along pretty good. It seems like we are getting more referals from the members. We have gotten three within the past couple of weeks.  So it seems to be doing better.

With our recent converts, most of them are doing really good. We had 5 recent converts out of the 8 to church yesterday. We are still working on Ana and Neitani. They have not been coming to church for the past couple of weeks. They came the week after they were baptized and then after that they have not been. I think it is because he does not have a plain white shirt. I am thinking that I am going to buy a white shirt for him. We need to keep them active and stay strong members. The members need to help us out with this. It is not just our duty to keep them in. We are eventually going to leave and it is up to them. The members are a big part in missionary work also. Just a question, How is the missionary work moving in our ward?

Well, here's something funny that happened this week. Well there is a couple of things. First of all, I am loving all of the funny stories that Elder Moulton has told me about his mission.  I don't know if I have had such funny things happen on my mission like he has! I bet once you get more into the bush areas like where he has been, you get some interesting things that happen.

The other funny thing that had happened this week took place on the muddy hill again! You probably remember this hill.  Me and my other two companions have had lots of good times on this hill.   We were walking down the hill to go to lunch on Wednesday.  It seemed to be only slightly muddy. Within the first three steps, Elder Moulton slipped and fell down. He got all muddy and dirty. It was so funny because I have done that same thing. Then, with my first step, I fell down and got all muddy. But everything was good and neither of us got hurt. Gotta love that hill!

I am still going strong with our goal of reading of the Book of Mormon. Man, you don't realize what is in this book. I always thought hat is was just hard reading and that it made no sense. But once you get into it and actually read and study it out, it is really interesting. I actually really look forward to studying this book every morning. I am now starting to see the importance of reading this book. It answers any question you will ever have, if you are looking with a yalodina (sincere heart).  Before my mission, I have to admit, I did not read as much as I should have read. I know now that it is so important.  You have to always feed your spiritual hunger as you do  your physical hunger. I think that the main reason for a mission is to help convert yourself. I have to admit, I have learned so much about what I need to do for myself to gain this eternal life.  It's exactly what we are going around sharing will all of our investigators. I encourage everyone that is reading this letter to always to do the simple things, read and pray, and you will know for yourself that these things and this church is the true church.

That is pretty much my week. Thank you for everything that you do. I hope you have a good week and love and miss you all.

Love your son/brother,

Elder Grotepas