Elder Grotepas : Area 1, Week 17 - Nasinu, Fiji 6/30/13

Bula Vinaka na noqu matavuvale,

How are thing going back home? I bet that everything is going really good back home. I bet that Dad has probably gone up to the property this week to get this water system done. Heidi said in her letter that you are going to be going up there for the Fourth of July weekend. I bet that dad it going to be working on that for the whole time up there. I know that he loves that kind of stuff and wants to make the property a good and fun place for everyone. I love that place so much! I will be back up there by time you know it. In a couple of weeks, it is going to be my 6 month mark. Man my mission is going my so fast. After the 6 month mark it is the year mark, then after the year mark, it is all down hill from there. My mission is just flying by so fast. Time flys when you are serving the Lord and doing his work.

Look up in the tree!

I have a couple of stories from this week. This week on Tuesday, we were walking over to District Meeting. When we were walking, I saw a guy sitting up in the coconut tree. This guy was probably at least 60 feet up there. It was crazy, I thought that he was going to fall down. We stopped because we were waiting for the sisters. I took a picture and a video. I wish that I could send videos but I can't. I took a video of him climbing down the tree. I was so amazed at how he did it. After he got down to the ground and collected all the coconuts, he took out his machete and cut the tops off of two coconuts. Then he picked them up and started walking towards us with them. He came up to us and said "Elders" and gave us the coconuts. He was a member from a different ward. Then after that he went back. Then when the sisters came to us, we had to walk by the guy to get to the church. As we walked by, he cut 2 more coconuts and gave them to the sisters. So when we arrived at the district meeting we were all drinking coconuts! Man, Fiji is so nice and Fijians are so nice also.

Also this week, we went to go get my license with the Zone Leaders. I did not get it because we needed a passport sized photo that we did not have. We are going to go back to get it this week. We had to fill out some paper work and it took about an hour and a half. The Zone Leaders had to go to the mission office, so they left us at the LTA just to tell us that we did need a photo after all.

Another thing that happened was one night when we were walking back to our apartment, we decided to take a muddy hill to make our walking shorter. When we were at the bottom of the hill, I knew that it was a bad idea. That hill was so muddy. We were slipping and slidding everywhere. I have already fallen down on that hill and I did not want to do it again. We made it up safe anyway. It was not as bad as I thought. But when I was walking up this hill, I saw a centipede that was at least 9 to 10 inches long and about as wide as Dad's finger. It was HUGE! I thought that those were only in the village. But no, they are here in the city. I hope that I do not get bit by one of those things. That was one of the weirdest things that I have seen so far on my mission.

Well onto more spiritual matters. We have started reading the Book of Mormon as a whole mission. We are going to read it in 10 weeks. I have learned a lot from this. I have never really read the book with a purpose. I have just read it to say that I have read the book before. It is a really good book. I am learning so much from it. Also our lessons are going good. We have picked up a couple new investigators and we are have dropped a couple of investigators that have not been progressing. With one of our recent converts, she asks lots of question. Most of the question that she asks, I do not really know the answer to them. But, I am able to answer her questions. The Holy Ghost is truly helping me. You need to have to Holy Ghost with you to teach. It is so important. We always teach and then commit them to do something.

My health is really good. It is just the same as when I left only 20 pounds lighter. Every thing is going great. I love my mission here in Fiji! Thanks for everything you are doing for me and have done. I want to let you know that I know the church is true. I am doing what I am supposed to be doing here on my mission. Jesus is the Savior.

I love you all very much. You are always in my prayers. I will talk to you next week.

Love your son/brother,

Luvemuni,

Elder Grotepas

Luvemuni = your son

Luvegu = my son