Elder Grotepas : Area 1, Week 20 - Nasinu, Fiji 7/21/13

Some more really cool looking flowers

Namaste Pariwar (Hello family, in Hindi),

How is everything going? Everything here is going great. It seems like just yesterday I was emailing you. Well in two days it will be my 6 month mark. I cannot believe how fast the time is going by. It is going by too fast. The weird thing is that I have been out for a quarter of my mission and I am still in my first area. So I figure that more than likely I will be leaving this area pretty soon. That is going to be a sad day.

Well this week has been really good. There has been lots of rain. I think that for at least 5 days out of the week, it has rained. It was really hard at the first because we did not have any umbrella's. So we have been walking a lot in the rain.

But I have a couple stories this week that I want to tell you. First of all, we were walking down to a members home for dinner. I think that we had like a half an hour until we were to be there and we were only about 2 minutes away from her house. As we were walking a guy came up to us and started talking to us. He started talking to us and he expressed to us his feelings about our church. He told us that our church was wrong and that it is a false religion. He told us that the only reason that Fijians join our church is because it is so wealthy and is really useful to them. When they join the church, the church will help for their food and their education. He continued to express to us what he felt. He went on for about maybe about a half and hour. Every time that we would say something, he would turn it back on us or he did not want to hear what we were to say. However, it seems like everything that he said contradicted himself. He told us that there will be no one church up in heaven and there is no need for us to be part of a church. But at the beginning, he told us that he was part of the New Methodist faith. So that made no sense. But it is hard with these kind of people, I know that they don't know the truth yet they wont listen to us. I was surprised at this because I did not think that that many people would do that here in Fiji. I bet it happens all the time in America.

That night I wondered, is this really the true church? How do I know that it is true? But I'm happy to say that I do know for myself that this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the true church. I wish that he would be able to know the same things that I know. I know that there is much more waiting for him.

But we have one really good/spiritual one. As you all know, we have been working with one investigator that we picked up a little bit ago. He is going to be baptized this week. We have been moving along with the lessons pretty well. He is really liking them. He cannot wait until his baptism. On Sunday, soyesterday, we were teaching him. After the lesson, he told us that he really wants to go on a mission. He was wondering about what he could do to prepare himself and how to teach. We told him that he could serve as a ward missionary before his mission. He loved this idea and I think that if he can do it he will do it. But it is a big testimony builder to me to see how this young man really wants to go on a mission and he is not even a member. I think about people who are members and they have no desire to serve. It is so awesome for him for thinking this way and willing to do this.

Well I hope that everything is going good with all you back home. I want to let you all know that I know that this church is true. It is CHRIST'S CHURCH. He leads and guides it through a living prophet today. No matter what anyone has done, they can be forgiven and will be able to live with him after this life.

I love you all.

Love your son/brother,

Elder Dallin Grotepas