Area 4, Week 12 - Naduna, Vanua Nevu, Fiji - 8/10/14

Ni sa bula vinaka na noqu matavuvale,

Well, how is everything going this week for you all? I hope that you all had another really good week and that everything is going good with you all. I know for me, it is the same. Nothing much has changed from the past week. It is still pretty much the same thing.  My health is doing good, my companion is good, the area is going alright, and I am loving it here in Fiji. It has been another really fast week for me.

Well nothing big really happened this week. We are currently on the search for investigators at this point.  I think that this is the universal problem in missionary work. This is what everyone in the whole world is doing.  As for this week, we had a meeting with our Zone Leaders that is really going to affect our work and how we do it. The church has come out with some changes in missionary work. I dont know if you all know about this already or not. The missionaries are going to be more involved in the recent converts and the less active lessons. During the mission president seminar, the prophet came out with this and what we are going to do to try to keep those that are baptized stay active. I feel that this is really needed. There is no point in doing missionary work if we cannot hold on to the fruits of that effort. I know that during the meeting, one of our Zone Leaders said something that really stuck out to me, "A returning member (less-active) is counted as a saint, a baptism is also counted as a saint." So to the presidency, a less active that becomes active again is that same thing as a baptism. No matter what we are doing, we are saving a soul. No matter who we see, it is not a waste of time. They are a child of God and we need to always remember that. This really made me feel good because this is so true. I kind of thought to myself that the mission is not all about baptisms. It really counts on how many we influenced to become better. Even if it is a non member that we taught about the Word of Wisdom and then he saw the importance of it and followed it, but ended up not getting baptized and continued to follow it. We helped them in some way or another. So this is what my new thought process is.  Invite others to come unto Christ (others = anyone).

So, that is what we tried to do this week. We went around to all the members in the Naduna Branch and asked them about the less actives that are in our Branch.  Come to find out that half our or member list has moved and are no longer staying in our area. So we have about 9 to 10 less actives that we can see and try to bring back to the Gospel.

As for our investigators, it is going alright. We currently have three investigators and all three of them have baptismal dates. They were not able to make it to church this week and we are going to have to push one of them back for a later date. It is really hard to do this but we know that it is more important for the person to be ready. Even back home. We have to wait on people for when it is their time to be baptized. They may seem ready but it is really up to them and God.

Me and my companion are doing really good. Nothing is really new between us. We are still getting to know each other and how we teach together. But we are going good and he is teaching me lots.

Well this is pretty much my week. It was not a very eventful week. It was a bit slow. I would just want to share a little bit from what I learned in my studies this week. Throughout the past month, we have been reading from the Bible as a mission. We are reading the 4 gospels. I cannot believe how much stuff is in there that I did not know. It has really made my testimony so much larger and stronger about our Savior Jesus Christ. One thing that really stuck out to me this week was how all the Priests and all the Pharisees in that time did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. I mean, they did not believe at all! They were always doubting him. All it talks about is how Jesus went around doing miracles and healing the sick and the people thought that he was doing it without any power, or by the devil. All of these people have been saying that there will come One that will do all these things and help them receive eternal life. And then when he does come, they did not what to believe. That was one of my biggest thoughts this week. Why did they not believe?

I think that it all turns to the pride thing. They all wanted the pride for themselves. But this really made me think this week and ponder on this. I know that He was the Son of God and he really did come. All of these things that he did was done by the power of God. This really made my testimony stronger on our Savior Jesus Christ.

Well, that is pretty much it for my week. We are going to be going to a beach today with some of the Senior Couples. So we do not have very much time to write. But I want to let you all know that I love you all very much and that I know that this is the true church and this is the Lord's work.

Thank you so much.

Love, 

Elder Grotepas