Monday, October 26, 2015

BULA VINAKA Week 11

Bula Vinaka everyone

Another sweet week in Fiji, with heaps of good work this week. Our area is really good and we are just really excited about how things are looking right now. Once again another week of ups and downs but hey I Love it! Not too much from this week just a few stories.
 
On Monday we found like 5 new investigators, all which look like they have some very good potential, but we will see as we teach them more.

Saturday was supposed to be the best day of the week. The sisters in the area next to us are still teaching the big Fijian rugby player Jack and he was supposed to be baptized on Saturday. He chose me to baptize him, I was way excited. We got to the baptism and he didn't show for like thirty minutes, so we went out to find him. We ended up finding him but he was drunk from the night before. It was so sad because he has been so strong throughout this whole process, but he always told us his friends were a big temptation. And the night before he finally gave in. It was so heartbreaking and sad, because I just love him so much, but we still are confident that he will still progress towards baptism. I sure hope so!

Right now in Fiji its the beginning of summer and wow it is so hot. It's not like Arizona thats just like an oven. I'm always just soaking wet here. It's always awkward when we are at a lesson and I'm dripping sweat onto my scriptures, or into my food. So thats fun hahaha But with the heat it brings mango season and the Mangos here are so nice. But to really enjoy a mango you have to eat it like a Fijian, that is like an apple, skin and all. MAN SO GOOD!

Well that's pretty much it for the week. Definitely a good week of hard work, that will hopefully lead into other things but we will see. I love this gospel, and I know without a doubt that this is a true church because it really does bring happiness! I love you all.  Have a great week!

Elder Mumford
 

One of my favorite members, J-Q

 

Monday, October 19, 2015

Bula Vinaka Week 10

Bula Vinaka everyone!

Another great week out here in the Fiji Suva mission. Plenty of ups and downs, but hey we get the downs so we can just appreciate the ups am I right!?

Nothing too crazy about this week. Just a good week. Monday we went back up to the Sand dunes for P-day. Man it was such a fun P-day but seriously I was picking sand out of my ears for like three days after. haha 

Tuesday we had an awesome meeting that's called train the trainers. In this meeting they train all the people that are being trained like me. It was such a cool meeting for me. I learned just how much that the mission can do for me. I'm truly just so blessed to be out here and be able to be shaped and moulded by the Lord into the person that he wants me to be. What a blessing!

Wednesday we got the chance to watch priesthood sessions with an elderly couple who lives on this side of the island and they fed us a way nice breakfast so we were all way happy! haha

As for the rest of the week not much to really mention except for one funny moment.  When we were tracting and this old guy told us how it talks about World War 3 in the Bible and how that Germany and the Catholics would combine to rule the world. Haha It was way crack up, but we just thanked him for the big news and left. hahaha Fiji man!

Sunday we got to have our returning member receive his calling of being a Sunday school teacher. This gospel truly has the power to change anyone's life, and you could totally see it with the life of Brother Paul. He has changed from a guy that is sad, and kind of depressed of the outcome of his life, to a guy that is alive in Christ, simply because of this gospel. I will attach a picture of him! I just want you all to know that this church can do the same thing for you as it did for Brother Paul. This gospel can change people, and it has changed me. This church is true, and I challenge you all to try it and find out for yourself! I love you all so much.  Thank you for all your prayers and support. Have a good week everyone!

Brother Paul, who is a returning member, and the man!!
 
 Cute Fijian girl

 

Monday, October 12, 2015

BULA VINAKA WEEK 9

Bula vinaka everyone! Hope everyone had a great week again. I know ours here was fantastic. SO much happened so I will try to put all the good stuff into this email!

Tuesday was a great day, where we had a Zone training meeting. Our Zone is pretty spread out, and takes up more than half of the main island of Fiji.  It's just massive. But anyways everyone came in and we had a meeting all together. So much fun to be with everyone!

Thursday we had our service day in the morning. So we went over to our 19 year old investigator named Vatu! We helped him farm which is just the average service day in the Fiji Suva mission. Because everyone here pretty much lives off the land they can always use help farming. But anyways we helped him for an hour or so and then he told us to come follow him. So we walked with him for like 2 minutes through trees and then BAM we were on this completely hidden secret private beach in Fiji. (I know Fiji sounds like a really tough place to be;) haha but this beach was just loaded with seashells, and was way pretty. Then Vatu decided to climb up a 40 foot coconut tree and dropped like 6 coconuts for us. Then for the rest of service we just chilled on beach in Fiji drinking coconuts... haha so sick.
 
Me and Vatu farming
Friday was my first baptism out here in Fiji. HER NAME IS LOSENNA! I was literally just through the roof excited. Man it was just so cool. I had my white sulu, and new white shirt all ready, and was just so excited. We ended up waiting at the chapel for like 2 hours with Losenna and her family waiting for a priesthood leader to oversee the baptism and the whole program kind of blew up in our faces. However, when the time came and she stepped down into the waters of baptism, you could just feel the spirit so strongly it was unbelievable. She felt so peaceful and it was just a great experience. I felt more happy then I've ever been in my entire life knowing that I helped someone come unto Christ and be baptized! So cool!
 
Me, Losenna, and my companion
Then Sunday was just such a weird day. We were supposed to have General conference this weekend, because of how Fiji is 19 hours ahead. But anyways we went to the meeting and the first weird thing was they gave us the sacrament... I've never seen the sacrament given at General conference, so that was weird but its Fiji so you kind of just have to expect whatever haha. They then put on the Saturday morning session, and we were pumped because we thought we were just going to watch them all! But after the Saturday morning sesision they just turned off the t.v and everyone went home..... hahah So funny and so weird.
 
Anyways it was a great week out here on the mission, just figured I would give you all a Sportscenter highlight reel of the best moments because they are the most interesting anyway. I love you all and I just want you all to know that I know without a doubt that this church is true! Love you.  Have a good week.

Elder Mumford

Monday, October 5, 2015

Bula Vinaka Week 8!

Bula Vinaka everyone!

I hope everyone had a good week. We had such a good week out here in Fiji. Thirty lessons this week! We truly felt the blessings from working hard and being obedient.  There is now just so much good potential in our area and we are so excited about the work here right now. In other news we have around 6 mice that we see pretty frequently around our flat and we are in the process of naming them. And my Fijian is really starting to come along! Love this work!

Monday! Monday night was such a good night. We did splits and me and an Elder named Elder Carter went and tried to teach one of our investigators. She wasn't there but her little brother Vatu, who is 18, was. He invited us in to teach him (which is always a good sign) and he told us that he has taken all the lessons before and knows that the church is true. He said that on that night he was going to go out with his friends but he felt like he should stay in and read his Book of Mormon instead and that's when we showed up..... WOW such a golden investigator, that was so exciting. We went back to teach him on Tuesday and he gave us like a twenty minute summary of 1st Nephi. Wow! This guy is so prepared its unreal!

This week I also hit three months out on the mission which is just so crazy... It is just flying by so fast. I'm just trying to work my hardest everyday so when I look back on my mission in two years I don't have one single regret about the things I did out here in Fiji!

Thursday we went over to the house of a member that has served as a bishop in almost every stake in Fiji. Such a col guy. He had a way nice house and it felt like I was at a dinner appointment somewhere in America. haha But it came around to dinner time and he pulled out two massive pots of SPAGHETTI!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD. Me and my companion were freaking out, because spaghetti isn't the most common thing here in Fiji. So anyways he told us to eat as much as possible and we did... hahah 6 plates each... I could barely walk out of the house.. haha Just fantastic!!

Friday we finally had a baptismal interview for our investigator Losenna who is being baptized this coming Friday! She also said that she wants me to baptize her, and I'm just more than excited... Wow its going to be so cool! It's so rewarding to see all the hard work we put in turn into rewards. I'm just so excited!!!
 
Well that's pretty much it for the week, it was a great week. Lots of hard work! No pictures for the week, sorry everyone! But next week there should be some good ones with the baptism and all.

Well I love you all and just want to tell you all that this church truly does bring happiness. If you are looking for happiness in your life turn to this gospel. It truly does bring happiness and change lives. I've seen that in my investigators here in Fiji and myself. This is the true church! Love you all!

Elder Mumford