On the Go.....

Let me begin by mentioning what we have realized since we have been here now for 1 week and 3 days (not that we are counting)-- on a mission you are kept very busy! Of course we thought we were busy at home but this is a whole new form of busy! We have been waking up at about 6:30 each morning and going out for a 45 minute walk, which is so pleasant. Then we need to be to our office at the service center somewhere close to 8:30 for the morning prayer and a review of the day's activities. So far we have only made it there on time twice. But then the day just kicks into gear and before we know it, it is 5 or 5:30pm. After work there have been nonstop activities and outings each night as well and then we arrive back into our flat around 9 or 9:30 and just crash into bed by 10! We have never been happier!

Last Monday evening we were invited to Family Home Evening with the Chand family. It was a "goodbye" party for the Staggs. This is a wonderful Indian family. A father, mother, 2 daughters: 17 & 14, 2 sons: 12 & 10 and a sweet little 6 year old girl they were just in the process of adopting. I was very impressed with the actual lesson portion of the home evening. The 17 year old girl conducted and it was very well organized. The young full time missionaries were there with us and they actually taught the lesson for the evening. This was held on the family's outside front porch and was so delightful: the temperature was perfect, we were surrounded by lush foliage, there were usual neighborhood sounds in the background and we were sharing the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What more could you want! After the lesson we were treated to an authentic Indian dinner of curry and rodi and mango chutney and rice pudding. There were some other things but they were a little too authentic for our american taste buds. All in all it was such a delightful evening.

Tuesday night was a cooking class involving all the senior sister missionaries. It was held at the Mission President's home and there were about 9 or us there. One of the sisters here is a gourmet cook. She is self-taught but she is well taught! It was an Oriental menu and we all got involved making spring rolls and wontons and 2 different stir fries. It was very delicious and a treat to visit and socialize with all these women from all over who have very interesting backgrounds and stories.

Thursday night was really a treat! Rugby is the National Sport of choice here! They play hard and tough and take it very seriously. I guess about 4 years ago, a certain Stake President was concerned about his young men and their involvement in the Church so he came up with a rugby team for his Stake. This team is called "the Saints" and they play all around the islands. It has been a huge success. The Staggs have loved being involved with the time during their stay here so the team wanted to throw them a goodbye party and so we came along for the fun. And it was a lot of fun! There were about 20 good size young men there from the team. They certainly pack in the energy! I have some photos here but they don't do this experience much justice. Paul took some video clips on his Flip camera and when we figure out how to download it to my blog we will treat you to a clip of their HAKA (you know, that team "cheer" they do before a game). It was loud and intimidating and unexpected! I really hope we can post it. You will be impressed! We were treated to 3 different dance performance by 3 young girls. They even made the effort to change costumes for each song. I asked them if they took dance lessons and they told me No, they just teach themselves. They are very talented and resourceful here!

Last night was a real highlight of our week. It was the Suva North Stake Young Men/Young Women's Standards Night. Just like the Chorus Contest last week, this stake took this very seriously. There were about 7 wards that participated. Each ward was given one of the standards in the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet and asked to make a "float" and prepare a presentation that explained their standard. What a lot of creativity! I wasn't sure what to expect a float to look like since I knew this activity was going to be held in a gymnasium. I was blown away when one ward rolled in their model of a Temple on a serving cart. The Temple even included an Angel Moroni and lights inside the Temple! All the kids were dressed in white and looked stunning and pure. It was impressive! Each group took their assignments very seriously and gave them much thought. There were probably 200 plus kids there. I was thrilled to see the future of the Church here in Fiji right before me eyes!

Well, I'm sure I've worn you out with this long report. I just hope you can get a sense of how wonderful it is here and what a wonderful opportunity it is to serve a mission with these dedicated Saints of these islands. We are so blessed!