Cooking Lessons

I was feeling super tired the other day and so I asked my companion if she could cook lunch for us. She said 'okay' and got to work while i went to the other room. (fyi; I usually am the one cooking because her previous attempts at cooking turned out bad...) She came back to me 20 mins later saying that we should go out for lunch. I asked why? she said don't worry about it. lol I then asked "what did you cook?". She responded: "don't worry about it". I laughed and had her list all the ingredients she used. "garlic, onion .. Tuna........ Flour..." me: "FLOUR!?" So I went to the kitchen to see it and found this picture. She had made it into a SOUP!! Not only that but I found the bottle of indian spice called Haldi powder next to it and the can of tuna she used was mackeral tuna in tomato sause! LOL I WAS DYING OF LAUGHTER! (that is once I got over the shock of it!) It was the nastiest thing I have ever seen! We threw it away and she bought lunch in town. LOL I think this next week we will some some training time in the kitchen! hahaha!

Hope you enjoy this story! Don't worry! I am still healthy!

Last Transfer

Bula vinaka my friends and Family! This is Sister Singleton over here in Fiji!

As many of you know I have been serving in Lautoka for quite some time and transfer calls came this last tuesday. I just finished training Sister Sauvao and was expected to leave. What I wan't expecting was that I was being asked to Train again! My new companion and I would be going to an area that I didn't know yet and so we would be "whitewashing" it in mission terms. My trainee was also transferred out of Lautoka and I only had 24 hours to pack everything, clean the flat, and say goodbyes. I cried a lot. I have never been so sad to leave an area and especially the people. 

The next day, I took a bus to Suva to pick up my new companion and recieve trainings and then the next evening my companion and I got on a boat and headed to my new area. I am now serving in the Savusavu area on the island of Vanua Levu in Fiji! (go ahead and google it! :) )  It is a small branch apart of the Taveuni District. It is SO beautiful and the branch welcomed us with open arms. We were actually able to been a lot of the branch at the temple in suva and ride on the boat with them to savusavu which was A BIG blessing for me because I was nervous to go on the boat because I haven't been before. They took care of us during the whole 12 HOUR boat ride! It was crazy! This is a picture of my new companion and I in front of the boat. :) My new companion is Sister Tameifuna. She is from Tonga! She is great!

 

A Trust excercise.

ISA LEI
 

I have figured that I have gotten to the point that I have forgotten a lot of what it is like back home. Fiji has become home and the missionaries my family. The mission is full of constant ups and downs in each day and the Spirit whispered to me that this is just life. I realize that the mission is like a giant trust exercise with Heavenly Father. It is crazy. I realize also as I look at the young mothers in my ward here that being a parent is the same thing. A crazy trust exercise with Heavenly Father. There are moments when I feel I am doing well with Trusting Him and others where I just feel like a headless chicken and I have to stop and remind myself to just. Trust. Him. Trust His Love, His Time, and His knowledge and everything will go according to His Will. My questions to ponder: Do I completely trust Him? Does He Trust ME? Am I worthy of that trust? It is Humbling and soul searching but it has made me ever so grateful for the sweet hour of prayer. Speaking of which, us missionaries are putting together a musical fireside all about prayer in the up coming weeks. we are very excited. We also found an amazing new investigator this last week despite getting sick. She told us that she had been wanting to come to church for a while and saw it as something that could help her raise her teenage kids to stay away from "alcohol and drugs and all the immorality that is happening in the world today." We explained the word of wisdom and law of Chasity. haha as well as the For the Strength of Youth. She then asked what she needed to know and do to join the Church. We laughed and explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Covenant of Baptism. She committed to be baptized in September on the very first visit. :) Amazing. We told the ward and it has really helped them get excited about missionary work. My testimony to you all is to study your scriptures, get on your knees to pray, and forget yourself and GO to Church. :) 

This Church IS the Only True Church on the Earth. 

God revels himself to man in these latter days.

The book of Mormon is the most correct book on the earth.

Heavenly Father Hears our prayers. 

WE are His Children. 

I LOVE YOU ALL. 

Loloma vakalevu, Sister Singleton

*pictures of me and my companion and of me sewing like a Fijian. haha #service #nochairs*

 

 

The Story of a Storm in 1 Minute!

Wow. That is crazy that President Sealos called at 3:40 in the morning just to tell you that I am okay. haha I do have a picture in the helping hands jersey. I will send it next week. I have plenty stories but not like I expected (or like you are expecting right now). Everyone was quick to fix themselves but I saw a lot of amazing things. The cultural celebration was cut short and I cried. haha I wonder how it was on the video. I was sitting with all the missionaries in a fijian sulu jumper. :) I am able to email this week because they finally got the internet fixed this week on the northwestern part of viti levu. 3 weeks of not writing home has just about killed me. haha We didn't have power for 2 weeks and now our power is on and off throughout the day as they fix it. I wrote you a letter that would get there this next week that has a lot more details. I am a largely hit area but not the worst. just nearby. We have been blessed with running water and it I was extremely blessed to have been able to get used to freezing cold showers really quickly. haha The rebuilding is hopeful. We were not hit hardest. Just 5th hardest. We lost roofs and all the trees but that is about it. My old flat in Suva was safe which is where I was when it hit. we just got some leaks. I am like dad. Heavy rain puts me to sleep. I slept fine. It was just CRAZY HOT. all the windows were closed because of the rain in every direction and we had candles burning from no power and 6 sisters in our flat. It was hot. That made it hard to sleep. After the cyclone we were stuck in Suva a few days until buses  started moving and that is when I got to my new area of Lautoka.  I didn't take much photos. sorry. many people throughout fiji fled to the church buildings and stake centers though. It was nice to know that the Lord always provides refuge. The hardest hit were Rekireki and Ba. Just north of us. But people are optimistic and are Fijian. We have no choice but to just move forward one step at a time. Islanders are very resourceful and everyone shares. We found our flat flooded but it was a fairly easy thing to clean. We spent that whole week doing service. Things are getting back to normal in our area and much is going on. It is great having our temple dedicated. I am SO excited to go inside again. It has been 9 months. I am dying. Things I am learning: The Church is amazing and organized SO beautifully. Heavenly Father puts SO MUCH TRUST in his servants. 

I hope this answers some of your questions. Thanks for all your prayers! They have been much needed! I love you all! 

Loloma levu, Sisita Singleton

President Eyring Rededicates Suva Fiji Temple after Cyclone Winston

SUVA, FIJI

After the winds and rain of Cyclone Winston pounded Fiji during a long and devastating night, the sun rose on the Pacific island nation—shining its light on the Suva Fiji Temple.

Standing in front of the temple hours after the storm hit Suva, Elder Adolf J. Johansson, an Area Seventy, recalled the devastating impact of the worst storm ever recorded in Fiji’s history.

Through it all he felt a “peaceful calm, a spiritual feeling that everything would work out OK and that the sun would shine” on the rededication.

Early in the morning after the cyclone, birds flew above the temple—a sign to Elder Johansson that the rededication would go on. “President Eyring came here to dedicate the temple, and he will do that,” he said.

No Latter-day Saints or missionaries were reported injured by Tropical Cyclone Winston, which struck Fiji with winds up to 175 miles per hour in the nighttime hours between the LDS Church’s youth temple cultural celebration and the temple rededication.

The powerful category 5 storm left at least five people dead, knocked out power, and destroyed entire villages as it made landfall along the north coast of Fiji's largest, most populous island, Viti Levu. Suva escaped the brunt of the storm, which shifted direction in the hours before it hit the Pacific island nation.

Government curfews, power outages, and downed trees on roads prevented many Fijian Church members from participating in the rededication, during which President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, offered a dedicatory prayer on the temple and the people of Fiji.

As the storm approached, President Eyring moved from his hotel to the mission home, located on the grounds of the temple. With him were Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder Kent F. Richards and his wife, Sister Marsha Richards; and members of the Church's Pacific Area Presidency—Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Elder O. Vincent Haleck, and Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, all General Authority Seventies, and their wives, Sister June Pearson, Sister Peggy Haleck, and Sister Wendy Nielsen. This allowed the official party to dedicate the temple in spite of mandatory curfews enacted across Suva in the hours after the storm.

“It was powerful that a member of the First Presidency and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve came here to experience this with us,” said Elder Johansson. “We never felt alone as members of the Church. We felt that the Brethren were with us. …

“They did not say, 'We are praying for you.' The message they brought is, 'We are here hoping and praying with you.’”

The temple rededication is the second temple dedication held during trying times in Fiji.

Amid political unrest, the Suva Fiji Temple was originally dedicated in a private service by then-Church President Gordon B. Hinckley on June 18, 2000. At that time, rebels were holding deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and other members of parliament hostage. Many businesses had been looted and significant parts of downtown Suva had burned. The military had declared martial law.

The 2000 dedication marked the only temple dedication since the original Nauvoo Temple that has been held in private and difficult circumstances, said Elder Cook, who attended the original dedication.

Elder Johansson said it was important to the Latter-day Saints in the temple district that the rededication go on—in spite of the storm.

As strong winds raced across the nation, “you could feel the tension in the air,” he said. Yet Elder Johansson said he was not afraid.

“Peace defined this whole experience,” he said.

The Latter-day Saints who could not attend the rededication will find peace in the weeks and months ahead in the temple, he said.

“You cannot stop the work of the Lord. You cannot. … That is what is giving the people of Fiji courage. If they can’t come [to the dedication] the temple will be open for them. … I believe the Lord requires of us not a sacrifice of money but a sacrifice of faith. Their faith through this experience taught the people who is in charge.”

The storm passing is the least of the miracles, he said. “The greatest miracle will be the ordinances that will be performed” in the temple.

Crews used generators to power the temple and the grounds during the rededication services—as most of the power in Fiji was lost during the storm.

The 12,755-square-foot temple, which closed in October 2014 for renovation, serves more than 35,000 Latter-day Saints in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands. Because so many members could not participate in the meeting, President Eyring approved the rebroadcast of the dedicatory services for one week later, on Sunday, February 28.

The renovated temple pays tribute to the history and rich culture of the islands of the South Pacific. The colors and design motifs of the temple were inspired by the flowers, beaches, and jungles of Fiji. The interior of the temple features original art glass and a hand-painted mural depicting the landscape and flora of the islands.

Litia Koto Cavu Wakarewakobau joined the Church in Fiji in 1957. She was present during the dedication of the first chapel in Fiji in May 1958, during the first temple dedication in 2000, and again at the rededication.

A large tree fell in her yard during the cyclone, nearly blocking her path to the temple. Then she and her husband, Meli, were stopped by police enforcing mandatory curfews in Suva. However, when the couple explained they were going “to the dedication of the temple of the Lord” they were allowed to travel on.

Vito W. Qaqa, president of the Fiji North Stake and local chairman of the Suva Fiji Temple rededication committee, was up all night before the rededication because a sliding door at his home collapsed during the storm, bringing water and wind inside. When power outages prevented him from opening a metal gate to make his way to the rededication, he removed a grill in the gate and, with his wife, slid through.

“No one will stop this work,” he said. “We are so blessed in Fiji. Now we have a Church school and a temple. We have everything we need. They are preparing Fiji for bigger things.”

Elder Adolf J. Johansson, an Area Seventy, stands on the grounds of the Suva Fiji Temple, hours after Cyclone Winston struck Fiji. He said he “felt a peaceful calm, a spiritual feeling that everything would work out OK and that the sun would shine” on the Suva Fiji Temple the day of its rededication. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Latter-day Saint young men gather early Sunday morning, February 21, hours after Cyclone Winston made landfall. They weathered the storm at the Church's primary school in Suva, located near the rededicated temple. Photo by Sarah Jane Weaver.

Cyclone Winston

 Friday, February 20th, at 4:30PM Mountain Standard Time, Rachel's parents logged online to watch the Temple Dedicatoin celebration. 

We thought it odd that it had already started, and that there were no decorations. It was funny that they kept mentioning how nice the weather was inside, and in the closing prayer they prayed for everyone to "get home in safety." 

 It was a beautiful celebration, however, and we didnt think another thing about it till we received a phone call at 3:40 AM our time. It was our Stake President telling us about the Cyclone that had hit Suva in full force, just after the celebration but not to worry, that Rachel was safely accounted for.!

We have received only one email since (after the storm had passed by), stating again that Rachel was safe. 

 It has been a full week now and still no word since. But we have been gathering pictures and news clips.

 Australia is sending a relief ship to Fiji to assist in the recovery effort after Cyclone Winston, the worst ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, tore through the island nation last Saturday, as the sheer scale of the disaster becomes clearer.

The death toll from the category five storm remains at 42, according to a statement from Fiji's National Disaster Management Office, although that figure is expected to rise.

Many communities remain without water and it could be weeks before electricity is restored, the statement said.

The scale of damage and loss is becoming apparent to authorities and aid organizations as communications are being gradually restored throughout the archipelago.

UNICEF spokeswoman Alice Clements said her organization now estimates that more than 62,000 Fijians are homeless and living in evacuation shelters.

Alice Clements, a UNICEF aid worker, told Reuters by phone from Nadi, Fiji's main tourism hub, that some communities had been totally destroyed but that rebuilding had already begun.

"People are going out during the day to recover what they can, it's not like they're sitting in the shelters helpless, they are salvaging what they can and dusting themselves off," Clements said.

Ahmad Sami, the acting head of the International Red Cross in the Pacific, said providing shelter and water remained immediate priorities.

"Volunteers on the ground are saying the destruction is like nothing which they have ever seen before," Sami said.

"Houses have collapsed, communications are still down, power transmission is down, wharves are still not accessible and roads and highways have been damaged," he said.

The Field is Ripe and Ready to Harvest!

Feb 14 2016

I went on exchanges this last weekend in Suva. Just on that day, we went to a couple lessons and our baptism. The two lessons we had were some of THE most amazing experiences I have had on the mission.

One sister begging to come to church and be baptized after she realized that "THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST HAS BEEN RESTORED TO THE EARTH" and the second sister pleading to come to church and crying as she voiced her decade long search for something more than just the bible. Something that will help her know Jesus Christ better and connect her God. To which we boldly testified that "THIS IS IT!". Her search is over and God sent us here to her house.

Later that day, we also had our baptism that the elders helped teach while we were gone at the open house. It was wonderful and their confirmation on Sunday was wonderful. They are ready to just jump right in to serving in the church. It is wonderful to be in the middle of so much joy and happiness. We had an investigator come to church with her less active husband who we contacted as a referral from the open house. She came a non interested catholic and immediately following church asked me  "how can I become a member!".  

I couldn't tell what changed her. Was it: Sacrament? the Sunday School lesson on our purpose in life? The families that fellowshipped them in the hall? The compassionate service announcement for our recent convert that they were putting together a baby basket? or was it the Relief Society lesson on adversity and how we are all in this together? I can't tell. Maybe it was all of it. I just know that I LOVE CHURCH. I LOVE THIS CHURCH BECAUSE IT IS THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD HERE ON THE EARTH. 

How blessed we are for everything we have. 

Love, Sister Singleton

Next week is the Fiji Temple Dedication Celebration! Everyone is working really hard to get ready!