Tamavua

This is my companion and I celebrating Dihwali! it is an Indian Holiday that is celebrated like crazy here in Fiji! It is definitely a holiday that I will be celebrating for the rest of my life. haha We were allowed to put on Saris at our Recent converts house, eat lots of sweets and food. They celebrate with lights and fireworks!

It was like Christmas and the 4th of July put together! I have never seen so many fireworks! We had a good week! Lots of work and walking! I think I averaged about 8 miles of walking for most of the week! haha  I am very grateful for my body! Oh! When I put on the Sari, our recent convert's mother totally thought I was Indian and hasn't stopped saying how she wished she had a son so that she could arrange our marriage! haha It was awesome! She thought I was Punjabi! :D I love Fiji.

The people are SO good! They actually help with the work and give referals! they are amazing! The paved roads just make me want to get a car. haha my companion wants to get bikes but I just don't know how I feel about that. haha we walk a TON. 

I LOVE FIJI!  How is the flower? Can I pull it off like a true islander? At first it was weird but now I am getting used to it. Happy THANKSGIVING! Eat lots and don't forget about me!? hah

New Area

I got transferred out of Wailoku which is a place that I will miss forever! But don't worry I am super close by! I stayed within my district and went up the hill into the more populated area of Tamavua 2nd! It is an awesome area with amazing people! I love them already! My new companion is sister Teupoorautoa from Tahiti! We are having lots of fun rearranging and decorating the flat as seen in the picture! haha I have couches now!!! awesome! 

This was saying goodbye to my amazing companion Sister Fiu! in the middle! She got transferred far away to Nadi to be an STL. I am going to miss her. We had So much fun together. I am glad for the open house of the temple when I will see All the sisters come to do the tours! We are Super excited! One member of the first presidency and one of the 12 will come. (probably one of the new ones).

This was saying good bye to the Thaggard Family! The one we have been teaching and watching change! The Less Active Dad started coming back to church and got  a calling. The mom finished the lessons with us and is preparing for baptism and has completely changed! The oldest kids are starting the lessons with the eldas! I am going to miss this family! They are aiming for the temple!

We made Pouri to eat with the Chutni that a recent convert gave us! It was amazing! Can't wait to come back and cook for everyone! My new favorite food is Indian!!! Anyway, I have to go now! Keep sending prayers and emails! Love you all! 

Funny story this week! First, I got transfered into a new area that is more populated and civilized compared to my first. (haha it has paved roads!) However, my new area doesn't have a good dinner list, unlike my last area in which you never had to worry when or where you were going to eat your next meal. hahaha So I have been doing a lot of panic/stress eating in this area. Well, one day, It was getting close to dinner time and we didn't have a place to go for dinner and I wasn't sure who was going to offer food and I was starting to get hungry. That is when we got on the bus. And I just happened to sit next to a young man (probably 26) who was holding a giant box of pizza. From the New York Style Pizza Kitchen which just opened up in the city. (which is out of our area.) anyway, I have been craving pizza for 3 months now and it was torcher to stare at his box. . . So I started talking to him.. hahaha I asked him where he got his pizza and how much it cost him. He was super friendly and I told him that I was from America and how I have really been craving pizza. He then got super excited and asked if I wanted some because he had more in a take away box in his backpack! He had gotten a gift card for the pizza and bought it for his family and then used the remaining money to get a small pizza that he ate there but couldn't finish so he put it in a small container to take home. OF COURSE I SAID YES! hahahahahaha It made my day! I then had to get of the bus but took the small container of pizza with me and rejoiced as I ate it! It was amazing! Best tasting pizza ever! 

Just wanted to send a note of how much I love you! Thank you for everything you do for me! I am so very blessed to be a part of this AMAZING family. Can't wait to call at Christmas! This transfer is going to be quite the adventure. I am learning lots about making the best of every opportunity and situation. Thank you! I love you very very much and miss you more than words can express. 

A day at the Beach

The mission is amazing and this week I have been blessed to be working with a family. We are teaching the other half of a part member family where the other half was Less active. It has been amazing to see the whole family coming to church, supporting each other and becoming converted. They are aiming for the temple and the effects of the gospel in bringing them happiness has been immediate. They are united and know how to work together. It is amazing to watch. 

The pictures are from P-day. We went to the beach and managed to not get into the water. haha it was heaps hard but I got lots of great pictures! Transfers are coming next week and I am pretty sure I will be leaving Wailoku which is sad but good. It is going to kill me to say good bye. We spoke in Sacrament meeting yesterday and  it was already hard knowing it would be my last talk there.

WIth my companion Sister Fiu

 Means "Eternity"

 The Salt Lake Temple :-) 

Can you believe it? I am in FIJI! :-)

Exchanges and the Big City

Oct 19 2015

This week was quite the adventure. We had exchanges with the Suva 3rd sisters for 3 days which was quite the surprise! They are outside our Zone and we aren't even the STLs! We didn't know until that morning but we were up for the adventure. My time in Suva 3rd (the city) was wonderful. Coming from the Wailoku to the City was a big adjustment and kinda scary but I enjoyed the interaction with the people and getting to know sister Baki. Sister Baki is from Papua New Guinea. She was converted beginning of last year and was soon followed by her criminal father, mother, and brother who was baptized while she was in the MTC. She is super great.

The Elders in that ward put on a talent show activity friday night and reminded us 1 minute before of our Spiritual thought which turned out that Sister Parata (the other companion that left for the exchange) was the only one who knew. So Sister Baki and I said a prayer, I put together an idea, told sister Baki and we went in right as they were calling our names to give the thought. I spoke of the Parable of the Talents and how we all have talents but often we bury them. I used Sister Baki as an example and told them how she was good at talking to people and being a leader and then I stuck her in the corner because I wanted to protect her and keep her to myself. Everyone laughed and spoke out rejections and agreements. We then bore testimony of how we need to come out from the corner and share our talents in order to develop them. It turned out really well.

TWo big things I learned from the exchange:

1. Always be prepared for random insights and to give your all in the smallest of moments.(Came from the above experience.)

2. It is not about me. It is about the work.

I learned this when I was going around with Sister Baki and everyone was asking about Sister Parata. I was good about it as I realized everyone in Wailoku was probably doing the same thing. To which, I realized that I don't want that. I don't want people to miss me when I leave because it is not about me. It is about the work continuing and making the transition from me to Sister Fiu's next companion easy so that they can continue the work smoothly.

Over all, this week and intensity of the crazy exchange put me in my lime light. I had So much fun and worked super hard. The only down fall was the bed bug bites from the exchange and who knows how long they'll stay. They are like mosquito bites times 10. :P haha This week was a great blessing. 

Also, big blessing, Our Golden Investigator has made us cry three times this week as he taught US the lessons and then practically begged to be baptized. His name is Jone and he has changed my life simply by letting me what him change his own. Words cannot express the JOY. He will be baptized October 31.

-The picture is of me and Sister Baki!

McDonalds is only in the City and it is the only American fast food place. It is a special treat to go while on the mission and so everyone craves it. I was able to go while on the exchange and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it. haha maybe it is because I haven't eaten anything that American since I got here. hahaha 

- Also, at the talent show I learned the hula dance to the song from Lilo and Stitch!!! I am going to keep practicing it and do it at my home coming!! hahaha

Baptisms and hospitals! :-)

Upside: I HAD MY FIRST BAPTISM!!!

Downside: I left immediately after for the hospital...

Upside: It was a sweet baptism and many patient and supporting ward members came! It was even conducted my our newly appointed Ward Mission Leader! Wahoo!

Downside: We happened to schedule it during a rugby tournament happening in our village in Wailoku. To which are investigator went and forgot about her baptism so we had to taxi down, walk (not me, my companion. I was in too much pain) across the muddy ruby field and get her for her baptism that was already late.

Upside: The hospital had really good food and I should be out tomorrow!! Yay! ( she was. ) 

Downside: I now know what it feels like to have an IV. They really start to hurt after 24 hours. 

*sorry about the picture. I was in lots of pain and my companion took this when I was first being admitted. haha

 

 

This picture is the baptism of Sharon Lovis. An indian with an austrailian husband. Only member in her family. So amazing and knows a lot about all the other religions and thereby knows this one is unique. :) Her baptism was heaps good. It was  all planned and prepared by our newly called bishopric and WML. It was great. We just got to come and enjoy it. unlike the last one which was stressful. haha

This picture is the baptism of Meresi. Her testimony is powerful. Her spirit is contagious. She had a sincere heart and real intent and the result is the amount of joy she is experiencing. Very inspiring. I love her. She is already preparing to serve a mission. 

The Rest of my week: 
I got a new companion! Sister I'aulualo finished her mission this last transfer and went home to Samoa! Crazy. I got my follow up trainer on thursday! She is awesome! I love her! Her name is Sister Fiu. She is from Samoa as well. A real hard worker and very dedicated. She was an answer to my prayers for this area that I love so much

the transfers were crazy. The whole WEEK was crazy. This picture is of the Tamavua Sisters that I was a trio with while waiting for my companion to fly in from her last area on a northern island. I love them. They are way fun and we learned very much from eachother. :) They're names are Sister Teupoorautoa (from tahiti) and sister Taufa (a Tongan from Australia) 

Service and Dress ups

August 8^th

I OFFICIALLY LOVE FISH.

The work is AMAZING.

This week has been amazing. I don't even know what to say. I am glad I made recordings earlier because I just don't know what to say. haha 

oh, I got my Fiji drivers License! I almost didn't pass the test. haha because I haven't really had that chance to practice and then I drove with the instructor and everything is backwards here and they don't have a lot of traffic rules. haha so it was hard and scary but in the end I passed! haha YAY? 

Sister Layton ( the mission president's wife) Joined us for a day to experience missionary work and it was awesome! It was super sweet and we had some amazingly powerful lessons! She also brought cheesecake that she made and I seriously cried as I ate it because I miss it SO MUCH. It was the BEST. 

I slipped again. But this time into a GIANT puddle. So I got wet. Luckily, we brought a member present named Lucia and she was wearing a sulu. She gave it to me to wear because I didn't want to go back and change because we were almost to the house. The funny part was that it was a Methodist sulu and had big crosses on it that you could still see even though I turned it inside out. hahaha 

Me and brother Esava! He is super funny man who always speaks in Fijian to mean and has me repeat it so that I can learn. He is great! We had dinner with his daughter this week. :)

Rachel August 16 2015

Service at Sister Lovis'. SoO much fun! Cutting her grass with machetes! :)

I have pictures! haha Here are some pretty ones you can send :) I am really going to miss Fiji. 

One of our STL's got sick and it this hospital and I am the only other sister in the area with a license so my companion and I joined the other STL to take on two areas and drive sisters to and from places. It has been quiet the adventure and we are always moving. I kinda miss the quiet peace of just having my companion and I in Wailoku. 

Drinking from a coconut just pulled from the tree and cut open. SO YUMMY!!

Playing dress up with a new and amazing investigator Sister Lovis! She pulled out some Saris for us to try on and then another traditional dress with pants (I forgot what it is called haha) 

P-Day August 1st

me doing laundry :) we are blessed to have a washing machine and then we hang dry everything. It is fun. haha

traditional Fijian Stove in our area :)




Oh, I ate raw Fish yesterday! We had a really big traditional Fijian feast yesterday to break our fast with the Bishops family and to say farewell to a senior missionary couple that is leaving. It was good. Dalo, Roro, chicken, fish, noodles, and potato salad (crazy random american...haha). It was good, not quite used to some of it yet but I tried the Ota. Which is raw fish soaked in and served with coconut milk, cilantro, and some more stuff. It was actually my favorite. It was super good! But we aren't really supposed to eat it but I felt like it was safe and I wanted to try it. haha

July 29 2015

Fiji is crazy different. They drive on the left and steering wheels in cars are on the right. (P.s. pray for me because I am getting my Fijian license next mondaymorning. I got my learners this morning so I could start practicing this week... )Homes are made out of sheets of metal that are stapled to wooden frames. Everyone lives by simple means. Very few have TVs and they are just starting to get touch screen cell phones but there isn't really wifi and everyone has very limited calling and texting. I keep laughing when everyone runs out because people would never live like that in America.  haha The religions are strong here but the people are SO welcoming. No matter who you are or your religion, as you pass someone's house, you will be invited in to eat. It is just the culture. The culture is also very relaxed. No one really set's times our makes affirmative answers.  But none of that stops the work from progressing. The Church is still true and Christ is still changing lives. haha it is great.
121-Ratu and my companion reading from the Book of Mormon in Fijian
122-124 is me telling stories.
ps. I recorded them throughout the week so I kinda forgot when they say... haha

Planting Flowers

July 26^th 2015

I have yet to stop being amazed each time we teach with the Spirit. It isn't us. This isn't our work. It's God's. and He is the one teaching. If it were me trying to convince people that this is true, I would be now where. I don't know everything. Luckily, the Spirit is the one teaching and I am humbled to my knees each time I get to see the Spirit work within someone and they begin to understand and grow in greater light and knowledge. You can really see it in their eyes and it is the most beautiful thing in the whole world. The mission is amazing. I am also extremely humbled to be blessed to be seeing so many with the light of their potential. Their Spirits are truly bright and powerful. All of us are as God's children. It is amazing to see. My companion and I spoke in our ward yesterday. It was great and felt God sustaining my words and testimony as a missionary. I had given a similar talk many times before but this time, there was a power and boldness behind it that I can only conclude as the office that I am in as a set apart Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I love it.

Loloma Yani,

Sister Singleton

 

The picture above is of me and sister Shankaran. The one below is of my in the shelter of a banana tree. The one at the top is me holding the cut open cocoa pod. We ate the white stuff covering the cocoa seeds. It is super good. Then we took the seeds and roasted them :)

 

For lunch we had Dalo and curried tuna and potatoes! It was yummy! Then we headed home for studies. :) It was super fun! While we were working, it raining for about a minute and I discovered the best tree to hide under is a banana tree because they have giant leaves! haha We also did our service with Bulou. The girl that is preparing for a mission. She is the one that did most of the cooking. haha

We had a fun service this week, helping plant flowers. Planting flowers here is fun. You just trim an existing plant with a machete and then stick that branch in the ground. It will then begin to grow over a period of time. haha We did a ton in only an hour! haha We did it with our awesome neighbor Sister Shankaran! She is from South Africa and married an Indian. She is the one who took care of me when I was sick. A truly amazing woman! :) After service we all helped make lunch at that house. We had home made cocoa. Picked the pod, cut it, sucked the coating off the seeds, roasted the seeds, pounded the seeds until smooth and then mixed it in hot water for a tradition Samoan hot cocoa! :)

Mud, Mud and more mud

I love my area. It is such an adventure and the people are amazing! We one of the only areas in which the areas are fed every night. It is wonderful! It has been crazy cold here though. haha Wailoku is said to be one of the coldest areas too. I am very grateful for the one blanket that I have that manages to keep me warm not only while sleeping but during studies as well... haha It also rains A TON here. Because of all the rain, it is also very muddy..

We were laughing super hard the other day when we were walking in 10 inches of mud to go visit two less active members. At one point, we were standing on a slope and laughing SO hard as we found ourselves slowly sliding down it in the mud without even moving. We went a good 6 feet before stopping. It was funny!

July 18

We have a really awesome Indian family in our area. They feed us every Sunday and have really taken us in as daughters. The mom gave my companion and I our own Sari and so we have fun trying them on again with our Sister Training Leaders who were visiting for exchanges!

Io (yes) from left to right goes, Sister Isoa, Sister I'aulualo (my comp.) and me.

Exchanges with Sister Isoa in Samabula! It was fun! Ate 3 dinners, lots of fish, and taught some good lessons. Also, Learned how to pray in Kiribati. :D

LOL. I finally slipped. It was inevitable. Especially with all the mud. Well, one night, we were coming down from a Less Active member who's house was way on a hill in the bush and they way to get to it very steep. We went to it when it was light outside and when we came out it was dark. We started walking down but soon got lots and found ourselves laughing really hard as we stumbled through the forest until finding the mud path again. Lol. We were in front of another less Active's house when we both slipped and couldn't really get back up because it was super muddy. The kids were laughing from inside. haha We got up and walked home to change really fast before heading to dinner. It was a grand adventure. hahaha

Kaitolo: Is said about someone when they come from a bush area in to the city and everything is so new for them.

This is me every time we come into town on P-days to email and play with our Zone. haha The photo is of me sitting on the couch at another set of sister's flat. It was a nice couch and I was freaking out about it because we don't have a couch and I was excited to sit on it. Lol

I am in FIJI!!!!

Rachel's Mission Address to the Island:

Fiji Suva Mission

GPO BOX 215

Suva, Fiji

June 30

Our Mission President and his wife.

July 5
So, the flight wasn't too long. Just about 12 hours from LAX to Fiji. I slept (or at least tried to) for most of it. The first day in the mission home was kind of crazy and full of confusion that when I finally got my call to my area, I was crazy relieved. haha

Well, for those of you who know Fiji, my first area is Wailoku! My trainer, Sister I'aulualo and I are the only two sisters in it with no elders. It is a little valley just on the other side of Suva. Many call it a rain forest because It is usually raining and muddy. It is its own little world. The people live in simple means but are so amazing!   Haha I love it though. Words cannot describe how much my mind and heart have been blown this last weekend. I am still confused on a lot of things (a lot being when they speak Fijian to me haha) but I am loving it.

July 4th

happy 4th of july! Thanks for the necklace! I gave the white strand to my companion and we wore them on our wrists all day. Then at one house. It was a mom with 9 kids. (Most of the families have a bunch of kids and all really close in age. haha I am not quite sure if they have birth control.. haha) anyway, it was a normal house. dirt or wood floor with a straw mat, rusted metal walls, one room, a thin matrices for them to sleep on. the father gone to work. Well, one of the adorable little girls kept looking it mine and mentioning it and stroking it and so I gave one to her. It was super funny. 

 I am experiencing so much. It is so crazy different. It is very similar to a lot of Glen's stories of him in the bush. I love it though. My hair is crazy, I don't wear make up, and everyone stares at my white skin. But oh how exciting it is. And oh how the people that live in these circumstances inspire me.