Bula!

Well we have finally found a laptop for email haha

So last week we had our fireside on Saturday night. There were over 50
people there! We only have about 20 or so active members so all of the
rest were either non-members or less actives that came. It was really
good. We had some members speak and then we watched the Restoration
video. The spirit was really strong when the music starts playing
while Joseph is praying. It was so awesome. We have already gotten a
few new investigators out of it and it really strengthened the branch
a lot.

This week we found a lot of new really good investigators. We also had
some great lessons with our other investigators as well. One really
cool lesson this week was a lesson that we had with Inoke and Kalesi.
They are the couple that have been taking lessons since right when I
first got here and they are way awesome. They hadn't come to church yet
though and it was mainly because of Inoke's family and their friends
and stuff who were all trying to get them to not come to church but to
stay at the church they are going to. So we planned the lesson and
went over and we read Mosiah 18 where Alma is talking to the people
and he explains about baptism and stuff and then he says if this is
what you desire that what is stopping you from being baptized? So we
read that and they totally just opened up and told us that that is
really the only thing holding them back, all of those people trying to
stop them. So I thought of a scripture in 2 Corinthians that says we
need to walk by faith and not by sight and as soon as I opened my
bible to go to it I instantly had the prompting of another scripture
from the Book of Mormon that was way better. It is Alma 5:60 I think.
I told them the story of how when I was serving in Korovou and we were
teaching Meliki and she was supposed to get baptized but then her
parents who were less active members stopped it. Then a few weeks
later the bishop told us that the mom had come to see him and wanted
us to go back. So we went back and she said that one day she just
opened up her Book of Mormon which she hadn't read in years and that
was the first verse she read. It talks about how the Good Shepard
(Christ) is calling you to his fold but that the wolves are trying to
break in and take you away. I told them that and bore testimony to
them that the Good Shepard is calling them to His fold and this is it.
The Spirit was way strong and they said they would be at church on
Sunday. On Sunday they came and they loved it. I really hope I can see
them get baptized before I finish. They are so awesome.

On Sunday there were over 30 people at church!!! Sis. Mere who just
got called to be the Primary president is AMAZING!!! The primary was
so awesome and before it was non-existent. Ratu Sela and all of his
kids came and everyone was in high spirits because the church was so
good. Then after we had the baptism for Ratu Sela. We all walked over
to the beach and it was a perfect high tide and I had the blessing of
baptizing Ratu Sela. He is the man!! I got some really good pictures
so you guys will get to see those soon haha. His wife didn't come but
we found out later that it might be because she didn't feel like she
had good enough clothes so we will make sure to fix that this week
because she is awesome too and starting to change a lot as well.

Everything is going great. We are really busy and working really hard
which is awesome. It makes it easy for me to not think about how close
it is to the end. The work here in Kadavu is growing a lot and I think
this is going to be a huge year for this place. I feel so blessed to
have had the opportunity to come here at this stage in my mission and
especially after working close with President Klingler for those 6
months because I have really seen how much I have learned and how much
it has helped me to be a much more effective tool in the Lord's hands
to help move His work.

If we don't get to e-mail again next week, don't worry about me!! We are
doing great!!! Au lomani kemudou!!!

Loloma, Elder Hawk