Sunday, June 23, 2013

Vakadeitaka tale na noqu ivakadinadina‏

Bula!

Well we are very blessed to be able to email 2 weeks in a row! haha and today is on a way nice laptop. We are emailing on the computer that I used for skype on Mother's Day. 

So this week was an awesome week. We found a lot of new investigators lately because of our open house thing and just from contacting people and a lot of them are doing really well. They are always really excited for us to come over and they really prepare themselves for when we come to teach them. It really makes it fun to teach people when they are excited about it. This week when we walked to Tavuki (the 24 km round trip) I wore these different sandals that had a back strap thing on them and my feet got blistered SUPER bad haha because I usually just wear flip flops. So that has been kind of annoying all week but it is all good. 

This week on Thursday we rode the big boat up to the top side of the island where the other unit is. It is in Kavala Bay. We went and visited that family that Elder Ravutaumada and I baptized the 3 kids last time and they are doing really good and coming to church and everything so that was exciting. The dad also sat in on a couple of the recent convert lessons that we had with them and he was talking to us a lot and joking around with us and stuff so hopefully he keeps coming around like that so that the elders can teach him so he can join the church with the rest of his family. He is a great guy. On Friday night, the last night we were there, the family there made a big lovo for me and we did a bunch of meke (Fijian dances) because that is the last time that I will be going up there. They are a really awesome family. The next morning we got on the Fiber boat and it was really awesome because we got to come around the back side of the island to come back to Vunisea because there were some primary school kids that were going back to their villages on that side and we rode with them. It was beautiful on that side. There are huge waves on that side too because that is the side that has that huge coral reef that is like the 3rd biggest in the world or something like that. 

So here is the big story of the week. Yesterday we had church and it was really good. Then we went to one house to visit Ratu Sela's family but the JW missionaries were there so we told them we would come back. So we were walking and we were deciding who we should go see. Elder Teke said we should go see Lily, she is the girl whose computer we are using. We talk to her quite a bit but we have never really taught her and so we went to her house. We went in and there were 2 other guys about our age there and we started talking to them and they started asking lots of questions about being a missionary and where I learned to speak Fijian and stuff like that and then they asked about Joseph Smith and so we asked if we could teach them all the first lesson and they said alright. Before we started teaching them I asked the boys what they were doing in Kadavu because I had never seen them here before (and here you know if someone is new because it is so small) but they said that they are also here to do missionary work. They are here for the 7th day Adventist church doing missionary work. So I was a little shocked but now even more excited to teach them about the Restoration ha so we taught them all the whole first lesson and it was really awesome. They asked lots of good questions and I was thinking that we were converting these guys haha then they asked if they could share their missionary stuff so it was only fair that we let them share as well. I knew that they were going to know the bible super well and so I prayed probably harder than I have ever prayed before that I could have the spirit with me to be able to put the words in my mouth of what to share with them. So long story short it went back and forth for at least another hour or more and it was really awesome because we weren't arguing or anything we were just sharing and I could really feel the spirit speaking through me and helping me know what to share with them. At the end I said that I just wanted to share one final scripture, I shared 1 John 5:9 where it says that we can have no greater witness than from God and I bore my testimony and said that anyone could come to me and share all the scriptures in the world and try to convince me of anything but what I would always do is ask God. Then I bore my testimony and told the story of when I was in Vunivesi and spoke at that baptism and felt the spirit so strongly confirm to me that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. As I was bearing my testimony I said (in Fijian of coarse... haha) "If someone were here right now with a knife to my throat and told me that they would kill me if I didn't deny my testimony of all of this I could not deny it because I have received the testimony that I have from the Holy Ghost" the spirit was so strong and I was shocked that I even said that but I really felt in that moment that what I said was true and that I would really do it. After that complete peace filled the room and the 2 missionaries just said thank you for sharing with them and all of us just said thanks for the things that we learned that day. After we got up and we hugged both of the missionaries and I gave them a Book of Mormon so hopefully they will read it and pray about it. It was yet another amazing experience on my mission to strengthen my testimony of this gospel. That is what being a missionary is all about. Bearing testimony of what you know to be true.

Well this week the zone leaders are coming. We should be having 4 baptisms on Sunday which is way excited. The members are planning on all bringing food and we are going to have a big chow after the baptism as both a celebration for those being baptized and kind of a going away party for me. I am going to cry like a baby.. haha I have grown to love these people here so much it is crazy. Just like mom said last week, being with the Fijian people even for the week that you guys will be here will change your lives, just imagine how much it has changed mine living with them and serving them for 2 years... so blessed. Well I am super excited to see you guys! Get ready for the best week ever!!! au lomani kemudou!!!

Loloma levu, Elder Hawk



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