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| Mangos in Fiji |
Dear Mom,
Soooo... Today is our last day in Suva, it has been a pretty fun/boring/fast/long week!!! hahah I got to do so much work inside the temple it was amazing! Thursday when Elder Miller and I were walking I had the thought to exchange my personal funds to Fijian money at this one store, and guess who we ran into? The first counselor in the Temple Presidency, who told us that they were going to go downtown and do their shopping but had the feeling to go to this store instead. He told us we were the reason they had the feeling to stop. He told us that the visa waiters had an appointment at the Temple at three o'clock but they couldn't get a hold of them. Over the week I have been here I was able to go through 4 endowment sessions and take part in over 50 baptisms,mostly in Kiribati! I was able to confirm in Kiribati, it was soooo cool! I witnessed for a lady from Kiribati as she sealed her parents, and then afterwards she was sealed to them. I had conversations with the entire temple presidency, and received personal revelation in the Celestial room.
Oh and I learned how to prepare huge tuna to eat! Let's just say it is pretty brutal and really messy!
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| Preparing Tuna |
I did use personal funds this week because I felt bad using mission funds for food and clothes. This last week was a week of miracles! I did some studying a little everyday, we went to the town, and Thursday through Saturday we spent most of the time in the Temple. When we had free time we went to Suva town, which put me in a little bit of culture shock cause it is nothing like Kiribati!! haha
Going through the temple with these guys was such a humbling experience, it really made me appreciate everything that we have back home. I just wish I would have realized how blessed we are to have so many temples so close to us back home, I definitely would have taken more advantage of it if I knew. I am just so blessed to be able to go, Elder Miller and I are probably some of the only elders who has been able to go to the temple serving in the Marshall Islands Majuro mission!
I was having a hard time at first staying for a week and it really freaked me out but being here, but I have found so many blessings and I know that is the reason I am here. It has been a blast, hard because we didn't teach, but amazing anyway!
I love you so much mom,
Love your son,
Elder Johnson
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| Chilling with Ronald |
Dad,
Tell everyone hi for me and that I love them! That is so cool how well Ana is doing that makes me proud of my lil sis! (Ana is playing water polo like Jeff did when he was in school.)
I am way too ready to get out of Fiji, it has been good, but I haven't done real missionary work for a week. I just want to get back out and teach. It has been amazing however to be with the Kiribati gang, they are way to fun, and super humble! I loved going to the temple. I didn't think that I would have a chance to go while I was on my mission. It really made me appreciate all those temples that are sooo close to our house. One gift of the spirit I really need in order to be a more successful missionary is definitely the gift of tongues. It was kind of frustrating because I couldn't understand a lot of what the visa waiters were saying, but that is okay, I still had a great time. I even learned how to prepare and cook tuna! and yes that's fresh from the ocean.... XD hahah
Miller is an awesome kid, he is really funny and super nice. He is really good at the language, and connects really well with the people. Everyone loves him. He was really sad he was finishing his time in Christmas, he had a hard time getting on the flight last week. I don't blame him, he had influenced so many people there. I'm just glad I have such a long time left!
The thing we did the most is go to the Temple, and to Suva town! I gave away one more pair of pants so I am down to only two, so for my birthday package, I need pants! (Jeff has given away about 8 pairs of pants and a bunch of shirts to Kiribati missionaries going to the US or to investigators that were worried about how they dressed coming to church. 6 months into his mission and he is out of pants!)haha and I am bringing one of the Elder's pants that is working on Kiritimati, and they are sooo nice, they are the Nike golf pants, they are super cool, (as in not hot when you wear them) and easy to sit cross legged.
Our flight is tomorrow at midnight, so we are going to bus back to Nadi today after we run a few errands here in Suva,
I love you dad,
Love your son,
Elder Johnson
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| Sometimes we wonder about the pictures he chooses to send! |
Some messages we received Monday afternoon:
Just wanting to let you know that I made it safely to Nadi, and two of the Kiribati Elders had a hotel room that are going to the MTC today so we got to sleep with them last night, everything is looking good for the Flight to Kiritimati we just have to wait until nine tonight to check in for our flight! Know that everything is going well and I am being well taken care of by the Lord! We just were given a super sweet missionary opportunity to spend some time in Fiji!!!!
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| We know the mission is changing him, but some things will never change! |
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