19 new missionaries,  AWESOME

Sister Gounder after her baptism

Study are for the South Pacific University

If you look close, there is a farmer working on the side of the  hill in his crop

Getting  a bike off to Rabi on the ship

little guy, big boat

Hi everyone!  Well, this week has been a exciting week for both of us.  We got all 19 new missionaries in to town and gave them all a bunch of things to do.  Mary explained to them about the accuracy of baptismal forms, how important it is to be correct on everything since it is a permanent record for the church membership.  She also had to collect all their passports and take them to Fiji Immigration to get work visa's for each missionary.  Since Mary doesn't drive, guess who gets to go along.  The first time we got there, just to give them the paperwork, it took an hour just to talk to someone.  The worker told us to come back tomorrow to get all the papers signed.  Three days later (they kept putting us off), we stopped there for two hours to get the finished paperwork.  I was walking outside, making phone calls, texting (yes I learned how), trying to keep patient.  You know me, I can't stand to even wait in line for groceries.  Mary was very patient, much better at working with people, she even took a little snooze there. What a saint!  Now all she has to do is get the visa's to the proper missionary (wait until next week for the conclusion).
         I talked to the sisters about being in safe areas, following the Spirit about walking in places not for ladies.  I also told them about the 240 volt electricity that burns up so many sister's hair dryers, and how our bug killer solution is really a friend to them.  They are all very talented in singing and teaching, so they will love it here. The Elders are quite different.  I had to collect their driving records from home, grade them on how well they drive, and how to clean and care for a flat (apartment).  Many of them don't care how their flat looks or smells,  they just want to teach and baptize. A lot of those Elders had big eyes, and were very excited,  I'll wait for a month and then see what they look like then.  The calibre of young men coming out now is awesome, so ready to testify and learn and teach.  Parents should be very proud and thankful for their "stripling sons."
          A funny story about Elder Wells and his wife that went to Kiri bis last week.  He said it was so humid there that he was doing an audit with a stake clerk, and he looked down and noticed his tie was soaking wet, and dripping water onto the floor beneath him.  He then stood up and noticed his pants were a darker color, and a puddle of water on his chair where he was sitting.  All he could do was laugh!  Thank goodness its not that humid here, yet.
             We attended a baptism of a single mother attending our ward, Seema Gounder, a Hindi woman with two sons, 10 and 8. She started taking the lessons six months ago, and loved the church teachings about family and prophets.  She told us at the baptism that her ex-husband had not paid any maintenance for the sons, so she took him to court. She didn't have employment at the time, so instead of paying support for the boys, the father took over custody, and left with both sons.  She kept on with here baptismal date, and has the hope to get her sons back in the future.  That's the kind of faith the people have here.

My rental truck

          I LOVE BEING BUSY WITH PEOPLE AND MISSIONARIES, IT KEEPS ME ALIVE AND HAPPY.  I wish everyone could experience a mission as a senior. Give our love to all the grandchildren and family and friends.  Love ya,  Grandpa (Tutu)