Fijian Wedding Party

I've always joked that when talents were handed out in heaven, I volunteered to be an audience member - purchasing tickets to performances, applauding, and yelling, "Bravo!"

Never has my lack of musical or performing talents been more obvious than here in Fiji.  These are a few moments from a beautiful Fijian wedding party.  It was a wonderful mixture of Fijian and Indian cultures.

The happy bride and groom!

Commemorative Service

This one is hard to believe.  On Wednesday evening we received a phone call from a member of the Returned Soldiers & Ex-Servicemen' Association mentioning that there would be a remembrance ceremony the next morning and that we were invited to attend.  We expected a small gathering.  Imagine our amazement when we arrived to find that it was a huge event and, because of our missionary name tags, we were seated on the front row and escorted to the V.I.P. tent afterwards!

After a program which included the Hymn "O God Our Help In Ages Past", the Lord's Prayer recited by all in Fijian,  and the Fijian National Anthem sung by all, wreaths were laid one by one at the monument by family representatives, High Commissioners from Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, South Africa, Ambassadors from Micronesia, France, Britain, United States, People's Republic of China, Japan, Korea, a United Nations Representative, a European Union representative, The President of Fiji, the Acting Prime Minister of Fiji, Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, Police Commissioner, Commissioner of Corrections, a representative of the British Legion and President of the Returned Soldiers & Ex-Servicemen Organization.

At the end of the event, we found ourselves in the V.I.P. tent, inviting the President of the Republic of Fiji , His Excellency Sir Ratu Epeli Nailatikau; CF, KStJ, LVI, OBE(Mil), CSM, MSD, to the Suva Fiji Temple Open House in Jannuary!  Knock me over with a feather!

An invitation extended for the Suva Fiji temple open house

This has been a really interesting week!  On Wednesday, we were invited, with other Americans living in Fiji, to an open house at the home of the U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu, Judith Cefkin.

We took the opportunity, when taking with her, to tell her about the Suva Fiji Temple Open House in January and she said that she would definitely like to attend!  We were told at the MTC not to be worried about what to say on our mission, but just be willing to open our mouths. Every time we've done that, good things happen!
                                                                                                           

Beautiful tent in the Ambassador's back garden

Ambassador Judith Cefkin

Witnessing a wonderful baptism

Last night we had the wonderful experience of attending the baptism of a dear sister from Nauru.  Her husband was baptized a short while ago and he was able to performed the baptism. Their island comprises 8.1 square miles, has a population of about 9,000, and is the world's third smallest nation/state, just behind Vatican City and Monaco. It's a phosphate rock island and was claimed by the German Empire in the late 19th Century, hence the names of it's current President (Baron Waqa) and the Speaker of Parliament (Ludwig Scotty).  Nauru's nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati (pronounced "Kit'-i-bus"), which is 186 miles away!  After the baptism, and confirmation, both the husband and wife bore strong testimonies.  They are now headed home to Nauru, where they will be two of the very few members of the church.  What an inspiration!

SATURDAY = SHOPPING DAY

First, fruit, then veggies and spices, followed by fish and  beautiful flowers.

Fiji Ex-Servicemens' Association

Well, last night we went for a walk in town and heard some sort of festival going on.  We followed the happy sounds and came across the annual fund-raising meeting of the Figi Ex-Servicemens' Organization.  We walked up to the man pictured in the wheelchair, who turned out to be the Secretary of that organization. Wilson mentioned that we were both also veterans - the man was very pleased. Then, in typical Wilson fashion, he said, "May we join your organization?"  

To say they were welcoming is a gross understatement!  The secretary stopped the program, grabbed the microphone and, in Fijian, announced our presence and took a vote right there and then to offer us membership.  It was unanimous, and immediately we were introduced to the dignitaries attending and other officers. Then all of the older ladies ran up and I don't think we've ever been hugged or kissed more.  One lady tied a colorful sulu around Wilson, some men offered us kava (which we declined), and everyone started telling us who they knew in America. One woman even has a brother, an engineer, who lives in Salt Lake City!

At the MTC we were encouraged to become part of the community as we serve our mission. I think we're getting there!  Now, please tell me that the Lord is not directing our paths. These sorts of things, on a small scale, are happening every day!

"Bula"-meaning life, and "Vinaka"-meaning thanks are the two words which sum up everything here. People are grateful for life itself, and so far, we've not had to go without anything yet.  We know this will change as we travel throughout this South Pacific area, meeting with 54 units we're responsible to train and help with budgeting and finance accounting processes.

Wilson is really enjoying wearing his sulu and fits right in.  I fact, he was thrilled to note that the sulu has two good sized pockets and a small coin pocket.  We both, however, need to work on the ghost-white legs!

It seems that there are lots of celebrations and people are so very kind and polite.  It's not unusual for someone on the street, whom we've never met, to remark, "Have a blessed day, Elder and Sister Martin!"  We feel so fortunate to be here and are very grateful to the Mission President
and his wife and the other Senior Missionaries who have made us feel so very welcome!

Bula dear friends and family!  That's the commen greeting here in Fiji. A few of you have asked for more information on this missionary experience, so here's a first attempt at a blog.

Last October as Wilson and I were watching LDS General Conference, we looked at each other and knew this was the time for us to serve as missionaries. We submitted our application and were called to both serve as Assistant Area Auditors for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the beautiful country of Fiji.   In June, after a 13 hour flight from Los Angeles, we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand two days later (!) for some additional training.  Then on to Fiji to be met by some energetic young missionaries and President and Sister Layton, our mission president.

We have a nice little flat in Suva, Fiji and our office is in the Service Centre and is just opposite the Fiji LDS Temple, which is being renovated.  The open house, cultural celebration, and dedication are scheduled for early next year, which will be exciting!

The mission is divided into zones and, being Senior missionaries, we're in the Twilight Zone.