The prisland

Big world, small church.
There is a city called Suva on the other side of the island. It's about five hours away from my town and it's where the LDS temple is located. About a month ago, a few people from our group went to Suva for the weekend to go to the temple and to just play (there is a hike that includes a rope swing into a large body of water at the end). They attended the ward there and were invited by a nice family to have lunch with them after. They went over to this HUGE house and found that the family had lived in the States for a few years. So, every time any of our group goes to visit Suva, there is a standing invitation for us to have lunch with this family. They're great.

We went last weekend and the family invited us to come hang out with them on their PRIVATE ISLAND. Um, okay. They were going because their nephew was being baptized. There were about thirty people (family and friends) on the whole island and they loved us! They called us the Americans and the kids especially loved us and they displayed that affection by throwing sand on us. Joke is on them, I am a snitch by blood and went and told their parents. They had to go to bed. We got to stay up and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate by the fire. :) Seriously, the kids loved us and they were really fun to be around when they weren't spraying white specs of sand on our heads and down our shirts.

Courtney and Caleb and myself walked around the beach on Saturday and found starfish. They are navy blue and huge! We decided to keep them. Court named hers Patrick (naturally) and I named mine Leluvia (that was the island that we were on) and we just call her Luvi. Sadly, both Patrick and Luvi smell pretty bad at this point in their lives. Also, having a pet starfish made me wonder about how these beings reproduce. I found it. And found it very interesting. Look it up if you also want to know.

The baptism was on Sunday and freakishly, there was a cyclone that day. The rain and wind was maniacal and it was hard to hear each other speak. But the baptism continued and seeing the little eight year old boy being baptized in the ocean by his father with the rain pounding on them...beautiful.

The women there loved us Americans and offered to take us shopping this weekend at the flea market and CostULess which is supposed to be similar to Costco. We are SO EXCITED! Janey and I are leaving tonight for the five hour bus ride so that I can go to the optometrist tomorrow morning. Yay for getting my eyes fixed!


We returned from Suva to Tavua and back to gardening! I have been frustrated with gardening the past week or so because I feel like people want me to just show up and do it for them. Our purpose is to help them help themselves, not to do handouts. So I have been reluctant to build gardens the past few days. That all changed yesterday when I went to my fave village of Vanuakula. These people are AMAZING. They literally do all of the work and just enjoy our company. Janey and I taught them to do a garden and helped them with two. Their village now has six and they are doing it all on their own. That's what we're striving for! I LOVE THEM! And Janey and Rachel and myself walked out of that village yesterday with handmade milk pops, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I felt like royalty. They are so great.

About half done and yesterday I realized that I'm scared to return to America. I really am. I feel like I have a small understanding of what missionaries feel like. Small, I know.