I Asked For Lau, Got Lautoka (Lautoka 2nd Area, Week 1)

New area: Lautoka, the second largest city in Fiji!

Well this was a shocker - I got transferred! I thought for sure that I was staying in Dratabu, and then, one transfer and I'm outta there. As far as I know I am the shortest-lived Airport Elder of all time #randomachievements #wheresmymedal

But I'm way gutted, I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone. Not even Jolame, who I haven't seen since his baptism last week. I'm most upset that I won't be part of the journeys of our awesome investigators anymore, namely Jope and Adi, Maki, Violet, Iva and Mela, Jone, Ranadi...isa I miss them. And apparently, Elder Whiting told me that on Sunday two less-active families came to church on Sunday, determined to come back, and one of them is a part-member family with family members interested in joining the church. Isa lei, Dratabu! But duty calls elsewhere.

My newest (and 15th) companion, Elder Fitisemanu!

Lau is a group of islands east of the main land of Viti Levu, and I've been dying to go there for a long time. Only a handful of missionaries have ever been there, and I was studying the dialect, along with Dratabu dialect, hoping that President would allow me and another Elder to go out there. But instead, the call came to go, no to Lau, but to Lautoka, the second largest city in Fiji. I was also asked to fill a position as a Zone Leader, which basically means that my companion and I are in charge of the 24

missionaries in the western-half of Viti Levu, from Rakiraki to Sigatoka. It's a big responsibility. Thank goodness I have a solid companion, Elder Fitisemanu, who's half-Samoan, half-Tongan from Utah (actually went to the same school as Elder Whiting).

Sorry, not a lot to update on this week, we had a hectic time with transfers - almost every day we were at the airport, three times at 5 A.M. dealing with lost baggage, visa waiters staying at our flat, and, the most exciting of all, putting 14 missionaries on a bus to Suva and then getting a call from the Assistants that the bus showed up empty (they were found, but almost two hours later). So this has been a really crazy, roller coaster week. District meeting was fun, though - we played Wheel of Fortune, scripture style!

Our last district meeting in Dratabu District

Lautoka 2nd Ward is an awesome ward, though - very well run, and this past Sunday, I met a lot of people I knew from other wards in Fiji and a young man named Niko who just showed up to church and told us he wanted to join. That's a nice welcome to the ward! Our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Lal, is the man too - he's so organized and concerned about missionary work, ward goals, and retention of converts. I'm excited to finish my mission in this ward, it's a great place!

Next week will be more exciting, I promise - we have Mission Leadership Council in Suva on Thursday with the rest of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in the Fiji Suva Mission. I've heard it has good food, so let's go!

Elder Barnaby