Elder Max Barnaby: Too Many Sleepovers (Dratabu Area, Week 6)

Nasivikoso Sleep over

Wow, this week was so crazy, filled with so many exchanges we were hardly even at our own flat this week. I can't believe I have to do this again, but here's another play-by-play of the week.

Monday we had district P-day because the other districts in the Zone had a combined P-day without us - that's cool, whatever, we had tons of fun playing basketball and such.

Nasivikoso adventure

(Elders Barnaby, Fitisemanu, Whiting, and Masoe)

Tuesday we came to support the Nadi Sisters' baptism, which was hectic because their ward mission leader forgot about it. Directly afterwards, we had district meeting, and then we went home and waited for the Zone Leaders to call. We were headed on exchanges to Nasivikoso, a village in the interior of the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu. There's a unit of the church there that the Zone Leaders check up on every once and a while, and they had us come with them this past week. Tuesday we went up, slept in an old building there they use for the chapel, and, because there's no running water there, we had to bathe in the river. We tried to visit some members and recent converts there, but they were all gone selling their harvest in the markets in Nadi. It was a super fun two days, though.

This is the crazy road that leads into the Nausori Highlands

towards Nasivikoso (also the end of the pavement after this)

Wednesday and Thursday we were able to do a lot of work in our own area, especially getting Jolame ready for his baptism on Sunday. He's such a beast investigator, he shares his testimony at the end of every lesson. When we talked to his mom about signing his baptismal form, she told us that he tells her at least twice a day about his baptism and how excited he is. Then, Thursday night we headed down to Sigatoka to go on splits with the elders there. I also did a baptismal interview for the elders' investigator while we were down there, and Friday evening we came back up to do a little more work in Dratabu.

Saturday we had Jolame's interview, which he passed with flying colors (as was to be expected). We had a very successful Saturday, though it didn't end well - Elder Whiting lost his camera and our appointment with our investigators Jope and Adi, who both have baptismal dates for the first week of September, fell through. We're probably going to have to postpone their baptism.

Sunday was the most happy, hectic day of the week. We had ward conference, and for the second week in a row, we had almost all of our baptismal dates at church. Seven of them came, including Jolame, who was baptized after church. Ward Conference dragged on for almost two and a half hours (pretty much a stake conference) and then, right afterwards, everyone went home early because apparently they were shutting down the roads in Nadi for a big event. The Fiji Rugby Sevens Team got back on Sunday from the Rio Olympics and the people were going nuts - literally everyone was wearing Fiji flag sulus, shirts, and waving the Kuila i Viti (flag of Fiji) out of every car and house window. The whole bishopric left, and we were left, wondering what to do about our baptism. The side that everyone from Dratabu lives on didn't have closed roads, so we could still hold our baptism, but there was no one there to preside. I remembered something that we learned in our leadership training though that President Layton said that if it was necessary, we could preside at a baptism because we hold the priesthood keys for convert baptisms in the mission. So we started the baptism anyway.

Jolame Lawavou's baptism!

Just as Elder Whiting got in the water with Jolame, though, I felt an unmistakable prompting from the Spirit, probably one of the most powerful promptings I've ever gotten: "Call the Zone Leaders." I interrupted the baptism and called the Zone Leaders immediately and asked them if it was okay that we presided at our baptismal service. They said that we needed to call President Layton, so I called him and asked him for his permission to hold the baptism without a member of the bishopric present. When I heard the words. "Yes, Elder Barnaby, thank you for checking with me," I felt a great peace come over me. It was wonderful. The baptism turned out great, and we ended the night with a district sleepover at the Nadi Hindi Elders' flat.

We went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders

up to one of the most bush areas in the mission, Nasivikoso!

The church is true, but more importantly, God still talks to us and that's why I'm doing this work, to give others the opportunity to receive baptism by water and by the Holy Ghost, which is the Gift of the Holy Ghost, given by the laying on of hands (https://www.mormon.org/beliefs/jesus-christ - subtitle "The Gift of the Holy Ghost"). I gained a powerful testimony of it this week. I love you all! Transfers are this week, so we'll see what happens! I only have two left!

Elder Barnaby