Faith Is Like A Watermelon (Nakelo Area, Week 3)

Bula Vinaka, 2016! Happy New Year, everyone!

We had the outskirts of a small cyclone hit our area - nothing big, just lost power for a few days and the wind was strong enough to necessitate some cleanup.

Boy - this was quite a week. Supposed cyclones were supposed to be hitting us this weekend, but all we got was a bunch of wind and rain on New Year's Day. And that's it. It was actually kind of disappointing, actually.

In Fijian, "banana" is "jaina", but it's pronounced like "china"

This is our investigator, Susana, and her daughter Belinda - 

the little girl is way funny, 

when we got to their house on Tuesday, she told us in Fijian, 

"No, don't go, come, come inside, sit down with us, 

play with us, and then you can go home."

We did a ridiculous amount of walking this week, because our bikes are in the shop. On Tuesday, after walking for probably an hour and a half, we were able to see Susana. We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and she still has a desire to be baptized. She didn't come to church, however - hopefully, she can start coming every week. I think work is an issue, but she said she's trying to

change her day-off to Sunday. Boy, she's way cool - she even invited us for dinner next week!

Cutest little Fijian girl!

Wednesday, we picked up a new investigator named Bale. She lives just up the road from us, in a village called Vunivaivai, and she's way solid. She has a big desire to learn more about the church, and she comes from a difficult family situation, so the message of the Restoration and Heavenly Father's perfect Plan of Happiness is exactly what she needs in her life. I've seen it influence and change lives before, and I know, even before they hear the message, that it will touch them in some way. We also saw the Qaniuci family on Wednesday - it was way good! Simione and Katalaini, the parents, are fantastic - they made me blush, though, when they told me that I had the best Fijian of any missionary that had come to their home (besides natives, of course). That made me so happy - but it made me more happy when I realized how well they understand the gospel and how it affects their lives.

Some members' kids showed us a shortcut this week!

Simione compared faith to his watermelon patch. He and others in his village tried to plant watermelons a few years ago, but their crops all died, so they all gave up - except for Simione. He tried again, and the second time, they failed as well. By the third time, the missionaries were visiting him after he hadn't been to church for 18 years. Missionaries had visited in the past, but he finally started listening, as did his non-member wife, who was baptized recently. His watermelon patch finally brought a crop - a giant crop, which in the first harvest alone brought his family over $500 (a lot, considering that on average a Fijian makes $3/hr). And he told us

More pictures from our adventures

that there are two more harvests before the end of February. He told us that faith is like a watermelon - you have to believe, and try and try, and allow the gospel to enter your life, and then comes the blessings. Cool parable, right?

New Year's Eve dinner was killer

New Year's Eve was fun - our crazy neighbors were shooting off

tons of fireworks - and New Year's Day, like I said, was spent waiting out the storm. Saturday and Sunday were absolutely solid

We started working in a new village this week - Natogadravu. 

Way cool looking Methodist church right in the center of it.

days. We started visiting in a new village, Natogadravu, a 20-minute walk from us. The first house we knock at? Turns out that's the chief's house. I almost had a heart-attack. But they said that we could come back sometime, and apparently there are a few less-actives in that village too. The Lord knows what he's doing.

I love you all! Happy New Years! Happy Birthday to my Dad, my auntie Pammy, my sister Emma, and my cousin Tommy, who's turning 8 years old!

Elder Barnaby

Fence Building - Part 1

Fence Building - Part 2