I also got proposed to again. This time was definitely the weirdest though! She kept trying to kiss my hand and it was way freaky. We got out of there fast!
took this picture from a member's balcony. Our flat is in this photo.
On the left side^ to the right of the towers. This is the area where we live and work daily.
We in the Mission here, assisted with the US Navy Hospital Ship Mercy during the past few weeks. This ship provided medical care to the people of Fiji at no cost. Several LDS medical professionals from the states volunteered their time to serve on the ship for the past two weeks. The ship also brought in a significant amount of supplies donated by the Church to help the people here in Fiji.
A miracle from this week:
My whole district needed to get to this above shown hospital--and we had to get there straight away but we had no transport. So, the Lord told me to pray that a transport would be sent our way by the Lord. A few minutes later, there came a transport that had the perfect amount of seats! It was a rare miracle to have one of those pass us just when we needed--but, thing was, that, it was overtaking a bus at the same time as it passed us, so it couldn't see that we needed help.
The blue transport van was now long gone and in the distance, but the Lord prompted me gently, that I needed to pray again. He told me in my heart and in my mind, to pray that the driver would be told by Heavenly Father, to turn around and pick us up.
I prayed that directly and immediately.
I felt perfect faith and trust because I had been prompted what to pray.
And a minute later, we all saw to our extreme surprise, that exact blue transport coming back our way for no reason! He stopped and we all got in and talked with him. He was very tired and worked, but had heeded the Lord's voice to him to turn around.
He took us to the hospital and we were able to get there on time!
It was a great miracle, that none of us could deny. It was not a miracle to prove our faith, but a result of first exercising faith in-line and in accordance with Heavenly Father's will.
I testify that we can ask Heavenly Father to guide us in what to pray for; and then, we can truly pray in Christ's name, for we are only praying for things which Christ would righteously ask for--and so we shall indeed receive according to our faith and our works. We will receive every righteous desire of our hearts, if we align ourselves and then have the faith to ask and act.
I know this is true. I witness it daily.
Heavenly Father is more real than these words before your face at this moment. I can testify of Him to you as if He were before my eyes all day every day. I know as a fact which I never shall be able to deny, that He really, truly does live and is personal and knowable and intimately aware of each one of us, His beloved children in these brief testing grounds of mortality.
This was a dinner that a member family made for us last week. This is a "Lovo"; a traditional Fijian-style of preparing and cooking really tasty food which they then put underground in a hand-made oven and throw dirt over the oven to capsulize the heat and leave it like that for over an hour.
We had a 9-year old boy named Ryan who is beginning to read the Book of Mormon and right after we taught him how to pray, he confidently and humbly prayed on the spot!
We have many young people here, who because of the work and lessons the Lord did through me and my companion and especially the power of the Holy Ghost, are all preparing to serve their full-time missions as well!
We have been fasting for Shayal to get consent from her father to be Baptized. She is one of the best investigators, and earnest daughters of Heavenly Father. She is 15 and she is reading the Book of Mormon and taking the lessons, but her father is Hindu, and we have been fasting and praying that his heart would be softened and he would let his family be Baptized and follow the Savior Jesus Christ.
Please pray for that in your prayers.
Thank you soo much.
“It is written in the scriptures that God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son to die for the world, that whosoever believeth on him … and keepeth his commandments, shall be saved. But this [sacrifice] did not cost us very much—freely given are all these glorious privileges. …
“… While we give nothing, perhaps, for this atonement and this sacrifice, nevertheless, it has cost someone something, and I love to contemplate what it cost our Father in heaven to give us the gift of his beloved Son, … who so loved the world that he laid his life down to redeem the world, to save us and to feed us spiritually while we walk in this life, and prepare us to go and dwell with him in the eternal worlds. …
“Our Father in heaven … loved his Son Jesus Christ, … for [he] had with him his Son, our Redeemer, in the eternal worlds, faithful and true for ages. … God heard the cry of his Son in that moment of great grief and agony, in the garden when … he cried out: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.’ …
“… He saw that Son condemned, he saw him drag the cross through the streets of Jerusalem and faint under its load. … He saw [Jesus’] body stretched out upon the wooden cross, he saw the cruel nails driven through hands and feet, and the blows that broke the skin, tore the flesh … and let out the life’s blood of his Son. …
“In that hour I think I can see our dear Father, … his great heart almost breaking for the love that he had for his Son. Oh, in that moment when he might have saved his Son, I thank him and praise him that he did not fail us, for he had not only the love of his Son in mind, but he had love for us, and I rejoice that he did not interfere, and that his love for us made it possible for him to endure to look upon the sufferings of his Son and give him finally to us, our Savior and our Redeemer. …
“… My brethren and sisters, … if I only knew how essential it was … that I should receive the spiritual life that comes from that Son, I am sure I would always be present at the sacrament table to do honor to the gift that has come unto us” (“The Sacramental Covenant,”Improvement Era, Oct. 1919, 1028–31).
This week we had another miracle:
You may remember her as Mohini, but it turns out her real name is "Priti." She was one of our investigators. She disappeared and we lost contact with her. Well, the other day as we were walking along the road coming back from helping a family build their house, we had planned for so many things and lessons that all fell through and didn't happen... and on top of that, for some reason we decided to walk all the way home instead of taking bus or taxi. And as we were walking, I had the distinct impression from the Holy Ghost that we needed to check one specific house and see if Priti lived there. We had no idea, but we followed the Spirit.
When we called out to the owners of the house to see if anyone lived there by chance, by the name of "Priti or Mohini," and 30 seconds later we were blown away and amazed... she called out to us and came walking out from behind the house!! It was her!!! Only the Lord knew where she lived!! And only following the Holy Ghost's whisper could lead us to find her once again!
We sat down with her and it turned out we saved her life. She was about to make a decision in her life that would have destroyed and dashed all her hopes of a celestial and joyful future. The Lord spoke through us and we were very bold and told what to say from the Holy Ghost. It was truly undeniable--we all felt the actual presence and acknowledged that indeed hosts of actual angels were in our midst, and the Lord Himself.
She has now been changing her life.
It turned out that she had just been having a conversation with Heavenly Father, through aloud prayer to Him, in her house, asking for help, right when we then came up to this house and called her name.
She has since begun finally coming to church and committed to be Baptized and to live Heavenly Father's way, and is on the path to establishing a possible eternal and family in the foreseeable future. These are steps I could hardly imagine she would ever reach the point of taking!
Her uncle, Naresh, has given up smoking and grown in faith from not knowing anything about Jesus Christ or who Heavenly Father even is, to now having the faith to change his life, and he is smiling more and he is giving up his old ways and knows the Savior is real and loves and knows him individually and personally. He will be Baptized next month.
The Police Officer who lost her dear husband, is doing well. We are teaching her and she is so touched by the truth of the doctrine of eternal marriage and families. She on her own said she wants to start coming to church. We teach her on the job, so this last time, we had to abruptly end because she had to go save someone from being beaten to death a few streets away.
Heavenly Father wanted me to experience this earth life. I am glad I signed up for all these trials I have had. I realized as me and my companion were talking, that if we look back on our lives, the only real times that grew us and advanced us and developed and refined us and prepared us for higher heights in the future, were trials. Really, life is no joy without the ability to choose above our circumstances.
My Hindi is peaked now. I am able to understand everything anyone says, and I am able to convey nearly any idea I wish to express. Elder Singh has taught me how to teach others the language, and he has told me that my language skills are perfect. I will continue to rely on the Lord. He has magnified me and with my 4 companions' help (Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and Elder Singh,) I have mastered Hindi and am ready to teach it freely--speaking, reading, writing; the Lord has given all these gifts, and I acknowledge fully that they have come from Him.
All of our investigators are nearly ready to receive Baptismal Dates. Our Recent Converts are strong, self-reliant, and decided they are determined and set to serve their full-time mission as well! Soni and Kirti (baptisms from last month) are so strong. Soni's husband and Kirti's father has returned and their family is being put back together and we've begun the long road to their goal of eternal family- temple marriage!
We truly watched miracles in our 24 lessons this week!
I personally have grown drastically in my time here in Lautoka. The investigators have transformed and are blossoming! The members are thriving in their unity and testimonies day by day. The language was fully mastered here. I am in love with Lautoka and the children of God here are strong.
"Blessedness is defined as being higher than happiness. Happiness comes from without and is dependent on circumstances; blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no out ward circumstances can seriously affect."
Exact obedience is the most rewarding aspect of mission life, and post mission life. I am very pleased that my mind and heart learned this lesson.
I am seeing the blessings.
I have nothing to prove. I am confident and humble and usable and exactly obedient. AND IT IS FUN!
हमर डील से , एल्डर होवार्ड
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