No Head ;) * 8 Meals

THIS WAS THE BEST CHRISTMAS SEASON THAT EVER HAPPENED IN FIJI. 

And it was my last Christmas in Fiji.

​(Note: Absolutely no photo-shopping, Eagle Scout's Honor ^_^. Just the Spirit of the Season bursting out of me ... can't be contained.)

I have soooo much to share... wow... I have like 3 lifetime's worth of incredible experiences to share with you, and like 3 minutes left to email for this week.  I will just make sure to send you the photos and go from there as best I can.

This was a Happy Blue Christmas!

16 Missionaries had a sleep over and games together and then in the morning we all sang Christmas songs together and had a powerful and very spirit-filled devotional where we all read the Christmas story together and had an inspiring testimony meeting and then a breakfast we all shared together.  Then we went all over the city trying to get my Christmas presents out to everyone we love...which is everyone... literally.  My companion and I each spent time by ourselves, privately in our home and just quietly spent personal time with Jesus Christ, pondering all He has done for us.  In the conversation with Him on Christmas, I received wonderful gifts of peace and hope for all He yet has in store for me and all that is ahead for me and Him to accomplish together.  I am so grateful for that sacred time we made to just be with the Savior on His holy and happy, enriching and enlivening day!  We then walked all the way across town and had a wonderful lunch with a member, and sang every Christmas song in the entire Hymnbook while we happily and contentedly waited for her to finish cooking.  We laughed and shared testimonies and then ate and ate and ate!  And then we had meals surprise-pre-prepared for us everywhere we went the whole day!  We had lunch also at Asmin's house!  We had the best Christmas as we looked inside their house and saw how drastically everything has changed!  It was their first Christmas ever!! Last Christmas, they didn't celebrate because they were Muslim.  Heavenly Father had great plans for them.  They are transforming the lives of every person they are in contact with.  They are a huge influence on their little community of friends, and everyone is strengthened by them.  They are so excitedly preparing for the Temple and for their own Missions.  We then had dinner at the Whippy house... probably the fanciest house I've been in in Fiji.  It was really something.  But ultimately, nothing topped just being with the Savior on Christmas.  And the next day I got to be with my entire immediate family and nieces and nephews and siblings' in-laws!  You are all the best!

It was another bush Christmas!  Ayrrg!!!  Manjula, who was Baptized in October, gave us these as a Christmas present, from her own tree!  You can't imagine how much better Fiji bananas taste compared to American bananas!

 This was at the Stake President's house.  The Varea's!  They are from Rotuma, and are one of my favorite families in Fiji as you might already know.  If I get transferred out of this area next transfer there are definitely a lot of families I am going to take with me from this area to wherever I go next.

These are centipedes!  They can get really big and bite way painfully and can actually make you go numb and limp where they bite.  They wander all the way through our house into my companion's laundry.  When life gives you something scary, turn that scary thing it gives you into your mustache!  *You can quote me on that one*

This was our Zone Party.  I drew the whiteboard design.  Surprisingly, we actually all did get sleep that night.  We had a very productive day the next morning.  We have the best zone

My District had 3 Christmas Parties I organized and planned.  One of which was in a home-made iglu!  These pictures where after we took the iglu down.  I will send you some of the actual iglu as well.

To enter, all you could see at first was the entrance tunnel to the igloo (the nursery room in one of our chapels).  Then you get in and there are walls and sheets and 2 Christmas trees and food and presents and stuffed animals and too much fun.  We all crawled in and had District Meeting in there together!

Here was another one of the parties I organized for our District!  We all contributed to a wonderful Christmas feast and fun!

The last photo here was where the Alldredges had us over for dinner.  I haven't felt or seen a real comfy area rug in ages!  I just went right on it and melted.  They also gave me a candle just like the ones family and I always have back home!

This was a home-made Manger Scene that one of my most beloved families in this area (the Kumar family,) made.  

This was when our power went out after Christmas and we had Candle fun for the first time in this area.  We had a power outage around this time last year also.

Our District is just THRIVING!  Everyone in the District has daily contact with me and we all had the Merriest Christmas together.  They just call me up and say what happened to them that day and how the work is going and share openly.  Simple and meaningful.  We all love being around each other.  We consider one another a family, more than we think of it as-or feel we are-a District.   We had the best Christmas together!  I made sure everyone in our District could truly say, that this Christmas was their best yet, and one to remember for a lifetime.

We made Videos for our Investigators who were home-bound and lonely or in pain this Christmas.  We sang for them and shared our individual testimonies and words of love and cheer and comfort.  These videos were very meaningful and the love has touched the people we are working with, deeply. 

We had a great Christmas week!  We plan everything well a week in advance now, so, we were still able to have some great Member Presents and still have 20 lessons despite the huge struggle of Christmas time.  All of our Baptismal Dates and people that had Baptismal Dates but have pushed them back because they are trying to fully overcome Word of Wisdom problems, are doing well and we are pleased with the privilege of being able to be part of the source for them, for their freedom from these monsters they are facing, and getting out of these prisons of addiction.  The Savior is crowding out all the darkness from their lives.  We have a great and clear vision of their paths ahead, and we have the long-suffering required to see them through to the Kingdom of God.  Salvation sure never is a cheap experience, is it? But Joy is the Reward if Love is the Motive! (:

We meet probably 40 really good contacts every week now that we are on foot!  The golden people are everywhere surrounding and outnumbering us!  Our area is ready to split.

Love, and more next week,
Elder Howard