Fires of life used to burn me, then I became fire in the Lord's hands and now fire just builds my joy and light to a perfect day of endless reaching ray. We can get everything in our life all on one team by getting Christ as our ONLY captain: Trials, joys, peace, chaos, all mesh into blessedness when He's leading the life. Your heart doesn't belong in your chest; it belongs in Christ's hands. Your only mission in life is to do that--and then the once restricted and painful becomes endless vistas of boundless glory and wondrous rich abundance.
This has been a great week!
Elder Mounga has made the full switch! He talks only in Hindi! On Friday he just said, "Elder Howard, starting tomorrow morning, I want to only talk in Hindi." I was surprised! This was very out of the blue.
True to his word, the next morning and ever since, even if I talk to him in English, he will usually respond in attempting just Hindi. His fire is independent and self-sustaining now! This is the moment of joy for me as his follow-up trainer! He's wobbling and toddling, but, it IS on his own two feet now!! It is really remarkable how proper his sentences are and how clearly it comes out now. HE has caught the desire and the love and is showing the determination.
We come home well-worked and happy every single night. (:
This has been a wonderful many weeks of learning how people grow and develop... just like plants. You can't force growth or fruit; you just love it and nurture it and be there for it and work patiently until it chooses to open--all the while just being ready to just keep the sun rays pouring in the windows, the water regularly given, soil favorable, bugs and hostile plants at bay.
These lessons that have come through lovingly seeing investigators through their hardest trials recently, and in seeing people progress.. these lessons will benefit my posterity.
Our Mission President has been such a model for us to copy: we come up against a crushing concern with one of our beloved investigators, and in deciding how to handle it we think of him and how he would handle it. We are blessed with a President who is just perfectly in-line with the Prophet who is EXACT and PERFECTly in line with Jesus Christ who is in line with The Head of All things in Existence.
Patience, understanding, maturity, giving space and time, and especially love and trust.
That summarizes recent growth.
This is Shryna and her family! She is 10 years old and has more personality and cheekiness and hilarium than almost anyone I've met in Fiji! She's got a strong testimony and this family has a special place in my heart.
This has been a great week!
Elder Mounga has made the full switch! He talks only in Hindi! On Friday he just said, "Elder Howard, starting tomorrow morning, I want to only talk in Hindi." I was surprised! This was very out of the blue.
True to his word, the next morning and ever since, even if I talk to him in English, he will usually respond in attempting just Hindi. His fire is independent and self-sustaining now! This is the moment of joy for me as his follow-up trainer! He's wobbling and toddling, but, it IS on his own two feet now!! It is really remarkable how proper his sentences are and how clearly it comes out now. HE has caught the desire and the love and is showing the determination.
We come home well-worked and happy every single night. (:
This has been a wonderful many weeks of learning how people grow and develop... just like plants. You can't force growth or fruit; you just love it and nurture it and be there for it and work patiently until it chooses to open--all the while just being ready to just keep the sun rays pouring in the windows, the water regularly given, soil favorable, bugs and hostile plants at bay.
These lessons that have come through lovingly seeing investigators through their hardest trials recently, and in seeing people progress.. these lessons will benefit my posterity.
Our Mission President has been such a model for us to copy: we come up against a crushing concern with one of our beloved investigators, and in deciding how to handle it we think of him and how he would handle it. We are blessed with a President who is just perfectly in-line with the Prophet who is EXACT and PERFECTly in line with Jesus Christ who is in line with The Head of All things in Existence.
Patience, understanding, maturity, giving space and time, and especially love and trust.
That summarizes recent growth.
Just like in Heavenly Father's words from Jacob 4:41, 47, 49, 61, 70, 75, sometimes we as missionaries or our Mission President may say, "What more could I have done for my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long." And when He saw that these tender plants still needed tender longsuffering and gentle patience and for me to be in it for the long-run for the construction of deep roots--He called in reinforcements.
This is our story:
"Wherefore, go to, and call servants that we may labor diligently with OUR might in the vineyard, that WE may prepare the way, that...[we may have] the fruit which is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
"...The Servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.
"And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might... if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up."
4 Prospective Missionaries in our area came to help us almost daily. James, Raymond, Tumeli and George.
"They did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things."
Obedience, the Price.
Joy, the Reward.
Love, the Motive.
Spirit, the Strength, Guide, Enabler, Teacher.
And then finally, in the end after they have labored for a long time, pouring out their love and souls and patiently looking forward to the joy and the fruit and the fruit of the laboring in itself being joy--pressed on and triumphed! He says then:
"Blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard... ye shall have joy with me."
Then twice it says the words "for a long time," reminding us of both the long time it took to bring forth the strong and self-sustaining tree, and the long time that the now adult tree will bear fruit and bring forth more trees one day. The LONG TIME is worth it, for it will bring forth fruit FOR a LONG TIME.
These are the sweet lessons that have been the course the Master-teacher had for us this "semester" of missionary service.
These lessons will stay in my heart the rest of my mission and ever after as I will look to the nurturing of my own children, and those sons and daughters of God that will be placed under my stewardship in future roles and leadership ahead, in the days that remain in my time in these realms below, and then to an endless day in the realms from whence I come and at which my soul does and has always truly belonged.
In working with the precious souls in our area of Nasinu 2nd, we have found 4 families that especially stand out amoung all the rest, that are the "Precious Fruit" of the Vineyard of the Lord; and all the trees that are progressing at their own individual rates, are still on the road to the Celestial Kingdom and new life by showing faith in the Savior and embracing the marvelous work and wonder of the Restoration, through to Baptism.
We have been just finding more golden people every day as we go teaching the golden. The Savior's love shines through their lives as they grow and we grow with them. We have found some people who went through the Temple Tours but just never went to the tent and never knew you could fill out the referral papers. They're good!
We know that the people here in this area are going at the right pace. People have had so much opposition in coming to church, but, they're still strong and the coming weeks will bear the fruit. Families are coming together desiring to be Baptized as a family and work toward the Temple, being Forever Families. It is a joy! April and May will see the fruit. The Lord's work is steady and consistent. Learning people's growth pace is a tricky thing, but the Spirit is the key to the mystery of each individual's unique heart.
Now, much to share, so here--I will start with pictures! Yay!
This is Shryna and her family! She is 10 years old and has more personality and cheekiness and hilarium than almost anyone I've met in Fiji! She's got a strong testimony and this family has a special place in my heart.
This is Joseph! He was Baptized and has set a great example for all around him in changing his life and following Christ. Light is growing in him and he is becoming a light to all around him!
This is Rihaan! I met her maybe 6 months ago now. She is A FIREBALL of amazingness. She is the ultimate missionary and has an eternal attachment to the Book of Mormon and her Savior Jesus Christ. She is one of the people who has truly made a whole nature change, true full transformation by following Christ. She is a true inspiration and will change hundreds if not thousands of lives. I know it(:
That is me and Elder Mounga making roti's together! We are Indian in everythin!
These are pictures of us when we got stranded on an island after the hurricane picked us up and hurled us 100's of miles out to sea. We are living off of random turtles that swim up to us. Dolphins are too chewy. Crunchy turtles are where it hits the spot for us. (;
We are helping our friends build their house. They are so fun! They served a 3 year mission when they were a little younger. I learned how to make my own house. I don't think I will be buying a house after my mission. It is too satisfying to build your own and now I know how!
This is a moth... yep.. .what else am I supposed to say?
more next week!
LOve, Elder HOward
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