REJOICE IN CHRIST

Dear Family and Friends!

Before you read this week's email, you are restricted from perusing beyond this point until you have watched these wonderful uplifting Easter Videos! (:
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NEW LIFE IN CHRIST


It now dawns upon the last quarter oF my mission. 

6 Months is what it cuts down to. 

We have had such a trying month as a District and Companionship, but the non-stop bottom-line is that there isn't a more unified and loving Companionship or District out there!  We are having fun and choosing joy in the hardest and bleakest of times--and that is the ultimate satisfying experience in life: being the full master of rather than in any degree being mastered by one's circumstances or life conditions.

​This is what I look up to every morning and ponderize.  Kind of my own personal motto or mission statement in a way.

  We worked with the Ward as hard as we could and gave all we had in devoting to much sweat, pain, energy, seeing the mighty results and soul enlivening savor that pours into life through accessing the power of heaven in covenant keeping or fasting or sacrificing; arranging rides every week, giving blessings, praying, working, planning, arranging, giving space for agency to take it's role, calling, visiting, doing service, reading the Book of Mormon with, and loving from our full hearts and offering up our whole souls as a sacrifice unto Christ on behalf of our precious converts and investigators and members. . .
It has been one of the most blessed month's of our missions, for me and Elder Mounga.  We have grown together in every way, deeper and happier and stronger. 

In a prayer last night, Elder Mounga prayed, "Dear Heavenly Father, at this time as the skies look bleak and times are dark, we rise to choose joy.  We thank Thee for this experience and look to Thee..."  When Christ died, it seemed all was lost.  His faithful Disciples pressed on through that time and saw what they never could have believed and drawn from their souls was the exultant "Hallelujah!" 

In working with so many people, they each do have the full potential we were searching and praying and working to find.  That, "Seeds take time to grow", is a lesson we have been learning. But among sifting through all these godly seeds that want to press up out of their individual "soils" of darkness, remorse, sorrow, sin, discord or discouragement up unto the everlasting light of Christ found in our message that has hit their hearts--among all the sifting, we have found people who are just golden who have been sprouting up and feeling their Savior's love!
On Sunday, we had two amazing friends in particular who not only came on their own, but made friends and just felt loved and at home and even then stayed after to join Choir! They are looking forward with faith and hearts fixed on Christ and moving resolutely to their Baptism next month! 
The focus of this week that I felt needed to be our emphasis, was to make Elder Delfin's last Birthday in Fiji the most loved and special and uplifting of his time on the Mission.  That was fun.  One of the best experiences in life is just being with a friend, making life sweeter and richer and fun for them.  We had a District Get-Together in honor of his last Birthday in Fiji, and gave simple presents and spent time and jokes with one another.

And to accomplish some exchanges:
This is a sample of one thing we do in the mission.  We swap companions and areas for one day and learn from our fellow missionaries in our District.  I conduct 9 24/h Exchanges in every 6 weeks, and it is such a uplifting and engaging experience.  I love this District and watching each of them soar higher and higher week by week.


Elder Nelson

What an upbeat and faithful Elder!  He is doing well.  He takes life very easy with his illnesses and always has something light-mooded to say to get us all at ease and laughing.   

We had a training on "Being an Epistle--Epistlize Our Heart, and Words & Actions Follow." To change one's nature, all one has to do is Epistlize one's own heart.  An Epistle is what is found in the New Testament, letters written about Christ to lift the world toward Him. People are always reading you as you go about your life on the day-to-day even until the day you die.  You are 24/7 teaching and shouting out to the world without even making a sound.  So, we each committed to prayerfully set 2 new goals that would Epistlize our nature a little more.  We each shared our feelings and recollections from last Zone Conference and discussed how we can get a new heart and cast away old self.  That really had an impact on us all. How does Christ want Himself represented? That is the question to ask in order to know how you should live or what you yet lack.

Elder Burgener

Is growing rapidly!  His Fijian is actually phenomenal, and he is doing well at leading the tripanionship.  What can I say?  He is well organized, a greatly personable and respected leader among his fellows and knows how to put others first in all things.  He is perfect at receiving and giving direction with such meekness and heed.  He demonstrated great planning and managing skills.  We have been companions from day one of our missions, and now can look at each other and see how far we've come.

Elder Babcock.   He is a five star missionary.  We trained on using the Atonement in all aspects of life and being grateful for whatever comes.  How Gratitude always invites the Holy Ghost, and so when we are even grateful for the trials and challenges and set backs and sickness, all is joy.  Be Joyful Always becomes a new life--a reality.  We shared many stories from each other's lives that realllllly opened up our views. He has come soooo far on his mission.  He is really one of the ones who is changing his nature and I really admire him.

Exchanges are a tremendous boost. 

Elder Delfin gave us our Training on Tuesday.  He trained us how to make Lessons short and effective.  Simply lay out a usable format:

Principle: ____________ , Scripture _______ __:__ , Analogy/Demonstration: _____________ , Question/Commitments: ___________ ____________ .

Very useful and adaptable!

One morning, I woke up and looked out the window and this is what I saw:

​We have giant bats that sometimes sit in our tree for 12 hours eating bread-fruit.  They are huge!

Easter was a Hallelujah indeed!  This has been the best Easter I have had in my life yet.  I really was enveloped and enthralled in the majesty of Christ's glorious reality to me personally.   I have been swallowed up by Him into a grave and now risen anew as something I never knew I could be.  New life is what He has made of me through this mission, thanks to Him serving His mission. 
6 Months is a short time.  I won't hold anything back.  God can strip me bare and wear and tear until nothing is left--these 6 months are what I've worked up to the past everlasting eternities until now and what I shall look back on for every eternity ahead.  You and me can be a living sacrifice to His will--a higher and happier way.  I hope and have a sure faith that He can make of you and I an acceptable and pleasing offering to Father in Heaven. 
It is dawning now on the last and final quarter of my mission, I may make of it all I promised and solemnly covenanted to my Heavenly Father before coming to earth in the realms on high from whence we come, that which He then saw in me, that He knew I would make of it--if I will always fix my eyes on Christ.

​He awaits. 

We can do it!