My experiences as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fiji!: This Week

Hope your week is going wonderfully!

Here are just a few small highlights from Fiji.

The Self Reliance Course is a blast! We are so grateful for this direction and initiative. The mission is teaching us how to prepare for our future careers. I know exactly how I will start my career right when I arrive home.

The effectiveness of our lessons has boosted in that 10-15 minute lessons are what get people excited about doing something. We taught 37 lessons this week.

We had tremendous success this week in working through members for Referrals! One of our YSA friends took us to all his friends. Teaching to large groups is my favorite. We teach each, giving away 16 copies of the Book of Mormon that day, to people who are genuinely intrigued! They want as much as we can give them. They're all reading we're excited to follow up.

We had a special experience yesterday. As we were going to an investigator's house to wish him a happy Father's Day and give a little token of our love, we were opening up the trunk of our car, and a man came past, wishing a happy Father's Day. When I turned and he saw the Name Badge, his eyes got wide and he shared that he was a very Less Active member. As we walked with him to his house, we sat down and he shared how destroyed his life has become. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my mission. As we shared the Savior's redemptive capabilities, hope filled his eyes. As we opened the scriptures, thanks to our Personal Studies, we were led to scripture after scripture that was PERFECT. The Holy Ghost kept on telling me he needed to hear one specific scripture. I responded in my head, "I don't remember the reference to that one." The Spirit again prompted it. "I don't know where to find it, it would distract the lesson." Again, the Spirit pressed, "I know the Scriptures, Elder. Just let me use your fingers." I responded in my heart, "Okay." I opened the scriptures and in an instant, my hand turned open the page right to the verse that had been put in my heart. Alma 10:6. Not only did my hand somehow perfectly open immediately up to it, but my eye immediately fell upon it! Haha, it was almost terrifying. How real this work is! How it isn't us! How we just need to be willing and worthy; He will always fill the rest!

As we read the verse, his eyes widened. His eyes watered. He said, "can you hand me that. Show me this verse!" We did. He said after smiling, reading it twice over, and laughing in shock. "That's me... that is meee. Oh my. It's time."

How grateful I am for the Book of Mormon, and for Studies, Preach my Gospel.

Right after this lesson, a Japanese girl just walked up to us and asked what we were reading and if we could teach her. In a half hour, she went from not knowing anything about God, not knowing anything about why she is on earth, not knowing how her family mattered in God's plan, not knowing even the name of Jesus; to knowing it all and being able to emotionally and excitedly repeat it all back to us! We are referring her to the Japan Elders since she leaves this week. She wants to learn more and be Baptized!

This work is so rewarding when we see the Lord doing it, not us. Just willing and worthy, then do as He prompts. He is at the head.

So many other experiences.

Our District Workshop was so rich. We had our Ward Mission Leader in Nadi share all he learned from his mission, we had the Sisters help us each make a plan for our full potential and development in this one transfer, we had training on unity, excellence, and discussing unity activities, etc.