This is Survival of the fittest! and the Con-man (not Connor eh?)

Man was this a week.

 Transfers came in! Good news I stay! 

 We had a fast beginning of the week, but I forgot one teensy weensy little detail, that is so necessary and huge/crucial to move along. 

 We went about our normal week. Monday was lame, cause the Makoi elders forgot the key, and no one was coming with it, and they did not think about that.... luckily the bishop happened to be passing by....

 Other thing that happened Monday was, the Con-man! This is way funny. We went to a bakery to get lunch last Monday after emailing. As I was buying my stuff, E. Motuliki was looking at what he wanted. After I had bought my food, I turned to find a man talking to E. Motuliki. He handed him a cologne.... I asked him what the guy wanted? He was just looking very confused and just smiled at me... Well He later was able to tell me, cause he couldn't think on the spot there, that the guy essentially took his money, hahaha.

 He came up just handing him one bottle of cologne, but recognized 2 of us, and handed 2. He offered it as a gift shoving it in his hands. (lesson number 1  "Don't take candy from strangers") Well he then said well, I will give them to you $15 each, with this sticker he put on saying it cost $125 I knew there is no way they would sell a $125 cologne. Then he said 10 each, but when he gave the money, it ended being $16 each, then he just ran off, and got on the bus! hahahahaha. I was dying laughing. If he would have talked to me I could have helped him, but he got conned $32 hahaha. I have been teaching him to not show off his money hahaha. 

 Tuesday for district meeting, our bus tire blew out, luckily as we were stopping, we ended up jumping on another bus, that took ages since it went way far. We had to walk a ways to catch it, but barely got to district meeting on time. I told Nawahine the exact time we were out. We arrived exactly when I said we would. Still as punctual as I can be.

 Back to what I forgot to do, I was hospitalized on Saturday. I got put on an IV drip. So it is not that I forgot it, more that I was pretty low when I got struck with the flu. Add that to sweating in hot temperatures, and you get dehydrated way fast. I had a really bad headache really fast. I took 3 tylenol 500 mg then 3 hours later called our new medical specialist. I had told her I have been drinking water, and I took tylenol, so she told me to keep drinking the water, then hours later take 1 more tylenol, cause my headache had not changed. Well this got worse fast. My headache was really intense at this point, I still can't move my eyes off center, and when you close your eyes, they roll, so that hurts. I draped a hand towel over my eyes to block all light from entering. Then I started vommitting. I vommited everything in my stomach. All the water I would try to drink would just come back out 15 minutes later. The med Spec. told me if it is not better by the next morning, then I would go to Suva private. I was unhappy with this descision, cause I was in pain, and only getting worse. Nevertheless, I followed. I spent most of the night at the toilet puking. It was the worst night ever. I looked at my poster, and remembered the nights that I would be in pain at home, and how mom would always help me if I had nothing else I knew how to do. Well didn't have that this time. I was going to have to endure a bit longer than a few hours. The next morning, I called early. I stayed pretty calm (all things considered) and told her what had occurred through the night. She told me that I should go to Suva private. Now that I have no energy in my body, I have to catch a bus to Nausori, then another to Suva for a 2+ hour trip, then a taxi to the hospital form the Suva taxi stand..... Well I used all the strength I had left to get there. I was very week while in there. The doctor put me on a drip, and after the first dripped finished, I felt my stomach  churn. I hoisted myself up, and  luckily a bathroom was just across the hall. I could feel it coming, I told E. Motuliki to help me move the machine. We barely got there in time for me to puke out more water. I sat there a while, then wandered back to my room, and waited for the doctor. He came in with Morphine for my insane headaches. Let me tell you, morphine is not so wonderful at first. He injected it for my entire body to feel as it had all been flexed and exhausted.... Then the headaches slowly seeped away. They started the second drip. Then they gave some pills for my stomach. I had a bit of morphine, so I used the grace period to fill myself with water. Man was it an experience. Went to church the next day, then rested. Staying out of the sun like the pill said.

 

 the con-logne

hospital drip

sick at home

bus goes flat!

 

This is WARD!!!!!!

Well not yet, I wish, it might as well be. We had 90 people there. We had to fill more sacrament cups.

 Anywhose, we had quite the week, I had a better title like 2 days ago, and I remember thinking a lot happened this week, then I sat down at the computer..... duh duh duhnn.....

 We will start with Hokuin's Birthday. He shares a birthday with Jeremy. I bought him a blowhorn! It just totally fit him. They got him a really nice cake, and I have a video where the ZL throws his head into it hahahahahaha. That will get back home one day.....! Anyways we planned out the next month and a half for the next baptisms we will have. That will be good.

 Well now for the events and picture descriptions. We were walking one day to our dinner appt, when we saw a cloud that looked like a dinosaur, I took a picture through the trees, I call it the (I am a Steg-O Saurus!) hahaha asdf films! Well anyways, we had food over at their house, which was really good, but my stomach did not agree that it was good. I started to feel it churn, I quickly ate more (you would think to eat less when you feel sick, but I had a quick-plan) after eating really fast, I acted like I was getting close to full, they allowed me to go lie down a while. A few minutes later I finished it then layed down again. They were so happy I was full, yet I was not. We then left as I took about 5 breaks walking 20 minutes back to our house..... I kept it in! Great plan!

 Some other side stuff, was the ZLs showing up again! hahaha It is very regular. Nawahine was practicing driving to get his license. They showed up at our place to do a bit of service, but we were waiting for the technician to fix our power meter box..... It is working now, just in a nik of time.

 Sunday was a time where Motuliki was dancing around the flat. I have a few videos, but I will send what pictures I have.

 Lots happened this week, yet it was just small instances cause I took a lot of pictures. That is my week rate on things happening. I only take pics if things happen. I got the package, it is not the right type of charger, but it came in time for us to help our land lord hahaha. Her charger broke, so we charged her phone. She got a new charger now, but it came in right when it was needed. The sandals have made it!

Missionaries with Motuliki

New Planner

My new Fiji Shirt

I am a Steg-O Saurus!

Nay smoke.... E Warai!

Well this week was much struggle of mind and body, to get around. We have worked at reconstructing the area, to reflect that of how it was moving in Lautoka. I keep seeing the pictures every week, of those I taught there and set baptismal dates for being baptised. I am very glad that they were all baptised. All of the people I was last teaching there have now been baptised. Now it is their own work. It was exciting to see all those familiar people.

Now that the missionary report is gone! This week was great! Well I think so at least. It was lots of walking and such, but paid off. We are starting to get really spread.... Anyways, as for the title, we were walking back Friday, when we were passing by a fire that was really smokey. I was wearing sunglasses, cause my eyes were not doing so well. I didn't want to breathe the smoke, so I grabbed my towel and starting spinning it....... Well I clipped my glasses, as they hurled toward the flames. I whipped them, and they missed the flames. It was totally Ninja! (Archer reference) Well we had a good laugh about it. The zone leaders drove in Friday morning again.... Reaffirmation that they hang-out with us more than anyone.... haha. Well it was cause they needed to deliver E. Motuliki's bag to him. Well we were just finishing our exchange, so 6 of us ended up doing studies in our flat, then we all had lunch together.... Then they left so we could plan the week. 

Then I messed around with this I-phone 0 (it is fake haha)

We got these huge bananas the other day. They may be like a Vudi Hybrid.... haha

E. Motuliki thought he would try his hand at art as well and started to draw.

messing around with camera settings

"To Know the People"

Well this week was a bit slower. We at least get constant encouragement from the DL. He can see progress in the area, mostly cause it was getting next to nothing before. Sometimes I just want it to all go good, cause I don't like wearing through my shoes for nothing, hahaha. Honestly, I have been wearing the clarks and Dockers off and on, and the clarks (though repaired 4 times) are finally getting the middle worn. Luckily the dockers are still good. Just I think my clarks have about 1 and a half months of life left in them. It is exciting. I out endured two pairs of sandals!

Anyways. This week we did our normal planning. We are starting to get spread as things are just opening up to us. Everything is just put in our path it seems. We don't really go out of our way, people just show up for me. I must have figured it out. I am not the greatest, but I don't have to be. I just have to do what I am supposed to, and live and follow the principles. When you do that, boy does it help.

Anyways, let toose! begin! Elder Motuliki and I have had lots of fun. We just get in and just have a great time talking with people. One thing I noticed is that people forget to just talk. We don't even have to ask people to do something, they just tell you they want to haha. How is that for working out here. You just be fun and around, and they just do the stuff hahaha. Think if your household worked that way..... I have some funny things to try out when I get home, that is for sure.

What else went on? Oh! One day we were just in the flat when all of a sudden the Zone Leaders texted "keirau lako tiko yani" which translates to we're are on our way........ I just sent a message back saying "k" CLASSIC!!!!!! Nah but seriously we were sitting there for a while thinking what the heck do they want? Well they were in the area dropping someone, so they just did language study with us, then we had lunch together. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time with the ZLs then anyone else in the Zone..... While they were over, they named the puppies there after themselves. There are 5, so we named the last one after the late Elder Haretuku (my old companion)

I will let the picture talk for themselves though. I know that pictures are the favorite anyway. It is what people live to see in the blog. The black spots before the pics are like meh.

Almost forgot the lizard hiding in the arch of my shoe all of sacrament meeting.... A bit random but, he was having a really nice day.  really really nice day! really really nice day!!!!!

First Person Dagger

Getting coconuts

Weekly Planning

Linear Memories

Yes, they do eat this! It is called Roro.

And trav might like this, I made fried kasava! Super good!

Sacrament Lizard

Puppies biting my shoe

A companion leaves every transfer til July.

Well I got my new comp this week, Elder Motuliki. He is from where Kimi Fisher is serving her mission.,  New Zealand, he is Tongan and was there til he turned 8, then moved to New Zealand. We essentially walked this week. In the rain. We had some storms, so the power kept cutting out. Luckily it is sunny today, but with the random weather, it may mean a hurricane is forming, pray eh?

This week was mostly uneventful. I mean we had great church attendance again so that is good!

Well, it is all back to the grinding stone. Luckily by what our board looks like we will be kept busy. We did lots of walking, cause I don't know the whole area, so part of this is to explore the place. Well with 4 hours of straight walking we finally found the right place. I wish people gave better direction, or even a phone number sometimes. Saddest part is this came from the missionaries.

Anyways with transfers rolling in, my comp Haretuku went home. Loloma bibi Bro. Haretuku! With him going home, I was tossed around a bit. I went to makoi a while, to finish it all up the ZLs just had dinner at our flat. We relaxed after a long 2 days of transfers. Anyways, we did lots of walking.

I was thinking of how transfers go, and Elder Pence goes home in 4 weeks, aligned with the transfer. I remembered all my comps and I say good bye to one every transfer now. Until July. Then it is just friends in the mission. I have a friend in every transfer going home, except for the newer ones. That is the cycle of a missionary. Your friends in the mission leave, then you have know idea who anyone is. I am getting to the point where I know the missionaries in our mission. All those who are my companions have no idea who I am before they meet me. I believe that is a good thing. Imagine meeting all sorts of people, that have been around those you know, but don't hear anything really about you. That means that there is no gossip circulating about me. Which there is so much it is sad some times, glad that my name has not come across the board.

Fight against gossip. It is destructive to everyone. It degrades those who spread it and ruins the reputations of great people. I would hope that every one of you form your own opinions, rather than build on someone else.

1. Motuliki and I

2.the bunker!

3. Walking in the rain

Zerg Roach Warren

Where to start? Well we had my first Nausouri ZTM finally. It was pretty fun. We set our new goals, and we already hit it and doubled!!!!! The most exciting thing was having 80 members at church in a branch. That is more then Lautoka 1st ward! We went from 10 people last week to 80..... Hmmmmm

Anyways this week went fast. It was Elder Haretuku's last full week. We got the Transfer call, and Elder Motuliki will be my new companion. He finishes just before Jeremy.

I went on exchanges in the Bau area where we found the beach in their area, walked on water for a bit, then taught these random people that came from around the side of the bushes. As we were finishing our next appointment came in from the ocean..... It was weird... But don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Anyways we got our new water filters, but there was a roach in one..... We tossed it...... The dang zerg popped a warren.....

Anyways Elder Haretuku drew a picture. In the baptism he took a plunge himself as well, after Solomone left the font. Man we had some good laughs. Well now we just moku siga until Elder Motuliki gets here!

Shelobs lair (well that was anti-climatic)

This was a good week. It was supposed to be a difficult week.... We bese"d (rejected) the idea that we could not get anything, and we got our highest together so far.

Anyways we go to side events. We are running low on events that happen. I have to go out of my way for something to happen. We have been in the process of moving, but I don't think so anymore. We walked by the house only to see people breaking into the house we wanted. That idea was thwarted. 

We did a little wandering to check out the area. Well it is big.... I mean today missionaries got permission to go to our area just to go to our beach. Well anyways we got around and got pics.  I have a lot since I could not send pics last week. Let me look at the new pics, it will jog my memory.... yeah nothing happened.... Uhm a Seventy came to our branch, so we did a confirmation with him. Then we just talked with him a while about stuff.

This morning was shelobs lair. I was shaving when under my shelf I noticed a nest. Picture below. I poked it with a pen to find a bunch of dead baby spiders. I was hoping it would explode with spiders everywhere.  And I wore pants on Sunday. It was not too bad, but it is pretty hot. (No wonder they wear sulus all the time.)

Nest of Spiders

The rare pants day.

My missionary nametag.

A day at the beach.  

(Connor said during our skype call that the ocean was calling his name,

 but he resisted the urge to go in, as the other missionaries reminded him that it was not approved.)

Me on the top left, with Elder Howard, and inside was Elder Haretuku below me with Elder Singh

Myself and Elder Haretuku

Making lessons easier

My new daily planner