2-26-17 A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like that can be related to family history work...

TALOFALELEI VINAKA, HAMAAR BAHUT JULUM PARIWAAR!

Sorry, not a lot of time today because we're meeting early as a district to bus over to LDS college for combine-zone qito today. It's okay though because not too much happened this week.

In reference to the title though, my companion impressed me this week (not unlike every minute we're together, but he spit some pretty hot vuku [wisdom] during a lesson with Shreya out the top of his head).

So we were in a lesson with Shreya on Friday. We taught her about the priesthood auxiliaries and ordinances, obedience, service, missionary work, etc. That's a pretty broad and tough lesson to cover with a 9 year old girl in about 10-20, but we managed. At one point, Shreya and her younger brother got distracted by one another and stopped listening entirely as I tried to boil family history work down in a way that she would understand it and its importance. I didn't know what to do to get their attention back, and I reckon Elder Datoon noticed my panic because he tagged in.

"Shreya, remember what happened in Frozen, when Elsa ran away into the mountains?"

They both about broke their necks turning their heads to Elder Datoon in enthusiastic nods.

Now these kids LOVE Frozen. Every time we come over, one or the other has their nose in a Frozen coloring book, making Anna's dress every color its not and absolutely refusing to keep Olaf white. Shreya is almost always wearing a Frozen themed dress or shirt.

"How do you think Anna felt when Elsa went away? Bad? Sad?"

Slow nods yes.

"What did Anna do?"

"Anna went to go get Elsa!"

"Exactly! Because Anna loves Elsa, aye? Anna didn't want Elsa to get lost, she wanted Elsa to come back and be with her, so she went to find her!"

Elder Datoon went on to relate Anna's love for Elsa and her determination to find her sister to the importance of finding OUR loved ones who have 'gone astray'.

I gave my companion snaps for that, it was pretty beautiful.

We look forward to Shreya's baptism on Saturday!

We also met with Tabokai several times last week, he's just being a sponge and absorbing everything so well. He's scheduled to be baptized next week, on the 11th!

All in all, last week was a great week full of finding, meeting wonderful new people, teaching, and learning! We met a new family who seems interested in the church, a young woman named Diphali and her mother Saras. They are both very strong Christians (ABSOLUTE GOLD), and they seemed intrigued by the doctrine of baptisms for the dead. We look forward to visiting with them this week.

THIS COMING week has heaps in store. Zone conference will be held at the mission home on Tuesday, SOOO ready for the trainings and vuku President Layton has for us. I don't know if you're all aware, but the missions will be going through some pretty intense changes. For example, X-number of lessons per week will no longer be reported to the zone leaders. Also, companionship and language study (9-11am) can be held on the road rather than in the flat. This will allow for missionaries to leave the flat earlier thus starting their work earlier. The changes were designed to ease the stress of work and deadlines off missionaries, as well as to allow missionaries to exercise their agency more freely. I already know of several changes, and they have already been applied in several areas in this mission, but the changes are effective only after they are relied to the zone by the mission president during zone conference. One change I'm looking forward to is that P-day will begin at 8am and end at 6pm (now, it starts at 11am and ends at 5pm). This will allow missionaries more time to write their families and their mission presidents, as well as to do their shopping. Don't be shocked to receive an epistle next week!

Anyways, we also have interviews with the mission president on Thursday. On Saturday, of course, Shreya Chand will be baptized.

EXCITING WEEK AHEAD!

I'm glad everything is going well back home! Know that Elder Datoon and I are still in great health and great spirits! Our members our incredible, super supportive and down for missionary work! They feed us really well too, unfortunately for my six-pack (It's there, I just have to burn down its little fortress. Just hiding). Elder Datoon continues to be a great teacher, companion and example to me and the rest of the district. I LOVE my area and I look forward to the next 2 1/2 transfers (four months) I'm probably staying here.

I love you all so much, have a blessed week ko'u ohana maika'i loa!! Manuia le vaisao, lou aiga!

Ham aaplogke bahut pyaar karta hai hamaar bahut julum pariwaar!

Kial rakna,

Elder Ishibashi-Fiji

PS I'm learning Samoan too courtesy of Sister Pea