Tuesday, January 9, 2018

1-7-18 Always follow God

Kaise hei, hamaar baut julum parivaar?


To be honest, this has been a hard week. A lot happened that got me down in the dumps, but I have an unbreakable testimony of Ether 12:27. What I found a little funny, referring to that particular scripture, is that I went to the Lord in prayer more than I have in a long time over the last week, and that happened to be precisely when the Lord began to hit me where it hurt. I again relate the analogy of calluses. Learning to play the guitar, you'll get blisters and sores on your fingertips. Playing will hurt, but as you persevere and play through the pain, those blisters will toughen into calluses. I lost several people I care deeply about in more ways than one. 

Recap of the week:
I went on exchanges with the zone leaders on Tuesday so that Elder Eberspacher could conduct Halamehi's baptismal interview that night. Before the interview, we met with several part-member families and discussed our teaching their non-lds family members. Sister Pillai, one of the longtime members of the Nadi ward (she's 82) has been asking us to teach and baptize her granddaughter Abigail for the while. Abigail is 11, and there's just one problem. Missionaries have been trying to baptize Abigail ever since she turned 9, but her mother (a less-active member) for some reason is adamantly against Abigail being baptized. We've been trying to meet with her for months but she's never available. We talked to Sister Pillai on Tuesday about Abigail's legal guardianship. Seeing that she's staying with her grandmother, if Sister Pillai was her legal guardian and financial support, it would be her decision whether or not Abigail is allowed to be baptized. However, we learned that Abigail is still legally under her mother, and Sister Pillai's financial support is coming from her daughters. We're trying again to meet with Abigails mother on Wednesday, so hopefully we can let her understand how important it is that Abigail is baptized as soon as possible. We also met with Nasau, who asked us to start teaching her husband. He's always been way supportive of their conversion to the restored gospel, but is just way shy to meet with us. Apparently he isn't that involved in his Hindu religion at all either, so I'm excited to start teaching him. Halamehi breezed through her interview, she's so ready and I'm so excited! 

We switched back on Wednesday and had a pretty normal day of finding and visits.
I received a call from the zone leaders first thing Thursday morningthat our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson, had passed away Wednesday night. Studies over the last few days have been about the late prophet and the incredible legacy he left behind. I learned a LOT of remarkable things about President Monson that I never knew before. If you haven't already seen Remembering a Prophet of The Lord: President Thomas S. Monson on lds.org, watch it now. It's a wonderful tribute to him. 
It's been a great opportunity to strengthen the ward and reiterate the significance of a living prophet on the Earth today. 

When we visited Halamehi on Friday, she shared how her family couldn't figure out why she was so heartbroken over the passing of someone she didn't even know. She shared with them that she knew who president Monson was and what he did, and that the world just lost a very influential man. It was another great opportunity to teach Halamehi how the church works and how the new prophet is called to lead it. She has a great testimony of the restored gospel and modern-day revelation. 
The plan for Halamehi's baptism was as such: She'll be moving back to Nausori on Friday, but she really wanted to be baptized around people she knew and was comfortable with, so we set it up for her to be baptized here in Nadi then confirmed in Naulu ward in Nausori. However, I received another call from the zone leaders on Friday that baptismal candidates need to be baptized and confirmed in the same ward (which makes sense, I just hoped they'd let it slide for the sake of being able to witness her baptism). After talking it over, she decided to be baptized in Nausori on Saturday and sealed the next day. Though I would have loved to see her get baptized, and maybe even help her into the water myself, to know that she'll be baptized brings me comfort in itself. 

Elder Tui'one's bible character of the week is: Job. He has an unbreakable testimony of the gospel, has very real intent, and is completely covered in boils. His boils got so bad that on Saturday, we were recommended by the mission nurse to go to the medical center in our area. They patched him up, prescribed all the medication he'd need and we were out. He's on the meds now, and all the boils are already looking significantly better.

Yesterday was a great first sabbath of the year, OI LEI HAPPY NEW YEAR! Many great blessings to come your way in the coming year (including me, yeet). Anyways, Sunday was a good and busy day. It was supposed to be busy, anyway. A few of our new investigators came to church and told us to come by after church. After our appointment with Nasau's husband fell through, as well as several others, we asked if we could visit them earlier. They said they'd be busy the whole day, and since it had just started pouring ridiculously hard, we decided to have a study/planning sabbath instead. This coming week is transfer week, so we find out tomorrow what happens to the Nadi district next transfer (who I'm training).

The news I received this morning, however, hurt the most. I still don't really know how to react, it's just kind of hard to believe he's left. Please give all my aloha to the Stephens family, I can't begin to imagine what they're going through. It brings me a lot of comfort to know that the kids are strong at this time, comes to show what a great testimony they have of the plan of salvation and the restored gospel. Memories of our camp trips and his awesome Sunday school lessons flood my heart. I personally am gonna miss him heaps, and though it's sad that I won't be able to see him at my homecoming, I'm glad to know I'll be able to see him at my heavenly homecoming.

It's also a bit sad hearing about the return missionary’s pride in being disobedient in the mission. Kala'i, please lovingly let the other youth know that that is not a good example to follow. No matter where you serve or the culture of that particular mission, be obedient. Always follow God and not man, for blessings come not from man but God alone. 

This coming week is gonna be a very interesting one, I could stay here in Nadi and I could go. At this point, the odds are equal. 

Thanks for the letters, I'm glad to know all is well at home. We're off to give a blessing soon, but you all have a blessed and incredible week! I love you guys! 

Ham aaplogke baut pyaar karta hei. Hamaar ban kare se pahile, ham khali mangta raha apaan gawahii share kare hamlogke zindagi ke bara me. Ham janta hei ki mar apaan zindagi ki aunt nahin hei, khali apaan agle zindagi ke suru hei. Ham janta apaan purha dil se ki ham apaan pariwaar fir milega iis zindagi ke baad. Ham janta hei ki khali Ishi Masih aur apaan balidaan ke dwara iis saab chiij hoi sake. Uu aur apaan pita, hamlogke Pita Parmeshwaar, hamlogke baut pyaar kare. Ham iis susumachaar baut pyaar kare, himaat karo.

Khyaal rakna hamaar julum pariwaar, baut pyaar! 

Elder Ishibashi 

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