Oh man has this week been such an experience for me! Homesickness is getting so much easier! I am really loving the people and the members of the ward I am in is amazing! I can't even begin to tell you hoe much I am going to love this place by the time I leave! This week was a hard one physically and mentally! So we have one of the biggest areas! We go from two little villages called Sabeto all the way to town! Which is like a 2 hour walk! So most of the time we take buses! But, when we run out of bus fair.. we don't really have an option! We also have villages that go all the way to the beach.. which is like an hour walk from town and buses don't go down there because all the roads are rocks.. so we have to walk pretty much everywhere, unless we are on the main road! So I am seriously dying by bed time! But, it is a good work out and that means these first few months, I'm not going to be gaining any weight, because we walk so much and it is so hot here I'll just sweat it all off! haha(: But, its all worth it!
So Monday after we got done emailing, we went to quito (Sports). Since its pday we got to do that with all the YSA and other elders in our district! We had so much fun! We got home and did our studies and then we went out and taught some lessons! Tuesday was such a busy day! We had district meetings every Tuesday and then district lunch! It was fun! I am loving the food! Except this one thing, that I have no idea what it is called, but it is only the fat.. Like literally cooked fat! It is gross! The first time I ate it was this week and I gave it to Elder Peterson to eat because I couldn't handle it! I was finished eating after that! But in the culture here, you HAVE TO EAT EVERYTHING ON YOUR PLATE! HAVE TOO! So the give you a ton of food and you have to eat it all, and then when that's gone you HAVE TO get seconds! So they give you more and mo re food! They always want you to eat! So good thing we walk everywhere! (: Anyways, so Tuesday after district meeting we were out the rest of the day! We walked to one of the villages that is down by the beach and we visited the Andrew family.. They have no money.. They live in a tent! Its a husband, wife and their 5 kids! I died when I met them because they are probably the most humble people I have ever met! They are the sweetest and have the strongest testimonies ever! They can't get baptized because they aren't married because they can't afford it! It is the saddest thing ever! But, they are so determined! They come to church every week! They walk.. which is so far for them with their 5 kids! And one of them is only 6 months! But, we go and see them twice a week and bring the kids treats every time!(: After we visited them we went and saw a less active named Sister Lala! She is a lady who had a stroke so has a hard time! And her whole family is inactive and they argue and fight all the time! So she is having a hard time! But, we shared a really good lesson and both sister Lala and her husband stated crying! They came to the funeral on Saturday (I'll talk about that later!! , it was good for them to come to that! After that we went and visited another family.. the Pillay family! They are so fun and cute(: They fed us and their awesome! But after that we went home.. by that time it was 8 o'clock and we didn't get home until about 9! So more than half our days consist of walking!! Haha Oh and we do a lot of OYM to people walking on the streets! haha Its pretty fun.. haha(:
But this week has been good! I have learned so much from training! All of these programs that the church has made for missionaries are so awesome and so beneficial for us! They teach us a lot! Me and Sister Lavaka have been getting along so good! I am so blessed to have her! She takes such good care of me! And she is such a good missionary! She always tells me I am doing so good.. haha but I know that I am not perfect like she says! She says she thinks I am going to train after i am done with my training! So we will see what happens after 12 weeks!(:
So cool story, we went to visit a less active member! She is the only one is the family who is a member! So we went to visit her and her kids were there! They were asking us such good questions! And one of the little kids was asking like deep doctrine! Sister Lavaka was really good at answering them! She asked us both a question, where at 1st neither of us knew how to answer! But, after a second, I just started talking! She asked us who created God... That questions has never even popped in my head! I'd never really given much thought to it! But, when she asked, I just told her of the promise that Heavenly Father makes to us about how in this life, we aren't going to know everything! But, once we get to Heaven, Heavenly father promises us that we will have a perfect knowledge of things! She understood and then she asked another questions! but, that was such a cool experience for me because I just started talking without knowing what I was going to say, and I said it! It was so awesome!(:
The members here are so awesome! We had a funeral on Saturday we had to go too because he was in our ward and.. oh my goodness the funerals here are so different! Its so weird! haha But, their still good! There are so many people who come and there is so much food! haha And it was all really good food! Except for the fat part... haha(:
So they go all out for the funerals! So we meet at the chapel and have like a normal funeral service like we do in America, but then we all get on buses and go to the burial site and sit there for like 2 hours.. sing hymns, talk, people pray, and then we have the burial! everyone stands around and just watches them put him in the ground! And it is SO HOT! haha then we go back and eat and talk! then that night the family and close friends spend the night at the grave! They do something at the grave on the 10th day, the 25th day, 50th, and 100th day. Then year mark and so on.. but it was weird! just a whole different experience!
It rained this week and it was so cool! The sunsets are so awesome! Their so pretty! It is starting to become summer time here and you can feel it getting hotter and more humid! I sweat non stop it feels like! haha but, I am loving it!
Last week, I didn't think I was going to like it here or anything, but Nadi is becoming home! I am really loving it! I read D&C 84:88 every time I feel home sick! and that helps so much! Cea gave me so much good advice in her letter to me today! So i can't wait to use that this week!(:
This week has been so good! I feel like I have so much more to tell you but I can't think of anything! The kids here are still loving me! they follow us everywhere and they always want to touch my hair! It is so funny! I am loving it! I can't wait to see what happens this week!(:
Each place is so all so different! They have houses that are really nice.. well not like America nice, but nice for here and then we have families like the Andrew family, who live in tents! But, everyone is so nice! they have this drink, called milo! It is hot chocolate.. haha it is like their tea here! So every time we go over they make us some and give us cookies! But when it is so hot outside and they make it for us we have to just chug it and then when we leave we chug our water! haha(: The villages are so different! the ones like sobeto is quite and jungly! just like i though Fiji was going to be like! Their all nice and the kids always run out to say hi to me(: then the ones down by the beach are just the same! but their not as nice! their the poorer ones because they go fishing in the ocean that's why they live so close! and the city i kinda boring and gross and dirty! It is so dusty! Oh when you send me a package, will you send me hand sanitizer! I have 2 but their going to be gone faster than I think! haha
My flat is so nice compared to all of them! we have a 2 bedroom 2 bath.. but we have to sleep in the same room! but it is still nice! Then we have a kitchen and living room! It is fun! And really n ice! Our washing machine is outside and our clothes have to air dry! Haha so that is a new experience!
Well I LOVE YOU GUYS SO SO SO SO SO MUCH! YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING AND I AM SO GLAD WE HAVE AN ETERNAL FAMILY THAT I CAN BE WIT FOREVER!(: Have such a good week! Mom give everyone hugs for me!!! I love you so much!
Au lomani vakalevu iko!
-Sister Rich
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