June 19, 2023

Happy Fathers Day to all you wonderful dads!  Hope your day was great and you got to barbecue something yummy.  It was a little different here, but we still had a great day.  It's been another good week.  Monday another new couple came.  They are from Hyde Park.  They will be working in the office,  President and Sister Markus always make a pancake breakfast for all the senior couples so we can meet the new couples.  I can't imagine how many pancakes they have cooked in three years!  We had another group come in from Vanuatu so it will be a busy week at the temple.

As we left the temple on Tuesday we were met with quite a sight.  It was transfer day, so most all of the missionaries had come to do their transfers.  They were all out in front of the temple.  They were so excited to see those that they hadn't seen in a while and sad to be leaving others behind.  Ben, it gave me a taste of what you feel on those transfer days.  That night we were asked to go over to the LDS church college (which is really a high school) and help the students at their study time.  Lynn taught some about microbiology and I helped with some of their English assignments.  The college is run by the church and only members can attend.  They have to pass a test so I imagine they are all pretty smart kids.  There are dorms for those that don't come from Suva.  It was really fun and I think we will do it more often.

 

Wednesday was super busy at the temple.  With endowments and sealings of the Vanuatu families.  It's kind of a zoo getting the kids all ready and then entertain them while they are waiting.  I think we are going to try things a little differently with the next group.  

We are getting a chance to try a lot of different foods.  Friday night we went to a buffet for the Markus' and Saturday they had a potluck barbecue for the temple workers.  There were a lot of things I didn't really know what it was. but everything I tried was pretty good.  I didn't care for the candied bananas.  The temple matron wanted to barbecue chicken, but neither her or the President knew how.  They were going to hire someone.  Lynn said he could do it.  They were very impressed!  Evidently it doesn't take much.  

On Sunday we went to our ward and then we went out to a place called Navua.  It was a little branch out about 45 minutes from Suva.  There were a couple of missionaries giving their homecoming talks that we wanted to hear.  Such a beautiful place.  

Today we had a car so we went on an adventure.  First we went on a hike through a rain forest.  There were waterfalls and pools you could swim in.  Then we went over to the Pacific Harbor Beach.  It was really a tropical paradise.  

It seems like everyday there are people from the US in the temple.  It's fun to hear where they are from.  One day we had a family that came to visit Fiji because their son had been called here right at the time of COVID and didn't get to come so they wanted him to see what he missed.  His younger brother has been called on a mission, so he took out his endowments here in Fiji.  We've had 3 different groups of kids that are here doing humanitarian work.  They are from all over the US.  They come for a couple of weeks and they are building a school in Nadi.  What a great experience for them.  They spend one day here in the temple doing baptisms.  Another family came--a mom and dad that had served here and their adult kids--from Canada.  When I was talking with one of the sisters I asked her where she was from.  She was from Farr West.  Their house is on the 10th tee box at Remuda.  Such a small world.

We are loving it here.  We miss everyone so much, but know the time will go by fast.  As we miss something, we know that's the only time we'll have to miss it.  We don't know why we are in this magical place, but we know this is where the Lord wants us to be.  Hope all is well with you all.

All our love, Lynn and Kay

PS.  Lynn wore his sulu for the first time!