Finished our first week in Suva. It has been a steep learning curve but things have gotten better every day. We manage to make it to and from school without many honks and know where we are going in the round abouts. Feels good to be contributing here. We have helped two teachers organize to write exams for on-line classes they have taken and untangled a mess for one of them who had her test returned to the university because there wasn't a proctor here to supervise her test. Also gotten certificates for others who completed course work. It will mean gov't acceptance of their teaching and allow them to earn a little more money to support their families. I am overwhelmed with how happy these children in the schools are when many of them live in corrugated metal shacks with no electricity or plumbing and cook on outdoor fires. These schools provide opportunities that otherwise would never be theirs...We are so blessed to have been born with so much affluence and opportunity. The Senior Missionaries who work here are amazing and all without exception have a great love and desire to help and serve these wonderful people. This is truly a priviledge!!!

Our new home in Fiji

We arrived Thurs night and could not see very much...but this is what we woke up to. It is a crazy busy and crowded city but our house is a little oasis in the middle of all of this. We feel very blessed. Our neighbours and fellow missionaries are the Whitings from near Park City Utah. They welcomed us with a lovely meal and along with Elder and Sister Barfuss have ferried us around trying to get accustomed. This driving on the left side is kind of crazy especially when it is very busy which it is all the time...but we will learn...we are welcoming everyone with our missionary wave...which is the windshield wipers going instead of the turn signal...only a few honks as we drove home tonight.

New Zealand



Entering New Zealand

New Zealand Sunrise

We spent 4 days in Auckland New Zealand receiving training for our assignment in International Teacher Education. We were treated very well and stayed in a lovely place called Takapuna. It was cool but beautiful. On the 24th we flew to Nadi ( pronounced Nandi) where we were met by two lovely LDS missionaries from the states wearing sulus (sp?) Then we flew 30 min to Fiji. It is dark here at 6pm at this time of the year so couldn't see much. Were welcomed by more missionaries who whisked us off to our apartment ( which is very comfortable and well stocked)...where the missionary couple next door had dinner and a warm welcome...looking forward to seeing and exploring in the daylight.

My husband and I have been called as Church Education Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Suva, Fiji. We will work in the International Teacher Education Program for a period of 18 months. We will work in the two church run schools there. Our assignment is to volunteer our services to assist the current teachers to receive full certification as teacher in partnership with BYU-Hawaii. We are very excited to begin our service and meet the wonderful people of Suva. We leave tomorrow for Auckland, NZ for a couple of days of training and then will be on to Suva.