An Instrument in His Hands: A Marvelous MARCH is about to come forth...

Bula!

We had a wonderful but completely exhausting week. I'm so glad today is P-day because.... Au sa wawale sara ga.

I'm so nervous/excited that March is finally here! The entire mission has been preparing for March since December when Elder Pearson challenged the Fiji Suva Mission to reach 100 baptisms in the month of March. It's never been done and everyone thought it was crazy at first, but it's been so exciting to watch hard work pay off and the hand of the Lord move the work along and help everything fall into place. Our goal as a companionship is 3 baptisms this month. Hopefully we'll get 5 or 6, but nothing is for sure until it actually happens out here in Taveuni. It will be a busy month with baptisms every single week.

Monday we went to the International Date Line. So technically I stood in two days at once. Pretty exciting.

This week there was a cyclone/hurrican warning. Luckily it switched paths and missed Taveuni, but Suva was hit pretty hard. The sisters in Lami were swimming in their flat and everything was ruined. We had a TON of rain though. And something happened to the water source so our water is brown.

We helped with the ward baptisms this week. I felt like we were responsible for them. We got everything ready and taught lessons to the kids being baptized. Something I learned ..... missions are really great for practicing patience. We told them to be there at 7:30, but when 8:10 rolled around, the little girl wasn't there so we left the room full of waiting people and went down to see the family barely getting ready. Frustrating sara ga. But she got baptized. :) I also gave a talk on the Holy Ghost .... in FIJIAN and played the piano.

We've loved teaching seminary! This week we had an activity and reviewed all of 1 Nephi. It's exciting to see the light come on and to see them make changes in their lives.

I cooked curry this week all by myself! The only rough part was that we have no can opener so we have to use a knife. I'm not too good with knives. It took me like 10 minutes to shake flake by flake out of the slits in the side of the can. Sobo!

This week was Sister Bechu's 1 year mark! We made a pitiful microwave cake and did some celebrating. I'm so grateful for her in my life and the example of strength and courage she is to me! She's a ROCKSTAR missionary. Someday I hope I can be like her. She knows the scriptures like the back of her hand and is such a good teacher. She's done a lot in her 1 year. The one year mark seems so far away for me but I realized that tomorrow is my 3 month mark. That's 1/6th the way done!

Two lessons really stuck out to me this week.

The first was with one of our investigators... Vilise. He rocks. We talked a lot about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and how they buried their swords (sins), and read Alma 7:15 about "Laying aside every sin" and coming into the waters of baptism. I think it would be so sweet to do a ceremonial burial of the alcohol or something after that story. Maybe next time. But he was so emotional in the prayer (even though he's a tough, cool, 22 year old) and asked Heavenly Father for forgiveness from his sins and expressed his desire to truly change.

I've realized that there is at least one struggle with every single investigator before baptism. There are ups and downs. No getting around it. But the trick is being grateful for the ups. Finding the Joy and the Miracles and pressing forward with love and faith.

The other lesson was with Letila and Epeli. The couple that gave me that huge, cold, dead fish in the stove. :) Love them! Anyways, the spirit was SO strong in our lesson on Monday and they told us that they've felt a light come into their lives since we've been teaching them. It was so cool because it went perfectly with a scripture I read this week.

Alma 19:6 ......."Now this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea he knew that this had overcome his natural frame and he was carried away in god."

What a BEAUTIFUL scripture eh?

So I've been thinking a lot about LIGHT. Most of the families here don't have electricity. Instead they have generators. And in order for them to have light in their homes they have to put fuel in the generator. Sometimes, they can't afford fuel and stop using the generator and light bulbs. They forget they even have them. They become content with one tiny candle.

Our lives are much the same. We've been baptized and have had the light of Christ in our lives and homes. We have a generator and light bulbs. But life gets crazy and we don't want to sacrifice to put fuel in our generators. We don't give priority to our scriptures and our studies and our prayers and our callings and our families. We become content with one little candle when we could have light illuminating every corner of our homes. We forget how much light we could have if only we would put fuel in our generators. And eventually we too might even forget we have generators. So don't let your generators get dusty! Put fuel in them! Let the light of Christ fill your lives and your homes. And then help others do the same. As members of the church, we are set apart as a light to all nations! How exciting.

I love you all. I love this Gospel. I love this work.

Loloma Levu,

Sister Matheson