Moce Suva February 26, 2018

No time to write much, but I am now in Nausori with Elder Morgan! I am excited for the new area! Love you all! Hope you enjoy just some of the pics from last Pday and also saying goodbye to everyone! 

Elder Hess

Fiji February 19, 2018

This week has been great! I don't have much time today but here is a quick update of the area! This week Bobby received the Aaronic Priesthood! He was so excited and so happy afterwards. He is so great and really showing his faith lots recently! The hindi class yesterday was so awesome!! We had a lot of people there and it went great! President Ratuvukivuki from our Stake Presidency in Suva was there with us which was cool! I don't think he could understand much because he is a Fijian, but the Spirit is always present as you can hear all the different testimonies being shared throughout the class. All the recent converts are doing good and have made lots of progress in the ward. When they were all investigators it was hard week to week to make sure that they were reminded and sometimes even helped to church, but the past 2 weeks we didn't call any of the recent converts and we have had 11 out of 13 of them there which I have been so excited about:) And the other two we are working with! 

We are going to head out to the island soon for Pday which should be way fun! Here are a couple pictures from the week! Okay bye love you guys! 

Elda Hess

One Year Mark Feb, 11, 2018

Sorry for being slack on my emails home. Past few weeks I have been trying to back up my pictures and it takes a long time when the internet is being very slow! But I am alive and doing so, so good!! 

Things here are amazing! It is probably my last two weeks in Suva (Knock on wood) and so we are keeping so busy to finish this transfer out strong! Some really cool things have been happening lately and I haven't been able to tell until now! 

Well one super cool thing that has happened is me and Elder Shin have started to translate the Book of Mormon into Fiji Hindi!! We have passages like Moroni 10, 3 Nephi 11, and 2nd Nephi 31, and we are in the process of doing an unofficial translation. But it is under the direction of our mission president which means if President Higgins passes it off, then we will be able to use it in lessons and stuff like that while we are waiting for an official translation from the church maybe in a few years! It is sooo cool to be a part of!

Yesterday (Sunday) we were a part of one of the most amazing experiences of my life! On Saturday we got a call from Sharmila, our recent convert, telling us that Bobby, her husband and our other recent convert, was sick and wouldn't be able to come to church. We told her we would come by after church to give him a blessing. We stopped by and were so surprised at his condition. He was not just sick, he was far sicker than anyone I have ever seen. He has Dengue Fever and hadn't sat up or eating in 4 days! It really scared me to be honest because I love him so much. He couldn't talk to well, but the first thing he said when we got there is,"I knew you my brothers would come." He told us that he knows God is in control and that his he will be able to learn from this trial. He has so much faith it's pretty remarkable. We asked him if he had faith to be healed and his answer was so powerful. He said,"I know that God can heal me and I have faith, but I also know that it is in God's time and I will understand even if I don't the miracle how I want to see it." It shouldn't have, but it shocked me how perfect his understanding of faith is. Elder Shin sealed the annointing, and then said the words,"By the power of the Melchizedek priesthood I command you to be whole." The Spirit was so strong and I had chills up and down my spine. After the blessing Bobby acting on his faith sat up and in the next few minutes we watched as his eyes turned from being blood shot red to normal and his body temperature dropping dramatically. After calling bishop and explaining the situation to him, me and Elder Shin unloaded our pockets with all the change the we had, about 18 dollars so that with his renewed strength he could get to the hospital right away and they could get a little food to try and eat on the way. I love the gospel so much! Also a side note to the story is that Bobby and Sharmila are planning and working to be sealed in the temple just a couple weeks before I leave back home to America. 

Roshni got baptized one week ago from yesterday and it was so awesome! She has so much faith, and one really special moment was after the baptism as we were sitting there together in the chapel and she started crying. I asked her why and she said,"I don't know, because I am not sad! I guess they are happy tears because I feel the happiest I ever have." Last night we had a tri-stake fireside and Roshni came with us! Elder Johansson our area 70 was presiding, and she was able to meet President Higgins and that was awesome! She mention about the function, that,"Our church has such different feel than any others." Notice how she said "our" not "this" or "your". She then said,"Other churches yell to feel something, but here it's quiet, but I can feel the Spirit the strongest!" Such a great testimony builder she was able to learn about what the Holy Ghost is and how it is what separates us from other churches.

This week we also had some really sad things happen. We found out yesterday that 3 of our baptismal dates are not wanting or willing to continue with the lessons. Maverick, Rina, and Jon. Maverick has backed out twice the day of his baptism and after many lessons afterwards we are having to drop him. So sad. It's always a really hard thing, but we have faith in the future! 

Okay some random and funny things!

We had a cat in our flat one day when we got home and so we fed him and now he hangs out outside our flat most days! It's way good though, because no mice!!

As I was burning my shirt the night of my year mark it didn't really burn like I thought it would! I guess it's made out of polyester and not cotton and so it melted onto my foot and now I have some crazy blisters on my foot leg and arm. Worth it for the picture though. 

Next Monday we will be taking a trip as a zone to an island called Beqa. We are bringing a pig and are going to roast it out on the island and have a feast! Going to be awesome!! But if we don't get to email, that is why! 

Due to time I will continue later with some things going on here! I can't believe Whitney is married!! So crazy! I wish I could've been there, but all is well! I love it here. 

Love you all! BYE! 

Pictures: 

1-2. Night of the year mark! 

3. With Elder Tougea and Elder Giles at a birthday party

4. Roshni's baptism last week:))

5. Happiest dog on earth hahaha he lives outside our flat

6. Day of my Whitney's wedding wearing the matching tie with the rest of the family back home

7. With Elder Tougea at the mission home for interviews with President Higgins

8. At the birthday party

9. HAHAHA 

10. Vijay one of our recent converts

11-12. This is what I'm known for here 

13. Birthday 

14. Elder Bowen working hard at service haha

15. Cute little girl from a part member family 

16. Diana one of the sister's investigators from the same family

17. Love this guy

18. Lusi in the blue is a recent covert and is so cool!!

19. Suva district after district meeting

20. Some cool methodist maramas

21-22. Super pretty sunset

23. After a recent convert lesson with Bobby and Sharmila

24. Lani Whippy who looks like my sister, but is fijian. She holds my hand and walks me around church on Sunday and its way cute. I think that she think I am her real brother because we look alike haha.