7-29-2018 Ishu Masi humlog ke rakshak hei.

Hey this week has been awesome! It felt like just yesterday was pday because it went so fast. Some cool thing have happened this week. We have been working lots with recent converts and have been able to find a lot of solid potentials of new people to teach through those efforts. Life is good and we are really feeling blessed to be able to be serving at this exciting time. Here are some pictures of some of the highlights this week. 

1-3. With Anjana our recent convert and her Sister Anajali who is taking the lessons right now as well as their grandmother.

4. Finau and Paul's baptisms yesterday!

5-7. Last night we went to Ashika's house to celebrate her birthday with her family! I helped make the giblet curry and it was super fun! She is now preparing now to follow the example of her sons and be baptized as well:)

8. Cemetery in our area.

9. Bro Qio's wedding we went to the other night! It was super fun!!

I love you all and hope all is well wherever you may be. I'm not sure if everyone is getting my emails for some reason, but if you are seeing this just know that I send my love from Fiji. I know Jesus is the Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Love you guys.

Moce. 

Elder Hess

July 8, 2018 Awesome week

This week has flown by so fast! This week we have been busy as a companionship. Elder Lee Chip Sao is back to full health, and now I feel like we are finally getting into the groove of things here in the area. We have seen lots of blessings the past few week! We have been teaching one boy named Nelson, who's sister is a member of the church from Suva .I think I mentioned about us finding him last week. He is great and been coming to church with his sister for the past couple weeks. It turns out that his father is actually a Christian pastor of his own church in Naitasiri. There are a handful of families up there and so he has been doing that for the past couple years. Well we've seen Nelson and his family 3 times this past week and for 2 of the lessons the father was there! For the second time we sat down with them we taught about the restoration of the gospel! We even watched the Restoration film together and he was very interested. We shared about the Book of Mormon and invited him to read it. He is very sincere and open to new things. He was highlighting his bible and asking questions as we taught and it was really exciting! His son Nelson really wants to get baptized, but we haven't talked too much about it with his parents yet. So please pray for a miracle.

Last night we heard from Kriteshni for the first time in about 1 1/2 weeks! She contacted us through Edwin her friend, and expressed though him to us that she needs to get baptized no matter what it takes. Her family is not supportive, but she wants to move forward. There is a lot we don't know about the situation, but what we do know is that she is bursting with faith and will do whatever it takes. She has work off this afternoon and so at 4 o'clock today we are going to go meet her at the chapel and hopefully be able to figure everything out together. We are fasting today and praying lots that everything will be able to work out. Her baptism was initially planned for this week, but I'll keep you updated. 

The others progressing toward baptism are doing great also. Shidhant, Rishap, and Michael are all preparing so well for the 21st! Also a really cool miracle we saw this week was Anji coming to church for the first time!! She has a long story and has been taught by many elders in the past, but after visiting her this week and sharing from the Book of Mormon her husband softened his heart and let her come:) 

I have started another read of the Book of Mormon this week. Sister Higgins does these little book mark cards to give out with things to mark in the Book of Mormon on the back of the card. As a mission we did a read together and marked the words every time Christ name was mentioned as well as his words spoken by himself or the prophets when said, "Thus saith the Lord...". It was really powerful. Since then she has come up with new ones to pass out to those that want to do it again! It takes 60 days to finish, and right now I am marking what I will do, and then the promised blessing attached! It is super powerful and I fully recommend it to you all. The Book of Mormon has really changed everything for me!

This week was fantastic. I love you all! I am on a computer this week that can't send pictures and so I am sorry.

The Church is so true. I love this work so much! 

Til next week, 

Elder Hess

Bahut samay nahi hei

Lots of pictures!! I don't have much time, but some highlights from this week are...

1. The Lord is in control. Last week Sunday we met family of 11 who were all together for a family party and we were able to share a message with them! Since then we have been back to visit 8 of them 4 times this week! The mother and 2 sons, as well as the adopted cousin have already accepted baptismal dates for the 21st and we are so excited for them! Also just yesterday in church we found out that a member who I was really good friends with in Suva 3rd ward moved back to live with her mom in Naulu and has brought her little brother to church who is not yet a member, but he wants to become one! The father is a Muslim, but we are really excited for the boy because he has jumped right into church for the past two weeks and is already really good friends with the other boys that are his same age. He expressed that he wants to get baptized the same day as the other boys and so we are just excited to be able to go to his house tomorrow to meet his parents and get this all figured out! From what Visha the older sister said though is that the mom was a baptized a long time ago and is really supportive of her son joining the church. And the dad is also okay with it so we are really excited for him... Nelson.

2. During transfers on Friday we were at the airport and a we saw a lady with a crowd around her. We found out that she is a famous actress from Japan named Eriko Watanabe, who is here in Fiji to shoot a documentary of sorts. Well to our surprise while the cameras were rolling and she was talking she walked up to us and the cameras turned to us as well! She started speaking japanese to us and we didn't really know what to do so we just smiled and said Konnichiwa(which I learned from my mom), that is until a guy with a headset on from behind says,"She asked you how your day is going." We responded and he translated for her. She then asked us why we were wearing sulus, and we responded how we are missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in fijian culture it is respectful to wear sulus. Right after that she asked us,"And what is it that makes your church different from other churches?" What an amazing question!!! We were then able to share about how Christ has restored His church back to the earth today through a modern day prophet with the same organization that was on the earth when he first established it, including Prophets, Apostles, and especially His Priesthood authority and the Holy Ghost!! She then asked us more about being how many missionaries there are in the world and so forth. It was so cool to share with her that my mom served as a missionary in Japan as well as some of her brothers! She was excited because she had never heard much about the church before. We then pulled out a Book of Mormon, explained about what it is and what it does, and gave it to her before she left. She happily accepted it and in return gave us some handkerchief which had her own face on it!! Haha it was way cool!! Looking back I really should have performed my 'Head, shoulders, knees, and toes' in Japanese. I think she would've liked that haha, but oh well. Next time I meet a japanese actress I'll be sure to remember! The picture below is us holding the handkerchief after.  

3. A bunch of my really close friends went home this week. I put some of the pictures down below. It is crazy how fast time goes. Really sad to see them all go. Sister Kolo is a sister I was in the MTC with us due to some visa problems and am really good friends with her. And the other sisters in my intake go home at the end of this transfer. It is hard saying goodbye to someone that you can't honestly tell yourself you will for sure see them again. But I have faith in Facebook:) And I am excited to see all the good they will do in the world. 

Love you all! Hope you all are dong well. Life is good here in Fiji! God is real. This gospel is His plan for us and our families. Bye have a great week! 

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Elda Hess

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Elda Hess