Awesome email from Fiji...

Just a quick update, since I didn't get anything posted last week.  We got to talk to Garrett during his layover at the L.A. airport (on Saturday, May 7th).  All I can really say is that it was so awesome to talk to him!  He sounded really great - so excited to be headed to Fiji, but yet sad to leave the MTC and the many great friends that he made while he was there.  He mentioned that the best part about the MTC was to have been companions with Elder Greer (his last companion before he left).  He called just as we were sitting down to eat dinner with Grandpa Bill and Grandma Sue, so Kyndra asked him to say the blessing on the food, which he proceeded to do in rapid-fire Fijian.  It was so cool!  We then received a quick email on Sunday night (May 8th) to say that he was safe and sound in Fiji and not to worry. So - he probably unpacked on his first P-Day, and maybe slept a little to make up for the jet lag and 11 hour flight from L.A. to Fiji (i.e., no real P-Day email to post).

So anyway, his P-Days are now on Mondays, so we will probably always receive his emails on Sundays (18+ hour time difference).  So here you go - his first full-on "in the field" email from Suva, Fiji:

Ni Sa Bula Vinaka,

What’s up?

First week in Fiji…ha, ha…so sweet!  It’s unbelievable, if only you all could see what I see every day now. My first area is the Suva First Ward, which is like mostly city, but there is definitely some GHETTO.  Which means tin shacks in the jungle-ish area, so it’s awesome. 

My companion is Elder Duncan who is from Orem, Utah.  He is pretty cool, and he is really obedient and works hard, which is just what I wanted.  So there are only the two of us in this area, which is surprising to me, because there are so many people here.  So one of our goals is to just get a bunch of new investigators, which he hasn’t really done since he’s been here.  So on Thursday when we were out walking we went past so many people and he wouldn’t say anything at all, so I started talking to as many people as possible which would make him stop.  So we found four people who said they want us to come and visit them!  Then the same thing happened on Friday and Saturday.  My goal is to show President Ostler that there should be more missionaries in this area, and I’m gonna do that by having so many people who want to be taught that there’s no way that only my companion and I could do it on our own.  So then he’ll have to send more missionaries here.  This should be a way good area and I’m gonna make it that way, hopefully.

So we have like seven investigators that we’re teaching right now and they all have baptism dates, so I think I will be baptizing like three of them, which is so awesome.  People here are so accepting of our message and what we have to say.  I feel so blessed to be here.

My ward is too legit…the Bishop is so sweet. The Patriarch is the coach of the national basketball team.  He also has two sons playing rugby for BYU right now.  (I think I met one in the MTC.)  Also, one of the Fijian Elders I was with in the MTC, his family is here in this ward, and I got to talk to them, which was awesome.  I am so excited to be here!

So the food is mostly delicious, but some of it is just a little off, ha, ha, but I’m fine in that department.  And I’ve been prepared to wear a sulu since I was born, which is so sweet.  I’m super sore from sitting on the floor all of the time, but I’ll get used to it soon enough.  Suva is so sweet; the people are really in to new music.  So all of the buses will have like rap or something playing.  (The place I am in right now has some music playing pretty stinkin’ loud.)

Anyway, that’s about it for now.

I know this church is true and blesses the lives of the people who are willing to listen to what we have to say.

Au lomani kemudou,

Elder Garrett Hanke

(Note:  Sulu = "man skirt", and Garrett loves to wear them!)