Fiji is wananavu!

Garrett's personality really comes through in this week's letter, along with a couple of things to make his mother worry a little bit (note the mention of an earthquake and high tide - which I'm sure he thinks is funny).  But, like Garrett always says, it's all good....


Bula Vinaka Matavuvale,

How is it?  You can probably guess how Fiji is….it’s wananavu (awesome)!! I still can't believe I'm here, and it’s already been almost a month.

So it was a sweet week with some really great days. First of all - Komai Bouganville Kosovanapasifika Draunidalo, we have been teaching him since I got here. He is 16 years old and looks like he should be an O-lineman for the University of Oregon (he is a BIG kid).  We get along super good, we always joke around together about Elder Duncan. Anyway, we asked him who he wanted to baptize him and he chose me, which I'm super stoked about.  (I just hope I can lift him out of the water, ha-ha!)  But he is so awesome; he will be the only member in his family and his Dad is high up in the Methodist church here but he said, "I can't deny how I feel about the church", which is awesome. What is really good, though, is that his family isn't against him being baptized. Hopefully someday they will take the lessons. Each time we teach Komai his Mom feeds us heaps of this Fijian food that is so good! The first time we went there I ate a ton because I was starving, and now each time we go they expect me to eat the same amount. It’s really good though.

We have an Elder from Vanuatu staying with us for a few days because he is waiting for his Visa to go to America to serve in North Carolina. He speaks French and Bishlama (pigeon English) so he can't really communicate with us, but he is super funny.  People here (mostly like 15-year olds) will get tattoos of “LDS” on their hands or arms and he has one. It’s super funny to see those because it’s like bad, but sort of good at the same time.

So I tried the picture thing again with no success. It’s either I’m terrible with computers or the computer is terrible (I'm pretty sure it’s the first one, ha-ha).  I have no idea what I’m doing. Sooner or later you will get some pictures if it kills me…. I will figure this out. (I need Elder Atkinson, ha-ha, he could do it.)

Anyway, there is a hurricane alarm going on outside but no one seems to care so I guess I won't either. My guess is that there was an earthquake some where far away and that this is just precautionary stuff. There will probably just be a high tide tonight, but no biggie. Earlier this week we went out one day and forgot our umbrellas.  It was sunny and hot, so we thought there would be no need, but it turns out there was.  About an hour later it just started coming down like you wouldn't believe, it was crazy!  I don't know why but my companion was just like, “OK let’s go”, and we just toughed it out. I had a blast, but I don't know how much he liked it. We were soaked and had to go back to the flat and change and grab our umbrellas. It’s crazy how little I have in common with my companion.  I crack up at some of the stuff he does because I'm just like “What the heck?” (ha-ha), but obviously he does the same about me. (Whatever, right?) As long as we teach well together and he is willing to work hard I don't care what his personality is like.

Peace and Blessings, I love you all!

Moce,

Elder Garrett Hanke