"The best week so far"....

Bula my sweet, awesome family and friends,

What an awesome week I have just had, it probably was the best week so far on my mission because of the awesome stuff I was able to do.

So I will start and just go in order of events.

Monday-  Awesome P-day, we were able to get together as a zone for the first time so far and have a giant game of mud touch rugby at the LDS school.  It was a stinking blast and there were a lot of people there.  Best sports day so far, ha.

Tuesday- Pretty much a normal Tuesday, just worked in the office and had our district meeting and other stuff.

Wednesday- So for the past month I have been training the new senior couple in the office. The elder is the mission nurse and the sister is the one I trained. She worked in a doctor’s office as the finance person before so she is used to handling the money, so she has done really good at getting it all down because the stuff we use here is obviously a lot different than the stuff she was using there. She gets it really good and will do great. During the day I took her down into town and showed her how to do one of the most frustrating parts of the work, sending money and going to the bank. But Wednesday night was the cool part, haha.  So remember a couple weeks ago when you were talking about the new Ensign and how it could be a good tool for teaching and all I said was “ya it would be great for the elders teaching but for me no use”, haha.  Well I take it back. During the week I was able to get out and teach a bit and one of my lessons was with this lady named Lai.  She is the sister of one of the recent converts in my ward and she is awesome, we go there all the time but this was my first actual lesson with her. She is cool because she has a ton of questions she is always asking, some of them more difficult to answer than others, but I tried my best.  The funny thing is though the magazine answered all of the most important questions.  She honestly in these exact words asked "Who wrote the Book of Mormon?”, ha, and if you look in the magazine there are two pages in it where they just answer that question. On the top it says who wrote the Book of Mormon, haha, it was the bombest thing ever.  She asked a lot about the Book and about Joseph Smith. The main thing though is she was asking about where is the proof and how is she supposed to believe in what I was saying to her and how could anybody believe it if they were not there. I couldn't believe what she was saying, it was so perfect for a missionary.  Everything that we want to help investigators to know she was asking, it was so awesome. So I talked with her about it for a bit and answered most of her questions but I just said if you want to know really if it’s true and you want answers just read this magazine.  It was such a good lesson I lost track of time and after realized I was there for 2 hours, but that’s alright, to me it was worth it.

                  

Thursday- Traveled out to Lami and did some service for this lady which was fun. We just did some grass cutting and gardening, pretty normal day. Just trained Sister Whiting and did some other office work, no worries, but wasn't able to teach a lesson this day though.

Friday- Was a good day as well but pretty normal. Did some training and was able to go out and teach a few lessons to an investigator and recent converts.

Saturday- Morning had 2 service projects planned and executed. The first was at our recent convert’s house where we just did some weed pulling and after I was able to sit down with Lai again for a little, not really a lesson just kind of sat and talked and had some breakfast. After we had service with our ward at one school here, just did some painting and stuff, pretty fun. My ward is awesome because when they have stuff like that going on they have a lot of people show up and help, there was probably 30 people there. After that went to the office and worked on a few things that i was late on and Elder Diloi wasn't feeling too good so we went back to the house so he could sleep a little. Later that night we went to the store and I bought some brownie mix because when he is sick that’s the best thing to help him is eat something chocolate, so we went back up to the office where they have the patron housing and an oven. Elder Diloi slept while I attempted the Brownies, ha. (FYI since being here I have had to cook a bunch and some of the stuff I make now is starting to taste kind of good, ha.) Anyways the pan I used was lopsided and so half the brownies were burnt and half were perfect but sometimes you just gotta take what you can get. Crazy thing though this night was a mind blowing kind of situation. After eating we went back to the house and just before I was getting in the shower, and while I still had shaving cream on half my face the AP’s came in and said they had something that both of us needed to read. Open it up and it was a plane ticket to Labasa in Vanua Levu, TRANSFERRED, bang! I was like what the heck! I look at Diloi and asked him what his was, same thing except his is Taveuni.  We’re both getting transferred, both I and new Elder Diloi are leaving. But I didn't think at all that I was, I thought that I still had 3 months in this area. So that’s the big news for the day! I leave tomorrow at 3, so crazy. I'm excited big time but I don't really wanna leave the people in my area, they are all so sweet and I love the crap out of them.

Sunday- Went to church told everyone there that we are leaving and that it was fun but it’s over. They had someone go break the Sabbath and buy some ice cream and after church the whole ward came together and had ice cream, ha, good times. Went and hung out at my recent convert’s house and had a good time, then I went to my favorite family’s house for dinner. It was the bombest Sunday ever.

Today- The whole zone got together to go for a hike to Mount Korobaba. Well Elder Diloi didn't want to go because he didn't want to be that tired tonight so me and him along with two other Poly elders went to the market and bought 12 chicken, 20 Dalos (which are like potatoes just islanders style) and a bunch of lamb, we spent like 200 dollars! Then we went to one member’s house and made a lovo (earth oven). Damani, it was like one of the most fun times ever. We all got the thing ready and made the fire with the rocks and then started getting the food ready. I scraped out 24 coconuts and everyone else did the chicken and Palosami with the lamb. After two hours of getting it ready we finally got to put it in.  We left it for and hour and a half and we called the whole zone plus some members to come eat then we got it all out and just had a huge feast with everyone for me and Diloi leaving.  So many people, it was so bomb, ha. After there was still a ton left over so we packed it then took it around to some members, it was the best, ha. 

So now I'm here just about to go pick up my dinner from an Australian family. They are having us take the food away because the husband was so mad about the rugby game last night.  It was New Zealand vs. Australia, ha, they lost so now he is upset I guess so we are just picking up.  So after that we will go start packing and what not, it should be way bomb. My new companion is awesome, he is Fijian and he is 29 years old, ha, just 10 years older than me, no big deal, but he is cool.  I can't wait, the work is supposed to be way hard there and it is all in Fijian so its time for me to learn Fijian, ha, I'm stoked. This first month should be way hard but after that it will be way set, no worries. I'm so ready to get back to normal work. I know I learned a lot in the office that I probably couldn't have learned anywhere else and it will help later on but for now I'm so ready to start again with teaching, ga.

I love you all.  It was great to hear about all of my boys and that they are doing great.

Peace and Blessings,

Elder Hanke

Here's a map of the the Fijian islands.  You can see Suva on the main island, and Labasa on the island of Vanua Levu, to the northwest.  Elder Hanke will be in Fijian heaven...

By the way, here is a link to the September issue of the Ensign, the one all about the Book of Mormon that Garrett refers to above:  http://lds.org/ensign?lang=eng

Also thought I would post Elder Hanke’s reply to his Dad’s letter:

I’m all set here, Dad. Thanks for the e-mail.

Good to hear that you are busy nowadays. I love being busy, if we ever just sit down to relax I can only take it for a few minutes before I have to get up and do something which is cool because in missionary work there is always something you can do no matter where you are at.

I'm glad to hear that you have a favorite talk as well in conference, it was such a good strong conference with a lot of good guidance from our leaders. If we just follow all of the things we are taught and that we know we should do it leads only to one place, that is eternal life with our Heavenly Father and our Families. That is so cool because in life right now in the world so many things are made up in people’s mind called “virtual realities”, so many things that take us from the real world.  It is so awesome to know that living with our Families forever can be a real experience and not a virtual one.  What a good goal that is and it is such a blessing that we have so many temples so close.

Thanks for the updates on football and hunting.  I got pictures from Grandma Sue of mom’s cousin’s bull elk that he got out at the Kennecott copper mine somewhere I believe. Man that is a nice bull! Good that Kyle is out hunting as well as Grandpa Mike, I wish them all the best and look forward to the rest of the story.

Have a good week.

Peace and Blessings, your son,

Elder Hanke

I think I’m too tired and emotional right now to add rational commentary to this week’s letter.  (When I went to sleep around 11:00 Garrett’s email hadn’t come yet, so I asked Steve to watch for it and let me know when it came.  When he called around 1:30 in the morning I knew there must be something good! J)

There are a few things I want to laugh at with all of you, mostly regarding Garrett cooking, not being able to sit still and relax, and shaving - but the joy I’m feeling for him right now overrides everything else… the joy you can read in his letter is what’s most important.  He finally received the transfer he was wanting so badly, but only after being very humbled in his recent office assignment.  What great lessons he has learned. 

Our prayers are with him that he will arrive safely in Labasa, Vanua Levu, and that he will thoroughly love being able to be back out teaching full-time again.

Love to you all, thank you so much for all of the support you give to Elder Hanke.