Hey hey hey!!!  How's everyone this week!? 

I decided to switch things up and try a new font color this week.  Thinking about it, this is probably the same color as the blog background... whatever!  (Mom note: It was exactly the same color, I posted it.... and it just disappeared! So I changed it to black!)

This was the week of firsts.  My first exchanges,  the end of my first week in Samabula,  first time making a ward mission plan, we sang for the prelude in church.... and who knows what else.

The exchanges were so fun! It was really weird at first. I don't know if  I have a rep as a super obedient, "Doesn't take any crap!" kind of sister, but the poor sisters thought I was going to be watching them like a hawk and correcting everything they do!  But, honestly I felt bad that they were so scared!  So of course I pulled out my Brighton social skills and lightened the mood.  This week I went to Makoi and Lami. 

Aahh!! sorry!  I have to get off, my comps are done. I'll talk more about it next week!!

Love ya, Sister Pyne

One of the many critters we shoo out of our flat every day!

HEY EVERYONE!!!  So I'm told, my mom didn't post anything last week, so I guess I have some news for you. I got transferred.... AGAIN!!  I'm back on the main island again, in Samabula, now, just down the road from my first area.  My flat is just across from the  temple compound. and guess who always stays in that area......  the sister training leaders!!  Yup, youre talkin to the new "Lieutenant Sister" (a mix between a Zone Leader and the Assistant to the President) of the Fiji Suva mission.  Which pretty much means I'll be going on exchanges with the other sisters and having meetings with president and other such stuff.  Crazy as usual. and what a time to be transferred!!  We just had 8 sisters, 2 elders and 2 senior couples leave with a new intake of greenies to take care of, so the office is in an uproar!  We've had people in and out of our flat all week, driving to the airport, and our water was out so we've been running to the Tamavua flat to shower everyday lol!  Let me tell you getting 8 sisters organized with one shower in the morning is not fun.  But, now everyone else is in their own areas, the other sisters have finished and gone back home, so now its just us. thank goodness!!

 

I actually have two companions now!  Me and sister Alagaelua (Samoan from Australia)  are the sister training leaders. normally it would be just us two, but we just got a new intake and we don't have enough sisters to train the new ones, so sister A is training a greenie.  It's kinda weird trying to mix the two jobs.  Her trainee is Sister Ratu from Fiji.  She's supposed to be serving in Vanuatu but is having visa problems so her whole intake got stuck here.

Leaving Labasa and sister chong was hard.  I felt like I just got there, (which I did) and we had the best week ever, (we broke the previous record for lessons taught in one week) then I got moved. Everyone was way surprised to hear that I was leaving.  All I heard was "What?! You just got here!" all day Sunday.   I got a good send off though.  The day before my flight we drove down to Savusavu for a zone meeting.  Let me tell you, that is a gorgeous drive!!  I'll send pictures next week.  It was your typical  roadtrip complete with singing in the car, awkward pictures of us scrunched up in the back seat, junk food, and Elder Hyde shaving in the car hahhaha.  Good times.  The best part was seeing Elder Tepetanga from my intake. it was the first time I had seen him since we got to Fiji, and we had alot to catch up on. 

 

More news: A new Mission President was called to the Suva Fiji Mission.  Lamar and Lynette Layton from Draper Utah.  (Its a small world!)  They won't be here until July though, so I'll only work under them for a few months before I leave (that sounds weird!). 

A funny story from last week, One night  we were leaving our ward mission leaders house  and there was a crazy party next door.  I flagged down a taxi and just as we were getting in two guys from the party yelled after us in Fijian to wait for them. they thought it was a return taxi (aka heading back to the base, so you pay per person and fit a ton of people in) so they hopped in with us and I got shoved in the back seat next to one of them. sooooo funny!!  They were just to the point of being tipsy, so they were asking us where we were from and why we're in Fiji, that kinda stuff   We decided to have a little fun with them so while they were speaking english to us we kept replying in fijian.  They were pretty confused when they heard a white girl speaking Fijian  hahahah!  It turns out one of them is an in active member (hmmmmmmm)!  And he said he would come to church on Sunday. We couldn't stop laughing after we dropped them off.

Well thats it for today,  Ill have a bunch of pictures and some more crazy stories next week.
Love you all!!!

Sister Pyne

                            This is outside one of our investigators house.  They live on the edge
                             of the river, so their house is up on stilts for when the tide comes in. 
                                          These are the two boys, Shandir and Shidhar.

                                               The view from inside the investigators house.

                                                      My companion, Sister Chong

                                            Caught this little crab trying to cross the road.

      The Elders in Seaqaqa had eight baptisms on one weekend.  They drove up to the font in Labasa. It was wonderful to witness the baptisms and hear their strong testimonies.

Of course, we had to take the opportunity to have a missionary photo shoot. 

We put the camera on the podium and made a mad dash back to the group.

And yes, we are the only sister missionaries on the island!

              We visited a recent convert (Meli) and he had just caught an eel behind their house.
                                                    It was still alive and wiggling in the pot! 

                                                We got to help him kill, clean and cook it.

                                                          I'm scraping off the slime!

                       Surprisingly it was pretty good.  The skin was a little chewy, but it was yummy!

I didn't have much time for a blog letter this week, but I sent lots of pictures!  I love being a missionary and I’m so grateful for the small experiences that happen every day.  I’m at the beginning of month ten, and I can’t believe how the time has flown.  So much has happened and I’ve grown so much.  I’m excited to see what challenges, blessings and experiences the next 9 months will bring. Keep me posted with what’s going on in all your lives.  Even if I don’t have time to respond, I love hearing from you.  Love you all so much!!  Keep going strong!

Sister Pyne