Savusavu Bay

Spencer is enjoying the sights and beauty of Fiji, he is teaching a great family and he just recently translated for a mother/daughter duo who attended church when the cruise ship docked for a day.

Youth Council

Laura is involved in youth council. She attends monthly meetings and helps with service projects in the area. The youth council will be in the 4th of July parade. They are also responsible for several fund raisers during the 4th carnival including the dunking booth. Laura plans to get very wet that day.

Laura is Learning

Laura is learning how to mow the lawn and her supervisor/teacher is good ole dad! The economy has changed things a bit and it is difficult for high school students to find simple employment. Dick's Bakery is not hiring! So, to earn a little cash, Laura has resorted to taking over Spencer's job - mowing the lawn.

With dad alongside coaching, all has gone fairly well. Although, she considers it very hard work.

Fijian Driving

Spencer was dissappointed to leave the area and transfer to "Little America", but he has found that there are always new experiences awaiting no matter where he is asked to serve. He is now in the tourist part of the island, driving a small truck around on the beach alongside the fancy five star hotels and traveling up into the villages to conduct sacrament meeting on Sunday.

His companion has been branch president for awhile which has kept them both very busy. Spencer and the Elder's Quorum President travel up to another village on Sundays to conduct sacrament meeting with a small group of about eight people while his companion handles the small branch. They were excited to find a Fijian who is prepared and worthy to become Branch President and so the mission president flew to the island to set apart the first Fijian Branch President on that island.

He is adjusting to driving "on the wrong side of the road" in a truck that has the driver's seat on the opposite side of the truck -- so far no accidents.

Service Day

A former missionary returned to the island to help with building homes and other service the last week of May. All the missionaries spent the day helping with basic building and repair needs of the islanders. They got very dirty and muddy. This picture is after they were able to get cleaned up a bit. And someone also brought free hats for all the kids. They were thrilled! (Thus, the little boy with his free hat!) It was an exciting day!

Tacilevu, Tukavesi and Nabua

Spencer arrived in his new area and was thrilled with the new surroundings and adventure. His companion is Elder Tavo and he is from Suva. The area is very beautiful. He lives in a little wooden shack in the middle of the settlement above a small building that is considered the church house. There is no electricity or running water. He showers in a tin shack just above his hut and they just light candles for the evenings. He and Elder Tavo are a great duo and he serves as primary president and co-ward clerk.

The primary president was a crazy experience. The kids were not accustom to such white skin, so they kept stroking Spencer's arm and saying, "Oh, beautiful, beautiful."

Although, to Spencer's dissappointment, he was transferred three days later when the mission president learned that the Elder they sent to the other side of the island could not drive the little truck with a clutch so they traded places. And Spencer was transferred to what they all call "Little America" where they have very fancy hotels and resorts. Little did we know that Kay spending hours teaching the kids to drive our small Saturn clutch car was actually missionary prep. You never know.

Fiji

Spencer arrived in Fiji in December and has spent the first five months on the main island where the people speak mostly Hindi. He and his new companion opened an area that had been closed for a while.

He has had great experiences there, including one baptism. He also served as ward chorister for two weeks. On the first of May he was transferred to another island which is the second largest island. They speak Fijian with a different dialect and it is a bit more primitive.

He said goodbye to his good friends, enjoyed a tour of historical sites with the Dunns, repaired the fishermen's nets along the oceanside and then finished the day with lunch (sea turtles) in the hut of one of his favorite families - the Dunns.