week 48

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACE!!!! in......2 days! You are what we like to call qase here in fiji...old! Haha jk. Hows it going in the homeland of1639 E. St. Charles Place (I am suprised I still remember the address) Sounds like things are going good! Things this week were really good! Very good week! Our investigator is set for baptism on the 21st! The interview will be this Friday. We have had some really good lessons with him and the last lesson, three of his family members were sitting with us talking about the church. We gave them a Book of Mormon. We hope we can get some more  investigators in the family. We are struggling big time getting new investigators! His grandpa is an interesting guy. He said he has  studied Joseph Smith for 7 years and testifies that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. He said he finds no fault in his teachings and that  its all true.. I guess he pretty much believes everything but still

doesn't understand the baptisms for the dead. He has talked to our branch pres. a lot in the past and what not. We have only talked to him  once. He wants to know if Joseph was Jewish also, haha. So we want to work with him and if the grandpa gets baptized I bet all will. I  feel one day, he will be baptized for sure. He doesn't claim a church but I think he knows where he needs to go. So it was  awesome! So with his question of Joseph being a Jew and what not and  in my own studies, I have been wanting to know the whole manassah  ephriam deal, stick of joseph and Ephraim, all that jazz. Well this  whole week was probably the best studying I have done in my life! I have  learned and testified to me again that The Book of Mormon is true! Reading it from Genesis about the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and  Jacob, then to Joseph and Ephraim, then go into The Book of Mormon,  about their history of Lehis family and the "covenant of our fathers",  The whole prophesy of Joseph by Joseph of Egypt and don't let me forget  the JST, HUGE! Everlasting Hills, top of the mountains, free land,  constitution, 14 years later Jospeh Smith was born...weird!! NOT!!  God will never break his covenants with His children and his work  doesnt change! The marvelous work and a wonder to restore his people  that they will know the knowledge of Christ and the coming forth of  The Book of Mormon, THROUGH Joseph Smith, not FROM. There's a  difference! The Book of Mormon is written that we will believe THAT (The Bible) If we will believe THAT, then we will believe THIS..By  this history of The Bible, the covenants and promises given. The Book of Mormon and things today are still being fulfilled. We are in the gathering! Gospel to all nations! Weird...I am in Fiji another nation far away doing what? Preaching the gospel. It's all  TRUE!!! Yeah I spent like a little over a week going through  scripture after scripture and bring it all together..Its all in my  study journal, too, so I can always go back and study and add things I  missed and what not. Its the bomb!! I love learning!!! haha! I was  reading about disciples somewhere, I can't remember where, but it said  that the latin form, I think it was, it means "Learner". I was thinking  about how we are disciples of Jesus Christ or we are all learners of  Jesus Christ. We are to learn everything about him, his works and then to become like Him. We are in this life to learn to become like Christ. So yeah that was my studies for the week! So Dad I am working on it!! Language is doing good, this is the tough thing about Fijian. Fijians don't know their own language, haha. There has been a lot of changes to it and what not. So the hard thing about reading The Book of Mormon is that there is a ton of old words that no one knows so you really have to pay attention to things they say. That has been my biggest problem, my vocab. I am working on knowing new words but I swear every time I ask someone what a word is they say don't use it or dont know what it is! I feel pretty comfortable though, still not where I want to be, but compared to some other missionaries that have been out longer than I have, I am doing pretty well. Elder Vagarau doesn't speak English at all, which is really nice. I can read it fine and writing is the proper Fijian. You can't write how you speak, because like I said, Fijians don't know the whole language. Something I am working on is writing  proper Fijian, because if you can write well, you know Fijian well. A lot of people dont know how to read and write in Fiji. Transfers are next week. This month and in June there will be 20 total missionaries leaving. A lot of changes will be made, its going to be crazy. I shower everyday don't worry! Roads are doing better, it didnt really rain last week. I just got done eating some chicken curry...delicious! We have been having a frog problem man!! There have been frogs all around our house! For some reason, no other room but mine, they like to drop a deuce or two!! Like 6 times last week there was frog veka(fijian) in my room! It's ridiculous! Oh yeah we killed 3 more rats! Diet....HA what diet? I am about 190, and this week I have noticed my garments are getting tighter! Haha I have been busting out pull ups like no other though so that's probably the reason!  One another thing I was thinking about this week was our prayers before every football game. Cecil would always have someone LDS say the prayer. The whole 4 years. Hmmm why? I think we all know why. So yeah it was sweet. I am happy, good week! I am glad all is well with you and the Easter holiday. They celebrate good Friday here and Easter but don't really do anything. Well love you all! Take care! Have fun! Almost one year ha its crazy fast! Elder Key goes home next week! So fast! Anyway love you!! Peace n Blessings!

Elder Hansen