Elder Jaxson Jeremy Miller - Fiji Suva Mission : LAMI

Ni sa bula binaka!

I've been in Fiji for one whole month. It's crazy to think about. I'm on a little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a 13-hour plane ride away from my family. It's almost surreal sometimes. But, as I'm sure you got out of my lettter last week, I love it SO much.

This week was transfer week! It happens every 6 weeks. It's when the mission president moves missionaries around, assigns new companions, etc. I figure lots of you may be familiar with missionary lingo, so I'll define a couple things.

-So my companion and I are in charge of an area. Right now I'm in the Lami 1st area.

-There are about 3-5 companionships in a District. I'm in the Lami District. (It's called that because my companion is District Leader)

-There are about 3-5 Districts in a Zone. We're in the Suva North Zone. For us, each Zone is in charge of one stake.

-There are 7 Zones in the Fiji Suva mission. About 140 missionaries.

So this transfer week I stayed where I am. My companion became District Leader, so he's in charge of the 4 companionships that compromise our District. A new Elder got transferred into my district. He's actually the Elder who's blog I followed every week before my mission! Haha, it was weird seeing him after I'd seen him in all those pictures before my mission.

I played my first rugby this week! My Mission President was restricting my playing rugby before because of my surgery, but I'm all cleared now. It's actually really really fun! Rugby is worshiped so much here I figure I'll be a professional by the time I finish my mission. I honestly don't think there's been a day gone by where I didn't see people playing rugby.

Another thing about Fijian culture is that it's a culture of sharing. (I can't remember if I've already told this before) If someone else likes something of yours, you give it to them. For example, a little kid walked up to me and looked at the watch I was wearing. He asked me how much it cost. Then he sat there holding my wrist in his hands for like a full minute, just STARING at the watch. Haha, he was basically BEGGING for it. So I asked him if he wanted it and he said "Ohhhh no no no..... Eh?" And looked up at me with big eyes. I laughed SO hard. Then gave it to him. Such is the way of all Fijians.

This week was kind of an eye opener to me. One Elder in my District finished his mission and went home this week. The past couple weeks he's been bragging to all of us about how soon he'll be done and be able to watch all the movies and stuff while we're still out here. But then this week came. He became almost depressed. His last day was the longest day ever. He cried. He didn't want to leave. He told me it goes by SO much faster than he ever thought.
So it taught me that I need to take advantage of the opportunity I have. 2 years seems like a long time when looking ahead. But when looking back, 2 years becomes 2 days. I love the fact that I'm able to say that I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am going to make the most of every second I have out here in the most beautiful place in the world, doing the most beautiful thing in the world: sharing the gospel.

I love you all! Send me an email if you get the chance, I'd love to hear from you. Pictures are the BEST.

...Ni sa noqu vu ni kaukauwa kei na noqu vu ni sere na Turaga ko Jiova. Sa yaco me noqu ivakabulai. -2 Nephi 22:2

Au lomani kemuni!

-Elder Jaxson Miller