Elder Jaxson Jeremy Miller - Fiji Suva Mission : LAMI

Eye Opener Week

Bula Vinaka!

Once again an amazing week here in Lami, Fiji. But this is one that I'll never forget. This week opened my eyes at just how truly important this message that we carry.

I'll share 2 experiences I had this week that were amazing.

The first is with the Brown family. Haha, I know, an American last name. This family is the BEST. They live on the beach and literally just live off the land. Coconuts, fish, fruits, vegetables... Everything like that. This week we went to dinner with them. They just decided that they wanted to go all out for dinner to "give back to the missionaries that give so much". It was me, my companion, and 2 other elders. We got there and one of the elders (he's italian) started making pasta. So the rest of us just played games with the family's 8 kids. So fun. Then dinner. The pasta was WAY good. After dinner, they started a huge Bonfire for us. Then before we left we shared a little lesson with them. That's when it hit me. As the mother of the family was sharing her testimony to us, I just looked around. The mother was in tears, thanking us for what we've done for her family. I looked at all the kids faces as they thanked us for coming. I realized just how amazing this gospel is. Even though I didn't feel like we'd done that much, we were just doing our job, to them it changed their lives.

Now, the baptism.

Do you remember me telling about the Golden Investigator last week? So last week we were referred to a man named Naibuka. We met him last Saturday, and let's just say he's the definition of a Golden Investigator. He'd already been to church every week for 2 months, we didn't know he wasn't a member! We taught him the Restoration that Saturday, and he accepted a baptismal date for a few weeks later. Then we saw him again on the following Tuesday, and he told us he had a problem. He was a fisherman, and he told us his boss would call at any time in the next 2 weeks for him to leave for 3 months on a fishing boat. So he asked if he could get baptized this week, because he felt it was what the Lord wanted him to do. We were surprised, but agreed and set his baptism for this last Saturday, only a week after we met him. We taught him every day, went through all the lessons, and MADE SURE he was ready for baptism. Then came Saturday. On the day of his baptism, 2 hours before the time we had planned to baptize him, he received the call from his boss to immediately report to the boat. Naibuka turned his boss down, telling him that he needed to be baptized. When he explained this to me he simply pointed at the baptismal program and said, "Because... This is important." I sat in awe of that man's faith in the Lord. He knew that baptism was the right thing for him, and that the Lord would bless him for his obedience. This was an amazing experience for me, and one that I will never forget.

This week I also had the opportunity of giving my first talk in Sacrament in Fijian. It was so fun! Normally I'm way nervous and don't like to give talks, but I was so excited! Something I shared I think really applies to all of us and would like to challenge you all to it too.

You may have heard of it before, but it's called CPR. In the medical sense, obviously, it's something that can save your life if you're in trouble. It's the same thing in a spiritual sense. I'm not sure what it stands for in the medical sense, but in the spiritual sense it stands for:

Church

Pray

Read

It's amazingly simple, but that's all we have to do. THAT'S IT. Go to church, pray to your Heavenly Father, and read the scriptures. Do those 3 things, and EVERYTHING ELSE in the gospel will follow.

As missionaries we are given the power to make promises on behalf of the Lord. So I promise to you all right now, that if you go to church, pray morning and night, and read for scriptures for 10 minutes every day this week, you will receive a blessing from the Lord that you've been in need of. Whether that's some physical blessing or just simply a boost to your testimony, I PROMISE the Lord will bless you. I encourage you to write me after a week and tell me about your experience.

My mission never ceases to amaze me. I never stop growing, never stop learning more about the Lord and His plan for us. I now my life will be forever changed because of this amazing place.

Thanks again for reading the novel that is my letter every week! I love you all, and keep on keepin' on!

Au lomani kemuni!

-Elder Jaxson Miller