Email 22 June 2014

Bula Nakwa!

Yep, that is right! And I think Nick Goodman will be getting back before or just about the same time as me. That is crazy to think that Justin is back now!

It is true. Here it is a very respectful place regarding other churches. For the most part among Fijians, just being christian is enough :P. I always tell them it’s a good start! But every now and again, you do run into some not so friendly faces. I can only think of two incidences were I was yelled at for being from the LDS church. A couple other times for different reasons. But there have been contentions among families of recent converts because of the church! People are generally respectful of the church until you pull someone away from theirs into yours. There are several who do seem to dislike and target the LDS church more than others, but rarely are they brave enough to be open about it with us. The most common thing is recent converts or investigators getting told behind our backs that this is the church of the devil and that devil worship happens in the temples, etc. That is my obesrvations of Fiji for the last 2 years of mission service!

The museum was good! It is only about a 30 minute drive from our area to Suva, so not bad. We tend to have to go to Suva at least once a week. As for the Savurua unit, we still don’t know how things went there. They have no phone, so we won’t find out until Wednesdaywhen we go there next. The baptisms went great though! Buna and Esava’s father came as well which was nice. He is our next target there and I think seeing their baptism will push him to go. We are about to start teaching the Temple Prep class to their mother. Other than that, there wasn’t much we could do this last week. It was a transfer week so a lot of our time got stolen by driving and transporting missionaries. We also had our zone training meeting which took more time too. We have a lot of good investigators, just they haven’t really shown a lot of effort this last week. We are working to push them forward!

That is intense about the new intake! We have been waiting to hear more about them. That will be the intake to get here when I leave! Intense. That is it for this week! Loloma levu mai na veiyanuyanu i Viti!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

(Daniel is holding the Liahona we sent him for Christmas in the one photo)

Email 15 June 2014

NiBulaNakwa!

Sorry, we had a crazy P-day and I am left with a very short time to email. So I won’t be able to share much! We ran to Suva to check out the museum and get our truck serviced.

The unit had another successful week! Attendance of 14! This next week they will be on their own though. We are helping them prepare an agenda for the meeting, then we will be in the Waila ward for a baptism! Buna and Esava.

Happy Father’s Day to Dad!!! Ni moce toka!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 8 June 2014

BulaNakwa!

I’m really curious to see what the house looks like when I get back! Still sounds like it is changing every day! 😛 Also in the birthday photo for Alana! For some reason, maybe just the birthday, she looks like she is two or three years older! She just shot up!

This was a great week! We had a great zone conference for my birthday! It was really weird! I gave my departing testimony for it. That was a really strange experience. President Klingler departs on the 28th this month, and President Layton will arrive only that morning just before President Klingler leaves. I’ll work with him for about a month and then that is it! That mixed with the fact that I got my travel itinerary for going home. On the 31st of July at 9:35pm is when I’m suppose to arrive at the Salt lake Airport. Exactly 5 minutes before I left Fiji! about a 5 hour layover in LA. But anywho, that is just depressing stuff for me!

Work here is still booming! We picked up about 7 new investigators, all younger men staying close to Pateresio’s home. All say that they want to be baptized and several came to church yesterday! Which was also a great day because they attended church for the first sacrament to be held in the Savurua unit. So there are three small units (all tied to Waila ward). We helped conduct and train and the first service went very well! Although we forgot to get a picture with them all, so we’ll have to do that next week. Pateresio is the new unit leader and he was only baptized in December, right when I arrived in this area. So he has a lot to learn but he is a really good strong member who is working really hard.

We also have a couple more baptism dates set! Two are for this month, on the22nd of June. They are two kids of a returning member mother. They are really excited and working really hard to come to church. I’m feeling very confident in them!

That is the greatest excitement of the week! We are just thrilled about the growth and the starting of the new unit here in Naitasiri!

Loloma levu! Na luvemu lomani, ~Elda Taniela Joni Aqoka

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 1 Jun 2014

Bula Nakwa!

Haha, yeah it probably would be tricky to make the Fijian translator! But that would be said “Marautaka nanomusiga nisucu!” or with some pronunciation help “Maraou taka nanomusinga kneesuthu.” Not really an easy or good sounding translation 😛

Haha, no worry on the package or the treats! It made it and I am excited for it! I still haven’t opened everything in it. Been way too busy! It was a crazy week. I figure I’m just going to enjoy the last of Fijian food I’ll have and then do P90X when I get back!

Interestingly enough, There use to be a KFC in Fiji! But within the year before I came to Fiji, it closed down and was replaced with SFC! They continued to use the trays, napkins, and other KFC merchandise left behind for their store too. Then just a couple months ago, SFC got bought out and is now Chicken Express, the most prominent and expensive fried chicken fast food restaurant. There is quite a bit of really good fried chicken in Fiji however that isn’t too pricey.

We are happy to report a very successful baptismal service for Sakiusa Bole! The service went very well. This was the first baptism I have performed where after standing back up from the water, our investigator just turned to me and gave me a hug. It surprised me because it didn’t seem to fit his personality, but he was happy. In addition to the service, with carriers that brought our units down, we had seven investigators attend church, as well as nearly ten other non-member potential investigators. With the success and the number who attended, it has moved the bishopric to establish a third unit in Naitasiri! In Savurua we have a member who is now at 7 months in the church, and has received the Melchizedek priesthood who will be selected to lead the unit. This will make it possible for them to have the sacrament weekly, as well as make church attendance much closer and easier for a couple of other members. It will also make attendance for 10 other investigators, including Waisake and all others from Waisere village, very easy. We are very excited and our ward leadership is going to help in providing training for the unit leader, Brother Pateresio Rokonaiveno.

With all of the excitement of Sunday, we were thrilled to see another recent convert back at church for the first time in months! Almost since his baptism he went less active. It was believed to have been some embarrassment to a little bit of a back slide he had, and even still he has been to afraid to meet or talk with us the last couple months. This is Tevita, whom Elder Lauti, another missionary, taught in Suva and was then allowed to come baptize him here in Waila. We had Elder Lauti write a letter to him and delivered it Saturday night, and Sunday morning he was there and his mother was overjoyed to see him come back too. Sunday couldn’t have been any better. Lots of attendance, lots of progress in the church! I am way excited to be part of establishing another unit in the islands of Fiji!

Thurday morning this last week Elder Tenny was able to get his licence! Which was just in time too. Me and Elder Owens were headed to a mission leadership council meeting and we were able to report that same morning the result! So now he is finally up in his area and Elder Owens and I are officially working together again.

Tomorrow we have our zone conference! And it will be my last zone conference, which means I’ll also be sharing my departing testimony. Other than that, we haven’t been able to teach near as much as we have wanted to the last couple of weeks! So we have a lot to do this week! I’m looking to finish out with a bang and there are lots of baptisms coming! Loloma levu!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock

Email 25 May 2014

Bula!

This week was pretty crazy! We had some big transfers. Elder Hyde went up to be the assistant to the president, and my new companion is my son! I’m am companions with Elder Owens again, whom I was companions a year ago. Pretty crazy and unexpected, but now we get to serve together again as the zone leaders. Most likely, he’ll be the one to “kill me off.” I helped kill my dad, and now my son kills me! haha. Well I am suppose to be his companion, but it hasn’t really happened yet. Two elders got called to replace drivers in two driving areas, and neither of them can drive! One is brand new so his licence from America counts for 6 months, but we had to teach him to drive manual in one day, then send him up to his area! The other has been in the feild for awhile and needs to get a Fiji licence. He also is pretty much re-learning how to drive completely and also to drive a manual, so I am his companion for now teaching him to drive until we can get him to pass a test to get a Fiji licence. Elder Owens had to go to his area to be a driver there. So that is that excitement!

We managed a little bit more teaching time this week, but not much. We have Sakiusa Bole ready for baptism this coming Sunday! He is someone that suprises me a lot. The entire fist month we were teaching him, I just felt he didn’t like us (because we weren’t able to give him a ride the second time we met him). But as we shared with him, he slowly softened more and more. Out of nowhere, our member present tells us he wants to get baptized! So here we are awhile later and Sakiusa has changed a lot! But it is way awesome and he is really excited.

We also managed to get two kids committed to baptism! Their mother, Sis Beitaki, is a returning member who wants to get to the temple. This is from the family whose oldest daughter passed away from dengue fever and was pregnant. They are doing well. Esava and Buna are two kids who aren’t baptized yet and we are getting them really excited! Esava is the one who told us “I want to go serve a mission, then I want to come back and be the bishop!” We are really excited for them.

Also, Waisake from the Waisere village told us that he wants to be baptized! I’m sure more from that village will follow! Due to church attendance, it will be a little bit before they can get baptized, but hopefully some will before I go!

That about sums up the week! I decided that I have one request for when I get back, and it is get the P90X workout program. I’m gonna have to work to shave off a bit of belly flub and might as well get buff in the process!

I also decided it would be easiest to get some new garments here before I leave, so I ordered 10 pairs on lds.org. That way I got 10 tops and 10 bottoms for under $15! Much cheaper in Fiji!

Loloma levu! Lots of work to do and too little time to do it all!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 18 May 2014

Bula Manakwa!

There really wasn’t much to report on. This last week we ran into a lot of road blocks and disturbances that hindered our ability to work in Naitasiri. First off was taking people and things to the hospital. We had quite a bit of illness in the zone this last week. This prevented us from going to our area Tuesday.Wednesday we got to go, but we got some other transportation assignments and other things in the way on Thursday. Plus, we had to take our truck into Asco to get it fixed (there were some fuel system problems), and they kept it the rest of the day and most of the next day. We had to take a bus back to Nausori from Suva which was actually kind of fun. It has been awhile since I have ridden the bus! But it stopped us again. Finally, Saturday we attempted to go, but with 3 days of non stop rain, much of the area was flooded and our access was limited.

Wednesday was great however! We made it back to the Waisere village and Waisake has finished the Book of Mormon! Plus, a couple of other women joined us this time and all were thrilled by the message of the restoration! One asked us about baptism and we explained being baptized the way Christ was and by proper authority. They were asking us about how they can come to attend church! Plus, Waisake himself was teaching them things we had already taught them! They are all really excited about it! It is pretty great.

We also had the baptism of Navi! We were all especially touched with the testimony he shared at the service. Now I just hope that his son and son’s wife will soon follow!

So I just finished reading the war chapters in Alma, and I had a pretty interesting connection that I made to missionary work. I love how Moroni writes to Pahoran and mentions how if there had been constant support from the government and no iniquity among the people including rebellions, there would not have been so much struggle or loss. It even results in him having to take his attention away from the major job of fighting back the Lamanites to use his strength to solve problems among their own people. In the mission it is much the same. We have our war to fight, our work to do in teaching, finding, baptizing, and it is sad that sometimes missionaries and leaders have to turn their attention away from that great work to fight and stop rebellions among themselves. Our strength comes from constant obedience and unity as a mission. It is tough when being a leader, sometimes you are forced to lose time and energy in your own area’s mission work, and to help strengthen others in theirs, for the purpose of correcting disobedience, problems, and other iniquity among other missionaries. Not to imply that our mission is having a downfall or anything. Things are going great. But I have had experiences where I have seen good time lost. We need to clean the inner vessel first before we can help outside!

I love being a missionary. I love having the chance to serve the Lord as a leader in this mission. And am grateful for the missionaries who are dedicated to this great cause and are obedient to it.

 

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Aqoka (this is the simplest way I have found to spell Hancock in Fijian)
FSM

Email 11 May 2014

Yay for Skype!

Yeah I’m not sure if I’ll have much to share in this email. I already told the great highlight stories for the last week! Lots of great work going on and seeds of faith growing and starting to burst forth! I am really excited about all of those investigators from Rakiraki. I’m going to do all I can to push those Elders to help them make it! Then I’ll be at the baptism myself!

Marautaka na Siga Tabu ni Tina! Happy mothers day! I didn’t really say it in the skype call, but there it is! oops. I think I mostly got thrown off because Mothers Day here in Fiji is actually next week. Not sure how that happened.

Pretty much everything you are having for mothers day sounds like some gormet feast! I haven’t had any of that stuff for a long time now! haha.

Sa loloma levu! I’ll try to get a few pictures sent! Moce mada 🙂

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 4 May 2014

BulaVinaka!

To be completely honest, I hadn’t even thought too much about skyping home and we haven’t really made any prior arrangements. We are going to attempt to Skype at 1pm on Monday Fiji time. I’m not sure what that converts to back home, but it will be on Sunday evening for you I believe. Now we just need to find where we are going to skype at! AH!

Rileys cake looks way awesome! I still can’t get over how hilarious the invitations were! And don’t worry about the rain! We got it all over here! haha, there has been a lot of rain fall the last couple days. But that is something you can expect being on the Suva side of the island.

That is a way cool story from Elder Snelson. It is crazy how many blessings you give while serving a mission. We have had a lot of people in our area ask for blessings and tell us later on how they were healed, pain stopped, things got better. Some times it even almost surprises me at how much the priesthood and faith work! Healing really does happen! That mostly reminds me of that experience back in Suva where we gave Michelle a blessing, and later on after I moved from the area, I was told about how she shared that from the moment we gave her that blessing and laid our hand on her head, she knew that this was the Lord’s kingdom restored to the earth. And she has since been baptized. I haven’t heard about her since then though.

So sadly we have not made it back to that village yet, but we will be going on Wednesday. We have heard however from the member who took us there that many others have asked about us and want to visit with us. Our plan is to empty my backpack, and fill it with copies of the Book of Mormon when we go back this week!

There really hasn’t been too much excitement. We did however manage to arrange for some of the ward to go with us up to the units to preside at the confirmations! We went up to Lomaivuna where we confirmed Samu and his daughter. Another member and his family went up to Navurevure, but due to an error with the carrier that was previously hired to do member pick ups, Sister Leba was not able to attend. So she still didn’t get to be confirmed.

I’m excited to report more next week on Waisere! I love you very much! Moce mada

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 29 Apr 2014

I feel like I read a cool article in a recentLiahona byDallin H. Oaks which was about sorting our priorities. It was pretty cool. It is interesting that on the mission I feel like I have learned the importance of giving up my will completely to the Lord, setting all of His priorities first, but at the same time, I’ve realized just how hard it is at times! Willing to put him first in everything, submit in every aspect of life, it is no easy task! But the more strict we get in our priorities, the well be blessed for it in exponential ways.

I’m pretty sure the one who just went in the MTC and knows me is Poasa Nagonevulavula. He is from our ward and just left over a week ago! He was really helpful and a good ward missionary before he left! Sunday night before his departure we had dinner at his families home. Way crazy good dinner. Good family. Their village is on it’s own little island in the middle of the Rewa river here!

This week was quite a bit better, but still pretty busy! We managed to meet with those who hadn’t been confirmed yet and we are pretty well arranged to get them confirmed this coming Sunday. We’ll be doing a split so that we can attend both units the same day. All is going well with them!

This last week as well we had two really cool experiences. First of all, three of our recent converts received the Melchizedek Priesthood this Sunday. Two of which had been baptized during my time in the area. There names are Vonijese, Pateresio, and Lepani (who was only baptized in March!). They are all doing really well and extremely happy and overjoyed with the whole event. Second, Pateresio gave us a referral for a man he knows in a village near where he stays. The village is called Waisere and it is in the middle of the jungle. We had to park our truck and take a 20 min walk through muddy trails to get to the village. It was a really beautiful village. There is no church there, but all are Christian. The man we met is the head of the village and he was happy to hear us and had been given previously a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants. After our visit, he officially opened the village for us to visit, and both of our members who were with us are confident that he’ll accept and be baptized as well as his sons and many others in the village. We were very possibly some of the first “kai-valagi” (white people) to even ever enter that village. So pretty much at this point we are getting more refferals and people to visit than we have time and allotted kilometers! Very busy. But the work is blessed and great. I am confident that we will be able to start a branch in Naitasiri before the end of the year if work continues like this. We have great priesthood potentials on their way!

That is about it for this week! I did get to do exchanges with one of our district leaders’ areas which is also the only Hindi speaking area in the mission, so that was exciting. Got to practice a bit on my Hindi 😛

Loloma levu!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM

Email 20 April 2014

Bula!

Easter here wasn’t really too much special. I hardly would have noticed it was Easter if it weren’t for the calendar or most stores being closed today. If anything, it kind of made the Sunday not so great. It hindered transportation a lot and almost nobody came to church in either of the units.

Overall the weekend really didn’t go well at all. We managed to contact some new referrals, but some big issues came up. The biggest being with our recent baptism. We have reason to suspect that one who was just baptized (not yet confirmed) is hiding a smoking issue from us. We have asked them and they said there isn’t a problem, but a daughter told us they do smoke on a daily basis. Plus we found scraps of homemade cigarettes in their home. So we will have to confront them very directly about it and figure it out. As for his baptism and confirmation, we are going to talk to our mission president.

Another bummer this week is that the other who was baptized, didn’t show up to church! We were going to their unit and a Bishopric member came up too to preside for the confirmation, but they didn’t show up. And now it will probably be a couple more weeks before we can arrange a confirmation. Then topping it all off, we weren’t able to meet with too many people because of the holiday.

It wasn’t just a miserable week or anything like that, but just those few things made it a bit tough. We had a leadership training meeting this last week in Suva which we gave a training at. It was really nice.

That is crazy about April’s job and experience at the mall! I feel like it would just be weird to see an Apostle just walking about. Also pretty funny about Ms King! Haha, She has been there a long time! And about Moses (Mosese is the Fijian form of the name. Pretty simple), that is crazy! Yeah that would be from Taveuni. I have not been there and I doubt I will, but that is cool! Fijians love their home and home lifestyle. I could see one getting a little homesick.

That’s all that is on my mind at the moment about the last week. I really love Fijian food. Loloma levu!

Au lomani kemuni! Moce mada 🙂

~Elder Hancock
FSM