Cola Vina!

This week was a really good week, but it is really tiring to be out of my area. I have kind of bad news. My companion, Elder Poleka, is pretty sick and won't be able to return to Tuvalu. He had an ear infection or something a few months ago and it never healed completely. He probably will need surgery, but that kind of surgery is not available in Fiji. So I don't know what will really happen with him. I will be going back to Tuvalu with a new companion, Elder Momoisea, another Samoan. I think I'm destined to serve with every Samoan in the mission. We will be going back to Tuvalu at the end of the month by boat. It takes three days to go from Fiji to Tuvalu by boat.

I was in Ba this week for the first two days. It was fun and I was sad to leave. Then I rode a bus from Nadi to Suva. Let me tell you! Long bus ride! I had to ride alone too, because there were no other Elders coming from Nadi to Suva. Luckily, there was a member on the bus who I knew his family. We talked a little bit and he even bought me a soda. It was like the Lord still provided me a companion even though I thought I would travel alone.

Then I was able to serve in my old area, Suva third for two days. I went and saw the Rao family. I think I sent some pictures of them home. I love them so much, but the parents have stopped coming to church. So I went to visit them and I just felt a lot of sadness and stress when I went to their home. I feel bad for them, but I hope they will go back to church. That undoubtedly helps those kind of problems. It was really strange to be in Suva 3rd again. There were people I honestly had forgotten. It is so strange to go back to the past.

Then I served in Lami for a few days. I really like it in Lami and I got to serve with my old friend Elder Ethington. He came to fiji with me. We went to a town called Navua one day and I really felt the Lord's help again when he sent a taxi driver to us who was driving from Sigatoka to Suva. Elder Ethington already knew him too. What a blessing!

Something I was reading today was Joseph F. Smith's story of when he had a dream that he was in a dreadful rush to get some place. All he was carrying was a small bundle and he came to a large house. He saw a sign that said bath. He went in and bathed and then opened the handkerchief to reveal white garments. He then put them on and entered into the house to meet the prophet Joseph Smith. President smith said, "Joseph you are late." He replied, "Yes, but I am clean -- I am clean."

I thought of how much I have learned about repentance on my mission. We go among the sinners as missionaries. Among people who have committed a variety of sins. However, the process is the same for all of them to become clean like the dream of Joseph F. We have to be cleansed through the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Just as it says in 3 Ne 27 I think it's verse 19. No unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God. We must repent and be baptized and become clean in the blood of Christ. Through the atonement of Christ we can become without spot. I feel like I have learned how to do that better on my mission. I also have learned to take of the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenant. A sister said something that I thought was perfect. She said, "I don't have to be perfect to take the sacrament. I just have to do it with a humble heart and a spirit of repentance." I thought that was absolutely perfect. I have felt the cleansing power as I have prepared and taken of the sacrament. Repentance is real, and we can become clean.

I love you so much! I hope you have a wonderful week and a wonderful day!

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

New Mission President!

Cola vina! Sa kuci koto? Yes, that is fijian and it's pronounced (Tho- la). I'm back in this wonderous land. The land of jungle and so many people. I was honestly devastated to come this week because I just feel such a strong connection to my rock in the sea in Tuvalu. I really want to go back there and keep working. I think though that I can even help the work here in Fiji.

This past week was President Ostler's last week. He left the day that Elder Poleka and I arrived in Fiji. President Klingler came the day before I believe. Maybe it was before that. On Friday, we got to meet with President Klingler briefly and just introduce ourselves. He and his wife are absolutely lovely people. They have been serving for many years in the Mesa Arizona Temple as ordinance workers. I really would like to visit that temple when I get home. Anyway, We had zone conference yesterday and I was thoroughly impressed by President Klingler's dedication to the Lord as well as his sweet wife. They both served missions. He went to Paris, France, and she went to Minnesota and Wisconsin. They're both from Montana but they now live in Arizona, I think in Mesa. If you have questions about them, please feel free to ask me!

This week I have been stationed in Lami. It is one of my very favorite areas in Fiji because it is so beautiful! The people are wonderful here too. I've found out that I remember Fijian better than I thought. The Lord is helping me a lot. I have mostly been serving with an elder from my MTC district named Elder Ethington. He is from Salt Lake City. He always speaks a different dialect of Fijian from the West, so that's where the greeting comes from today! It has been good serving with him. On Saturday, we went to another village, far from here called Navua. It is a small ward with a lot of problems in the ward. The church is still growing there, and we met many good families that gave us a warm welcome. It reminded me a lot of Wainibokasi because it is far from Suva and the towns and the way of life is so much simpler. There are huge trees too! They make me think of Africa! Elder Ethington told me, when he served in Western Fiji, he often thought, am I in Fiji or in Africa? There is so much diversity in this beautiful little island in the sea!

I received a lot of mail this week! That made me really happy! I read it all in one day, because I was so excited to recieve it! It will take me many days to write back however!

Well I am nearly finished with my credit, so I had better go! More next week! I love you all. I know that this work is true. Most importantly I know that Jesus Christ is our saviour. One scripture that Sister klingler shared yesterday was in Alma 31:5. I invite you to read it and see how it applies to you. I really enjoyed it!

Love you,

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

Sorry I posted this so late!

Hello everyone!

What a marvelous week it has been! It rained quite a bit this week, especially on Saturday. The kids all had boards that they would run and slip around in the puddles. It looked like a lot of fun! It reminded me of snow days back at home how all the kids get all there snow gear on and go sled around. I miss the cold weather! Not that much though...

This is just a news report to everyone! I am going to be huge! Elder Poleka and I go to the gym here in Tuvalu almost every morning. We bench press, squat, powerclean, and all the good stuff. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt myself. Elder Poleka can lift like 6 times as much as I can... but eventually I am going to lift like him maybe. I really do feel good though, with us walking everywhere and lifting weights I think I am going to get pretty toned, not that it matters. It would be nice to be stronger though, so people don't have pity on me and try to get me to eat six full plates every time I eat. (that is an exaggeration, but not by much.)

Honestly though, this week was really amazing. We had some real progress with some of our investigators. There's three boys, Molesi, Tom, and Likilua (the ones that asked us for the Tuvaluan pamphlet), that we have been helping to read the Book of Mormon. This week we committed them to baptism in August. Two of them even came to church. They're doing really good and I think they really identify with Elder Poleka and Me because we're about the same age as them.

I am always amazed at the impact of the Plan of Salvation when we try to teach it simply and with the goal of eternal life in view. We were teaching a recent convert and one of our investigators who isn't really progressing this week. When I asked Sister Ilau, the recent convert, "What is the purpose of our time on Earth?" She said, "To recieve Eternal Life." I thought what better answer than that. I think they really connected to the atonement when we taught that though, because Sister Ilau later came up to me and said, "The lesson you taught earlier was really nice, thank you."

We also showed a leadership training from the First Presidency to the branch this week. I think it will help them a lot. I was really tired afterwards because it ended late. But at least we got a cake.

As of this week, I have been a missionary for one full year. It's hard to express what a mission is like. I once said it is like being squeezed through a tube, because it can be so uncomfortable sometimes. I think I have met with all of my greatest fears on the mission, most of which were not things, but feelings and situations. Sometimes I just stop there and forget the other part, but I have left out the greater part if I just say that. Being a missionary is so amazing, it is like training for the bigger race of life in just two years. I feel sometimes as my trainer, our Heavenly Father, pushes me to the limits. He puts on that 20 kg weight on both sides and says, "You can do it." He always helps me though, and then afterward I feel like I have climbed a mountain and I see the beautiful view of eternity as I see people make everlasting covenants at baptism and as I see people change there lives so someday they can be an eternal family. The joy that one feels as a missionary is inexpressible. The love that I feel for these people, for my companion, and for my family right now, is beyond anything that I had ever felt before. I feel as if I am doing the most meaningful thing I have yet done in my whole life. I love it, even though it is hard.

I love you all! I know this church is true! Last night we had a fireside where some of our recent converts shared their precious testimonies and it really strengthened mine. I know that this is Jesus Christ's Church. I love him, he is my saviour and because of him I can inherit eternal life.

With Love,
--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

Bench Pressing

Talofa!

This week your greeting is in Samoan. My companion knows samoan quite well, and since Tuvaluan is close he can understand the people here. The problem is, he speaks Samoan whenever he speaks. It's actually not much of a problem, but it is funny. He's learning Tuvaluan quickly though. I found out though, that I can mostly understand Samoan. So that's pretty great!

This week will always be near and dear to my heart because it was so hard, but we were blessed so much! On Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday all of our appointments fell through except maybe two. My patience was tested thoroughly and I wondered why the Lord was allowing that to happen to such a promising and rich area where there are so many people who need to hear this gospel. That was the wrong question! I should have been asking what is the Lord trying to teach me. Eventually, that is what I asked, and the answer was patience.

I realized that I was not very patient. I wanted us to make every appointment and to move forward with the lessons we were teaching each person, but perhaps I should have been more attentive to the spirit and how I could meet the needs of the people that Heavenly Father placed in our paths. In any case, The Lord blessed us so plenteously, that I almost would ask him to do it again.

On Sunday, two of our recent converts who have hardly come since their baptism came back to church. It was one of the sweetest things to see, as one of them with her whole family, and another sister full of faith came on her own. I could tell that the Branch was really happy that they came back. I hope that those two sisters felt really welcome, because otherwise maybe they won't come back. Something that I know has helped is our diligent efforts as missionaries and our attitude that we will never give up on them because we love them so much.

We also had two of my favorite investigators (Molesi and Tom) who came to church yesterday. They seemed super uncomfortable to be there and when we came in the morning to see them they weren't ready then, but they got ready and came. I was so happy that they came to church! They are doing really good, even though they can't really understand the Book of Mormon. They are trying their best and I think God is showing them his spirit and the things that they should do.

I was still sick at the beginning of the week, but by Tuesday I was mostly better. My companion decided we needed to go work out! I was actually totally excited! So we went and did some bench press, some squats, and things like that. My companion used to play football and he's a huge half Tongan half Samoan, so he's really good to help me in my lifts. I think I really am going to gain some muscle mass, plus I have been eating a ton lately! My companion sometimes makes me breakfast and he makes me so much food! I hope that I get huge and not just fat. At this point, I'm still just skinny... but you just wait! I'm gonna be huge! That's what I tell my companion every morning when we go to lift. For that reason, I really hope that we stay together in Tuvalu for a while, so that I can gain some muscle and get stronger.

My companion is really good! He is probably the most compassionate companion I have had. He makes me food and is always trying to do things in a way so that I'm happy. Which is awesome, but sometimes I want to just tell him that it's ok, I'm not too picky. He's really trying hard! I can tell that this first week has not been easy for him. He's really good though, and I think I can help him just like he's helping me. It's amazing how sometimes you have the thing to complete your companion and vice versa. The Lord is infinitely wise in how he places us together.

Yesterday I gave a talk in church about the temple. I love the talks from General Conference about the temple, but my very favorite is Elder Scott's talk. The story that really touches my heart is about his son that died as a baby because of heart problems and how he knew that it would be ok, because they had been sealed in the temple. What a powerful motivation for me to someday be sealed in the temple! It's so beautiful that even though problems come in this life, that our family can be together forever because Mom and Dad were sealed in the temple. God loves us so much!

Well I love you! I know that this church is true! I know that God is our Heavenly Father, he loves us, he helps us, and he is guiding us through what may appear to be a perilous and impossible journey, but if we rely on him and his son, Jesus Christ, we will make it safely home to him. Sometimes are trials, just like those weights that I bench or squat in the morning, may be hard to lift, but make us stronger. Something I learned in lifting is that the best lifts are when it feels so heavy and your arms are shaking as you lift the bar, but you do it. Sometimes we can't lift it by ourself either, sometimes our spotter has to reach out and help us lift it. Our spotter is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is ever there for us.

I love you!

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

Tuvaluan is really similar to Tuvaluan (?)

Talofa my lovely family and friends!

This week has been really good! I can't believe I'm back in Tuvalu so fast! It's good though, I'm really happy to be here. It feels like my home here! It was so familiar to be with my branch family and to eat at the Branch President's home. I love Tuvalu, I can feel the time coming though that I will have to return to Fiji and serve there. I'm sad, but I feel like I have worked really hard here.

When we got here on Thursday, all was well, but on Saturday both Elder Poleka and I were sick. Elder Poleka had an ear infection in Fiji, but it had gotten a little better. Then when we flew, our mission nurse thinks that it made it inflamed again. I got a little head cold, but it still made me really tired. Luckily, we didn't have too many appointments that we had to cancel.

Elder Poleka has been really good while we've been here though. He really understands the language and he is really good at speaking even though he just got here. Tuvaluan is really similar to Tuvaluan so he has learned a lot already, but I think there is still a long journey ahead of him in learning it. I didn't realize how great a feat it was that I had learned this language until I was talking to another American, named Amelia, who had tried to learn spanish before. I told her I thought it was easy, but she said she thinks it's harder than other languages. It just goes to show how much the Lord has helped me while I've been here. Maybe when I go back I'll try to learn Russian or something... We'll see.

This week when we got back one of our families that we have been teaching finally started coming to church every week, and they want to be baptized in August. I am really amazed that they finally want to get baptized. We have been teaching them since January and they finally have decided that it's right for them. The mom hadn't really prayed about it before, so Elder Whipple and I had asked her to sincerely pray if it is right. When we met with them yesterday, she said she prayed and she felt the whisperings of the Holy Ghost tell her that it is true. She has stopped going to her other church and told them that she needs to be replaced in her position as treasurer. I just wish Elder Whipple was here to see it. He would be so happy! This was Eti's family. I don't know if you remember them, but we have been teaching them for a long time. Ever since I was companions with Elder Key.

I love the members here. We gave them a dinner list yesterday for the next two weeks (we go back to Fiji that soon!) and they filled it up so quickly! They are so kind and compassionate.

President Ostler and Sister Ostler go home in two weeks too! I will really miss them, even though they have been really busy and it's hard to have a super personal relationship with them, they have felt like my parents away from home here in Tuvalu. I'm sure President Clingler and his wife will be just as good. Maybe he'll even learn Fijian! We'll see. He has to know french, that's a requirement to be the Mission President here. It should be fun to meet them at the end of this month.

Well I love you all! I sent package home but it only has stuff for Mom and Dad and Tom. Next time I'll send some stuff for the rest of you all. Love you love you!


--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

Back in Fiji for a bit

Bula Bula! I am back in Fiji and oh how I missed it! I never really want to go back to Fiji from Tuvalu but when I finally do, I am amazed to discover how much I miss in my little Island Paradise. I love Tuvalu! Unfortunately, there was no mail waiting for me, because mail from America has halted for over a month due to Terrorist threats or something. Yeah, it stinks.

Our last week in Tuvalu was really great. Everyone wanted to feed me and Elder Whipple. In a way it was great, in another way it made me feel really sick! I am not much of an overeater. I think if I try to over eat when I get old, I will die of anxiety before I die from being fat. Anyways, A lot of people saw us off at the airport and Elder Whipple was really sad. I was too, and I will not lie he is probably my favorite companion thus far in my mission. He is so dilligent. I was amazed when he gave a talk last sunday, all in Tuvaluan, after only two months. It was quite good actually.

I found out my new companion is an Elder named Elder Poleka. He joined the church just under 5 years ago and he is really good. He's from California, although he group up in Samoa. He plays football, and will probably play at the University of Utah after the mission (I'm trying to help his decision.) He is also part Tongan. He is a big guy, but he is really good. I'm sure he'll have a little Samoan rage, but it's nothing I haven't seen before. He always tells me that he is really prideful, but he must have change a lot because he is pretty humble now. His mom seems like a really cool lady. When she decided to join the church, his dad left her and her family disowned her. Elder Poleka has 14 brothers and sisters. He is a pretty cool guy!

This week I have been staying in Lami. It is one of the most beautiful parts of Fiji. It is right along the shore and near the mountains. It was great to use some Fijian and eat some Dalo and Rourou again. I know that doesn't even make much sense to you, but believe me it was like coming home. My Fijian is really rusty though, so I will be refining that as we go back to Tuvalu, so that I won't have to start over again when I come back to Fiji.

We also went to a Leadership Training while I'm here. I guess because we're the only people on the island that makes us leaders. I learned a lot from it, and I caught a vision I had never even envisioned before for the mission. We talked a lot about opening our mouth, about speaking the language, and about unity. Then we watched a really good talk by Elder Holland from the MTC about Preach My Gospel. It was really good!

I have really enjoyed reading the conference talks from the last conference! I really liked President Packer's talk, but I always do. He is such a defender of truth. He always shares about the family and never apologizes. I really liked how he talked about forgiveness and understanding. I really liked Elder Scott's talk too. Actually that's my favorite so far, but I haven't read them all. I really loved Elder Scott's talk about his wife. It makes me excited for when I someday get married and have a family of my own. No worries, long way off. I'm not going to bring a wife back.

Oh something great that happened in Tuvalu is our Fijian Investigator Jo has decided to be baptized. I'm really excited to go back and pick the work back up in Tuvalu! I love Tuvalu!

Have a wonderful week! Remember how much God loves you!

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission

Drunks, last minute talks and guns

Dearest Family and Friends,

This week has been great! Both Elder Whipple and I were sick with colds, but it didn't stop us. Elder Whipple will only be my companion for three more days, and then it will be someone new! I'm not really sure who it will be, because they still haven't announced transfers. By the way, last week I said Elder Whipple knew who my companion was, but he was just kidding, he didn't. So it will probably be a big surprise when we get to Fiji. I am excited to head to Fiji this week. We have been teaching a Fijian man and it makes me miss the Fijian language and culture. Although, I absolutely love Tuvalu.

One of our investigators is that Fijian man. His name is Jo. He has a very interesting past, and when we met him the first time he was stone drunk (that's actually a common occurrence here in Tuvalu, although the drunks are truly harmless here.) He asked us to help him and he showed us his house. It took about three tries back to finally meet with him, but then we met with him and his family. His family wasn't really interested, but Jo just clung to what we taught him. He began asking questions like: What is the Book of Mormon? Can I pray even though I sin? We gave him a Book of Mormon and explained that our Heavenly Father wants to hear our prayers. He began reading and reading in English, then we gave him a Fijian Book of Mormon. Then he read and he really started to understand and ask good questions. Yesterday, he came to church for the first time. The branch wasn't brilliant in fellow shipping him, but some of the young men who play rugby with him went and talked to him. That was good! I really have a good feeling about him, because he really wants to change. If someone wants it that badly, they will change no matter what their weaknesses.

This week something funny that happened is that every kid on the island recently has gotten an airsoft gun. If they can't afford a gun, they take a pvc pipe and put a balloon and a rubber band on the end of it and shoot each other with the little BBs. It's really funny, because they go around in like gangs and stuff. We even saw one kid with a laser pointer on his gun. I'm just glad there aren't any real guns here, or these kids might be doing bad things. As is, it is quite amusing, and sometimes Elder Whipple and I will borrow one and use it for a second or two. The other day Elder Whipple was having a battle with some kids and it was really funny, because they were trying to be really stealthy and everything, but Elder Whipple was a really good shot, so he shot the kids sometimes. Funny times! No worries, we won't be buying our own guns, that's probably not allowed. In Tuvalu, there literally aren't other guns though. I think the police have some, but other than that none.

Something really good that happened this week too, was that Elder Whipple and I got asked to talk last minute. Always count on the missionaries to be ready to talk at the last minute. I had maybe five minutes to prepare my talk and I just prayed to know what to talk about. I just felt the Lord guide me to speak to the people about loving others especially their families. It's amazing the guidance we are entitled to on a mission.

I love getting your emails! I hope that no one gets carried away in a flood! I probably won't, so don't worry about that! Maybe die of thirst, not really we have plenty of water recently! It has rained every other day for the last week or two.

Loving you,

--
Elder Paul Leland Hill
Fiji Suva Mission