Sept. 22, 2015 --New Beginnings of our Mission to Fiji, including our training in Auckland, NZ.

 Picture was taken from the street below our flat. Our flat is on the lower deck. This is a beautiful home, especially for Fiji. It is beautiful and green here and does rain a lot. That is why it is sooo green and lush.

  

Our first sighting of Fiji!!!!!!! Sorry, we are still learning how to blog. Some of these pictures are out of order.  

The Fiji Temple will be rededicated in Feb. with a very special cultural celebration. We are told we will be heavily involved with the open house before the dedication.           

Elder and Sister Smith helping to escort Elder Nelsen to the Nadi Airport.

 Self Reliance picture and theme: Feed a man a fish, you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you have fed him for a lifetime.

View of Auckland, NZ from One Tree Hill. Our driver was so kind to take us there on our way to the airport.

(L to R) Lautoka Stake Pres., Pres. Nielsen, Elder Smith, Pres. Layton and Counselor Pres. Harward

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 Leaders and youth preparing lunch on Sat. for Lautoka Stake Leadership Conference.

We had an incredible weekend with Pres. Gifford Nielsen at the Lautoka, Fiji Stake Conf. The spirit was so strong, the messages were inspiring, and the people are full of love. They treated us like we were royalty. We were in the same car with Pres. Nielsen to take him back to the airport: the driver and us. We were honored to be with him. He is a man filled with knowledge and the spirit. Vito, the driver took us back to Suva, a 4 hour drive, Sunday. We are assigned to oversee that Stake in Self-Reliance. Friday afternoon we were driven there by a taxi. 

  We love our cute apartment. We are told it is the nicest in the mission. We are trying to get time to get settled in. We bought our internet hot spot today and went grocery shopping. We went through a lot of money today. Some things are very expensive here. 

  Pres. and Sis. Layton took us out to their favorite restaurant tonight. They are wonderful people. They love their their missionaries. Pres. was Drew and Ambree Kimball's bishop in Draper before this assignment. They sure talk highly of them, especially how talented Ambree is. They told us before we left on our mission what wonderful people they were.   

   We have great pictures from the Stake Conference, too many to post.

 The Fijian Saints sure love Pres. Nielsen and he was very personable with them.

Monday night dinner with Pres. and Sister Layton at their favorite restaurant.