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| Nani, our current cleaner, loves flowers and has a bountiful garden which she shares with us often. It is such a pleasure to come home after a long day to a clean flat and beautiful flowers! |
After all our travels in March, April was a stay-at-home month. We enjoyed pictures and MarcoPolos from friends and family, especially the birthday reminders.
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| Angela and Naomi |
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| Chris |
Chris celebrated at home this year. Sometimes he comes to Ivins and we get to do birthday BBQ together! I love it that our calendar alerts us to these special times of the people we love.
Jim had his last birthday on April 15th, 2021, and as a remembrance/celebration this year, Joyce, Mike, Julie, her husband Josh, and grandson Hunter drove to the redwoods to visit Jimmy's resting spot near his mom, dad, and brother Frank. It was a poignant and peaceful trip.
In late March I got a very unpleasant surprise early one morning when I was unable to get out of bed because of tremendous back pain. After toddling around bent double for about 30 minutes, I was able to become upright with the help of gentle stretching, ibuprofen, and a hot shower. The pain persisted, annoyingly, for several days and I sought the help of a physiotherapist that I trust here in Suva. She sent me for a full set of X-rays. The radiology report contained the dreaded words "age related degenerative changes". I'm assuming that I probably overextend myself in the garden in the days leading up to the crisis. After extensive YouTube, Dr. Google, and Physio consults, I determined that the problem probably stemmed from the fact that I had been limping around on a sore ankle for about 8 months, and my body alignment suffered the consequences. Note illustration.
The bottom line is that it will probably take several months to recover, and there will be lots of aches and pains to deal with in the process. The good news is that my ankle has recovered and I am no longer limping! The bad news is that I'm working at about 1/3 to 1/2 speed. Steve has been wonderful about picking up the slack, as well as kind friends and fellow missionaries. It's hard to see day-to-day improvement, but when I remember how bad it was right at first, I know I've been improving--slowly.
That evening, Elder called to report that the dressing placed earlier in the day was paining and burning. I had also received word from the radiologist that there was some "suspicious" areas he wanted to X-ray again to re-evaluate the foot. I suspected that the "paining and burning" might be an allergic response to topical medication used in the clinic. Steve and I drove to the flat and I held that foot in my lap to take off the bandage and re-dress the foot. I KNOW how swollen and tender that foot was, what limited range of motion was present, and that the Elder could NOT tolerate weight bearing. Before we left, we offered him a priesthood blessing, which he gratefully accepted. After the blessing, he shared with us that it was the first time he had ever received a blessing himself, although he had participated in giving many blessings. The next morning, I arrived at the radiology clinic a few minutes before the elders got there. Imaging my shocked amazement when I saw Elder Udreudre walking toward me, no crutches, no limp, no bandage, wearing his regulation footwear. He was smiling and cheerfully explained that he woke up that morning with no pain of any kind. He graciously submitted to more X-rays, re-examination by the baffled doctor, and re-assured all of us several times that his foot felt fine. The X-rays showed that the area of concern was a well-healed previous injury. We all went home, so grateful for the Miracle of that day.
On April 17th we were hosted in the mission home for a great meal. Unfortunately, the occasion was to say our farewells to the McBrides, who were leaving to go home to Colorado the next day. It is a phenomen of mission life that you sometimes only hear the good stories when someone is just about to leave. This wonderful couple braved the conditions of the rural regions of the Korovou district to locate members and invite them back to church after the Covid isolation. This is an area of dirt roads, small villages that have no "address" system, and lots of cows, pigs, chickens, mosquitos, and dense jungle growth between villages and settlements. Google maps is completely useless. The amazing story is that they were successful in making many contacts and re-energized the branch. They are well respected and greatly loved in Korovou.
We continue with our family garden project, and we have had some interesting and special experiences because of it. On April 19th we were able to meet with the folks at the Ministry of Health.They have a complete 2 day seminar that covers healthy lifestyle and family gardening. They were very receptive to doing presentations for our groups. They wanted village health workers invited, and their motivation is very much geared to "train the trainer" to have a group of 30 people who will then take the information back to their villages and be influencers for building family gardens and improving diet. We were able to schedule 2 events with them during that meeting, and we are thrilled to be able to take that to our branches (more on that later . . . )
The last big project for April was flu shots on April 27th. Flu season in the southern hemisphere is April-July. Fortunately for me, we had a transfer day that brought a majority of the missionaries to Suva and the insurance company contracted with a local clinic to provide injection administration service at the mission office. All I had to do was organise paperwork and lollies. It went very smoothly, and we were able to give 70 doses in about 2 hours. The young ladies from the clinic (one was a doctor and one was a nurse) were very interested in why so many young people were at the site of the temple with the golden statue, and they were asking many questions. We made sure that the sister missionaries hooked up with them for a Book of Mormon presentations and contact information for future teaching opportunities.
I'm going to finish with this thought from Jeffry R. Holland, because a very dear friend sent it in a letter recently, and it was just what I needed to hear---
Laurie's birthday was April 18th and it looks like she and Tami had a wonderful adventure across the pond.
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| Tami and Laurie |
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| My Sister Sue |
Sue and I share the month from late April to late May by being the same age (it doesn't last long) and we usually take time to go to lunch--I'm looking forward to 2025 because we'll have to make up for lost time and go to lunch 3 times!
In late March I got a very unpleasant surprise early one morning when I was unable to get out of bed because of tremendous back pain. After toddling around bent double for about 30 minutes, I was able to become upright with the help of gentle stretching, ibuprofen, and a hot shower. The pain persisted, annoyingly, for several days and I sought the help of a physiotherapist that I trust here in Suva. She sent me for a full set of X-rays. The radiology report contained the dreaded words "age related degenerative changes". I'm assuming that I probably overextend myself in the garden in the days leading up to the crisis. After extensive YouTube, Dr. Google, and Physio consults, I determined that the problem probably stemmed from the fact that I had been limping around on a sore ankle for about 8 months, and my body alignment suffered the consequences. Note illustration.
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| Skeleton Guy One picture is worth a 1000 words. |
The bottom line is that it will probably take several months to recover, and there will be lots of aches and pains to deal with in the process. The good news is that my ankle has recovered and I am no longer limping! The bad news is that I'm working at about 1/3 to 1/2 speed. Steve has been wonderful about picking up the slack, as well as kind friends and fellow missionaries. It's hard to see day-to-day improvement, but when I remember how bad it was right at first, I know I've been improving--slowly.
On Friday April 7th, the senior missionaries gathered at the mission home for a pot-luck Easter dinner. We had ham with all the trimmings, and I couldn't resist taking a plate of deviled eggs, which was well received. These kind of gatherings help us remember the reason for the season, and help with the home sickness that can come at these very special holiday times. I got a very special blessing on Easter Sunday, but I have to tell you the backstory first.
In early April, Elder Udreudre called me to report a very sore ankle and great toe that he had injured in P-day games. I advised X-rays, and met him at the clinic the next day to go through the process. Fortunately, the x-ray seemed to indicate no broken bones, so the clinic nurse dressed the foot and we sent him home on crutches.
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| Elder Udreudre's foot |
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| Our dear Sarah, the clinic nurse that takes such good care of us when we go to the TappooCity clinic. |
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| Elder Udreudre (left) and Elder Lewenilovo (right) |
A few days later, on Easter Sunday, Steve and I decided to go to Wailoku Branch for Sunday services because there were some Self-Reliance contacts we needed to make there. We arrived to find that President and Sister Markus were also in attendance, as well as Elder Udreudre and his companion. By that Sunday I was feeling pretty beat-up by the pain and physical restriction of my back, so I asked Steve before we went in if we could arrange for me to get a blessing before we left church that day. After the meeting there was the usual hub-but of visiting and I know Steve approached both the President and the Elders to arrange for us to have a quiet moment for the blessing. President got delayed on the way to the room we needed, so Elder Udreudre and Steve participated in giving me a beautiful, healing blessing that reassured me that this back condition can be handled in Fiji and it won't be a reason to be sent home (something I was very worried about). It was a very special, spiritual experience that was enhanced by the miracles of the week before. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God knows and loves each of us individually, He knows our needs, and He will send the blessings we need according to His wisdom and timing, and our obedience and diligence in seeking those blessings.
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| President and Sister Markus (left) Elder and Sister McBride (right) |
We continue with our family garden project, and we have had some interesting and special experiences because of it. On April 19th we were able to meet with the folks at the Ministry of Health.They have a complete 2 day seminar that covers healthy lifestyle and family gardening. They were very receptive to doing presentations for our groups. They wanted village health workers invited, and their motivation is very much geared to "train the trainer" to have a group of 30 people who will then take the information back to their villages and be influencers for building family gardens and improving diet. We were able to schedule 2 events with them during that meeting, and we are thrilled to be able to take that to our branches (more on that later . . . )
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| Our audience Naikawaga Village |
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| Steve setting up for our presentation in Naikawaga Village |
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| Sister Baivou with some her cucumber harvest |
One day we were just sitting in the office and Sister Baivou came by to show us some of her cucumber harvest (from seeds distributed in our garden project). She is from Naikaiwaga, and shared with us that she had taken a 25 kilogram bag of cucumbers to market on the previous Saturday and made $80 dollars. She was so excited--and so were we! She was selling her cucumbers for $2 dollars, so I happily told her that I wanted 3. It turned out that the $2 was for a "heap" of cucumbers, which is a pile of 3 at the market. I was now in possession of 9 cucumbers! Needless to say, I shared a few with others in the office.
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| Nausori Zone missionaries and a few senior couples |
On April 21st the missionaries of the Nausori Zone organised a clean-up service project of Kiuva Beach. It's the closest beach to Suva that I am aware of, and it is one that we have enjoyed several times. Several senior couples joined the effort. I was given the very important task of tearing apart the garbage bags so the bottom seam didn't rip out in the process. As you can tell from the pictures, a very large amount of rubbish was collected in about 2 hours time. The entry-way to the beach looked much better when they were finished. Unfortunately, there remains significant potential for future projects!
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| That's a LOT of trash |
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| Standing Steve and I, Sister Vakalala and Sister Komainaiqoro. Seated, Dr. Radishma (left) Nurse Swasti (right) |
I'm going to finish with this thought from Jeffry R. Holland, because a very dear friend sent it in a letter recently, and it was just what I needed to hear---
"Don't you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead -- a lot of it. Your keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."
Love from
Mickey and Steve
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