Roper Fijian Crusades: Hit the Ground Running

We are in Suva Fiji. Before we got here, Kim and I were both having a hard time visualizing ourselves back in Fiji. It's been really weird the feelings we have had, a little hesitation, a bit of disbelief, a little anxiety and some excitement. Now that we are really here, it just feels good. It feels normal. It feels right. We spent the last week with Abbie's family. Abbie, Millie, Katie and Annie (our daughters) left on Monday April 11 for a 5 day cruise out of LA. We had to return our rental car to California so we came out the Friday before their cruise and spent the weekend with Abbie and her family. On Monday, the girls all met up and off they went. Kim and I agreed to babysit Macie, Maverick and Luka so James would be able to go to work. I'm really glad we did. It was great to get to spend the next 4 days with the Schramm fam. Thursday evening we went to dinner with James' parents and then James took us to the airport. We left LAX at midnight. They fed us a dinner around 2 a.m. and then turned the lights out to let us sleep. I think I actually slept for awhile. About 7 a.m. (California time) they turned the lights back on. They fed us breakfast and then began the dissent into Nadi, Fiji. We landed about 6:00 a.m. Fijian time on Saturday morning. The flight was 11 hours but because we crossed the international date line, we lost a whole day. No Friday for us! We transferred our bags, went through customs and boarded our next flight to Suva. It was a 30 minute quick flight. President and Sister Markus met us at the airport and took us to our apartment, the same one we had when we left 2 years ago. We love the Markus's already. What a great couple and what a time they have had running the mission with only Fijian missionaries and over 200 missionaries that were sent to Fiji while they waited to return to their home countries in the South Pacific. Almost all have either returned home or have been able to go to BYU Hawaii. I'm so impressed with them. They are really great people. We got to our apartment about 9 a.m. Pres. Markus invited us to baptism that was happening at 11. Of course! We were thrilled to be invited. When we were here before, we never were invited to baptisms. We unpacked a little, showered, and off to the baptism. When we got there we met 3 sister missionaries from Kiribati who had been at the MTC with us in August 2019. They remembered us before we recognized them. I pulled up my pictures and found that I had pictures of 2 of them from the MTC. They had all served in Australia or New Zealand. When COVID hit, they were sent to Fiji waiting to be able to return to their own country. They have officially been on their 18 month mission for 34 months! What dedicated sisters. Some of the Kiribati missionaries returned home in February but these sisters failed their covid tests and weren't able to return. Now they have completed the Pathways Connections Program and will going to Hawaii in a week to attend BYUH. It's not home, but at least they will be officially released from their mission and will start a new chapter and adventure in their lives. It was great to see them and reconnect. The church makes the world a very small place. We also were able to meet the only other senior couple in the mission, Elder and Sister Denney. What a wonder couple they are. Their neighbor back home is a young woman who grew up in our Orem ward whom we know very well and love! Like I say, the church makes the world a small place.

Pres. Markus asked us if we would be willing to attend the Korovou Branch again. This is a small branch an hour drive outside of Suva. We didn't hesitate to say yes as we love this Branch and the dear people who attend. We decided to leave early to make sure we were on time so we wouldn't make a commotion during Sacrament Meeting. But as I went to make our bed, I noticed blood on the sheets. Doing some investigating I noticed several bugs! I called Kim into the room and he had a look. It appears, our bed is infested with bedbugs! We took pictures and sent them to the mission president. He gave us a call just as we were trying to get out the door. We talked a bit about the possibilities of what to do and decided we would talk further after church. We left, but unfortunately we got behind several slow cars and didn't make it to church on time. We slipped in the back! Everyone turned, several waved, and Brother Turavu who was conducting welcomed us. I was a little surprised when tears welled up and my emotions got the best of me. I was so happy to see these beautiful families. Let's just say there was a lot of hugs and kisses after the meeting. And getting to go to Relief Society with the lesson being taught in Fijian was just like old times. "Sister Roper, do you have something you would like to add?" One of the sisters beside me, tried to fill me in on what was being discussed. I was reading the conference talk they were discussing as they discussed so I was able to just share my own thoughts on each section. Oh how I love those 7 sweet sisters and pray for them as they go through their struggles in life.

Tonight we are staying in a hotel so that we don't have to be sucked by bedbugs tonight. The exterminator will come in the morning and we will stay another night in the hotel. The mission president would like the landlord to buy us a new mattress. We will see what becomes of that. Haha! We have to laugh at the adventures that we are already having. Thank goodness there is no school tomorrow, for Easter Holiday. We will be able to devote some time to getting our apartment cleaned out.

So we are hitting the ground running. I wouldn't want it to happen any other way. Except for maybe the bedbugs!