It has been so great to see the senior couples coming into Suva. When we arrived in April, President and Sister Markus were beside themselves because they only had one other senior couple here to help out in the mission. Elder and Sister Denney had been here about six months and the four of them were doing their best to run the mission. Even though our mission isn't working in the office or such, we were able to lend them a hand and were very happy to help out where we could. Five months later, we have eleven more senior couples serving. Everyone has a different assignment. Some work with other couples and some work completely alone. We try to get together weekly to share our experiences and build friendships. It's been wonderful to get to know these wonderful people. Pictures are not in chronological order. Just pictures of those who serve with their heart, mind and strength.
Pizza Night: starting on the left, Elder & Sister Jorgensen, Ropers, Sister & Elder McBride, Elder Patton (although you can't see him 😂) Sister Patton, Elder & Sister Walker, Elder & Sister Hair, and Sister & Elder Denney.
Pot luck at the McBride's flat. L to R: Ropers, Elder & Sister Patton, Elder & Sister Jorgensen, Elder & Sister Walker, Elder & Sister Thevenin, Elder & Sister McBride.
Ropers, McBrides, Jorgensens, Sister Call, Sister Mildenhall, Pattons, Walkers, and Hairs.
Helping Sister Hair with some computer issues in the mission office.
Elder & Sister Hair visiting at the dorms with us.
Pot Luck after church at the Korovou Branch. Elder Anderson is the young elder. The Pattons and Sister McBride are in the back. The Hairs are at the table with the Jorgensens.
The Jorgensens and Kim.
We had taken the 2 new couples to get the cell phones working and stopped for lunch. After me are Elder and Sister Thevenin, the McBrides, and the Jorgensens.
The waiter had us gather together for the picture. It worked pretty good this way. Us, Jorgensens, Elder & Sister Baldwin, the Denneys, and the McBrides and Walkers are standing behind.
Patton, Hinkson, Walker, Hair, Hatch, Jorgensen, Sisters, Himle, baldwin, thevinin, McBride,
Chinese Dinner. Elder & Sister Himle, Jorgenson, Thevenins, Sister & Elder Hinkson, Hairs, Walkers and Sister Mildenhall. We had such a big group they had to put us at 2 tables.
Pres. & Sister Markus (although you can't see Sister Markus), Elder & Sister Patton, Elder & Sister Denney, Elder & Sister McBride, Sister & Elder Hatch and me.
Elder & Sister Patton came way back in May so these are old pictures. They work with us at the schools so we were super excited to get them here to Fiji.
Sister McBride and I with Diana at the Korovou Branch. We both attend there with Diana.
Elder and Sister Himle arriving with Sister Call and Sister Mildenhall.
The 4 new missionaries with President & Sister Markus and Sister and Elder Denney in the back.
After attending Korovou District Conference with Sister Call and Sister Mildenhall, we stopped to show them our favorite beach and met Freddy and his grandfather.
We took Elder Hatch and Sister Hatch to the dorms where he did a dental health presentation to the students.
Having served with Elder & Sister Hinkson in 2019-2020 we were thrilled to welcome them back to Fiji.
Elder Mills for some reason had a slight delay in his arrival from when the other new young missionaries came in so he came in with the Hinkson's.
There they are!
Elder and Sister Thevenin arrived with Elder & Sister Jorgensen.
That's the extent in pictures--which are completely scrambled as far as time line goes. But we really do love getting to know these great people who love the Lord and are making the sacrifice to serve here in Fiji. Each has a different assignment:
Elder & Sister Denney work in the mission office. He takes care of the fleet (vehicles) and she takes care of the money (finances).
Elder & Sister Patton are ITEP missionaries. They are helping teach BYUH courses with us at the Church owned college (high school) and primary schools. They have recently moved into the "Principal's House" next to the college. It has sat empty for several years and somehow "we" convinced them to use it for the ITEP couple. Since they will be here a year longer then us, they get to live in the house.
Elder & Sister Baldwin are MLS (member leader support) missionaries. They serve in Savusavu which is on the other main island. We don't get to see them very often. They absolutely love where they are even though they miss the association of the other couples.
Elder & Sister Thevenin are also MLS missionaries. They are serving in Latoka which is on the Northwest side of the island. They drive the 4-5 hours to Suva once a month to attend the temple and visit the other couples.
Elder & Sister Jorgensen work in the mission office. They take care of all the flats (apartments). They have been very busy cleaning up old flats that have sat empty for the last 2 years because of the decrease in missionary numbers and the increase that is coming. This week there will be 3 missionaries returning home with 15 new missionaries coming! Pres. Markus is excited to see the growth in the mission after serving two years. He thinks it'll be back to it full capacity about the time he'll be returning home.
Elder & Sister McBride are MLS missionaries. They are serving in the Korovou Branch with us. He has been called as the Branch President while they try to strength and build the branch.
Elder & Sister Walker are welfare missionaries. They travel all over the island and work with the ministry of Fiji doing all kinds of welfare projects.
Elder & Sister Himle are MLS missionaries. They are only here for 6 months specially requested by the stake president and working with the Nausori Stake.
Elder & Sister Hair are communications missionaries. They are actually assigned to be in New Zealand and are here temporarily while they wait for their visa to enter New Zealand. They travel all over the South Pacific and write stories for the church news.
Elder & Sister Hatch are dental missionaries. They are also here temporarily while they wait for the borders to open to go to Tonga. Until then, they are helping with dental work for the young missionaries mostly from Fiji and the dorm students who need dental care.
Sister Call and Sister Mildenhall are both single sisters, widows. They are doing the visas and other desk work at the mission office. Basically they are the mission secretaries.
Elder and Sister Hinkson are the most recent missionaries to join us. They served as the financial missionary and nurse in 2019 and 2020. After finishing their mission remotely when covid hit, they applied for a new mission. They have returned as self-reliant missionaries. They will be teaching self-reliant courses to members and will be helping with pathway-connect.
It is amazing to me that Fiji has been blessed with an abundance of senior missionaries. They are all talented and outstanding individuals. It's an honor and a blessing to serve here with them.
We love these people and love serving the people of Fiji.
Micky & Stephen Hinkson, Kathy & Brian Jorgensen, Christine & Cory Hair, Julie & John McBride, Diana & Steve Thevenin, Wendy & David Patton, Janet & Roger Denney, Florence & Greg Hatch, Rhonda & Kim Roper, Becky & Steven Himle, Marianne & Jim Walker, Carolyn Mildenhall, Brad & Susan Markus.
