Thanksgiving in the South Pacific!

Thanksgiving is one of the most cherished family times we have when we are home in the United States.  We enjoy everyone coming to one spot; staying the entire weekend; baking about 30 pies of all varieties; deep-fat frying, rotisserieing, smoking, dutch ovening, and sometimes even baking 3-4 turkeys; going to the movies; "Black Friday shopping; Christmas tree hunting; watching football; playing games; eating, eating and eating! and always a good time!!! We miss that experience. We are grateful for our special family.

Thanksgiving was shared this year with the other Senior Couple Missionaries; we participated in the Well's family tradition of having a "pie party". And then on Thanksgiving Day, we joined most of them in a "close-to" traditional Thanksgiving Dinner...everything, but the turkey! Well, we substituted chicken and it came really close.... (forgot to take pictures of the dinner part!)...and more pies!

THE PIE PARTY



THANKSGIVING DINNER: FOOD AND SINGING



We are blessed with good friendships here in Fiji!

A Special Event

I, Elder Collins, wanted to share with you a very special event. As some of you know, I have been trying to do some family history work. Because my mother's side has their history back to Adam, I've been trying to work on Dad's side. I was pleased to find that there is quite a bit of work done on my grandfather's side. So, I started on my grandmother's line. She is Henrietta Josephine Reed. A year or so ago, when I first went into her line, she was shown as having no siblings. Then a few months ago, someone, maybe Carol, found some info revealing two sisters, They mut have been twins, the same birth date is shown for both.

A short time before leaving to come down here, I happened onto a death record, showing the name of Joseph Jefferson Reed, as a son of John Louis and Mahala Reed, Grandma Etta's parents. I wrote to my cousin, Millard, who lives in Ohio; he used to live in Mesa, and we've kept in touch. He has done quite a bit of family history work on the Collins' line. When I told him about JJ Read he reponded, telling me who he married and what her parents' names were. He then stated that he hasn't been able to find anything on John Milton Reed, also Etta's brother. About a month ago, I started working trying to find enough information to do their temple work for them. I found when and where they were born and when they died. This is a picture of my Grandparents Newton Erastus and Henrietta (Etta) Josephine Collins.

This past week, for the first time ever, I began perfoming the work for "my kindred dead"! What a thrill! This week I will do their ordinance work and have them sealed to their parents, and hopefully have enough information to have JJ and his wife sealed!

Graduation Time at the College

Friday, November 22st was graduation at the school. It was a fun graduation!











The keynote speaker was a young man (about the age of Curt and /or Travis). He teaches at FNU and is world renowned in the music world. Has worked with several movies, including “The Hobbit”. He is the son of a minister, and so he spoke about spiritual values. Very good.



The final speaker was the area seventy that has his office in the same building as the mission office. I believe he is Samoan, but looks a great deal like Uncle Ace! In his talk he spoke of exact obedience. Pointing out that many of us use selective obedience. I thought, as he spoke, that “selective obedience”, not disobedience, is the opposite of “exact obedience”.












The youth speakers also were wonderful. The two main awards given were for: 1) the highest GPA for the four years. The kid was great. He stated that “I’m not the smartest kid in this school, or even in my family, but my father taught me work hard and finish what I started”. 2) The most prestigious award, the “Lion of the Lord” award, given to the student who lived the most Christ like life. It was given to a young graduating girl (Jeannette Miawiriwiri). She is beautiful in life! We didn’t get a picture of her I guess.



Other special tributes were made to the outgoing principal, Brother Tipo Solomone, and the new incoming principal for 2014, Brother Michael Carthew; and our retiring Home Economics teacher and TVET Head of Dept., Sister Buresova. Each were given salusalus and were asked to speak.

Friday evening we visited the “Graduation Prom.” Curt, you would have been proud to chaperone this prom. What great kids! The Prom is a dinner-dance. They, including the adults, were having fun! The kids were dressed up, some even in tuxedos, and most were even wearing dress shoes. During school almost all they wear is flip flops, or at most sandals; and often they walk to school and run around abarfoot -- their "shoes" in their backpacks!

Another Walk along the Sea Wall

We haven't had a chance to walk the Sea Wall lately as we have early morning meetings at the school. But we had a chance to go Wednesday morning and take the camera this time again! They have finished most of the buildings and added swings and teetor totters for adults. Soooo much fun!! Of course, we couldn't resist! We had a young lady take pictures of us--she continued snapping pictures until this happened! (We wanted to show Chloee Filipone that Elder Collins pushed Sister Collins in the swing this time!)

This is one of the buildings that Elder Collins was so interested in the construction phase; they have all been finished!














A purple park bench made us think of Kristen :)



A little family playing on the rocks and fishing. And....we thought of Clint in the next picture!





We do love this walkway that the government has prepared for the people!



Bye for Now!