Christmas Holiday to Nananu-i-Ra Island and McDonalds Resort

We drove up from Suva with the Clarks and returned with the Andersons.  It is about 3 hours to the Ellington Wharf boat dock, and a 10 minute outboard ride from there to the Island.  We had 6 couples, lots of food and it was fun.  The snorkeling was good, somewhat low visibility with all of the recent rain.  There was a sunken dive boat that somehow broke mooring and sand in about 15 feet of water during the storm last week.

The Resort was basic,older but clean.  We brought our own food, some were at McDonalds and some at the neighboring Beethams resort.  The weather was good with no lost time to rain!

Heading out to the Nananu Island.

Z Magnette shirt.

Sunken treasures.

Taking off her fins.

Seabreeze Park Christmas Lights

Seabreeze Park lights:

And just for Meg, Christmas-themed Peeps:

December Tropical Storm

In Suva we had three rainy weeks in a row.  There were two tropical depressions back to back, luckily they did not grow to Cyclone wind strength.  They were slow moving, however, and the amount or rain we received was beyond belief.  Local old-timers don't remember a time of so much hard rain for so many days.  This culminated in flooding along streams and rivers, as they come out of the central hills they gain momentum and move lots of debris down hill.

Rewa River out of its banks, Princess Road looking toward Nausori town.

More Rewa river.

Along Kings Road, near Korovou, power poles knocked down
by water flow.

Lane collapsed on King's on way to Korovou.

Same loss of lane.

The Christmas season, heading into the heat of summer.

We have been busy with island families in the Temple.  We have many more Temple marriages from other island nations than we do from Fiji.  We have had several couples from Vanuatu, and many families from Karibiti.  In the last two months families have been coming from Papua New Guinea (PNG).  PNG is not in our Temple District but wants to be, we think putting them back in our district is in the works.  They like coming to our island Temple and it costs them less than Australia, plus no visa is needed for Fiji.

These out-islanders are generally gentle and simple people, with great faith and frequently have strong spiritual experiences while in the Temple.  The are also very appreciative of the opportunity to come to the Temple, and are grateful for the help we try to give them.

Romain and Suziane Yunack outside the Suva Temple.

The Karibati families always bring frozen fish with them to use during their stay in Patron housing.  At home their diet is fish everyday, chicken and fresh beef are not eaten, though canned corned beef is used.  

The Angimaua family from Karibati gave us these fish to
try.  They couldn't understand living far from the ocean and
having fish be expensive in Idaho. I filleted them, wasting
 all the good head and tail parts.

Our weather has turned hot, so even morning walks are warm and humid.  Christmas decoration have appeared and we had our Temple Worker Christmas Devotional on Saturday the 3rd of  December.  We had a choir and some congregational carols, and a nice catered lunch afterward.

Sr Olsen, Pres and Sr Yee, Cindy, and Pres Anderson.

Srs Johansson, Taito, Cama, Dolokilagi, Kois, and Ceguandraus.

Sr Kelemeti

Tabutabus, Srs. Delaitabuna, Ramaga, Resture, Cagicaucau,
 and Kaititi. Sakiusa Maiwiriwiri standing.

Bro Diloi, Sr, Cava, Olsens, and Bro Cavu.

The Royal Poincianas are blooming too, an echo of Florida, and the Dominican Republic.

Tree in front of the Yee's home.