Email 06 Feb 2006

Excerpts from Sister Welker's email:
I arrived on Saturday at 4:00 AM. The flight didn't seem as long as I thought it would. I didn't really sleep very much. I did sleep for about a half hour on my tray table thing, When I woke up I was so stiff and sore so I know never to do that again. But when we were in the airport in Los angeles we met our mission presidents son. He was flying to fiji to visit his parents and then on to New Zeleand. . . . . When we got off the airplane we were greeted by a fijian band playing for us. It was really cool. And the first thing I heard was bird's whistling and I felt the really nice warm air. It made me think of home and think about the two of you. Well we were stopped when we showed our passports. The people checking the passports asked what we were doing there and we told them we were missionaries but were going to New caledonia in two days. They had immigration police come out and talk to us. They told us we could not preach in Fiji. So I have not been able to say anything about the church since being here. They finally let us go and we went and got our luggage and then went through customs. Our mission president and his wife and two missionaries were there waiting for us. We greeted them and then the two elders took me to the sister missionaries home. . . . Oh let me just tell you what it is like here in Fiji. There are mainly two types of people Fijians and Indians. I have seen a lot more Indians here in the city I am in than fijians. I am in Nadi. It was a total culture shock for me. It was not what I was expecting at all. When we go to the market they have Indian music playing really loud and there are so many people. They drive on the opposite side of the road. And they drive crazy here. There are so many pot holes and they drive so fast. It is really scary. . . . We went to church on sunday that was nice. We went and shook all of the members hands. My mission president was also there. They bore their testimonies. It was really amazing. They had such amazing testimonies. I met one young girl who had just been baptized in April and was the ward missionary. She was the only member of her family who had joined. She was really nice we talked for awhile. she would like to go on a mission but she still has three years until she can. I went and had an orientation with my mission president and his wife today. We met in a hotel. They told us all about the mission and they told us the mission goals and averages. They told us about the island and what we could and could not wear. My sandals are good they said. Then they gave us an envelope of where we would be serving and who my first companion was going to be. I will be serving in Mont Dore. I was told a lot about this place. They told me it is very beautiful and the people are really friendlly. I was told about this place while I was still in the MTC. This was the place I wanted to go really bad but they said that sisters didn't usually serve there. So I was way excited when I found out . . . . Well I ran out of time. But I love you and I miss ya! I will write the next time I have Preperation day. I don't know when that will be yet. Take care. XOXOXO