Meet Savaira Veikoso
Age: 27
From: Suwa, Fiji. I’m half Tongan, half Fijian.
Family: I have only one sister. She’s studying at Hawaii. My parents are still in Fiji. My mom’s from Tonga, my dad’s from Fiji. They are like the funniest group of people that you’ll ever meet. My mom, dad, and sister are the best!
Education: Graduated from BYU-Hawaii, now at BYU doing my master’s in public administration
Hobbies: I love to dance. I also love playing basketball, watching movies, sleeping, and eating.
Mission: Philippines Mission, March 2016 to September 2017
What was the process like for you in deciding whether to serve an LDS mission or not?
*LDS stands for “Latter-day Saint.” These interviews are from young women who volunteered their time to be missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Yes, so I was pretty privileged, because both of my parents served LDS missions. I saw pictures of them in their missionary outfits. Ever since I was small, I was like, “Oh, I want to serve my mission like mommy and daddy,” you know. But I was also very privileged to grow up in different places around Fiji, where, like in primary, they were always encouraging us to go on missions. And then, when I became a youth, it was like a common thing.
My family moved around a lot, so I was in different wards. The missionaries were always taking the youth out. I’m very privileged to attend the church elementary school and high school, so it was always encouraged every day, like master submissions [with schooling]. So by the time I graduated year 13 in Fiji it was like automatic. The next thing I want to do is serve a mission.
What did you love about your mission?
Oh, my gosh, the people! I liked people because they were so loving. They really taught me how to laugh.
So I came from a very good family. It was very, very, very rocky, too. I didn’t want to get married or want anything to do with any kind of relationship. I was just a very cold person.
I had all Filipino companions except for one, and then the people they were just such emotional people, like they are very passionate about what they do. If they’re angry, they’re angry. If they’re in love, they’re in love, if they’re sad, they’re sad. And so they were just so kind and so loving towards us, the sister missionaries. [So the mission helped me warm up to people and show more emotion].
It was also great to have different experiences of seeing people change. Because in Fiji, there’s a bunch of adults who say, “I was born this way. I will die this way.” But on the mission you see people change. The real miracle is people changing.
So I love my mission for a lot of a lot of different reasons. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was the most rewarding. It really taught me a lot of things and prepped me for my life afterwards.
And it was the time that I grew the closest to the Lord throughout my whole life. I had finally been studying the New Testament, something I never read, and lots of scriptures. So I just grew to know God more.
What was hard about serving a mission?
The hardest part of my mission were my companions. Especially the first few weeks and later towards the end. It was fine, but my companions really made it hard for me, because some of them were struggling with things, and then we weren’t really doing the things that we were supposed to do as missionaries. We were always in the house, and I was homesick. And we were doing things that we weren’t supposed to be doing with other missionaries. Because they said the rules are different in the handbook compared to the field, and I believed them and ended up doing the same things.
It was also hard being away from my family when I knew the situation, like when things bad things happened at home. That can take a toll on your mental health.
And then there’s the physical aspect of it like, “Oh, my gosh!” We walked for days in the Philippines. You just walk for hours. So you can be exhausted in all aspects of your mind, body, and spirit.
And you have to do budgeting and financing. If you had no money, it was like noodles all day and night. When I came back home from my mission, I never wanted to see a Noodles packet ever again!
Another thing that’s hard is you have so much love and hope for some people, and sometimes they just choose not to go further, or choose to go inactive. And so that was hard for me to see people that I genuinely cared about and love, and they chose a different path, even though they knew what was right, or just because they wanted to fit in somewhere else.
These challenges got better over time. Yes, my companions got better over time. I’m so grateful for my companions who helped me learn the right ways.
I was really struggling my first few weeks. But then there was a sister training leader, who, when we went on exchanges, she gave me hope.
So even though there are people who may make your life hard, the Lord still places other people to, you know, ease that burden, or encourage you.
And then over time, it taught me what kind of trainer I shouldn’t be and how a new missionary might be feeling. So it got better. It definitely got better over time.
You get used to how hard the mission is physically, and you learn how to enjoy it. You gain much more strength to work harder.
With people you learn to accept that this is God’s work, and He knows where they are.
So, it does get better. I don’t know what other missionaries’ experiences are like, but that’s how it was for me. You get more strength to deal with those challenges, whatever hardships that come.
What did you learn on the mission about yourself and about God?
I learned on my mission through my companions that I’m a very closed off person. My companions really taught me that I’m not affectionate, you know, and that I’m impatient. And then sometimes I can be very timid, because I have an unhealthy respect for authority. And then I don’t speak up, especially when they are very strong in their opinions.
My mission also brought out another side of me that my parents had never seen before. When I was in Fiji I was just like the good girl, the oldest daughter that does everything nicely, and listens to mom and dad’s expectations. When I came home from my mission, oh my gosh! My parents were like, “Who are you?” I was very expressive. Yeah, and it was shocking to them, because I’m not someone who’s very open. I just keep everything to myself. But my mission taught me that I won’t damage any relationships if I am open and stuff.
What it’s taught me about God is that He loves us so much. I could feel that He wants to help his children, but He doesn’t want to impose on their agency. He knows what’s good for them, and He loves them, no matter what.
And I could just see that in different people’s lives. And just to see how it taught me a lot about how Satan really gets God’s children to believe his lies about God.
I learned that God loves everyone, like literally all. When He says all, He meant all, everyone.
But sometimes people tend to say like, “Oh, this gospel is not for this person.” That’s one experience I had on my mission, there were natives and non-natives, and the natives were like, looked down on, or ostracized. The natives weren’t welcomed and were always in a different community. And I remember having a conversation and sitting down and just seeing them, because they look a lot like my people. They’re very dark skin and stuff. And so I was so happy, and I was like trying to talk to one of these women and get a sense of who she is, and another sister came up to me, and she’s like, “You shouldn’t be talking to people like them. The gospel is not for them.” In my head I was like, excuse me! But I was sitting there and could feel Heavenly Father’s love for her, too.
Just to see His love for His children, who do those things to the children that he loves, and so on. He loves everyone, and He wants everyone to come home.
When God forgives, He really forgives. What everyone holds over God is that “He’s going to throw me to hell.” Yeah that’s another one of Satan’s lies.
Your advice on: How to prepare for an LDS mission?
You’ll never be [fully] prepared for an LDS mission, so just do the small and simple things now. Like studying the scriptures and praying, because that’s the main habits that you will have on the mission.
A lot of us are like, I haven’t prepared well, or I need to be prepared to serve a mission. Reality check is we’ll never be [fully] prepared. We are never ready for what we’re going to face up there. There was no way, no amount of proselyting with the missionaries that helped me be prepared, but the Lord will qualify you when you’re out there. Don’t worry about your weaknesses, the Lord will take care of all of that as long as you’re obedient to Him.
Almost struck by lightning!
Sometimes we have hard days on the mission. But, it’s possible to be having a hard time and feel joy, because, you know, you’re doing the right thing. You’re serving the Lord. It’s possible to have fun and be obedient. People on the mission will try and persuade you that having fun comes at the cost of being disobedient or losing the spirit. Oh, don’t do it!
I remember one time, my companion and I came home late from a dinner because we didn’t want to offend whoever was hosting us for dinner. Our curfew was 6:30pm. It was far from our home. As we headed home, it was fine, until it started raining, pouring, and we couldn’t find a tricycle. Then all of a sudden, it was like sharp lightning. I remember my companion and I were running to the main road and finding no tricycle. So we decided to run home.
I was running, and I could just hear the lightning crackling above, and something told me to stop, and after I stopped, lightning came down right next to my feet and smacked the earth. I was like, “I’ll never be disobedient again, as long as we get home safely!” We got home safely, and I never broke curfew again.
But you know a lot of the times, you’ll try and take things in your own hands. Sometimes the rules are there, and it’s best to make our own judgments. But when you get the prompting from the Holy Ghost to go, go, don’t stay. If you get the prompting to stay, stay. But yeah, just make sure you don’t jeopardize the Spirit to have fun. It’s not worth it. Once you lose the spirit, you just feel worse about yourself, and then you start opening yourself to other deceiving spirits that come. You may have thoughts like, “Oh, you’re such a sinner. You’re not a good missionary.” [But it’s not true. Strive to have the Spirit].
What about feeling joy?
Sometimes we can be having the crappiest day, but feel really joyful in our hearts, because we know we’re doing the work of the Lord. And if things aren’t, if you’re not seeing the success that other missionaries are having, it’s fine. The Lord is grateful for your efforts.
Companion tips for LDS missions
You’ll have all kinds of companions; be ready for anything. I had companions I had a hard time with. I had companions that I love, that helped build me.
There was one companion where we were laughing from the moment we woke up to the moment we went to sleep. We were always laughing because she’s such a funny person. Sometimes, we laughed too much.
And if you are put in a 3, you end up being referee.
Some companions will make you mad, and some will expect more from you like attention and affection, and all of that.
Then there are companions who are just like, leave me alone, let me be in my own little world. I don’t want to talk to you.
So with companions I would say, be the companion you want someone to be to you, because you never know how you can break or make someone’s mission. I know a lot of my friends who went home because they were having a hard time. When I was having a hard time with my 2 companions, my dad said think of 10 good things or find ways to serve them. It doesn’t take care of the problem entirely but in the moment that’ll help.
For more tips on obedience, joy, and companions, check out YOMO! You Only Mission Once: A Guide for Sister Missionaries, coming out in March 2025.
Anything else you’d like to share about an LDS mission?
Yes, for those preparing to serve LDS missions. They’re all like, should I start a mission? Just go? There’s so many blessings that come from serving a mission, and I’m not saying those blessings are withheld from those who don’t. But you’ll see that your relationship with the Lord will grow so much more if you’re seeking to be closer to Him, and serve your mission.
I know everyone will have a different experience.
Another thing is, don’t let your mission experience define you. It’s just meant to bless you or help you see things in certain ways. But for me serving a mission has helped me grow in so many ways. I don’t even know how to say it. It’s healed parts of me that needed healing.
I love my mission. I love the people. I learned so much from the people there. They are such hardworking people, such faithful people! I wish I could be just like them, one day.
For those who are RMs [returned missionaries], don’t compare yourself to the mission. Just focus on improvements rather than who you were. Carry on with the habits that you’ve learned on the mission.
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