We have been so busy these past couple of weeks, in taking care of the branches, missionaries and trying to make arrangements for us to leave. Mailing packages home, Jackie making items for the young women in the different branches, etc. But we are truly enjoying this time together and in serving the Fijian people.
We were present when a recently baptized family had their new baby blessed. We have been acquainted with them in several different ways, self-reliance class, so we felt we needed to be there for them. When we arrived, the father, Poasa, came and asked if I would bless the baby. What a great honor. The week before when we were there the mother, Delepina, was not a church, so we stopped by their house to see her and the baby. I had to ask the branch president what the baby's name was going to be. With the help of the elders, I was able to pronounce the baby's first and last name. The middle name was very easy; Raileijli Jacqueline Uluiviti. A namesake in Fiji. We were so humbled by this great honor.
We had a chance to take a hike to a waterfall with the group leader and three girls from the village of Vunavesi. This village is our destination every Friday night for English lessons and a movie. The hike was a 40 minute truck ride and then about an hour hiking. But, with the tremendous growth of the jungle our guide, Sepo, lost track of the trail and we found ourselves on the wrong side of the river. As we hiked down in the wet and mud, Jackie slipped and hurt her arm as she tried to catch herself. By the time we got back down, we were hiked out and decided to just put our feet in the water. The girls were so happy to be able to swim. This was their first time to come here. We did find a small waterfall. The picture shows that it is about 6". It was the best we could do at the moment.
This past week we went to
a village, Nakawakawa, for a celebration and a dedication of a new chapel. To put this in perspective, several years ago, maybe 5 or 6, there wasn't a member of the church in the village. I am not really sure of the details about how this miracle occurred. Today they have over 100 members and average attendance is about 70-75. It all started with an inactive, maybe it is better to say a "prodigal" member moved to the village after having been deported from America. He, as found in Luke 15:17 says, "he found himself." It is a great example of how the Lord uses "the one" to bless the whole. These people are so welcoming and fun. Note the pictures as proof of this. We made two trips with 2 hours on a dirt, bumpy road. The return and next day round trip was only 40 minutes on the bumpy road. (We were shown a shortcut) We even had some bridges that water was washing over the top. Glad all that travel is finally done.
This week we have made two trips to Labasa, 85 km (53 miles), all black top but there are many places on the road where there are more patches than original road. Monday, Jackie wanted to buy some Indian dresses for Amaya and Cassandra. Labasa is predominately Indian so there are more options there and they are getting ready by having sales for their Diwali celebration. Tuesday, we went back to Labasa and Jackie taught a cooking class for the ladies of the relief society and gave them 16 pages of recipes. She made a chicken, rice, vegetable casserole and a chocolate cake. Both dishes were great hits. It was also a Branch cleaning of the chapel day. Volleyball and basketball always are available to participate in.Wednesday I had to take the truck back in to get it inspected and registered for another year.
Saturday we went to Tukavesi 75 km (46 miles), 1/2 on dirt roads, for a farewell party they had for us. Tomorrow we go to Vunavesi for their farewell party. We only have three Sundays left and two branches and a group to visit on Sunday. They sang a Fijian farewell song but the video is too large for the blog. Will post it on Facebook. The grandmother of the new mother made Jackie a purse and they bought her a set of pearl earrings and a necklace. They made a Masi print out of tapa (a cloth made from the mulberry bush).
