Sari Day...

I went into town on Friday. It was the day before the Dewali festival (Festival of Lights) that the Hindus were celebrating and town was buzzing. Purchasing fireworks, buying food and there was a beautiful display of colors. The day before Dawali Day is Sari day when all the women wear their saris. They were beautiful, flowing with color.. yet something lacked in their eyes. Hope...

The hustle and bustle of a festival is only an excitement temporarily, once it is over there is an emptiness that remains. Not knowing the One who can give them an everlasting light for them to carry in their lives. After the lights are turned off, fireworks have finished and the family has returned to their homes -- they remain in darkness...

How many people have celebrated Dawali in our own communities? How many exchange students in the universities a few miles down the road, don't know the true Light? What have we done to reach them?

Until next time...share your light with someone who doesn't know...

Kana, Kana!

Kana...Kana..Eat...Eat! Besides "Naka" which means "thank you" these are the first Fijian words that i learned. After breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and evening tea...the words Kana...KANA was the last thing i could think about doing. The food is great, but this American girl couldn't eat anything else!!

So my first few days of adjustment have been going well. Meeting new people, learning more about Fiji, learning some of the Fijian words, and realizing that the Fiji we see in the brochures is really on the coast - with the big resorts, hotels, and all the fancy houses isn't reality. Don't get me wrong Fiji is a beautiful place is this is how we see most of Fiji in this first picture. But behind the glitz and the glam there are regular people, with regular problems. There are people who struggle to feed their family, have a safe place to live and those who have never heard of Jesus before.

Much to my surprise there is a very large Indian population in Fiji. Its like 45% Indian and 55% Fijian. You can see the major influence the Indians have on the culture here. All the beautiful colors, businesses, Hinduism and all of Fiji even celebrates an Indian holiday called Dawali. Whether they are Fijian or Hindu or a tourist from another far away country...they all need to hear about Jesus.

Fiji is a beautiful country made up of many different dynamics, cultures and people. But these different things are what make up this beautiful country. Whether it is the glam you see in the photo above or the real Fiji you see in this picture i took outside my back door i am excited about the next few weeks. Equipping people to share Christ with others in their own countries, learning more about Evangelism Explosion and working on the OneHope/Evangelism Explosion partnership...it will be a few weeks of unknown adventure.

So until next time...Kana...KANA...

Packing List...

The time is nearing and i have to keep reminding myself that i need to start packing and getting ready for Fiji. Besides the dreadful 12 layover i have in LA on Sunday afternoon i am very excited about my trip. As i have been thinking about packing, what to take, what the weather will be like, what kind of meetings i will be a part of, the amount of shampoo and conditioner i need to take...i realized that i haven't packed for a trip longer than 10 days since i was in Madagascar last year! YIKES! After being gone for a week here and there for the past 9 months, to pack for a month is taking a lot of energy. I haven't thought about what i am going to pack like this since i fist started this crazy adventure with OneHope!


Desperate times call for desperate measures...and dare i say it but i have thought about writing a....PACKING LIST! Now that i have written it and said it out loud i know the rest of my fellow missionaries will probably shudder and tell me i need to grow up and become a "real" missionary!

May the rat race of packing, moving, tying all the loose strings, completing projects, starting new ones and preparing for the next month begin. This time next week packing will be the least of my worries, but unpacking, starting projects, meeting new people, getting ready for the conference and trying to answer the questions that i have no idea how to answer. God give me grace and wisdom, for it is only through You that i can do all things!

I look forward to coming back and sharing all the great stories and pictures of my time in Fiji. Pray for me as i travel and work in Fiji for the next month. I will return on November 6th.

Until next time...what's on your packing list...