Lomaivuna

i just got back a few hours ago from an interior settlement called Lomaivuna. we stayed there for 4 days and 3 nights.

Lomaivuna is a small place up in the highlands where life is simpler but harder in so many ways. They only got electricity a few months ago. plumbing was basic. definitely, there was no wi-fi facilities there.

We left Nadi saturday morning. our group got into 2 mini buses all the way to Suva (a large town in Fiji). from Suva, we had 18 people riding in the back of the truck. it was way scary because the last person was very likely to fall out at the next bump in the road if they didn't hold on tight. so we were in the back of the truck for a little more than an hour an gravel road. *another experience to add to my colourful book of Life Experiences*

When we got there, the village people came out to greet us. all of us (yes, boys and girls together) slept inside the church building, which was essentially a basic 4 wall structure. we had to roll up our mattresses everytime we had a church meeting/gathering. i was grateful for my ear plugs as the snores at night created an interesting harmony.



we had to walk down the hill everytime we wanted to use the bathroom or shower. personally, i was glad that we didn't have to dig a hole every time we had to go. so praise the Lord for small comforts.

Sunday morning worship was quite an experience. we started at 9.30am and finished promptly at 2pm. lunch was served 15mins later. later i found out, that it was normal to have 3 sermons each sunday but we only had 2 this weekend since the team from our training centre all shared testimonies. the funny thing was, the pastor kept calling our team up to do meke (Fijian dance) without us first knowing about it. by the 4th time he did it, we were seriously hoping that he wouldn't call us again because we had performed all that we knew. that moment was simply hilarious.

lunch after sunday worship was superb. we had "lovo" which is food that is cooked in an earth oven. Lovo is usually served during celebrations so i guess us being there was a cause for celebration. we had chicken, fish, shrimp, sweet potato leaves, stew, lamb shanks etc etc. all was good. oh, i was trying to eat as much as i could to stay warm because the whether there was quite cold most of the time.






i guess what i take away from this visit is the generosity of these people. they certainly have very little compared to what i have. the opportunities, the resources, the abilities that i have, should generate much more generosity when compared with what these people have given. the few days that we were there, they have worked so hard to prepare the church for us to stay and the wonderful food that we had each day. at any one time, there were at least 10 women in the kitchen baking and cooking away. most woke up earlier than us and slept later than us. the men were running around making sure we had enough water and electricity during our stay.

this church could have chosen to do so many other things but they chose to serve us. on the last day, we all had a chance to stand up in front of the church to say our thanks. i told them that what they have done did not just impact the few of us individuals, but also the ministries and communities that we represent. truly, the impact of the church in Lomaivuna reaches all over the world. it is my prayer that they continue to be generous to other teams that come in the future, as they are a great testimony of what it means to have little but still have much to give, to be humble yet taking pride in the great God that we serve.

i think this weekend encouraged me to continue to work hard. it also showed me that if God were to call me to do ministry in villages like Lomaivuna, I could survive well.

Oh well. God is certainly opening my eyes up to new experiences and to new perspectives. i see this time that i have here as a learning experience. i'm just like a sponge, soaking it all in. not sure what exactly applies to my specific calling, but i'm just taking it all in. God will reveal everything in his own time.

"Call to me and i will show you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

certainly, he has shown me great wonders. just being out doors so much and enjoying his creation makes me stop in my tracks and be amazed at his great work.

end of week 3

hey guys...

so it's the end of week 3. this week we had a youth clinic here t one of the churches.

My trainee's names were Paw and Freddy. Both big, tall, Fijian guys that could potentially be scary if not for our same love for christ. so for the last 5 days, every morning we start at 8.30am and leave for OJT at about 2.30pm.

so what did i learn this week? i've learnt that in every culture, no matter where we come from, people need to hear about Jesus and people need to build strong relationships with Jesus.

from interacting with my friends here, i've learned so much from the mix of cultures and experiences we represent. my roommate, Sharon, comes from Korea and i've learned a few things about the Korean. They're really proud of their culture and heritage, and they have such a strong passion to share the gospel and help the community. i really admire the fact that they are proud to be who they are. it's something i need to work on. Malaysia boleh! haha

tommorrow we'll be heading out to a village "lomaivuna". i heard we have to take our bathes in the river. should be fun. pictures will be up on facebook because the have a more canggih photo uploader than blogspot.

keep praying for:
1. good health for me
2. opportunity to share the gospel
3. God to speak clearly to me and to direct me

thanks everyone! special shoutout to those starting uni this weekend. i'm missing everybody back home.

Here are some pics from the school and Youth Rally at a church... and some of my friends here at the training centre...


These are some kids at the youth rally. i was told that they have no parents so please pray for them. their names are Elenah, Stamp, Esala and Sito,

This is the church where the Youth Rally was held. just a basic shed, everyone sat on the ground wearing skirts.



This is Nadi Christian Academy. We're in front doing the Meke (traditional Fijian dance). yeah, i know, i'm dancing. Fiji changes a person.




Langdon - our fearless leader in a Sulu




We're having OJT. the guy in the middle just got saved... pray for him :)

Daily Activity

Sharing the gospel has been our daily activity. Except for last Saturday, pretty much everyday we’ve been sharing the gospel. And the cool part is, we’ve been seeing so many people accept Jesus for the first time.
Last week, we went through Island EE for 3 days. Every evening, we go out to the streets in town to just witness. So far, I’ve talked to mostly people from the bus station just because they’re waiting and have time to chat.
I’m glad for this opportunity, because back home, I’d never be able to commit to going out everyday to share the gospel. This morning I shared a devotion about how to make witnessing our way of life. I think this one week plus has allowed me to experience a whole new meaning to witnessing as a way of life.
So dear Reader, how can u make witnessing for Jesus Christ your daily activity?

Overwhelmed

17th June 2010
5.40pm

Just came back from OJT. We managed to share with this 18 year old Indian girl and she prayed to receive Jesus! Praise the Lord! The sad thing is, she comes from a Hindu family and at this point in time, she is not ready to go to church regularly yet due to fear of family objections.
I am feeling really sad about this. She was very attentive the whole time we were sharing, asking questions and accepting new ideas. I’m very excited for her. I just hope that the seed planted will grow into a firmly planted tree. Please pray for her and other Indian converts here in Fiji as they face similar family objections as people from back home.
This morning, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the cultural change that I’ve plunged into. Was feeling a little upset with myself for feeling agitated about the changes. But after a time of prayer and a bit of sharing with the other girls, I think I finally came out of my “shell” and I’m now enjoying myself thoroughly.
I’m happy for this opportunity I’ve been given to be away from home for a substantial period of time, living in an entirely different culture. Growing up, I’ve always talked about one day becoming a missionary to a different people group. I guess this is one step closer towards that goal. (and Eunice says “I told you so”) I see God taking me step by step, teaching me one thing after the other. He definitely does not reveal everything to me all at once.
Before coming here, I was kinda confused over why God would take me so far away from home for such a long time. I mean, home is where the work is. There’s so much things to do, so much things we could do during the holidays. With Youth Club, with half the Youth Leadership uncertain about where they’re going for university, it seems like such a terrible time to be leaving home.
Don’t get me wrong, I am SURE that God wants me to be here. Just not sure WHY. Slowly, it’s becoming clearer. I still don’t have a definite answer though. But I’m not anxious because God’s timing is perfect. I don’t understand yet but I trust Him enough to know that He has a beautiful ending for me.

My first day

so things are going ok. getting to know the other people here.

this morning we had a session going throught the Myers-briggs personality type test. mine came out to be ENTJ. that means, i'm an Extrovert (only 1 point more than being an introvert so i'm kinda in the middle), a person relying more on intuition rather than senses, i'm a thinker not a feeler and lastly means i'm judgmental rather than perceptive. the results said nice things about me so i'm liking it haha.

went in to town in the afternoon. managed to get my new sim card. managed to find a key chain also so feeling satisfied with the quick trip.

everymorning, we go for a jog near the training centre. think about the old road in sepang/labu, that's how the environment around here is. so i was running beside sugar cane fields. i'll try to get some pictures up.

after some personal quiet time, there's a devotion altogether. after that, we go through a workbook by Henry and Norman Blackaby about calling and accountability. the workbook will last us the whole time we're here so that's fun. really helps us to think about things, put things in focus.

at night, we girls learned a traditional Fijian dance. don't laugh. don't think there was videos so i'm safe.

ok it's late. goodnite

Travelling Solo

So I left KLIA at 8.45pm 13^th June 2010 for my biggest adventure yet. As I write, I’m waiting at the Sydney airport. It is now 11.02am Australian local time, 9.02am Malaysian local time.

Just before I left, both my mom and aunt gave me the same travelling advice – don’t talk to strangers. So I guess I gotta be a mute for the next 2 months huh. Funny, funny family I have.

At Changi Airport I had to wait about 2 hours for my connecting flight to Sydney. Got myself a nice foot massage, explored their beautiful toilets, sat down for 10mins at their free movie theatre (Slumdog Millionaire was on), and tried to take some photos.

They were advertising their new butterfly park so I had to check it out. Was kinda disappointed coz I didn’t see ANY butterflies at all. I can’t remember my biology – can anybody remember if butterflies sleep at night too? So no butterfly photos for you, only the shape of a butterfly from flowers…

I don’t know why, but when travelling, people are somehow less friendly. Appropriate levels of fear were instilled in me to refrain from talking to strangers unless necessary since I, a young girl travelling alone, would be an easy target for people with not-so-good intentions. So I think the 7hour flight to Sydney was a rathe… weird flight experience for me. Although there was this good looking guy sitting next to me, we barely looked at each other the whole 7 hours. Too late to regret I guess. I blame it on the bad advice I was given.

Ok that’s all for now. Oh by the way, thanks for praying for my exams. Could have done better, but I did my best I guess. Like I said, too late to regret.

Wait up for my next blog. If it takes too long, you’ll know I’m having too much fun and have slowly forgotten all of you :p Just kidding.

Move on or Dwell

Had a nice chat with a good friend this morning. made me realise something - nothing's been the same recently and i don't expect things to be the same anymore.

one way to look at it, i'm growing out of my shell, flying away like a butterfly. Things certainly have been getting better and better for me. more friends, meeting new people, seeing things from new perspectives.

yet, i miss the old comforts. people change, status change, life goes on. Things will never go back to what they were once were. I don't expect things to be exactly the same once i've returned from my trip. a little tweak here, a little tweak there, some good news, some bad news...

you either move on or you dwell on the past. The past is a good teacher. However, lessons taught but never applied means nothing. i guess i have to learn to move on. Keep being in the centre of God's will because that's where everything is under control.

Just wanna share with you a verse reminded to me by another wise teacher this week:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

This is gonna change too...




by the way, i did well for exams yesterday. thanks for all your prayers!

Youth Barbeque

Yesterday, our church youth group had a barbeque gathering at Joanne Neo's house. It was fun, but more importantly, the food was good :) Here are some pics of us fooling around...

p/s: i don't know why i always plan so many things before/after my major exams. craziness i tell you...