If there is one thing we have learnt to embrace in our four years of living in Fiji, it is that Fiji time is real, things take time, plans often change and don’t happen as you first anticipated, and the pace is often slower for most things. You can’t get things you want or think you need straight away and you just learn to make do with what you have. It’s a much simpler living, which actually becomes much more peaceful and less stressful.
When visiting New Zealand, things like being apologised to for the wait can seem a little odd when you don’t even feel you have had to wait, and the fast paced society can get overwhelming. The slower pace has become our norm and we have learned to relax into it and enjoy it.
It is with this way of life that you could say I have approached my updates this year! The year has been busy and I have been focusing on day to day life rather than reflecting and sharing it. If you would like to hear from us more frequently, we do weekly prayer emails that we are happy to share with you, just let us know.
We have learnt the way to natural smiles, is get one of Caleb's friends to take the recent family photo.
Home Assignment
Not to be mistaken as a holiday, our time in New Zealand flew by in a blur. It is crazy to live between two worlds and we could have never anticipated that with 12 weeks in New Zealand we were still busy the whole time and didn’t quite get everything done we would have liked to!
We were blessed with an awesome place to house sit, before some time on the road to connect with friends and family around NZ. We had the perfect timing of a change in tenants, meaning we got to stay in our own house in Waikanae. It was great to do some overdue maintenance, catch up with the neighbours and organise some new tenants. We were also able to have refreshing times of input, great catch ups with new friends and old and celebrate some significant milestones with family, friends and our home church community with Gabrielle getting baptised in Waikanae River on Kelepi’s 10th birthday!
Gabrielle's baptism in Waikanae River.
Back to Fiji
Heading back to Fiji it was straight into progressing projects we started last year and getting ready for teams. With the help of our local workers one bathroom block has been completed in Vakanalawa with a bit more to be done on the second one once the community finishes some block laying. It is a massive blessing to this community to now have a reliable, safe and sanitary bathroom block for the first time.
Building a forever home for Aunty Salochna
Our attention then went to getting the house we have been working on for Aunty Salochna ready for a team from Morrinsville Baptist to put the roof on. This included a bit of work from our local workers to get the concrete ring beam ready in time. It is an amazing blessing to have great support from local workers to help make things happen between international teams.
We were blessed by an incredible group from Morrinsville Baptist to help us through the next part of Salochna’s house project. If you ask our family, this was probably one of the biggest highlights of our time in Fiji. You can’t beat living in a community with like-minded people with a common goal for a great way to build strong relationships and camaraderie, especially when there were lots of kids similar ages to ours on the team. Add in a natural disaster and I think we have made some friends for life!
The team of 10 adults and 9 children arrived in Fiji at the same time Cyclone Vaianu warnings did. Our family and the team settled into Sabeto Christian Camp just in time for the cyclone to arrive. Worrying about having enough fans and toasters became a bit of a joke when the mains power was taken out before the first breakfast, not to return until after the team left.
The Morrinsville Baptist Team.
With the help of the MMM generator, charging phones, battery tools and a couple of big lights at night so people could work or play games became the priority. Team spirit was built through negotiating cyclone wind and rain, handwashing clothes and dodging the frogs, spiders, geckos and rats by torchlight.
Due to the weather, we unfortunately had to halt the roofing plans for the first couple of days, instead we made the most of the camp dining room, using it as a workshop. We were able to build trusses, paint fascia and, as an added bonus, build some robust activities for our next Kids Camp in August. These games go by different names at camps in NZ, commonly known as “Gaga Ball” or “Octo Ball” and “Ed’s Alley”, “Four Ball” or “Alley Ball”, among other names. It is exciting to be able to introduce some new games and resources.
Once the storm had calmed, we were able to run a few kids programmes in a local settlement, which was a real highlight for the team, meeting with local kids and being able to provide them with lots of fun and laughs as they led games, activities and shared about their faith.
If you are interested in seeing more of what this team did you can watch the video the team put together here. Hosting a team in a cyclone is definitely a first for us and it threw all sorts of things at us that we hadn’t had to think about before, but also provided great memories and times of bonding. With great friendships comes hard goodbyes, but I am grateful for good technology to help us to keep in touch with everyone. This team was a great reminder of Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." This team was different to anything we could’ve imagined it to be, but God’s plan was different, but definitely better.
Building in the camp hall during Cyclone Vaianu.
After the Morrinsville Baptist group left, the local team, including Josh, Gabrielle and Callum (a 19 year old South African friend) and Aunty Salochna’s Grandsons, were able to complete the roof, flashings, gutters, and down pipes. This was an incredibly encouraging moment for the project, Aunty Salochna and her family, who look forward to it being finished enough to move in. It is humbling to be able to help an extended family have a forever home when there would be no other way.
Believe it or not, kids can be really helpful! Our kids will be professional roofers in no time.
St Christopher’s Vicarage
The project we are just finishing is reroofing a two storey Anglican vicarage in Nadi town. This project has been a long time coming as the scaffolding needed to safely work was not cheap. We are aware that for us to do the work we do it often comes at a big cost and sacrifice to the community and ministries we work with. There were a lot of rusty sheets, rotten fascia and broken rafters and purlins, not to mention the regular leaks inside, so it was encouraging to know we are doing work that really needed to be done.
Our regular MMM Fiji workers.
Kids update
Josh has been working on Level One NCEA credits, with particular interest in Music. He loves playing the guitar and it is a regular distraction to other school work. He is also enjoying spending more time on the building site, being a great help to any project as his skills progress. He is also enjoying gymnastics and soccer throughout the week.
Josh - the cyclone strapping professional.
Gabrielle is loving the change to Te Kura. She has to do a minimum of two online classes a week, but will opt for 3-4 a day if she can. (I am told she is known by teachers as a ‘Hui Hopper’). She loves how interactive the classes are and it is great that she is able to learn about the Maori language, history and culture from afar as she is in the bilingual unit. We love the way God weaves His plan together, with Katie, a good friend of over 20 years (that Roy and I first met when she was 12), being her teacher. By changing to Te Kura she has had more time on her hands to get back into sewing, playing the piano, reading for fun and her gymnastics has improved. She has also been enjoying some days out on the building projects when she can. It is great seeing her in a better space.
Gabby is loving the fact that she can easily spend a day on the building site now she is doing Te Kura.
Kelepi is our last one left at school in Fiji and thanks to a great group of friends he is quite happy being there (most of the time). He has also picked up soccer that a few of the boys in his class also go to, which is a big incentive. He still generally spends his spare time talking or reading.
It was great to see Kelepi getting involved with the the Morrinsville Baptist projects.
For Roy and I, life in Fiji continues to be a journey of incredible highs mixed with the occasional reality check. One day we can find ourselves standing in a breathtaking location, surrounded by the warmth of local friendships and reminded why we fell in love with this country in the first place. Then, an unexpected hurdle, logistical challenge, or setback can leave us having one of those classic “why are we here?” moments. Despite the ups and downs, when we can help local friends and ministries with the blessings, skills and gifts God has given us, it is a joy to be serving in the place where God has called us.
We thank everyone for the ongoing love, prayers and support. We couldn’t do it without you,
Loloma vei na masu, (love and prayers)
Rachael, Roy, Josh, Gabrielle and Kelepi/Caleb.
Good times catching up with some of Rachael's siblings.
Another year - another jumping photo.
Garden maintenance at our Waikanae house and grateful for the family that helped make it happen.
Laser tag for Kelepi's 10th birthday. This one was planned months in advance and so much fun for all.
A lot of fun times and good friends were made with the Morrinsville team.
A cosy morning tea spot in the shade.
We miss a lot of moments with family living in Fiji, but it is always special to visit my Grandad.
Salochna's grandson Samuel was born a few weeks after we first arrived in Fiji - now he is four!
Cyclone clean up has never been easier with 16 kids on the job!
Grace + Gabby = Graby and Graby was inseparable for their entire project. With good friendships comes hard goodbye's.
