Friends -
Here to tell you about all things Fiji!
The month of July held one of my most exciting and truly wonderful adventures yet - my internship had the pleasure of pioneering Surfing the Nations first ever trip to Fiji!
Originally, when I applied to STN, we had plans to travel to and work with their base in Sri Lanka. However, because of the bombings that took place on Easter, our staff made the decision to change our destination to Fiji. Leaving Hawaii with only our backpacks, we were curious to see how 21 days of ministry would go in a country where we knew no one. Over and over again the Lord revealed His kindness and protective hand over us. My words and pictures will never be able to do this trip and nation justice, but here are just a few of the details and testimonies that made my experience so impactful.
Some things you need to know about the nation of Fiji -
Located in the pacific just a few hours west of Hawaii, the culture in Fiji is truly unique. The population is pretty much split down the middle between Itaukei Fijians (primarily Christian) and Indian Fijians (primarily Hindu or Muslim). Building relationships with both people groups revealed a rampant racism between the two unlike anything I have ever seen before. Both cultures, however, are so spiritually hungry and eager to know more about life in America allowing our appearance alone to open doors for our ministry. Despite the pictures you may see online, we were shocked to see that the beaches on the main island, Viti Levu, were full of trash, brown water, and black sand. We quickly learned the nation has no environmental laws and little is done to preserve their precious island home. The beauty of the land might be corrupted by the population, but the hearts of these pacific islanders are beyond stunning. Like the word “aloha” means life in Hawaii, the Fijians live and breathe “Bula!”. The “bula” spirit breeds community amongst strangers and sends a message of the most authentic love and friendship to all you meet. Most villages are impoverished and over-crowded, but the joy and contentment of the people despite was an important reminder of how much we had at home to be thankful for.
Suva-
The first 11 days of our trip were spent in the capital, Suva. On day 1, it was already evident the Lord had carefully prepared our way in this city. Without knowing any details on the home we had rented through a very distant connection, we pulled up to a beautiful, secluded, prayer house. The first people we connected with in Fiji were Adam and William. Adam is a Canadian man who now holds an executive position with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in the Pacific. William is the president of Christian Surfers Fiji, a mens rugby coach, and was awarded 2nd place of Fiji Idol. These two divine appointments led us to many outreach connections as well as a ton of fun! When we arrived in Fiji we had nothing on our agenda, but by the end of our time in Suva we were best friends with the teenage rugby boys, making daily visits to a Hindu village across town, praying with local churches, routinely ministering to the homeless and even hosting dinner parties and worship nights with our new friends.
Nadi-
For our last 10 days of the trip our crew packed up and headed five hours back across the island to Nadi. There we were greeted by an entire YWAM team and welcomed into their quaint village. Living very minimally we slept 10 girls to one bedroom, enjoyed ice cold showers as frogs jumped at our feet, and unfortunately encountered bedbugs and other interesting illnesses and rashes. These days, however, were an incredible opportunity to be surrounded by the YWAM staff (who were of similar age) and encourage each other in faith and ministry. Together we put on weekly Kids Club, visited more unreached villages, repainted the YWAM cabins, even learned how to cook traditional Fijian dishes, and of course surfed!
After 3 weeks, we were ready to return to the comfort of the US, but saying goodbye to our new friends and a culture we had fallen in love with proved emotional for all of us. I can confidently say I encountered the Lord in a way I never have before on this trip. Living in Hawaii had already been a growing experience of just soaking in knowledge and pouring out in service, but this outreach was unique in the faith and boldness our team carried. I will forever be impacted by the nation of Fiji and their spiritual fervor. Each person I met understood the opportunity it is to live in a nation that has freedom of religion and they did not wait to share the truth of the Gospel with anyone. In that spirit, I want to take this opportunity to share some specific praise reports from our journey.
Praise Reports -
Bill (one of William’s rugby boys) became increasingly interested in who God is after just a few days of hanging out with our internship boys. He accepted Christ into his life and will be a life long friend of STN!
We brought 4 surfboards along with us to Fiji and it is STN’s tradition to donate them to someone you encounter on your outreach. We donated all four boards to William on our last night in Fiji. After, we found out that he had been praying for many years to acquire beginner boards so he could fulfill his dream of teaching people to surf.
While visiting Cloud Break, we met an American man who asked where we were from. It turns out he grew up on Ohai St. (the street in Hawaii that STN is built on) and he was brought to tears thanking us for the transformation he has seen in the area since he was a kid.
The Lord was kind enough to let us preform and witness a multitude of healing!
Auntie Vika from YWAM Nadi spent years asking the Lord for a Hawaii team to visit after she lived in Hawaii in her twenties.
Many of our village friends are now proclaiming the name of Jesus, are connected to churches and have access to Bibles!
The Lord used these days to not only reach Fijians, but also to refresh and restore each member of the team’s relationships with Him. As a group, one of my favorite memories will always be entering into times of prayer on the drives to villages. Some nights the roar from our truck sounded as if we were gearing up for battle. Other days we would get obscure words from the Spirit and only later watch the Lord bring these things to fruition before our eyes. This time bound us together as a family and reminded us of all the glory He deserves. HE IS KIND YALL!
Prayer for Fiji-
If you are interested in joining me in prayer for Fiji, here are some points I will be continually praying:
Much of the Hindu population is not devout and has never heard that there is a God who loves them. Pray that His name would continue to come up in their world and that they would have eyes to see and ears to hear truth. Specifically pray for Chishil, a Hindu priest who I had the opportunity to share the gospel with. He is very concerned about his salvation and is very interested in learning more about Christian theology. We left him a bible but never ran into him again.
Racism is a major issue and divide in this nation. Please pray for peace between the Itaukei and Indian Fijians. Their hatred is evident and brash.
Pray for a continued hunger in spirit over their nation and an increased desire for Christians to visit Fiji as more than a vacation destination. These people are receptive, they just need guidance and the nation is far more impoverished than we are aware of in the United States.
Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement during our adventure. I have been blown away with the number of people who are interested in hearing more and would love to share more stories and details with anyone and everyone! Also more pictures are posted under the photos page of this website.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns". - Isaiah 52:7
Kommentare