Never Stop Believing

What a day... it was filled with a variety of different activities. Some I would consider encouragements, and a very few that weigh heavily on my heart. They strike to the very core of who I am and make my blood boil at the mere thought.

I preached the message this morning, and it was quite the interesting endeavour. I’ve never used a laptop for the totality of my notes, and it took a little bit of getting used to, but it worked out well in the end. I had the attention of everyone who was there, and despite asking them to reach up a little to some new vocabulary (which I did my best to explain through usage and other synonyms), it was a very practically focussed message. It honed in on discipleship. Each of us are called to be disciple-makers, we all have a different way of making disciples, and we all have a place in the body of Christ and a role to fill. The key, of course, is that we have to be willing to go wherever God takes us.

The frustration came after my message. We had communion today. It was a different way of doing things than I’m used to. The children are dismissed from the service, the youth are asked to sit at the back of the sanctuary and the adults who are going to take communion move to the front three rows of the church. What was a point of contention in my mind was the way the youth are separated from the rest of the congregation. The way it came across was that they were not welcome to participate in communion with the rest of the congregation. To me, it just simply isn’t right.

When I asked Ken and Mary about it after the service, they said any of them were free to participate in communion. I naturally told them how the way it was explained came across to me and a few others, and waited for their response. They said that they never expected the youth to participate in communion! So I asked them if they had tried openly inviting the youth to come forward and participate in communion if they were believers... and then it came out. Mary turned to me and with her finger pointed right into my arm said, “Listen, young man, don’t you tell us how to do ministry here.”

Was that the earth slowing to a crawl? Could it possibly be true that the stories I’d heard were true? Did she actually just say that while poking me in the arm? Was my question really that offensive, when I was just curious on why they did things that way?

As the world sped back up, I decided it would be wiser to walk away from that situation than let my mouth express the many emotions and thoughts that were running through my head. How can you expect the next generation to take hold of your faith if they are treated like second rate citizens? Why can we not believe the best in the people around us and think that maybe, just maybe they can be better than they currently are? If I was treated that way growing up, I’m not so sure that I would want to be a Christian either... if that is who Jesus is, I wonder if I would want any part of Him.

Many questions, few answers. I have a strange feeling this will not be the last of that particular incident, and for that, I am actually quite glad. It is time to put the car into gear and start moving forward. It hasn’t been used in awhile, and it’ll be a difficult shift, but it is a needed one.

Jong and I spent the afternoon and evening travelling to the Outrigger and the Shangri-La. My first touristy afternoon while I’ve been here. Check out the pictures!

Preaching to a Different Culture

I just finished typing out my first sermon for Fiji. It was an interesting experience attempting to mix what I know with what they will understand. The truth is that many Fijian people are very basic in their faith, and many of them are still feeding off the milk when they should have been on meat years ago. So as I look to writing this message, I spent a good deal of time talking with others about it and praying. I let it sit, marinate a little before I sat down to write it out. It kind of felt like procrastinating, but God kept saying to me... “Not yet... let it sit for a little while longer.” So I did, and when I finally did sit down to write it out, it flowed out of me. It’s not often that it does that.

I spent the day with Jong, just relaxing and talking about our lives. From his upbringing, to the hotel, to back home in Canada, to working with the Fijian people, it was a very enlightening experience. I had a chance to get on the internet sometime in the afternoon, after spending 30 minutes figuring out how to get through the network to the net, I discovered that I needed to set up a proxy. Once that was done, everything was hunky dory!

After dinner, he took me for a tour around the hotels around Island. We went to the Sheraton, the Westin and the Hilton. All three of them were hovering around 30% occupancy rates, and they generally need at least 50% to break even. Keep your eyes posted for wicked good deals to come to Fiji and visit! I’m sure they aren’t that far away.

While we were touring through the Chinese architecture of the Westin, a tropical storm was brewing of the coast. There was nearly blinding lightning and some huge thunder that just got me excited. By the time we pulled up to the Hilton a few minutes later, it was POURING rain again. We made a quick dash to the hotel lobby... and got completely drenched in the process. I had a blast. Once we were inside, they gave us a ride via golf cart to the restaurant. Inside, they gave us towels to help dry ourselves off. That’s what five star arrangements will get you. They were even warm! ;) I love the rain here in Fiji.

And then it was straight back to the BDC to write my sermon... tomorrow I preach.

Bring a Boat

I was starting to wonder if Fiji really was a tropical country! ;) I’ve been here for two weeks tomorrow, and while there were short bursts of hard rain, there was nothing really what I would put into the ‘epic’ category. Have no fear, today fixed that for me! It started raining about 10 AM in the morning, and proceeded to turn on and off like a tap every 30 minutes for the rest of the day. Take into account this is rain like the pictures, with HUGE drops of water. By the night time, you just didn’t wear shoes outside if you were smart, because your feet and probably your ankles were going to be underwater.

This morning I went to the Nadi Airport School to teach scripture. It’s reminiscent of being back in Three Hills, but these kids are even better behaved; and they know very little about the Bible. I took them through the stories of Ehud and Gideon, and they knew neither of them. Both of the stories led into the fact that God has a plan for us regardless of how left out or weird we may be.

They had their prefect ceremony yesterday morning, so Josepha and I were only able to take 3 classes, but the ceremony was interesting. I’ve never seen a school use the prefect/head boy or girl system before, so it was intriguing to sit through it!

During the afternoon, I finished my sermon outline, went to Jong’s flat and relaxed a little. And then I walked back in pouring rain. It was fun trying to time walking past the puddles with the passing of cars. I was splashed good a few times, but I made it to the bus stop and eventually to McDonalds! Youth was starting in about an hour, and so I needed to eat something quickly. Boy, that sounds like I need to justify myself, lol!

While eating, a Fijian man, Jim, struck up a conversation with me. He was there with two young children, and it turns out he’s an associate minister with the Associated Gospel Churches here, full-time. Naturally, the conversation led to ministry, and some of our backgrounds. At the end of it, he gave me a ride back to the BDC and saved me a 10-15 minute walk through the rain and some REALLY large puddles!

That evening, we had youth. To be honest, I wasn’t so sure that we were even going to have youth, because of the rain, but when I got back, Josepha had taken the van and was out picking up the youth. They arrived about 20 minutes late, but we had a fun time regardless. Just a small number around 6 tonight. I spoke on the need to let God’s word work from the inside out, and some of the different responsibilities that we have in that process. I’m not sure why I was told that the youth here don’t really talk, because they were pretty conversational to me. Actually, they talked more than my first month in Sunday School back in Three Hills. There was the awkward looks, the unfamiliarity with someone actually asking their opinion, but eventually they started to engage with what I was saying. Knowing me, you already know this was very informal, and I made a few jokes about the massive pulpit that sat in front of the benches. Perhaps there is some hope for the kids... I wouldn’t have known it from what I was told.

Adventures!

For anyone wondering if I’m getting my fair share of adventures in while I’m here in Fiji, have no fear. Today contained enough adventures for weeks! I got up at 4:47 this morning (3 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off), to drive to the camp site down in Sigatoka and work on one of the cabins there. Four of us went down to work on the cabin, and once I woke up, it was actually a really fun time. Bau and I worked on ‘hurricanizing’ the cabin by putting in strips of sheet metal attached to the different planks. We had to expand the nail holes first, and then put on a special kind of nail that had a ‘button’ of sorts on the end. I’ll try to get some pictures up the next time I go down.

We worked for the entire morning on the cabin, from 6 up until about 10:30 when it started raining. In that time, Bau and I secured about 14 planks to the main frame, and ensured that the roof would not blow off by nailing the strips into some of the cross-supports. Nice to be using a hammer and getting a workout while enjoying the company of others.

On the way back, Sebastian txt’d me and told me to be at the airport at 1:30 PM, and I could go on a flight with him to one of the outer islands. Naturally, I was ALL over that. Unfortunately, the truck we were driving in had a ruptured coolant line, and we had to pull over. The funny part of this is that I attempted to hitchhike in order to get into town! No one picked me up, but I ended up catching a carrier van (like a taxi with bus rates) into town, and paying a taxi to take me to the BDC and then to the airport. It was quite the endeavour… and I made it in time despite Ken laughing that maybe it was divine providence that the van broke down and no one would pick me up.

Sebastian flew a couple out to Castaway Island, one of the resorts out here, and I had a chance to do some shallow-water snorkelling. VERY pretty fish under the water and the sand is nearly perfectly white! It was a super fun experience, and my first time here in the ocean water. It was like a warm swimming pool, and Sebastian tells me it’s actually really cold this time of year. I could handle that!

This evening, we went to Tu’s again for dinner, as one of the Canadian couples quit their flight jobs and were leaving on a plane to head home. One comment… drunk people are retarded, in a sadly funny way. They don’t make a lot of sense, their conversations go in circles, and they have no inhibitions about what they look like around other people. I was half laughing, and have standing in awe of what unfolded in front of me as both the couple and their friends proceeded to get completely plastered. I’m curious to know how they made it through customs!

Definitely some adventures to be had!

How Does One Relax in Fiji?

By phoning home, silly! I was awoken this morning by Ken (pre-9AM!) knocking on my door, and I think he carried on a bit of a conversation with me before he left again. I don’t really function earlier than that, especially on my days off, so it was a bit of a blur. I’m preaching on Sunday, I need to be ready to leave at 5 AM (that’s not a typo…) tomorrow to go do work at the camp, etc.

That ruined my hopes of sleeping in… so I got up, had a cold shower (that’ll wake you up!), and got ready to go for the day. My plans were to run into Nadi, and spend 2 hours at a local internet café phoning home, and that’s exactly what I did! I talked to Lorelei for 45 minutes, telling her in detail about what has been going on here, and the best ways to pray for me, and then hearing about what’s been going on back home. Amazing how just talking can make such a difference! I then talked to Jordan for about 20-25 minutes, hearing a little bit about how her week has been going, and sharing how Fiji has been. And then I phoned back to Three Hills and had a chat with my good friend Andrew. I miss our chats!

The early afternoon was awesome. I left the café generally just feeling good about life, and all because I had a good chance to talk to people back home. It’s amazing how hard it is to carry on without the support of others, I don’t know how the early missionaries did it.

The later afternoon was spent hanging out at the Tanoa hotel, in Jong’s flat (it’s not an apartment here!). I watched Spanglish, and just chilled. That’s my idea of a relaxing day off… no pressures, just enjoying life. And then I went for a quick dip in the pool. Nice to be swimming in a tropical environment!
Relaxed… and refreshed. I am blessed.

Are you a Taxi?

Have you ever stopped to think about all the small analogies that surround us on a daily basis? Take a taxi for instance. Fiji is the second place in the world that I have ever ridden in a taxi… but it is the first time I’ve been the one paying. They travel throughout town, picking up people, and move on to their next destination, constantly seeking and never at rest… all in search of more money. Does that sound familiar?

It doesn’t matter where you go in the world, money is the driver. The Fijian culture is one that does not pay back loans, and the concept of ‘borrowing’ is lacking at best. So what do the companies do? “Buy this large screen 58” HDTV for only 54 dollars a week!” Did I mention that Fiji only has one television station unless you get satellite? Honestly!? What is the point of that? Status!

This is where Christ stands so counter-culture. He was, and never will be about money. He’s all into the business of saving lives. What business are we into?

We drove back from Lami this morning. Uneventful taxi ride… but some seriously beautiful scenery. At one point, I was awed by the breaking waves over crystal blue sea on one side, and the rusty metal shanties on the other. The contrast is astounding. And the world rumbles on by.

The afternoon was spent checking my e-mail, talking with Lorelei (hi!) and Jordan (hi too!). Jordan’s parents finally made it down to Mexico to visit her, after a 6 day delay in the flight schedules. Quite the debacle, all in all. And then in the first conversation we’ve had in over a week… we ended up having a theological discussion. Why, you ask? I really don’t know. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself, because I still don’t get it!

I ate dinner with Jong at his hotel, having lamb… and the best part, free! Gotta love free meals. Then he drove me back to the BDC for men’s bible study. Tomorrow… I relax. And maybe even see my beautiful little niece over the webcam!

The Many Faces

Has it ever occurred to you how many different faces that we have in our country? There is the government, who is so polished and so professional, always working to make a positive impression on the populous. Then there are the corporations, lavishing in their power and money. There are the wealthy, who avoid anyone who does not fit into their financial bracket, but instead choose to hold parties for their friends while others die around them. There are the families, with their parents and children, sometimes happy, and sometimes the picture of anger. There are the homeless, wishing only to find a place to sleep and a meal to eat. Our culture has many different faces.

Fiji is no different. The only difference is that it is much more noticeable here, less segregated. I travelled around the south east of Fiji today with Ken, seeing some of the towns and different places. We first went to the missionary training centre to see a pastor from Australia that has come in to work with some of the men and teach. There were people from all over the south pacific there; all to learn about God and one day go out to make a difference in the world.

We then travelled into Suva, the capitol city of Fiji. One word… dirty; oil slicks from buses, uncleaned sidewalks, and far too many people for the infrastructure. All wrapped in a city that bustles around you, and people who are hurting… and I’m sure people who are wondering how they are going to put food on that table that night.

Can you see how these two relate? Do they coincide at any point in time? When does the gospel of Christ begin to make tangible differences in the life of people so that they can understand how Jesus wants to be a part of their life… personally. There are many, many challenges before this culture is even ready for that step, starting first with the church. These people desperately need to learn how to be salt and light, and how to make some basic choices in their own lives that will have vast effects on their well-being.

I’m not sure if this is the place for me, but whoever comes has a formidable job ahead of them. It’s not a short-term kind of thing.

Three Hours Can Make a Big Difference

Today was my first trip down to the Lami church. Lami is located about 10-20 minutes outside of Suva, the capitol of Fiji. The church here was the one the Cairns had originally planned for me to take, and so it was of particular interest for me to come and see.

The morning was spent at the Nadi church, having the normal morning service. Nothing really of note to speak of there, but I’ve always been curious about translating a North American style church into a different culture. I’d be curious to get an honest opinion about what they locals think about the way we ‘do’ church. Would they do it differently if they were given freedom from the start? Or would it look much the same? How can you avoid syncretism if you give locals freedom of worship. Interesting problems… and I’m not sure that I’d have an easy answer.

The Lami church was… much more alive! It’s a far younger church, with most of the group consisting of youth. I led the senior youth Sunday school class, and we talked about some of the difficulties in following God. It’s not always an easy thing to do, despite what it might seem like at first. They were generally open and receptive (at least to my Canadian feelers!), despite the warnings that I’d received to not expect any feedback… normal youth! It was refreshing!

The service also had an energy about it that at least to me seems to be lacking in Nadi. Perhaps it’s the youth, and the prominence of music in the church, but I found myself really enjoying it!

This evening, I went with Molly, Tepal (the elder of the Lami church) and his Wife to go see “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Amazing how you can be in a 3rd world country, and still go see some of the latest movies. Very good, by the way, it makes you think about the things you give priorities in your life, and how fortunate we really are.

Ministry has its ups and downs… but we need to remember to trust.

It’s Raining It’s Pouring…

While I write this, it is absolutely pouring rain outside. If you check the pictures, I will have posted a few of what tropical rain looks like! Exactly like a torrential downpour, it’s one of my most beautiful things you can imagine. Flash floods are a common occurrence here because of the volume of rain that comes down in such a short period of time. AKA, it’s right up my alley!

Today, I got up right around 8:30 in the morning. For the first time in years, I had a pretty vivid dream about my mom. A lot of the details are fuzzy, but I remember waking up remember what she looked like and what her voice sounded like. I’ve never had that experience before, so it was a welcome surprise.

I ran into town to put some money on my phone, as I’d run out, and to upload some pictures. Fairly uneventful trip all in all, no marriage proposals while I’m in town yet! Normally an ex-patriot will get solicitations for money or for marriage while they are walking around the town. People here are very pour, and any way to get a hand up on life is a welcome one. People tell me to wait until I’m a little more familiar, and then I’ll start to get some proposals! I’m not sure what to think about that!

The evening was spent with friend. Jong and I went out for coffee at a little shop by the Nadi river and talked while the locals jumped off the bridge into the water below. The drop itself is about 50 feet, but the river is just nasty… comparable to the North Saskatchewan in Edmonton, not something you’d want to spend a lot of time in. I’m not sure if they know better.

After that, Meriam, Sebastian and Molly (Ken and Mary’s other daughter) picked me up and we went out for dinner at a local restaurant. The prices were very reasonable, and the portion was humongous! I’m not sure I even finished half of what they gave me before I was full. We had a good chat about the local culture and my experiences so far. It is always good to hear other people’s perspectives to round out your understanding!

Oh yeah… and I slept through the 6:30 AM prayer meeting this morning, but didn’t even realize it until late afternoon when Jong mentioned it to me! Totally slipped my mind! Oops!

Pictures!

I've had a lot of people asking for pictures of my time here in Fiji. I want you to know that the first batch is now posted! You can view them online at http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenphilps/.

Have You Ever Been in a Group of People When...

You felt completely alone. Friday nights is youth group here in Nadi, and this week was obviously my first week to be in attendance! It’s amazing how isolated you can feel in a room full of people when they are all speaking a different language and laughing about things that you don’t really understand. It gives me a new appreciation for those who have to learn to fit in with people who have been friends for a very long time!

I tried to get on the internet to get caught up today, and ended up taking a bus down to Jong’s hotel, since they normally have wireless that he offered to me. Lucky for me, however, they were redoing the entire network infrastructure, and it went down this morning! He gave me a fruit drink and a ride back to the BDC as compensation. Lol, at least I could to talk to someone my own age!

And today was really my first real tropical rain experience! Literally, it’s like God turned on a tap, and suddenly it is pouring rain. I love it! I was sitting in my room working on the computer, when suddenly I hear some drips out the window... and then it went into full drive about 5 seconds later. Fantastic!

Lesson learned today: Always work to include the odd man out. It’s lonely out there!

Sometimes a New Country is Like a Cold Shower

Isn’t it amazing how God takes care of us even in the midst of uncertainty? Truly, He watches over the birds of the air and the blade of grass... and He watches over me. Orchestrated in the symphony of life, He knows what we need before we are even aware and always provides in just the right way! Today (and He is providing on a daily basis) He reminded me that He will always give me the company that I need to be fulfilled. Good friends make a world of difference.

I’ve now moved out on my own into the BDC, and it is something that I am actually really looking forward to! I have my own room, and it gives me my own private space to settle in and enjoy. It gives me some security when everything else is moving and shifting. I never realized it, but having your own space that you can exert a little bit of control over makes a humongous difference!

This evening, I ate at the very authentic, very Fijian... McDonalds! =) I was in a bit of a rush, so I figured some fast food wouldn’t hurt. While it is a bit of a taste of home, it lacks the ... taste of North America. How can McDonald’s taste any different, you ask? I don’t know, but it’s not as good as back home. It lacks that McDonalds twang that makes it so good, and yet so bad for you.

Jong met me there, and we came back to the BDC (Bethel Discipleship Centre, where I’m living) and I grabbed a few verses for the devotional tonight, and then we drove over to Meriam and Sebastian’s. The young adult gathering was there, and in typical Fijian style, we showed up on time, meaning about an hour early. The evening was a little awkward at first, but once we got the games going, the ice (I use that phrase loosely, because Fijian people only know ice for water) was broken and the laughter came out. We played a game where you had to act out or point to an object; it had a little computerized thing that kept track of the scores too. After that, I had to explain Taboo to a group of Fijians. You never realize how many Canadianisms there are in that game until you play it with people that have no idea who the Lone Ranger is.

Finally, some of the main differences between Fiji and Canada came out. Quite a few of the Fijians lacked the reading and grammar skills to really get the game at first. They were fine once some of the stronger ones picked up the game, but it wasn’t a fluent transition for any of them. We truly are blessed to have the educational system that we have!

Remember, God is faithful and He will ALWAYS provide!

New Country, Same Issues

Today, I would like to proudly announce, I cut my remaining course load down from three down to two. I am now one full course further towards getting my BA, which I’m hoping to attain by April. There is a lot of work to be done between then and now, but what else am I going to do in Fiji? (don’t answer that question!)

Today was my first ‘official’ day off. The reality is that I’ve just been observing over the past 6 days, so I haven’t been doing a whole lot, but it was an interesting change of pace nonetheless. Ken and myself went into town this morning to check on another missionaries SUV. He’s currently in Australia travelling around, and his battery was shot, so we took the old one out and picked up a new one. Not quite enough to make Paul proud, but I got grease on my hands!

I spent the rest of my day reading. I had 50 pages to finish in the book The Spirit of the Disciplines so that I could finish my course (yay!) and it was time I hunkered down and got it done. Let’s just say I’ve done more interesting things in my life, but now it’s done. I mixed that in with a little bit of video gaming, meaning freecell and a 2D space game, and reading Time/Popular Mechanics.

Supper was where all the fireworks were at. Mary had asked a question about why North American churches were having such a problem getting people out for prayer meetings, which sparked a lengthy conversation about methods in church ministry, generational differences, and lead to how many pastors are really needed in a church. I shared a very different philosophy of ministry from both Ken and Mary, but I can’t say that it surprised me a lot. That is also part of the generational difference.

The reality is that we cannot blame lay people for not coming to church when we as pastors have allowed the foundations that create a passion for prayer to erode to a negligible level. What surprises me is how many pastors are asking the questions relating to why this is happening... the church is behind the times! Frankly, there has been many times when I’ve sat through a service and been bored... so how can I expect anyone else to be interested? If we are paid to carry out full-time ministry, it should be our goal to be relevant and... INTERESTING! God’s word isn’t boring... why are so many preachers?

In Case You Were Wondering...

I'm writing these posts every night after the day is long and past, but I don't have access to the internet where I'm staying. Which means that whenever I get online with my laptop, I'm going to post a whole slew of them. So keep checking back, and you'll get a pretty detailed account of what is going on in my life here in Fiji.

Tomorrow... I'll update, and I'll give you the link for a bunch of my pictures! YAY!

By the way... It's really hot!!!!

Discover Your Priorities

It always shocks me when I hear of people who come to foreign cultures and expect to see immediate fruit of their labours. I’m reminded of missionaries who spend ten plus years works with Muslims only to see one convert. Most of the time, working with other cultures is the result of long, hard work.

Today, I spent the morning in town. What an experience that is! I’ll have to get some pictures (I still don’t have any!) to give you a sense of what a town in Fiji is like. Nadi (pronounced Nandee) was bustling with life, as native Fijians and (East) Indians mingled and went about their business. It only took a few minutes until one Fijian began to tell me about his village and how he wanted my contact information so we could be friends. Naturally, he got nothing out of me, but it took me getting his name and number on a sheet of paper before he would go away. Quite an adventure when people only see you because your skin is whit and you are an opportunity!

The rest of the two hours involved me drifting in and out of various shops and avoiding the shop owners like a plague! They would say hello to you, and then guide you to their shop where they probably wanted me to buy some grossly overpriced item because they had spent time with me. One guy ‘only wanted to give me a card’ which then turned into wanting me to sit down for an ‘authentic Fijian welcome ceremony’ – he already had 3 other white guys sitting around a bowl; Suckers. I said my goodbyes and moved on. Who knows what was in that bowl!

The evening involved me going to a pasta party with Sebastian and Miriam and a bunch of pilots. It was a blast, and the food was excellent. As the night wound down, I got into an interesting discussion with a Native Fijian woman who had married a British fellow. They were back in Fiji visiting her family for a few months. She was going on about her theology, etc. and because most of you know me well enough, I was in there like a dirty shirt!

The conversation led to her explaining how ‘God’ is a woman, who had a son out of the right part of her womb from a lotus. And the entire world unfolded from her womb, and then sin came in and corrupted everything. There is mankind and humankind. Mankind is the offspring of evil, and will all be destroyed. Humankind is the offspring of her, and is good. Only 3 million 800 thousand, etc. will be saved in the end. Everyone else will die. Lucky for me, my bloodlines are pure, and I’m a part of humankind, she told me. You think that’s hokey, it’s only the half of the theology she laid out for me, and that’s the part that made sense and didn’t contradict itself. It’s sad that a woman who really seemed so intelligent is so deceived.

But thus is life in a world like this. People are deceived. There was a point in the conversation where I brought Jesus into it. It was a very interesting encounter… she was immediately in my face, telling me that Jesus had nothing to do with it, and went on to explain some of her theology. As I looked into her eyes, God gave me a very interesting picture of what was going on behind the scenes. Evil was looking back at me through her eyes.

God is great!

Church in a Different Culture is…

The end of my second day draws to a close; a strangely comfortably cool close. You’d think that being in a foreign climate would make you sweat bullets and wish for a bath of cold ice water. I’m really not finding that the case. To be completely honest, I’ve been hotter in the middle of summer in Saskatchewan. Perhaps Saskatchewan really is the closest place on earth to Hell! (that one is for all my cousins in Sask!)

While all of my friends and family were busy enjoying their Saturday, I got up around 9:30 this morning to get ready for my first Fijian church service. Naturally, I was completely unsure of what to expect, as so many of these things are new to me. You know what I discovered? This church is a lot like home, with a lot less white representation! It was neat to see them mix in their own culture with the familiar boundaries of faith.

I spent most of the afternoon reading and relaxing.

This evening, we went back to church for the evening service, which was a time of sharing. I was privileged to lead of with my own personal testimony, and I even managed to keep it under seven minutes. I’m not sure when I got so wordy; I remember the times when I had to force myself to keep talking so I could get to five minutes. Funny what a pulpit does to a person, eh? Look out!

And in the evening, I went out with Jong, Mimi and Sebastian for dinner. Three other people that are about my age, two of whom are married (Mimi and Sebastian, obviously!). Again, it is amazing how refreshing it is to talk to people my own age and just enjoy each others company. Friendships are so important!

I’m also getting a little more perspective on the Fijian people, and I think I have a little more hope than what I’ve been told for whom they are and what can be done. Time will tell if my hopes and dreams are true, or merely being completely naive. I will continue to observe!

Always trust in God, He’s faithful!

Hello and welcome to the 3rd World

Today was my first day in Fiji. Wow, what a mixed bag of expectations and emotions. If I wasn’t sure what to expect before, I have no idea what is coming now.

I arrived at 5:30 AM this morning, after a long flight over the Pacific ocean. I sat with an American that was going to Australia to surf and travel with his buddies for six months. On the other side of me was a guy from Didsbury which is about an hour out of Three Hills. What a small world we live in, and how great is God? We had a good chat, and it was nice to talk to someone who not only shared the same knowledge of the local and people, but also the same faith.

Saturday was mostly spent travelling throughout Nadi (pronounced Nandee), seeing some of the sights and getting better acquainted with Ken and Mary. It was a long day, all in all, and through a lot of it, I was very discouraged. I was painted a very bleak picture of the Fijian people, and what I should be expecting from them. Large parts of me just don’t believe it.

God and I spent a lot of time conversing over that one. Why would He bring me to a place like this? Am I really cut out for a job like this? What does He want from me while I’m here? How can I make a difference in a culture that is so foreign to me? It felt like I would never get the hang of it! I felt hopeless. But God is a God of hope and refuge. So I clung to that, and in the end He reminded me of the hope that He gives and to wait it out and draw some of my own conclusions. That is an awesome plan.

Did I mention my bags didn’t make it past LA?
We met a guy by the name of Jong, who runs a local hotel here. Had dessert with him this evening, and had some good laughs. Really helped the whole discouragement thing to hang out with someone closer to my age and thought patterns… and maybe I can do this.

Last Day in Canada

It was almost 5 months ago that I found out that Fiji was a possibility, and here we are a moment that I never expected to really come. I'm in the midst of packing and getting everything ready to go, in two hours, I'll be leaving for the airport and crossing that point of no return.

There is a huge part of me that can't wait to get there and discover the unknown, to have a blast and make a difference in ways I never knew I could. I mean, really, I'm going to Fiji, so how bad can it really be? People there are extremely friendly, the environment is picturesque, and my mission is clear. This trip is something I've been craving for, to stretch me outside of my self-set boundaries and into the great unknown.

And there is another, smaller, part of me. It's sceptical, asking endless questions about my credentials, about leaving family and friends, about leaving my comfort zone. I'm going to a different country, a different culture that I am completely unfamiliar with. It's going to be hot, challenging and very, very scary. But this is a mountain that must be overcome.

1 Timothy 6:6-21 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time-- God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might forever. Amen.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

Lean on ... who?

Three days separate me from a long journey to Fiji. Three days to make sure that I have everything together, make any last minute arrangements and prepare my heart and mind for the three months ahead. It's all a little overwhelming, and I have a strange feeling that come 6:00 PM Thursday, no amount of preparation will get me ready for that first step onto the plane.

I'm nervous. It's been quite some time since I've felt this way, my stomach is clenched, my arms are tingling and my feet feel like they never want to move. Normally, this is the feeling that accompanies me before a Soccer game that I know is very, very important. The difference this time is, my head doesn't feel in the game. It wants to agree with my feet and stay right where we are, firmly in my comfort zone. But God doesn't want me in my comfort zone.

My comfort zone involved family, friends, and my own culture. It means casual conversations that occasionally dip into the personal, but generally stay in the superficial. It means knowing what buttons to push in order to get a rise. Ultimately, it means depending on my own strength, and not God's. That just won't do.

I say stay. He says go.

I'm not enough. He is.
I can't do this on my own. That's the first lesson I have to learn. Suddenly I understand the line from SCC's "Dive" -- Sink or Swim, I'm diving in.

Not Long Now

It's been quite the wild ride in the past few weeks. From the copious amounts of travelling I did over Christmas, to the studying I've done over the past few weeks, to preparing for Fiji, there has been no stop to my activities. In the midst of it all, God is faithful in preparing me for what is ahead, and giving me peace in the interm.

Christmas involved times with family and friends. Jordan was coming up to see me and originally planned that we would spend a lot of our time together ahead of Christmas. Unfortunately, that would have displaced a lot of people from their schedules and just made things fairly difficult. Fortunately, God had his hand in the matter and she was able to fly home to Kelowna, and it worked out that we spent more time than she planned together.

I made two trips up to Edmonton over the Christmas holidays, because I wanted to be here in Three Hills for my final Sunday. It gave me the chance to say goodbye as a pastor, and also to see through my duties till the end. The Christmas Eve service was fantastic, and we had nearly 200 people out, which is double what we normally get.

Christmas was spent with my family. We played Xbox, Skipbo, Black Queen and just enjoyed each others company. It's nice to have a family where you can get together and merely enjoy each other, not having to worry about disagreements, but knowing that there is mutual respect and understanding for the history that is there. It was refreshing.

Afterwards, I left with Lorelei, Orlando, Paul and Carys and drove most of the way back to Vancouver with them. Paul and I drove together in my Golf, and had some really awesome conversation through those 8 hours. When we hit Kamloops, I ducked south to Peachland.

The next 4 or 5 days were spent with Jordan. We laughed, saw James Bond, played games with the family, saw friends and got to know each other all over again. It's amazing how much we change in the course of three months, and even though we talked regularly, talking over the phone and internet is very different from seeing one another face to face. It was a great boon to the relationship, and yet another refresher for me.

On the 31st, I drove back to Edmonton, and let's just say it was one of the longest drives I've ever done! Not because of length, but about 7 hours into it, I was just dead tired. When I showed up at my Dad's place, I was safe and sound, but thoroughly exhausted! I'm glad that my friends decided to forgo the sleep over this year and just have a party till just past midnight. My bed was welcome.

The last couple of weeks have been raising funds, talking to friends, and lots and lots of studying. I'm hoping to get one of my courses finished before I leave for Fiji, and while it will be lots of work this week, I believe it's doable. That will put me in good condition to be finished my coursework for an April graduation. Time, however will tell if this is a realistic expectation, or if I'm being flighty. I hope it's the former.

The coming weeks will include flying out to Vancouver for some family time before I leave for Fiji. I leave 10:30 PM on the 25th of January to leave on the biggest adventure of my life so far. It will be challenging and it will force me to grow, but it's exactly where God wants me to be. And if God wants me there, I want to be there!