"If You Can't Go To Them . . ."

Maybe the years do bring blessings.  Unlike the younger missionaries, while we can't go to visit our family during mission service, they can come to us.  However, Fiji is so far away from the United States that we wondered if any of our kids would be able to come.  Despite family and work responsibilities along with the cost of travel, that dream did come true when Sara and Birch "... came to us" recently.  What a treat!

Though they were arriving at 5:10am at the international airport in Nadi, 1 1/2 hours south of us, we needed no alarm to wake us.  We excitedly jumped in the truck and headed down the road to begin our short week together. We had planned two days in Ba sharing our life and friends together so they could get a real feel for what we do and what it's like here.  Then we wanted to show them the island, go to the temple in Suva, and explore some of the Fijian tourist attractions.  We couldn't wait to get started!

Sara has since done a wonderful job of chronicling our daily journey together and you can find her story on their blog.  If you have time and interest, each day can be accessed by clicking on the noted blog address.  In between, we'll add some reflections of our own.
Day One - http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/our-journey-to-fiji-and-day-one-in-land.html

What better way to start the day than a swim in the ocean & pool!

We're grateful for the Westin Resort for letting us test out their facilities after we made a reservation for later in the week.  We did, however, have to change in the bathroom and use paper towels and the hand dryer to dry off!

Olivia and Tuliana made us promise that our first stop in Ba would be their home.

Faizil, Sahil, and Faiza

In minutes, Sara and Birch were like family and Olivia even demonstrated some of her Fijian home making skills.  Check out that cane knife!

Weeks ago when the second flood brought into the Church parking lot a metal canopy (carport), we immediately thought of its potential usefulness at the Nairoqo home.  The trick was getting the behemoth onto a truck and negotiating the cane roads to their home.  We shoveled the muck out of it and thought we could heft it onto our truck -- wrong!  Much larger and heavier than we expected, it was apparent we needed help both in manpower and truck-power.  Good thing we found willing hands, which included Birch, and a skilled lori driver.  Before long, the carport was sitting at the Nairoqo home.

Amidst the muck to the right, a potential treasure - are you missing it?

Weeks later with the mud dried out -- thanks for helping hands!

Safe at new home but not yet in final resting place

Back at home after a great day, an exhausted Sara and Birch couldn't wait to reveal to us the treasure trove they had been gathering, making, and weighing (it's a wonder they had any room for personals).  We're still overwhelmed with all the kindnesses that came from so many - thank you!!!  Note of disclaimer: when you read Sara's exhaustive list of what they brought, we want you know we did not ask for all those goodies!  Having such a varied assortment of gifts and resources to share has and will continue to bless so many.  What a good day.

Day Two: http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-two-sweet-fijian-sabbath.html
Come Sunday morning, we became aware of how comfortable the temperature had become since Sara and Birch had arrived.  Was Fall in the air?  Were we to become liars after months of complaining about the heat and humidity?  Apparently so as we've never had nicer temperatures and they lasted all week!  Our "sob story" was saved however, when at least the power went out for an hour before Church.  As you can see from their blog, they were loved and welcomed and put straight to work!  How we appreciated their attitude and willingness to contribute.

Although they are 20+ years away from their time to serve a "senior mission" together, they are well equipped already.  We realized the added strength they brought as we enjoyed reaching out to many families and individuals throughout the rest of the day and into the evening (individual visits are well described in Sara's blog). Two plus two seemed much more than four when serving in such a wonderful cause, which we admit we feel isolated in from time to time.

Day Three: http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-three-bula.html
Though Suva was our eventual destination, our drive across the interior brought many stops and views of village life in Fiji which you never get at resorts.

Sara included this traditional Bure unders construction, and . . .

... we saw it the next week all tidy, trimmed, and nearly finished.

In Sara's post, she showed a few pictures of the gathering, drying, and preparing of Voivoi leaves for mats.  Here's a shot of the finished product which we sit on every time we enter someone's home, they just have the nicest feel!

Soft and silky when broken in, these mats are traditional gifts at weddings and funerals

A really nice decorative mat by a skilled craftswoman -- 3 days in the making

Always looking for the native crafts (which we fear are dying out), we spotted this amazing palm frawn basket meant for carrying large loads on your back.

While Sara, Birch and Annie explored a little LDS Church building in a remote village, Tom was standing near the truck checking out the recent river flood level.  Little did he know he was standing next to the source of his greatest love - a cacau tree.  A woman crossed the road, climbed up the tree and cut off two pods.  Slicing a pod, she offered a marshmallowy, gelatin seed which we all tried -- strange but good.  After sucking off the outer cover, they roast and grind the seeds for cocoa powder.  Pretty nifty.

Not wanting to miss out on an adventure into the rain forrest near Suva, we changed into our swimming suits and explored the Colo-i-Suva Nature Park.  Sara posts some great pictures of our hike but here's some action (please focus on Birch and you may hold your applause for the senior missionaries):

Day 4: http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-four-tarzan-goes-to-beach.html

Amidst some of the challenges we face in Fiji, coming "home" to the temple is always a strengthening respite.  A scripture describing the nature of the temple says: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God." It is all those things to us as it focuses on our relationship to God and His orderly plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

One of the special things about attending a small temple, like the one we have in Suva, is that we have become friends with many of the people who serve there and we look forward to renewing our friendship each time we are in Suva. Early Tuesday morning the four of us attended this peaceful and inspiring "House of the Lord" and being together was an added blessing.

Zipping along with Tuesday -- from Suva we packed up and headed to the Coral Coast for a few days of more traditional Fiji tourism.  First stop was at Zip-Fiji, tucked away on the edge of a rain forrest -- what a thrill!

Gearing up - we were impressed with how safety conscious they were from start to finish

Check out them guns!

Before launching on any line, the workers at both ends of the cable had a system of
hooting and hollering in Fijian code to acknowledge all was clear for the next zip.

We were conservative in our zipping style but before we went off a
tower, one of the workers always went first and they did flips and tricks
all the way down.  Hmm, maybe next time?

Great equipment, great guides, great fun

To da beach -- off we went for a couple of days of swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, reading, great food, and even a massage on the beach.

Every night the local villagers would gather for rugby.  The sand looks nice but there was
lots of coral chunks in it -- ooh, ouch (not for Fijian feet though - like thick leather).

Turns out, Tom did get a little coral sliver in his foot.  Everyone told us how essential it was to get
it out immediately.  We tried and tried to remove it but were unsuccessful.  Finally he stuck the pin
back in the hole and it just fell out (hmm, little blessing?).  The motel owner gave him a lime
and told him to squeeze the juice on the wound to kill the coral infection, noting -- "it's an
old Tahitian cure."  Not totally trusting the local lore, he added some Bactracin. 

Sara and Annie off to the massage shack on the beach

We did enjoy eating out with delicious food and nice company.  Food in Ba is Ba-aad and
Ba-oooring so we never eat out (ignore those fries, Tom was waiting for his fish to arrive).
Being a tourist  for a couple days has its perks!

. . . it was worth the wait, and since it came late they did not charge us!

Perfect days and beautiful sunset evenings -- we loved our days together

We really appreciated these days with Sara and Birch.  Sara has done a great job of chronicling days 5 and 6 in more detail and we'll leave you to her blog for more:
http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-five-dip-into-paradise.html

http://dittofam.blogspot.com/2012/04/day-six-fish-massaged-at-sea.html

After Sara and Birch went to New Zealand for 2 days, we had a few more precious hours together between flights while they waited for the red-eye flight back to the States.  It was hard to say goodbye but we felt refreshed and ready to get back to missionary life -- that is, after all, why we are here and for which we are most grateful.

On Earth and In Heaven

The Suva Fiji temple stands on a prominent hill overlooking a beautiful bay at the edge of a peninsula jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.

Taken April 17th during Sara and Birch's visit

President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the building of the Fiji temple in April 1998 and it was completed in June of 2000 (prior to this, members in Fiji had to travel to New Zealand or Samoa to attend a temple).  A picture of serenity, the joy of the temple completion was marred by a serious political/military crisis (an attempted civilian coup on May 19th) that prevented the public dedication of the building.  Over 16,000 people had attended the brief open house before its cancellation due to the unrest.  After touring the temple, an Assembly of God pastor was heard to say, "This is heaven." In the end, only President Hinckley and a few others were allowed to be present at the formal dedication on June 18th. In his dedicatory prayer, President Hinckley included; "We pray dear Father that these beautiful islands may be blessed with peace, that there shall be no abridgment of the great freedom of worship afforded by the government of this land.  May thy Saints be recognized as good citizens and may thy work grow and flourish in this part of thy vineyard."  

"Heaven on earth" is about as good a description as we know of for the feeling at any temple, but we now have a real soft spot for this beautiful House of the Lord in Fiji.  One of our missionary blessings here is to help prepare individuals and families to attend the temple for the first time.  The temple is a wonderful house of faith, prayer, and spiritual education.  Another quote we like from President Hinckley emphasizes the latter: "The temple becomes a school of instruction in the sweet and sacred things of God.  Here we have outlined the plan of a loving Father in behalf of His sons and daughters of all generations.  Here we have sketched before us the odyssey of man's eternal journey from pre-mortal existence through this life, to the life beyond."  In the temple, we feel especially close to the Savior and better understand His immeasurable love and sacrifice for us.  How we appreciate that and feel increased gratitude for the expression of John the Beloved: "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)


Over the last few months, we've been meeting with Viliame Nava (27 years old), and the Nairoqo family so that their first time at the temple would be more comfortable and meaningful.  On April 27th we met them and other members from the west side of Fiji after a 6+ hours bus ride to Suva.  Viliame is a terrific young man whose father died when he was a young boy.  He farms and generally takes responsibility for a large extended clan as well as looking after his 67 year old mother, Miriama.

They were so happy to be at the temple and to have their family "sealed" for time and eternity.  That is one of the great blessing of the temple, to know and be assured that God intended marriage and family to extend beyond the grave.

Little Lilly Nairoqo (6) had been been counting the days leading up to this trip and her mother, Elenoa, said each day when she came home from school she would run up and ask, "Is tomorrow the day?"  Finally, that day had come.  We cannot express the joy we had to be in the temple with this family.  Knowing all they've gone through to grow in faith, and seeing the happiness that has come from it has been a singular joy for us.

Elenoa's mother joined them for this happy day

On the way up the stairs to the temple that morning, Tom put his arm around Saimone and said, "You finally made it." A few days later, we asked him how he felt about what he learned in the temple and having been sealed together with his family.  He reflected on Tom's earlier statement and said; "Remember when you said we had 'finally made it?'  Really, I think we have just begun."  How perceptive and true.

Following the Flood

As almost a month has passed from the most recent flood, we wanted to reflect on some of the days and events that followed.  For 3 days after the flood we could not contact one set of elders in the northern town of Rakiraki.  Three other elders from another town had made their way to Ba for "safety in numbers" but we were worried about the set in Rakiraki whom we knew were out of money, electricity and water. With no electricity, their cell phone was dead and their apartment was oozing water through the walls.  During a low-tide recession of flood waters along with a prayer and a few hours of break from the rain, we took a risk to drive north and find them if possible.

Not knowing if supplies would be available, we shopped locally amidst the throngs at the only non-flooded store and set off for the 90 minute drive with rice, sugar, oatmeal, bread, tuna fish, bananas, carrots, potatoes, eggs, and some cookies ("biscuits").  Our hope was to find them and bring them back to Ba, but just in case, we would leave the food at their apartment.

Headed north from Ba between tides & rain

This was the one "good" stretch of road.  When we asked a policeman
if we could get through to Rakiraki he said with a smile, "You can try!"

 We had nearly made it to Rakiraki when the Elder Church miraculously noticed a "white arm" of a missionary sticking out the window of a transport van.  He yelled out that he thought that may be the missionaries so we did a quick U-Turn and ran down the van.  Sure enough, it was the only transport to get out of Rakiraki and the Elders we were looking for had boarded the van hoping to get to Ba. After a welcome reunion, we returned and were able to watch the LDS General Conference broadcast with a happy group of missionaries.

May we just note that the big Fijian was actually sitting
between two pretty good sized Samoans!

You'd think this big guy couldn't move around much but we
are told that he is amazingly nimble on the rugby field

Besides being happy to be all together and safe, Annie fed these guys royally and they loved it.  Nothing could compare with fresh cinnamon rolls with freshly grated coconut -- mmmm!

In addition to watching Conference and eating, we all teamed up to wash the church chairs -- again! After squeezing through the church gate  . . .

 . . .  we waded and skated through the muck to load up chairs. Big Elder Diloi could not make it through the gate but wow could that guy load chairs into the truck! Intending to wash the chairs in our "customary location" at a river, we were surprised to find that the bridge no longer existed and the river had changed course due to a fabulous tree (which had already been partially sawn up by the locals):

"Where did this come from? It wasn't here yesterday!"

Even Elder Diloi was dwarfed by this tree.

Just how high was the flood water?  It varied, but in the critical downtown area, you can see the debris line above the heads of the missionaries . . .

A Fiji Sugar Company Office - note the beam through the window

Everyone was cleaning up and coping with the aftermath.  Here are few houses near the Church where roofs became a safe haven despite the rain.

Trying to save the desks.  Later firemen went in to help with the clean up

Colorful and ambitious. We understood this to be the home of a store keeper who was
salvaging his goods and trying to clean and dry them out. 

While the store owner above was trying to dry out his goods, we were
striking matches trying to light our stove.  Note the mold growing
on the heads - they had absorbed so much water that they
crumbled when you struck them.  But little matter since the sand-paper
striker strip on the box was soggy anyway.

Good thing we were able to get a couple candles burning with those soggy matches because we really did need to see those bloody mouse traps!  We caught four in the early days as they migrated indoors. No way to have known that initially but when Annie picked up a cardboard envelope with some teaching aids in them she was -  let's just say, "surprised" (and not happily so) - when a little fellar (or gal?) lept out.  He/she was apparently studying the 2nd lesson on the Plan of Salvation -- it didn't work as she/he was promptly dispatched to the "other world" the very next day along with a few other buddies.

Our elaborate water-filter system shows visually why we filter our water (when have it, that is).
The brown filter on the left started out as white as the one on the right.

 A couple days after the flood, when the waters had receded enough to visit the villages, the bishop and his wife, along with the Relief Society president visited homes and assessed the damage.  The next day, we received a call asking us to bring the truck and help transport groceries.  We found the bishop with an entourage of children and young adults buying $6000 (Fijian) worth of groceries in the midst of an overcrowded store. Several trips later, we had moved the load to the Relief Society president's home where we were joined by other ward members to assemble the allotments for 33 families in 15 different villages (we have since delivered several more, along with household goods such as 3" foam mattresses, plastic floor covering, blankets, pillows, etc.).  Included in the food packs were 10K of rice, sugar, and flour, 12 liter bottles of water, spices, soap, yeast, mosquito repellant rings (a must after floods), canned mackerel and corned mutton, potatoes, onions, garlic, powdered milk, oil, cocoa, breakfast biscuits, and one roll of toilet paper for good measure.  

Sister Ratu (bishop's wife), and Iva package onions for distribution

Barely a member for a year, Sister Matewai is our Relief Society
President and has now been through 2 major flood relief efforts.  She
sat on a bucket calling out to the workers which commodities and how
many to place in each allotment.

15 yr. old Lusiana Nairoqo - capable and willing

14 yr. old Peni Nairoqo - a hard worker

The bishop's son, distributing spices

"Tough" but sweet, 8 yr. old Epa Matewai and 7 yr. old Simione Nairoqo

Where Fijian men get their muscles

Propane and plastic bins of Breakfast Crackers. Hard-tack & unsalted - and not very tasty in
our opinion but they are universally eaten here.  They are filling and improve when
dipped in home made lemon-leaf tea or Milo (hot cocoa).

Mid-way in a steamy hot and long night -- that "sweat-glow" is our signature.  Along with Annie,
Saimone Nairoqo joins his kids in the distribution just days after his exhausting
and heroic trek from Suva.

Talei Matewai keeps Iferemi happy with a rain bath
while we assemble and load allotments.  That bucket of water
in the foreground became the life-line for everyone as they
collected water for every use while our city water supply was
was lost for days.

A long night of rainy deliveries didn't go so well for Tom when his
flip-flops did more "flipping" than flopping as we tromped
through the water and mud in the villages (and in the dark).

Bishop Ratu and a happy and grateful Sister Mate who was completely out of supplies.

While asking for directions to a home the next day, we met up with
this man who not only knew the location but demonstrated his creativity
by crafting a shoulder bag from a plastic-woven flour sack.

Remote and isolated but well kept by Asena and her family

Petero (13) and his mom, Asena

Remember that raging "last river crossing" Saimone made?  Here it is days after the
flood and all back to it's placid pace and narrow width.

In many ways the floods are now only a memory.  But the reality of their impact will be broadly felt for months.  In the inimitable Fijian way, we ran across this next site just one day after the mud on a road was cleared and piled along side.  All those sticks are Casava starts - one of the main staple of the daily diet. Yes, the  flood took it's toll, but it is never too early to start thinking about tomorrow!