Fiji Mission Trip 2014
I’d love to be able to say that I’m writing this from a paradise island resort, lying in a shaded beach bungalow and sipping on an iced pineapple Fanta; but that’s simply not the case. I am, however, surrounded by 15 brilliant, servant-hearted students who have been inspiring in their commitment to the great work they’ve been doing here in Fiji. For the past 13 days we have been ministering to the people of this country from the outskirts of Lautoka; the second largest city in Fiji. As opposed to the sand laden resorts and white sparkling beaches, our accommodation has been only slightly less ‘classy’ as we settled in to the Fiji Bible College. It’s from here that we began to reach out into the lives of the young people in both this township, as well as the smaller town of Ba, which is 40km north of here. Although our primary target here was to bless those we crossed paths with, we have been equally blessed and inspired by the friendliness and faithfulness of those we have fellowshipped with. I am proud to say that the students who dedicated their time and energy to this mission trip and the Fijian people, have grown and matured in more ways than I could have ever foreseen. They are certainly not the same 15 individuals that left this College two weeks ago.
From simply attending the Sunday church services to leading a Friday night youth group with 60 youth and young adults, these students have been tested and stretched to their limits; although I must admit, so have their leaders! It was amazing to see how quickly they bonded with the younger children at our daily afternoon “Kid’s Club” programs. Several of the GCCC representatives stepped up to take the lead in a number of different areas such as: singing, bible story telling, devotions and games – a particular favourite of the locals being the “Lolly Man” game, in which Lachlan McCaig, James Proud and Ben Giles found themselves struggling for air underneath a pile of 70 sugar-starved, miniature bodies. Although we are all worn out after two weeks of mission work, we have not come away from this unrewarded. On several occasions we were gifted with the sound of the beautiful, native Fijian voices of the college; this, however, does not include the local rooster’s crows at all hours of the late evening and early morning, to which the students were not impressed and I’m sure the students are all looking forward to Chicken Tonight.
A big thanks goes out to Ross and Donna Newell, for all their help in preparation as well as travel to and from the airport. Also to Neil and Annette Daniel for their masses of hard work and preparation whilst the team was in Fiji, alongside Marie Stewart. We could not have survived without your dedication, time and effort, nor without the amazing food prepared by the lovely ladies. To you all, we are truly thankful.
David Heyworth, Head of Senior School