Fiji Regional Conference - Day 14: "Studying!"

The end of this week's class draws nigh.  Things are due, readings must be finished.  And we just learned that one member of our group didn't have a textbook for his class.  (No wonder he was falling behind!)

Most of our group at this house are taking the Bible study methods class...and they felt the need for Dan to help them with a group study session.  Sitting around the dinner table, we decided as soon as we were done we'd re-group and bring books to the table and "have-at-it!" -----Then the electricity went out!

At McDonald's

No electricity meant no lights, no computers, no group study session.

BUT THERE'S ALWAYS MC DONALDS!

We packed up and headed down our drive to troop to the Golden Arches.  (Who knew if we could plug in computers, but hey, ice cream was more on my mind.)  As we headed down the drive, the electricity came back on...lights lit, voices called out, "It's on!"  But, it's hard to stop a moving train (heading for ice cream.)  We decided on studying an hour at Mac's and then continue on back at home.

When we returned home, we noticed the light over the kitchen table looked very dim and there was a resident sleeping on the floor in the nearby lounge (living room), so once again we "flexed."  We brought chairs from the kitchen to our room upstairs, and everyone got down to wrestling through the assignments.  I moved from my chair to my bed about 10:30, but Dan and the others kept going until late. 

Lillian, Lore, Elton, Dan

Lillian and Kaylynn

Lore (from our Guam ministry)

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 13: "Odds and Ends!"

A backstory to attending the netball game:
Dan and I waited for a while to meet up with some of the rest of our staff team.  As we waited a frog hopped behind my legs where I was sitting.  We couldn't get a reply to our text when we'd been waiting for a while, and the game had already started.  Question:  Is it more polite and loyal to keep waiting, or would we just make everyone feel bad that we waited.  When it started to rain, we went with option two.  It turned out that they went for that option as well and were already seated on the opposite side of the stadium.  Our seats were pretty close to the action at one end by the goal.  The unusal thing about our seats in this indoor stadium is that we felt little sprinkles of rain on us every now and then!  However, a little rain is kinda welcome in a crowd in the tropics!

Also...I learned a banana dance that goes to a rap beat.  The beat is: Doop, de doo doo, (pause) Doop, doop, de doo doo.  The words go:  You got to peel banana, peel, peel, banana. (With actions)  You got to chop banana, chop, chop, banana...then there's "slice," "mash," "fry," "eat," and finally, "Go bananas, go, go, bananas!"  It's a hoot!

Ready for class!

Also...My theology class is held in a room in the Fiji Office.  Twelve of us are in that room, and our teacher says he's never taught in such a small area.  (We have a distinction!)  My teacher is an American, living in Singapore, teaching at the Cru seminary for East Asia there.  He's married to a Singaporean and has three small children...and is hoping he can make it through the two weeks until he sees them again.  (I really am enjoying his class!)

Morning tea!

 

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 12: "Island Rain"

Thunder and rain...warm, wet, soaking rain.

rain from the gutter

After class the sky bucketed down.  No standing on the curb to catch a taxi and that point.  Dan, of course, was content to work on visa problems for the ministry via his notebook.  I had no electronic devices, no novel, no textbook.  (I left the big textbook at home and figured I'd do the required reading there.)

Others were in the air-conditioned conference room, working on their homework from the bible study class.  Dan, as a TA for my theology class, didn't have a class to study for, so he worked on his ever-present PNG ministry details that needed attention.  I preferred to sit with Dan under the covered porch, idly watching the rain.  Conversation was not an option.  Who could hear with the pounding of rain on the tin roof?  The breeze felt good.  Someone was cooking upstairs and good aromas were wafting towards me.


Sometimes it's good just to enjoy the moment.

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 11: "Humanity, God...and the Silver Ferns!"

Wow!  I really like my class.  Systematic theology is biblical theology as it relates to my world.  There are many issues I haven't thought through completely, so I'm learning lots.  

Reading on bunkbed with arms locked...like my dad

I got a little mixed up on how many chapters to read for tomorrow.  The good news is that I read more than I needed to.  The bad news is that I didn't have enough time to write my short paper before going to the netball game.  (The New Zealand Silver Ferns played Fiji's netball team tonight!  What a thrill to see it live!)

New Zealand vs Fiji

Waiting outside stadium for the game to start

 

I just finished the paper...which is a little on the short side.   (Then, again, I always have trouble writing enough words.)  Oh, well.  I'm content and looking forward to tomorrow's class and the ensuing discussions.  I just wish all you at home could be taking this class with me! 



 

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 10: " The Longest Day!"

Daylight savings for Fiji.  The sun woke us up at the same time, but it was an hour earlier.  This is our last day of reprieve before our seminary classes start tomorrow.

Have you ever experienced driving towards a mountain and you never seem to get any closer?  That's how I felt reading my assigned chapter in my textbook.  I kept looking to see if I was close to the end of the chapter, but there always seemed many pages still to go.  Fortunately, it's very interesting...I just never have been good at reading things quickly for information.  (I was an art major, what can I say?)

In the afternoon Lillian and Elton and Dan Skype-chatted with Australia.  The guy in Australia wanted to record an interview to play at the Australian Student Conference this week.  They partner with us in Papua New Guinea by sending staff and students over for short projects.  This year they're not only sending students and staff for a week-long project, but two girls to spend the year with our staff and students!

Tonight we just returned from a group banquet where we met our professors for tomorrow.  It turns out that Dan is the TA (teacher's assistant) for my class.  I guess I better be extra nice to him this week.

This is a picture of Dan earlier today.  The bunkbed makes sitting on his bed a little bit scrunchy!  Enjoy his Lazy-boy chair while you can, kids, 'cause when he comes home I bet he'll head straight for it!

I don't feel like I've done much today, personally, and it's not even bedtime yet...but I heading for my pillow.  I feel zonked, and I need to be fresh for my class tomorrow.  (My teacher is the age of my son.  I'd hate to embarrass myself by taking a "Nana-nap" right is the middle of his lecture!)

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 9: "Day of Two Halves!"

Saturday morning.  After hand-washing a few items and hanging them up around our room and outside, Lily, Dan, and I left for an adventure in the city.  We visited a wholesalers, various shops, the handicraft market, then ended with McDonalds.  There's something so comforting about tasting the dill pickle and American ketchup in a cheeseburger when you're in a foreign country surrounded by the unfamiliar.  Best purchase of the day (aside from the cheeseburger):  a hand fan.  (I forgot mine in New Zealand!)  It was so still and humid and hot all morning...then Dan bought me the fan from the handicraft market.  What a nice guy!  Sweet relief!


We came home after lunch and immediately the thunder storm came.  It's now after 7pm and while the rain is just a mist now, the thunder is still rumbling.  I really enjoy being inside and safe, but with the windows wide open to catch the breeze and boom of the thunder.  I guess it's kinda like walking with God.  He's so powerful and mighty, but I'm safe.

Fiji Regional Conference - Day 8: "Life In the Margins!"

This was our last day of our staff conference...Next week starts our biblical studies.  While it's been a wonderful conference, full of inspiration and encouragement, I thought maybe you'd rather first be filled in on our wider experience here.

Lillian with our housemate!

We live in rooms of a house occupied by three generations.  There's a grandma who owns the house, about 3 daughters, I've seen one husband, and there's at least 5 children, all boys, two of which are just learning to walk.  (I played "Round and Round the Garden" with one of the toddlers at least 10 times before heading to the office.  He kept sticking out his hand to me!)

The women prepare our breakfast before we leave to the Fiji office building.  Breakfast consists of bread (from the Hot Bread Kitchen) with a choice of butter, peanut butter, and jam... and tea.  Sometimes there are bananas, too, right off a tree. 

We have lunch at the Fiji office, then return home at the end of the day and the women again fix our dinner.

Just down the street within easy walking distance is a new shopping complex where we can buy credit for our phone, get snacks from the grocery store (We bought coffee to drink in the morning), buy a coffee at Gloria Jeans coffee shop, or get ice cream from the nearby McDonalds.  Some of these places are air-conditioned and feel wonderful to walk into.

To get to our room in the house we first climb the steep driveway.  After catching our breath, we climb up maybe 10 stairs to get to the main floor of the house.  After catching our breath again we climb another staircase to get to our top floor room.  Laurie, you should be proud of all the exercise I'm getting.  Even though the shopping complex is within easy walking distance, it requires commitment just to get to and from the street!