My Fiji Adventure - Part 1
Sarah
On the 12th of May around 2:30pm in the afternoon, Ally and I begin our adventure in Fiji.
Ally is one of my best friends and is currently living in Fiji to run the Bringing Hope Ministries, last year in September she graduated Rhema Bible Training School in Brisbane and felt God call her back to Fiji where she spent four years with her parents, Bryan and Lynda Hope.
What was supposed to be just a mission trip in 2007 for the Hope family turned into a ministry dedicated to helping families break the chain of poverty by standing with them in prayer and offering solutions as well as financial aid and mentoring.
Although the Hopes returned to Australia two years ago, they left Bringing Hope Ministries as a legacy which has been in effect since November in 2007 with their first sponsor program implemented in January 2008.
Ally and I struck up a friendship working in Rhema Cafe - for four months we had a Friday tradition where we would go shopping for groceries for cafe and during the two hour wait before church started had dancing and D&M's in the cramped quarters of the old cafe - even though Ally's and my Friday tradition is gone due to Ally moving to Fiji and me working, our friendship continues to blossom even though we are physically divided by the South Pacific ocean.
Ally and I share a love for books, poetry, music, God and let's not forget we're just on the same level of crazy in the best possible way!
Since moving back here last September, Ally has been tirelessly setting up sponsorship for children to receive education and good nutrition.
My culture shock started when we got off the plane and I didn't see any Wonder White Bread (White People) since customs. And outside the airport it was like Ally and I had beamed down from outer space - being a minority in another country is really strange.
Ally's landlord is a British expat/chef and he is friends with tons of cabbies and was reportedly sending one of his mates to come and pick us up.
So the first time I met the cabbie, he was just a regular guy coming straight towards us.
Before I continue, I have to explain something.
Coming from a sheltered background and rather shy, I can come across as quite reserved before I warm up to people - and my Mum drilled into me every Stranger Danger scenario from when I was young enough to understand. A couple of months ago back home in Australia my boyfriend had met up with a friend of his at the PigN' White at Riverside and as I was grabbing drinks for me and A, I walked past a group of guys. One of them tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to find this guy in a nice polo shirt sporting that Amish beard thing that is so popular nowadays - he even had a man-bun! And from a woman's perspective, he was quite good looking.
Looking back now I could totally see this guy as a suitable candidate for my friend Daphne...but unfortunately, my Stranger Danger mandates towards men over eighteen regardless of race and culture. Anyhow, this guy crooked his finger at me and I blurted out.
"No thank you!" like he was a sleazy salesman and power-walked to the bar.
I felt bad for the guy - his friends would probably tease him forever about 'the girl who ran away'. That very same girl was now anxiously looking at her friend, trying to get her attention without the cabbie being none the wiser.
Upon reaching us, the stranger said. "Hello ma'am..."
"Al...Ally?" I mumbled.
Ally looks up from her phone, sees who is standing infant of us and gives me an assuring smile and beams at the driver. "We're ready to go."
He turns out to be the cabbie that the British expat has sent to collect us.
The cabbie politely takes my pink suitcase and says. "This way, ma'am."
At this stage I am still in a state of culture shock, so I couldn't feel embarrassment over thinking this guy was some pervert until later.
It is a four hour drive from Nandi to Lami, during that time I am staring out the tinted windows and although I am wound tighter than a ball of string, I fall in love with the sights.
As we drive through what would be considered farm-land back home, I ask the driver to confirm this.
"So is this farming land? It's very pretty."
Ally giggles with a snort and replies. "It's the highway!"
"What?!" I demand incredulously in disbelief, it is just a two lane road, one going forward and the other going back.
The cabbie joins in on the laughter this time and explains. "This is the highway through Fiji."
"You don't say!" I protest in shock and then the three of us have a chuckle.
"Oh you are going to be so much fun these next two weeks!" Ally exclaims with tears running down her cheeks.
We reach Lami around seven'0clock and are two streets from our ultimate destination but Ally wants to make sure I don't wake up thirsty and dehydrated the following day so she asks the cabbie, (his name is Vicky (with an i, y or both I'm not sure) to pop into the shops at Lami town to buy bottled water for me because as a visitor, I have to two options - drink the tap water and risk spending the next three days holed up in the toilet with dihorrea. Or play it safe with bottled water.
No surprises which option I picked!
Vicky, who has been awake since four'0clock that day takes Ally's and my luggage out of the car whilst Ally's friends - Leez, Lo and Hanisi squeal with delight at her arrival after one month away.
It is the perfect Welcome Home for Ally and the wonderful Welcome for me.
We go to bed at 2:30am in the morning and I wake up the next morning at 8:30am in Fiji.
Day One
I wake up to the sounds of a rushing wind and birds chirping.
Not wanting to disturb Ally and Leez, I tip-toe to the kitchen and search for breakfast.
I am absolutely excited to find Weetbix in the pantry - something nice and familiar.
I heat up milk with my Weetbix and when the microwave has worked its magic, take it out before sprinkling sugar over the top before taking a nice big big bite.
And halt in my tracks.
The first thought that came to my mind was that Fijian sugar was not as good as Australian, so I had to adapt. I didn't want to waste the Weetbix either. I took another bite and realised it was actually salt I had heaped on my Weetbix...
I scraped my plate and started again, only this time I grabbed the brown sugar next to the salt...
When I told Allyson this, she laughed really hard and begged me to allow her to write that little tid-bit in her ministry newsletter! I agreed, just so that people travelling to Fiji would know there is no White Sugar here...
Ally and Leez take me on a bus to the city of Suva, a twenty minute drive from Lami.
As we drive through more villages I pepper Leez with questions about our surroundings, anything from 'what's that building for?' to "what is that colourful decoration on the graves?"
Fijians bury their parted loved ones on the outskirts of their villages, I think it's beautiful because I have only been twice to visit my Great Aunt Betty's grave since she was buried almost twelve years ago. The town of Suva is like a rabbit warren when I first arrive, all hustle, bustle and push in all different directions. I take deep breaths and stick close to Ally and Leez who lead me through a few busy streets. One of our reasons for coming to Suva today was to get our eyebrows threaded.
The town of Suva has a 90's rustic grandeur to it, lots of old buildings and there are no conveyer belts in the super markets yet! Another culture shock...
But here is one useful thing I learnt from Leez, all the buses are colour coded to different areas and the buses to Lami are all blue. So that really helped me adjust to the organised chaos around me.
I was very happy to go back to Ally and Leez's house that afternoon though!
Day Two
I wake up at eight-thirty in the morning, unable to sleep any longer.
Through the wooden shutters on the windows I can see a forget-me-not-blue sky.
Fully awake I walk to the kitchen and make myself Weetbix sans the salt and do some writing in my travel diary. When Ally is conscious, caffeinated, awake and dressed, she and I venture into Suva again. This time things aren't as scary but I stay close to Ally as we head to the market to buy vegetables for the vegetable soup tonight.
We wander from stall to stall, Ally pointing out this and that, she inquires about the the goods and I practice handling Fijian currency. We are not at the markets for very long but we stop into a grocery before and are met with a devastating reality - but I'm not aware of it yet.
Ally spots a teenage girl standing at the register, next to her is an old man holding a sleeping baby.
In the past couple of days I have seen Ally being greeted by people on the street and can tell she knows this girl. I grab a shopping basket and head over to join them.
It was very brief greeting before Ally politely excused us, promising to see the girl very soon.
As we walk up the confectionary aisle and out of earshot, Ally says to me quietly.
"It's a very sad story. That girl is barely sixteen and that's not her grandfather. It is most likely the father of her baby and I doubt it was her choice."
There are no words to describe how I feel hearing that. I wanted to go to that girl and comfort her and
wished that God's justice would be done - because no matter how you slice the cake, the guy is a pedophile and sadly, Ally and Leez told me this is a regular happenstance because this is a culture where women are dependent on men. Teenage girls are invisible until they are of use to somebody, whether that be to be enlisted for tasks, cleaning, cooking, minding children and eventually, encouraged to take a husband. Until then, they are the last to be served at a meal, the first to clean the mess and if there is no food after the men, older people and children - then they don't eat.
Fiji is portrayed as the ultimate travel destination - palm trees and beaches and everything is cheap.
To an outsider, Fiji is a rainbow on the horizon - but somewhere above that rainbow there are clouds and the people living beneath that rainbow don't always get to experience the joy and wonder of seeing it for themselves. That is why Ally and Leez's mission here on behalf of Bringing Hope Ministries is so very important - they are helping to break the chain of poverty and to liberate the women of Fiji so they know the love of God and that their worth is not measured by how well they cook or how hard they scrub.
In 2009 Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama passed the first law in regards to protecting men, women and children who live with domestic violence. A Domestic Violence Decree, it had been put before previous governments for fifteen years but had been ignored.
Under this Domestic Violence Degree, justice is sought for victims of both genders who can fill out a Domestic Violence Restraining Order, it came into force in February 2010.
Men were not allowed to discipline their wives with physical rebuke, however to ensure that this law meets its purpose, it needs decent men who will stand for it.
A woman can shout, scream and cry - but nothing happens.
It makes me sad to think that men are born from women and think it is okay to hit them - and that is one of the grey clouds on the horizon of Fiji - actually, it's the everyday reality of women all over the globe but here, the advocacy and revolution for women's rights needs to well and truly begin.
Day Three
I went for a walk this morning to the local shops, it felt rather empowering to conquer a small trip on my own. A young boy of about twelve walked past me with a big smile on his face and said.
"Good morning, Auntie." Auntie is a title of respect for women outside of the immediate family in Fiji. "Bulla!" I replied cheerfully.
Fiji is one of the friendliest countries in the world and one of the easiest to adapt to.
When I reached the shops I felt a little bolder and called out a friendly hello to the elderly ladies at the market and they replied in kind and I stopped to talk to them for a few minutes before being on my way to the supermarket. I think I am somewhat of a novelty around here - Wonderbread and vanilla slice (white with blonde hair) because I could feel people's eyes on me.
There are a few items on my list that I cannot quite find, frankly I am still getting used to the idea that I am shopping for groceries in a Third World Country. This lady comes up to me and asks if I need help finding anything. At first I say "I should be fine...but there are a few things I'm looking for." and I show her my list, she takes my list, studies it for a moment and says.
"Come."
"Thankyou, Auntie. I appreciate this." I say, hoping I am not taking the Auntie title out of context.
If that was the case, she didn't rebuke me for it. I followed her around the shop as she helped me find the few things I needed and led me to a cash register.
The only drama during this little adventure was I had to go outside to the ATM and get some money out because the Eftpos machine was down. The ATM line is short, only three people in front of me. Back in Australia the standard polite distance for waiting for the ATM is three feet behind, here it is five. I feel quite safe but don't tarry, pocketing the money quickly before walking back to the shop and purchasing the groceries before walking home.
Ally and Leez live in an affluent part of Lami inside a granny-flat on the first floor of a big house.
Ally says we lucked out with this neighbourhood as it is safe. The only loud noises in this area are the dogs. When I arrive home I put the groceries away and watch Firefly on Netflix with Ally.
Not a bad way to finish the day.
Day Four
Although I wake up at ten-thirty, I go back to sleep at twelve and wake up in the late afternoon.
Today we hung out around the house, just sleeping and I wrote my blog.
Tonight Ally, Hanisi and I went and saw Pitch Perfect 2 - going to the cinemas in Fiji is so different, people call out, laugh loud and clap in the good parts - something which is highly discouraged in Australia, but the funniest thing is before the movie a request comes up on the screen asking patrons to put their phones on silent or switch them off.
We end the night with pizza over the road at Pizza King, it is the best pizza I have ever eaten!
Tomorrow we are going to Leez's village for the night where Ally and I will get a tour by Leez's grandfather and he will talk about the history of the village.
I realised today I probably won't have enough money to take gifts home to my family at the end of this trip, most of it has gone on food after paying rent and bills.
But that's okay - I'll take a lot of good memories with me for the years to come.
That's all for now but here is Ally's testimony.
Will write more soon!
With love, Sarah & Ally xx
Ally's Testimony
" I left Fiji in 2013 after hearing God tell me I need to return to Australia and finish my schooling, and then go to Bible School. During Bible School God spoke to me again and told me to return to Fiji, I graduated Bible School September last year and not even two weeks later I was on a plane to Fiji. Fiji started off as my parents ministry, but growing up with, and around Fijian girls my age I discovered that my life and theirs were completely different.
I grew up in the knowledge that both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father loved me. It was a hard pill to swallow when I realised most Fijian girls knew neither of those things. My focus when I first returned to Fiji was the sponsorship programme that my family started, but as the weeks and months passed I realised that unintentionally I had started a ministry with the teenage girls of Fiji.
My heart truly longs for the young girls of Fiji to grow up and be confident in the knowledge of God's love for them. That he has plans for their future, plans to prosper them and not to harm them.
I have come to the astounding personal revelation that when I leave this earth, if only one of the girls I speak to and mentor here in Fiji have come to this knowledge that I would have lived a good life and need no other accomplishments.
To know that; one young girl will grow into a woman, and a woman who has the undoubting faith that her Heavenly Father loves her even when her earthly father couldn't, I can only imagine the places she will go. I'm happy to announce that I have found my 'one', and I've already seen her growing into the amazing woman of God I know she will be, sharing to other girls about the love of God, and I have unending faith that she will not be the last young girl I see grow into a woman of faith and a woman who learns to trust in the love of her Heavenly Father. "
Link: pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2015/april/04-30-07.html
On the 12th of May around 2:30pm in the afternoon, Ally and I begin our adventure in Fiji.
Ally is one of my best friends and is currently living in Fiji to run the Bringing Hope Ministries, last year in September she graduated Rhema Bible Training School in Brisbane and felt God call her back to Fiji where she spent four years with her parents, Bryan and Lynda Hope.
What was supposed to be just a mission trip in 2007 for the Hope family turned into a ministry dedicated to helping families break the chain of poverty by standing with them in prayer and offering solutions as well as financial aid and mentoring.
Although the Hopes returned to Australia two years ago, they left Bringing Hope Ministries as a legacy which has been in effect since November in 2007 with their first sponsor program implemented in January 2008.
Ally and I struck up a friendship working in Rhema Cafe - for four months we had a Friday tradition where we would go shopping for groceries for cafe and during the two hour wait before church started had dancing and D&M's in the cramped quarters of the old cafe - even though Ally's and my Friday tradition is gone due to Ally moving to Fiji and me working, our friendship continues to blossom even though we are physically divided by the South Pacific ocean.
Ally and I share a love for books, poetry, music, God and let's not forget we're just on the same level of crazy in the best possible way!
Since moving back here last September, Ally has been tirelessly setting up sponsorship for children to receive education and good nutrition.
My culture shock started when we got off the plane and I didn't see any Wonder White Bread (White People) since customs. And outside the airport it was like Ally and I had beamed down from outer space - being a minority in another country is really strange.
Ally's landlord is a British expat/chef and he is friends with tons of cabbies and was reportedly sending one of his mates to come and pick us up.
So the first time I met the cabbie, he was just a regular guy coming straight towards us.
Before I continue, I have to explain something.
Coming from a sheltered background and rather shy, I can come across as quite reserved before I warm up to people - and my Mum drilled into me every Stranger Danger scenario from when I was young enough to understand. A couple of months ago back home in Australia my boyfriend had met up with a friend of his at the PigN' White at Riverside and as I was grabbing drinks for me and A, I walked past a group of guys. One of them tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around to find this guy in a nice polo shirt sporting that Amish beard thing that is so popular nowadays - he even had a man-bun! And from a woman's perspective, he was quite good looking.
Looking back now I could totally see this guy as a suitable candidate for my friend Daphne...but unfortunately, my Stranger Danger mandates towards men over eighteen regardless of race and culture. Anyhow, this guy crooked his finger at me and I blurted out.
"No thank you!" like he was a sleazy salesman and power-walked to the bar.
I felt bad for the guy - his friends would probably tease him forever about 'the girl who ran away'. That very same girl was now anxiously looking at her friend, trying to get her attention without the cabbie being none the wiser.
Upon reaching us, the stranger said. "Hello ma'am..."
"Al...Ally?" I mumbled.
Ally looks up from her phone, sees who is standing infant of us and gives me an assuring smile and beams at the driver. "We're ready to go."
He turns out to be the cabbie that the British expat has sent to collect us.
The cabbie politely takes my pink suitcase and says. "This way, ma'am."
At this stage I am still in a state of culture shock, so I couldn't feel embarrassment over thinking this guy was some pervert until later.
It is a four hour drive from Nandi to Lami, during that time I am staring out the tinted windows and although I am wound tighter than a ball of string, I fall in love with the sights.
As we drive through what would be considered farm-land back home, I ask the driver to confirm this.
"So is this farming land? It's very pretty."
Ally giggles with a snort and replies. "It's the highway!"
"What?!" I demand incredulously in disbelief, it is just a two lane road, one going forward and the other going back.
The cabbie joins in on the laughter this time and explains. "This is the highway through Fiji."
"You don't say!" I protest in shock and then the three of us have a chuckle.
"Oh you are going to be so much fun these next two weeks!" Ally exclaims with tears running down her cheeks.
We reach Lami around seven'0clock and are two streets from our ultimate destination but Ally wants to make sure I don't wake up thirsty and dehydrated the following day so she asks the cabbie, (his name is Vicky (with an i, y or both I'm not sure) to pop into the shops at Lami town to buy bottled water for me because as a visitor, I have to two options - drink the tap water and risk spending the next three days holed up in the toilet with dihorrea. Or play it safe with bottled water.
No surprises which option I picked!
Vicky, who has been awake since four'0clock that day takes Ally's and my luggage out of the car whilst Ally's friends - Leez, Lo and Hanisi squeal with delight at her arrival after one month away.
It is the perfect Welcome Home for Ally and the wonderful Welcome for me.
We go to bed at 2:30am in the morning and I wake up the next morning at 8:30am in Fiji.
Day One
I wake up to the sounds of a rushing wind and birds chirping.
Not wanting to disturb Ally and Leez, I tip-toe to the kitchen and search for breakfast.
I am absolutely excited to find Weetbix in the pantry - something nice and familiar.
I heat up milk with my Weetbix and when the microwave has worked its magic, take it out before sprinkling sugar over the top before taking a nice big big bite.
And halt in my tracks.
The first thought that came to my mind was that Fijian sugar was not as good as Australian, so I had to adapt. I didn't want to waste the Weetbix either. I took another bite and realised it was actually salt I had heaped on my Weetbix...
I scraped my plate and started again, only this time I grabbed the brown sugar next to the salt...
When I told Allyson this, she laughed really hard and begged me to allow her to write that little tid-bit in her ministry newsletter! I agreed, just so that people travelling to Fiji would know there is no White Sugar here...
Ally and Leez take me on a bus to the city of Suva, a twenty minute drive from Lami.
As we drive through more villages I pepper Leez with questions about our surroundings, anything from 'what's that building for?' to "what is that colourful decoration on the graves?"
Fijians bury their parted loved ones on the outskirts of their villages, I think it's beautiful because I have only been twice to visit my Great Aunt Betty's grave since she was buried almost twelve years ago. The town of Suva is like a rabbit warren when I first arrive, all hustle, bustle and push in all different directions. I take deep breaths and stick close to Ally and Leez who lead me through a few busy streets. One of our reasons for coming to Suva today was to get our eyebrows threaded.
The town of Suva has a 90's rustic grandeur to it, lots of old buildings and there are no conveyer belts in the super markets yet! Another culture shock...
But here is one useful thing I learnt from Leez, all the buses are colour coded to different areas and the buses to Lami are all blue. So that really helped me adjust to the organised chaos around me.
I was very happy to go back to Ally and Leez's house that afternoon though!
Day Two
I wake up at eight-thirty in the morning, unable to sleep any longer.
Through the wooden shutters on the windows I can see a forget-me-not-blue sky.
Fully awake I walk to the kitchen and make myself Weetbix sans the salt and do some writing in my travel diary. When Ally is conscious, caffeinated, awake and dressed, she and I venture into Suva again. This time things aren't as scary but I stay close to Ally as we head to the market to buy vegetables for the vegetable soup tonight.
We wander from stall to stall, Ally pointing out this and that, she inquires about the the goods and I practice handling Fijian currency. We are not at the markets for very long but we stop into a grocery before and are met with a devastating reality - but I'm not aware of it yet.
Ally spots a teenage girl standing at the register, next to her is an old man holding a sleeping baby.
In the past couple of days I have seen Ally being greeted by people on the street and can tell she knows this girl. I grab a shopping basket and head over to join them.
It was very brief greeting before Ally politely excused us, promising to see the girl very soon.
As we walk up the confectionary aisle and out of earshot, Ally says to me quietly.
"It's a very sad story. That girl is barely sixteen and that's not her grandfather. It is most likely the father of her baby and I doubt it was her choice."
There are no words to describe how I feel hearing that. I wanted to go to that girl and comfort her and
wished that God's justice would be done - because no matter how you slice the cake, the guy is a pedophile and sadly, Ally and Leez told me this is a regular happenstance because this is a culture where women are dependent on men. Teenage girls are invisible until they are of use to somebody, whether that be to be enlisted for tasks, cleaning, cooking, minding children and eventually, encouraged to take a husband. Until then, they are the last to be served at a meal, the first to clean the mess and if there is no food after the men, older people and children - then they don't eat.
Fiji is portrayed as the ultimate travel destination - palm trees and beaches and everything is cheap.
To an outsider, Fiji is a rainbow on the horizon - but somewhere above that rainbow there are clouds and the people living beneath that rainbow don't always get to experience the joy and wonder of seeing it for themselves. That is why Ally and Leez's mission here on behalf of Bringing Hope Ministries is so very important - they are helping to break the chain of poverty and to liberate the women of Fiji so they know the love of God and that their worth is not measured by how well they cook or how hard they scrub.
In 2009 Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama passed the first law in regards to protecting men, women and children who live with domestic violence. A Domestic Violence Decree, it had been put before previous governments for fifteen years but had been ignored.
Under this Domestic Violence Degree, justice is sought for victims of both genders who can fill out a Domestic Violence Restraining Order, it came into force in February 2010.
Men were not allowed to discipline their wives with physical rebuke, however to ensure that this law meets its purpose, it needs decent men who will stand for it.
A woman can shout, scream and cry - but nothing happens.
It makes me sad to think that men are born from women and think it is okay to hit them - and that is one of the grey clouds on the horizon of Fiji - actually, it's the everyday reality of women all over the globe but here, the advocacy and revolution for women's rights needs to well and truly begin.
Day Three
I went for a walk this morning to the local shops, it felt rather empowering to conquer a small trip on my own. A young boy of about twelve walked past me with a big smile on his face and said.
"Good morning, Auntie." Auntie is a title of respect for women outside of the immediate family in Fiji. "Bulla!" I replied cheerfully.
Fiji is one of the friendliest countries in the world and one of the easiest to adapt to.
When I reached the shops I felt a little bolder and called out a friendly hello to the elderly ladies at the market and they replied in kind and I stopped to talk to them for a few minutes before being on my way to the supermarket. I think I am somewhat of a novelty around here - Wonderbread and vanilla slice (white with blonde hair) because I could feel people's eyes on me.
There are a few items on my list that I cannot quite find, frankly I am still getting used to the idea that I am shopping for groceries in a Third World Country. This lady comes up to me and asks if I need help finding anything. At first I say "I should be fine...but there are a few things I'm looking for." and I show her my list, she takes my list, studies it for a moment and says.
"Come."
"Thankyou, Auntie. I appreciate this." I say, hoping I am not taking the Auntie title out of context.
If that was the case, she didn't rebuke me for it. I followed her around the shop as she helped me find the few things I needed and led me to a cash register.
Ally and Leez live in an affluent part of Lami inside a granny-flat on the first floor of a big house.
Ally says we lucked out with this neighbourhood as it is safe. The only loud noises in this area are the dogs. When I arrive home I put the groceries away and watch Firefly on Netflix with Ally.
Not a bad way to finish the day.
Day Four
Although I wake up at ten-thirty, I go back to sleep at twelve and wake up in the late afternoon.
Today we hung out around the house, just sleeping and I wrote my blog.
Tonight Ally, Hanisi and I went and saw Pitch Perfect 2 - going to the cinemas in Fiji is so different, people call out, laugh loud and clap in the good parts - something which is highly discouraged in Australia, but the funniest thing is before the movie a request comes up on the screen asking patrons to put their phones on silent or switch them off.
We end the night with pizza over the road at Pizza King, it is the best pizza I have ever eaten!
Tomorrow we are going to Leez's village for the night where Ally and I will get a tour by Leez's grandfather and he will talk about the history of the village.
I realised today I probably won't have enough money to take gifts home to my family at the end of this trip, most of it has gone on food after paying rent and bills.
But that's okay - I'll take a lot of good memories with me for the years to come.
That's all for now but here is Ally's testimony.
Will write more soon!
With love, Sarah & Ally xx
Ally's Testimony
" I left Fiji in 2013 after hearing God tell me I need to return to Australia and finish my schooling, and then go to Bible School. During Bible School God spoke to me again and told me to return to Fiji, I graduated Bible School September last year and not even two weeks later I was on a plane to Fiji. Fiji started off as my parents ministry, but growing up with, and around Fijian girls my age I discovered that my life and theirs were completely different.
I grew up in the knowledge that both my Heavenly Father and my earthly father loved me. It was a hard pill to swallow when I realised most Fijian girls knew neither of those things. My focus when I first returned to Fiji was the sponsorship programme that my family started, but as the weeks and months passed I realised that unintentionally I had started a ministry with the teenage girls of Fiji.
My heart truly longs for the young girls of Fiji to grow up and be confident in the knowledge of God's love for them. That he has plans for their future, plans to prosper them and not to harm them.
I have come to the astounding personal revelation that when I leave this earth, if only one of the girls I speak to and mentor here in Fiji have come to this knowledge that I would have lived a good life and need no other accomplishments.
To know that; one young girl will grow into a woman, and a woman who has the undoubting faith that her Heavenly Father loves her even when her earthly father couldn't, I can only imagine the places she will go. I'm happy to announce that I have found my 'one', and I've already seen her growing into the amazing woman of God I know she will be, sharing to other girls about the love of God, and I have unending faith that she will not be the last young girl I see grow into a woman of faith and a woman who learns to trust in the love of her Heavenly Father. "
Link: pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2015/april/04-30-07.html
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