Home!

We all arrived safely home! Our plane landed in Winnipeg at 1:40pm and many family members were there to meet us!:) We are all extremely exhausted, but thrilled to be home! We got to give a quick testimony in church this evening and also sang the Fijian national anthem and the song that we have been singing in all the schools. So blessed to have such an amazing church family and so thankful for all the money and prayers they have put into this trip! 

The bags are unpacked and I am now ready to crawl into bed and claim that I am officially home!

Thanks to all who have followed this blog and prayed for us on our journey!

God truly blessed us with the trip of a lifetime!:)

In Vancouver!

We arrived in Vancouver just after 11pm last night and made it to our hotel shortly after midnight! So it was a VERY short night! We were so grateful to get the hotel for our 10 hour layover though! The sleep and shower made it very worthwhile!:) We are now about to board our plane for the the final 2.5 hour leg of our trip! So excited to step off this plane and be home!

I know we've said it a bunch, but thanks again to all of you who have prayed for and supported us on this adventure! We never could have done it without you all and we can't wait to see everyone tonight!

Last Flight Home

We enjoyed a much needed sleep in Vancouver and our now waiting on the other side of security. After traveling for the last three days we now have only one more flight to go.

In LA!!

We have safely landed in Los Angeles!! After a 10.5 hour overnight flight we arrived safely in LA! We were all able to get several hours of sleep on the plane, so at the moment we're all feeling pretty good considering! 

I got my first Starbucks in 3 weeks! Woot! Woot!  

Kyla was also able to meet up with her Uncle and his family for a couple hours so that worked out well! 

Now we are all hanging out in Starbucks waiting to go through security for our flight to Vancouver...where we will check into a hotel for our 10 hour layover and I will get my first hot shower in 3 weeks! Can you hear the excitement in my voice! LOL! I must admit though, if taking a cold shower meant I could stay in Fiji, I'd take the cold shower any day!:)

Thanks again for all your continued prayers for us! It's hard to believe we are going to be seeing you all in about 24 hours!:)

Day 17 & 18 in Fiji

Day 17 in Fiji 

So after a pizza party at the Grey's house last night and an ice cream war at our house afterwards we were all ready for a good night's sleep! We were supposed to go to the beach this morning with all the ladies, but it poured rain all night long and has been raining all morning so that got cancelled. After trying to attempt some packing, we all headed off in the bus to go shopping! Some of our bags were overweight coming here (okay, so maybe it was just mine!) so packing everything we have bought could prove to be a smidge of a challenge!

It's hard to believe this is our last full day here already! I have been avoiding acknowledging that fact, but the truth has finally set in! It is going to be soooo hard to say good-bye!

The guys got back into Suva this evening at 5:30 and they were able to complete all the islands they were on! We had them over for supper this evening and Sister Mereioni cooked an absolute feast! We spent the evening trading stories of our experiences and and then finished up packing for our flight tomorrow! Some of the girls spent a late last night teaching our Fijian sisters how to play Dutch blitz and scaring the living daylight out of each other! It was a grand finish to our last night here!

Day 18 in Fiji

Our last day here!:( Today was met with mixed emotions....joy for some over returning home, excitement for all about seeing loved ones again, and most definitely sadness over having to say good-bye to these people who have become so dear to us! We awoke to another rainy, humid morning in the tropics and the scurry began to get everything packed and ready to go! We didn't know for sure what time we were being picked up (except that we had to be at the bus station by 11:30am) so everyone was up and ready to go early! By 8:30 we were sitting, waiting and ready when we found out we were taking a later bus and wouldn't be picked up until 1pm! I'm getting the impression this Saturday is going to be the longest one of our lives! Especially seeing as we get to live it twice because of the time change!

At 1pm Pastor Grey and Pastor Brooks arrived to take us to the bus depot to catch the bus to Nadi! Unfortunately in our rush to get out to the vehicle and not make them wait I decided to do it the fast way like Taneesa and slide down the hill! So I made the bus ride with a soaking wet backside!:/ We stopped at the Grey's house to say good-bye and then headed on to the bus depot. When we arrived at the bus station, most of the church ladies were there waiting to say Good-bye! Talk about hard good-byes! These ladies have become so dear these last several weeks and when it came time to hug Sister Mereoni (who has become like a grandmother to me) I lost it! I so don't want to leave! 

After a 4 hour bus ride we arrived at the airport and had supper. 

We are now waiting to board our flight from Nadi, Fiji to Las Angeles. This is a 10.5 hour flight so I'm looking forward to some sleep! Please pray for safe travels and that all our connections would go well!

Day 15 in Fiji (men) Josiah's Group

Day 15
Today we got up early and caught the morning bus to where the Bibles were stored.
We now had only one day to complete all 4 schools on the island with the one school being a 2 hour drive away. We divided into two groups with Bro. John, Bro. Matthew and Bro. Alex taking the furthest school.
Bro. Joe, Bro. Jonathan, Bro. Tore and myself would be covering the remaining three schools that were close together. The rental vehicle never did work out so we ended up using a taxi for the entire day. God knew what he was doing as the taxi fare ended up being cheaper than what we would have paid to rent. I was also able to get a good long witness in with the taxi driver. He claimed to be a strong Roman Catholic but at the end he said he needed to ask Jesus to save him. We were interrupted right at that moment so I do not know if he has been saved now or not.
Our first school today was a large Roman Catholic school of almost 600 students.
Satan has not been taking our efforts lying down and it was looking doubtful if we would be allowed in.
Even though the principal was gone that day they still allowed us in and called an assembly of all the students.
I gave a clear gospel presentation that heaven is "the gift of God, not of works".
It felt like gaining a victory over the devil knowing that catholic students and teachers were for once hearing the truth. We were very well received at this school which proved the easiest of the 3.
Many students stopped to shake our hands and thank us after receiving their Bible.
Our second school came with much opposition. This was a Methodist school and they only agreed to let us in after speaking to a head official in a nearby town. Usually our presentation of how the Fiji Bible Project began along with the gospel and testimonies takes about 25 min. The principal at this school told us 5 min. was too long! We decided that only one person should speak and just give the clear gospel message.
The men then picked me to have this privilege which was both thrilling and humbling.
I preached a clear "no works" salvation and could notice some of the students glancing nervously at the principal while I spoke. At the end every student walked away with a Bible containing the plan of salvation in the first 3 pages!
We had to wait until 3 pm for our last school. We had visited it earlier in the day but a group of students on tour from New Zealand were occupying the students with activities the entire day.
We decided to just drop off the Bibles and come back at the end of the school day as this would be our only chance at this school. This was another Methodist school but this time each member of the team was given a chance to speak. Even though some the students seemed anxious to get home, they all listened well as the gospel was preached. At the end they sang a song that raised the roof.
This was the last school I would visit while here. The next days will be spent taking multiple buses, a boat and another ferry back to Nadi where we fly home from.
I have had an absolutely incredible time here and still find it hard to believe what God has allowed us to do.
This has truly been the experience of a lifetime! It has been both thrilling and humbling to preach and pass out Bibles to thousands of students. Thank you so much for praying for us and supporting this project!
God's word changes lives and by now 70,000 students are carrying God's word back to their homes and villages. There is a tremendous potential here and eternity may only show the rewards of this effort!

 Students filing past to receive their Bibles at Holy Cross Secondary School

 Me, Bro. Jonathan, Bro. Tore, School Principal, Bro. Joe, Taxi Driver

The last school we did in Fiji

Day 14 in Fiji (men)

Day 14
Today we gained true insight into what the term "Fiji Time" really means!
We woke up at 5 am and prepared for our early morning Ferry ride to the island of Taveuni.
Our plan was to visit 3 of the schools today and the furthest school tomorrow.
We would then have to wait until the 3rd day to return as the only ferry back leaves at 8:30 am.
As the morning hours slipped past with still no signs of our ride, we began to suspect that these plans might change. We finally called and discovered that the Ferry had still not yet arrived.
So we enjoyed a second breakfast of pancakes and with no ferry in sight on the horizon we headed into town picking coral along the beach as we went.
We checked out the hot springs in town which literally bubble out of the ground in the middle of a public park. Rather than turn these springs into a national park, the people here just use them to do their cooking.
I found this quite humorous!
The ferry eventually arrived around 12 am. We were looking at paying a $3 fee for each of the 39 boxes of Bibles we were taking over. However, God provided a flatbed truck driver who was willing to add our Bibles to his load free of charge!
We finally set sail around 1 pm. Upon boarding we were told to remove our shoes and soon discovered this was not to preserve the 60 year old carpets.
It seems the overflowing bathrooms never get cleaned and they were trying to prevent them from spreading into the hallways! Judging by the smell in the hallways they had put up these sign too late.
The sea was rough with 15 foot swells; so we had fun competing on deck who could keep their balance the longest. The next 4 hours were spent competing who could keep their lunch the longest.
It was dark when we arrived at the island. The man who was supposed to pick us up never did show up.
With no vehicle and no place to spend the night, God showed himself faithful.
The man we were storing the Bibles with gave us free transportation and we ended up staying the night in a 5 star resort, again for free! The resort had been closed for at least a year so there was no power, but we did have running water. This was truly a "Fiji Time" day but God proved faithful in providing for each need we encountered. It's amazing to watch him work!

This rescue boat didn't look too seaworthy!

 Our house in Savusavu as seen from the Ferry.

 Manning the wheel.

 Arriving in Taveuni

Day 16 in Fiji

Day 16 in Fiji!

Woot! Woot! We got to go to the interior today! Our first school was at 11am so we were out the door at 7:45am. After picking up Pastor Rakesh in Navua we headed into the interior! Lolo and I were in the trunk of our SUV and I guess our extra weight was a little to much on those curving mountain roads! We kept scraping bottom! After an hour long crazy ride up the mountain, we finally reached the school! There was about 80 students there, and they responded so well to us coming! I must admit it was a lot more work to get to them, but I think pastor Rakesh said it best when he told them that they are precious and that is why we took the time and effort to bring Gods word to them. When the principal stood to thank us for coming he quoted the very verse from Psalms that has been the theme of this whole project...the entrance of thy word giveth light...he had no idea that was the verse God had given pastor Brooks! So neat!

On the way back, since we were too "heavy" for our SUV, we pleaded with Pastor Brooks to let us ride in the open back of his truck. Woohoo! He said yes! We had an hour long ride of our lives all the way down the mountain!! So much fun! Only one problem...their soil here is red...and when we finally arrived at the next school, I discovered that my face was nicely coated in that very red dirt! Ahhhh, but the ride was worth it!:)

Our second school had about 250 students in it and went great! The students responded very well! They were so excited to receive their very own Bible and we were thrilled to give it to them! We were able to do the primary school there as well, which was about another 200-300 students. They are soooo cute and they sat so well! It was absolutely hilarious to watch Pastor Brooks speak to them and interact with them! You know how a little kids' laugh has a way of making you laugh as well? Well try listening to 200-300 little voices laughing at pastor Brooks' jokes and antics! It had all of us cracking up! These children are so precious! One of the teachers at this school came up and gave me a huge hug...she was overwhelmed with joy to receive her own Bible!

Then off we went for our hour long return ride to Suva with Lolo and I bouncing along in the trunk again!:)

It looks like the schools we did today were our last schools for this trip.  They have 2 more schools in the interior tomorrow, but because of the distance and the fact that these are smaller schools, they have decided not to take us.

When I think of all we have gotten to do and see on this trip I feel so overwhelmingly blessed! I truly have had the experience of a lifetime! Serving God is the best adventure one could ever have...to not serve Him is to miss the thrill of a lifetime!

Day 15 in Fiji

Day 15 in Fiji

So after an extremely long walk last night, we all fell into bed for a fabulous night's sleep! I, in particular, slept like a queen! Since Kelly left, I got to steal her mattress and pillow to add to my bed and I also had the whole room to myself....ahhhhh! Sheer bliss! Doesn't take much to make me a happy girl!:)

This morning our first school was a Hindu school of around 1000 students. Unfortunately, they did not allow us to have an assembly, but rather told the kids that whoever wanted one could come to us and get one. Fiji children are soooo shy though that this generally does not work great to begin with. In total we were able to hand out around 500 bibles so Praise The Lord for that! However it was so sad to see classrooms of 38-40 kids and only 4 or 5 would come to get a bible. Very heartbreaking to see!

We had about 3-4 hours before our next school, so we went shopping for the rest of our "thank you" gifts and had lunch in the mall. While we were at the mall I ran into a girl whose sister received a Bible at her school. I was able to give her a tract and we exchanged contact information...please pray that she would read the tract and that I would have future opportunity to witness to her.

Our second school was so awesome! We arrived there and found out that they had planned for us to do both the primary and secondary schools! ( So far we have only been doing secondary schools which is like our high schools) this is a 7th day Adventist school, so this was a huge blessing as they may not have let us back in to do the primary school after hearing the messages we preached to the secondary school! The primary school was amazing! The children are beyond adorable and completely stole my heart! Obviously their attention span is a lot shorter, but they were all so excited to receive a Bible!

The secondary school there also went very well! The students were very enthusiastic in their response and all wanted to come by and shake hands after! After shaking about 150 boys' hands we unfortunately had to race off to the 3rd school before we could finish shaking the 200 girls' hands! I think my hand was grateful for that but it was awesome to see their enthusiasm over receiving their Bible!

Our third school was another interesting experience...we once again had to go classroom to classroom instead of having a general assembly and we only about 45 minutes to do it! But we did it!:) Pastor Ryan And Bro. Brooks split up and our team split up and we covered it all! The Bibles were very well received, in fact so well received that one of the girls, after just hearing how stealing is breaking one of God's commandments, proceeded to "steal" a second Bible for herself! Oh well, I'd much rather her have the Bible in her possession then some of the other things she could be stealing!

We are now on our way to church for the last service that we will share with these sweet people! It's gonna be hard saying good-bye!

Day 14 in Fiji (girls)

Day 14 in Fiji

So this morning was our earliest morning yet! We were out the door at 6am and off and running for an hour long drive to our first school! We are helping Pastor Rakesh do the schools in his area today.

Our first school this morning had about 1100 students in it! They were only going to allow us to give Bibles out to 100 students, then they upped to 500 students! Then when we arrived they said we could speak to them all, but we had to go classroom by classroom! So 20 classrooms later we finally finished the school! We had a very good reception and only had a couple refusals.

Our 2nd school was actually the school Pastor Rakesh went to when he was a kid! So that definitely helped keep the kids attention! It was also a school of about 500 students and they were very spread out, but it went very well and again only a couple refusals! Both of these schools are Hindu schools and have at times tried to get Pastor Rakesh arrested, but so far they have been unsuccessful and today he got to preach to them instead! God has a sense of humor!:)

We headed to our third school which we thought was scheduled for 1:30pm. This school was located right on the ocean and we were all hoping to stop and take a couple pictures before leaving. Turns out Pastor Brooks got the times mixed up and we weren't supposed to be there until 2:45pm! So we got to spend the next hour walking in the waves and taking pictures!! What a awesome blessing and so much fun! Only God could have planned a mix up like that at that particular school! (It's the only school we've been to that's right on the beach like that!) it was an extra special blessing! Before starting our 3rd school we said goodbye to our "South Carolina" team of Tanner, Kelly and Drew. We had a lot of fun with them this past week! Pray for their safety as they spend the next 25 hours flying home.

The third school which was a Catholic school went very well! There was around 200 students and all listened very intently! There was a man mowing the sports grounds not far from where we were doing the presentation and a couple minutes into it I looked over to see him push the mower aside, lie down on the grass and proceed to listen to the whole gospel presentation! He got a Bible at the end as well.

We had an amazing day and it was extra special for Pastor Rakesh...his wife gave birth to a baby boy late last night and he had not yet seen him! He wanted so desperately to get Bibles into the hands of the young people in his area that he stayed to help distribute them before taking off to go meet his new son! 

I think we are all looking forward to an early bed tonight and another full day tomorrow!

The picture of us with the Pastors are pastor Brooks on the left, Pastor Rakesh in the middle and Pastor Grey on the right. We have been blessed to work with all 3 of these men these last several weeks.

Day 13in Fiji (girls)

Day 13 in Fiji

Brrrrr! I know you all think Fiji is warm and tropical, but when it is winter here, it really is winter! This was the coldest morning so far and man was it cold! Normally I shower, then curl up in the living room with my coffee and my Bible and do my morning devotions! Not so this morning! I showered and then dived back into my bed to do my devotions! It was sooooo cold! As you'll see from our morning group photo, we all left the house bundled up in sweaters!

Our first school this morning was a girl's school of about 350 students! They were a very responsive group and listened very intently to the messages! They are also one of the first schools where some of the students have hung around to talk and take photos! As we left it was a blessing to see many of them walking away reading those first 3 pages in their Bibles which contain the plan of salvation!

While waiting to go to the next school, Pastor Brooks made some phone calls to confirm our other schools. Unfortunately one of the 4 that we were to do today cancelled, but thankfully they rescheduled for Wednesday. Another one of our 4 for today was an LDS (Morman) school that has now refused us! I was especially disappointed about this one as who wouldn't love to give out Bibles in a Morman school?! We were able to reschedule another one for this afternoon though so we have 3 for today. 

The second school was about 200 students  and again a very good response! Many of the students began reading through their Bibles as soon as they received them! One teacher/mother walked up and said how excited she was that we were giving out KJV Bibles! She had been teaching her children for years about the difference between the Bibles and that the KJV is the right one!

We then stopped at Chicken Express for lunch. It still cracks me up when all 23 of us walk into a restaurant and literally take the place over!

Our 3rd school was a boy's school of about 150 students! This would be comparable to a reform school or juvenile detention. We females understandably felt a little out of place with all these guys staring back at us, but they sat completely silent and listened attentively as the gospel was preached! This school was also another answer to prayer as it is a catholic school and many of the catholic schools have been refusing us! Please pray for these boys, that God would touch their hearts ....they were certainly a tougher crowd, but God can soften the toughest hearts!

Once we returned from the school we headed to the store to buy supplies to throw a surprise Birthday party for Filo and get some of life greatest necessities...chocolate and Oreos!:) the rest of the evening was spent sneaking around baking birthday cake and playing Dutch Blitz! It was so much fine surprising Filo...people here don't normally do to much for birthdays so it was fun being able to do something for her that she wouldn't normally get!

It's been an amazing day and we're looking forward to another great day tomorrow!:)