We have had BEAUTIFUL weather (today is the first rain we've seen this
entire trip!), and as a result the work projects are progressing quite
quickly. We are constructing 5 bathrooms and 6 septic tanks out of
cinder blocks and wood. We've spent this week laying the blocks (LOTS of
cement mixing) and today we are putting the walls up on our bathrooms
and sanding them. Next week we'll construct covers for the septic tanks,
paint the walls, and put on the finishing touches. Our village is full
of friendly people and extremely outgoing little children -- it's
getting harder and harder each day for me to get our participants to say
goodbye and get on the bus in the afternoons.
The Samabula Ward is extremely welcoming and fun. We've had a great
time attending a full week of activities, including a movie night at the
Coconutohnecolor Cinema (constructed in the back half of the Cultural
Hall) complete with "3D glasses" made out of palm fronds and a
concessions stand. During our first Sunday one of our local coordinators
bore a powerful testimony to the ward about the importance of HEFY's
work and the great impression that the Fiji 1 trip gave of the LDS
Church to the village of Nabundrau. It was really cool to hear that the
work we are doing makes a difference, not just in the physical
facilities we build but also in the way we carry ourselves and execute
our work. It was a great motivator for our first workday the next
morning.
At the request of the Samabula bishopric we put together an
Independence Day celebration for the ward's youth and YSAs on Wednesday.
It was pretty rockin' -- hand-drawn decorations, Americana singalongs
(accompanied by Savannah on ukulele!), relay races, baseball, American
football, ice cream, and, of course, fireworks at the end of The
Star-Spangled Banner...supplied by 12 liters of Diet Coke and Brad's
inexplicably endless supply of Mentos. Watching the participants rally
together and pool their resources and creativity to put on a great party
and share our culture with the youth in Fiji was a trip highlight for
me -- I woke up the next morning still smiling!
Another trip highlight was our visit to the Suva temple on Thursday
to do baptisms and confirmations for the dead. It was a special
experience, made even more special by the inclusion of some
participants' family names. There was a lovely spirit there and we are
grateful that we got to share that moment with each other.
Tomorrow we are off to go net fishing at Brother Magoon's house and
then to the church for Kareoke Night(!!!). The ward will be cooking lovo
for us, a traditional Fijian dinner that takes all day to prepare and
is cooked in an underground oven. Then another Sunday with the Samabula
Ward (we could all really use a day of rest), three more days finishing
up our work projects in the village, and we'll be on our way home!