LEARN SOME FIJIAN
Bula Vinaka means “Hello, how are you?”
Vinaka means “Thank you!”
BULA VINAKA
DAY ONE (freedom!)
“I LOVE spicy food,” I assured her.
DAY TWO
On my second day in Suva, after cooking myself a simple breakfast of eggs and toast with yogurt and tea, I was told I would be meeting up with a couple from the school. I was informed that the wife was one of the school nurses and she would be doing a quick check-up on me to make sure I was healthy out of quarantine (*the audience chuckles at the irony*). The couple introduced themselves as Americans, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t their full story. The husband, it turned out, had grown up as a missionary kid (MK) in Ecuador. I excitedly shared my own history as a MK and we swapped stories of growing up in rural villages across the world. I was shocked when he told me that his father was a classmate and close friend of non-other than Jim Elliot. In fact, his father and Jim had gone to Ecuador to serve as missionaries at the same time. The school staff member explained that his family had been on furlough (because his mother was pregnant), which is why they weren’t in the country when the events of the Operation Auca led to the violent murders of missionaries Peter Fleming, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint. If you don't know how that story ends though and all the Lord has done through the deaths of those men, I suggest you do some reading!
DAY THREE
It’s the weekend! In reality, my days are all messed up. However, my landlord checked on me and asked me what my plans for the day were. One of the staff members I met at the yacht club had invited the group to a Saturday dinner barbecue at their home, but I knew that before going there I had some more shopping to do. My landlord said, “No worries, we’ll drive you!” He and his wife have been so friendly and accommodating.
“Like the hotel I stayed in?” I asked.
“Exactly! A tanoa is in the logo of the hotel!” Ben stated.
“It’s hard to explain.”
DAY FOUR
I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a small Fijian Baptist Church on Sunday morning. The one room building held a variety of nationalities and age groups. It reminded me of the church experiences I’d grown up with in Senegal. Going to people’s homes and singing all the newest worship songs of the early 2000s, such as “Trading My Sorrows”, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, and “Here I Am To Worship”. One of the things I am looking forward to most is spending the next few months visiting many different churches in Fiji and finding the church family God has intended for me here.
DAY FIVE
Monday, April 12, 2021, is my first day “on my own” in Suva. I spent the morning cleaning, organizing, and doing my first load of laundry in the new apartment.