When you hear ‘Fiji’ your initial thoughts probably consist of white sand beaches with crystal clear waters, maybe a luxurious resort with an extending swimming pool. What probably doesn’t spring to mind are the faces of the 250,000 people who live in poverty (30% of the whole Fijian population)[1]. Or the image of thousands of villages that don’t have access to clean drinking water, or the 78% with no access to sanitation[2]. It was these images that overwhelmed me when I first arrived in Fiji. But the thoughts that will now come to mind when I think of Fiji are those of Mary*, her boundless love and ceaseless smile despite these circumstances.
For the last week my outreach group has been in Lautoka, Fiji, serving at the local special needs school. We helped out wherever we were needed: taking down buildings destroyed by the resent cyclones, building a new green house for the school and restoring rust stained swing.
During our time here the children attending the school would devour us in their love, literally at any opportunity they had. From the very beginning they included us without any inhabitation, straight away treating us like family. It was these open hearts and welcoming spirits, none like any that I had ever experienced before, that spoke volumes to me. A few of the children were more outgoing then others, but one girl stuck out the most. Her name is Mary.
Mary especially loved Mel, endlessly presenting her with her treasures: sticks, branches and flowers. She posed for pictures and the taught us her flower picking games with patience, exploding in contagious laughter whenever we got her game wrong. How can Mary who has so little love so easily, laugh so loudly and smile so broadly? It was then that I realised, that even though I had come here to serve these children, through their beautiful nature they were teaching and serving me.
The Fiji team outside Lautoka special needs school.
The last day at the school was tough. The children had welcomed us so readily to be part of their family; their downcast eyes reflected back our own sadness. Mary sought me out in the crowd, wrapping her arms around me and enveloping me in her embrace. She asked me where her friend with the short hair is, chewing her bottom lip to keep in her tears. I knew she meant Mel. Mary tailed behind me as I quickly ran to find Mel. Mary shot past me running and jumping into Mel’s arms. That is why we are here. God has called us to love on His children, but not only that to love like His children, to love like Mary.
*Name changed for privacy issues.
____________________________________________________
[1] Poverty Issues in Fiji. (n.d.). Think Pacific – 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013, from http://www.thinkpacific.com/pages/aims-in-fiji/poverty-issues-in-fiji
[2] Poverty Issues in Fiji. (n.d.). Think Pacific – 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013, from http://www.thinkpacific.com/pages/aims-in-fiji/poverty-issues-in-fiji
Recent Comments