BULA from Fiji!

I am starting a blog where I can share my adventures and stories with all of you back home. This will happen every few days maybe because we do not have the luxury of having internet all the time but I will try to share my experiences and talks that I have with you as often as I can.

So on Monday we arrived in Suva, Fiji and I cannot explain how amazing it is to be here. The minute we got off our plane we were welcomed with open arms by all the Fijians and it was amazing to see how loving and warm they were! We then got on a bus and took a 3 hour bus ride into Suva where we will be staying for 5 weeks. The ride was bumpy and the driving here is CRAZY! They drive so fast and swerve in and out of traffic with these huge buses. When we made it to our hotel where we are staying at we all went straight to our rooms and fell asleep instantly because of how tired and worn out we were from traveling for 40+ hours. 

Our Tuesday started off very entertaining as my roommate, Rachel Sorrell was straightening her hair and her converter popped and started smoking. It as a good time and we have been getting along great. We love talking together and praying together every night before bed. We officially began the day with our time with the Lord where we go find a quiet place to just spend time diving into God's word and praying about this trip and what God has in store for us while we are here. After that we got to meet all the STINTERS who have been here since the beginning of the year and meet some of the Fijians whom they have been meeting with and talking to. This was a really fun experience to meet them and hang out with them for the afternoon. We split into groups and had a Fijian or 2 in each group and began our mini scavenger hunt around the city where we learned where important places were and figured out what we will be doing during the 6 weeks that we are here. It was a huge bummer to find out that we as a group are not allowed on the USP campus but we have been praying that the Lord will open up other doors to where we can witness and spread the gospel. 

Wednesday, which is today we woke up and had a praise and worship time followed by a short talk led by one of our leaders. We are focusing on the book of Galatians and really spending time learning and talking about ways that we can spend time with God and how we can really study His word. So many times we get distracted or don't have time, or think we know all we need to know and that is completely false. You can learn something new EVERY time you read the Bible and study God's word. It's amazing to see the truths and see how we long for the Word and thrive on it. Following our talk we split into our Bible study groups and went out to begin our first day of meeting and starting conversations with students around the campus. Since we are not allowed on campus we will be spending a lot of time in a place called Sports City where there are many food shops, and little stores where the Fijians hang out at during the breaks between classes. Today I tried the minceloaf which is a loaf of bread with ground beef (mince) and potatoes and curry on it. It was different and not something I would eat often but it was fun to try something new. Tonight we are meeting in 4 different groups which will meet every Wednesday night. This has been an amazing experience so far these first few days and I am so excited to see what God's plan for us in the next few week's will be. Please pray for our group and the Stinters that we can find opportunities to share the gospel even while we are not allowed on the USP campus. A HUGE thanks to everyone who has supported me financially or through prayer as I could not have had this opportunity without any one of you. Vinaka! (not sure if it's spelled correctly, but that means "thank you" in Fijian!)