So I have made it back to the internet cafe to keep up with the blog..which is pretty impressive seeing as I really do not like writing but I am actually getting into this blogging thing. =)

Since I last wrote not a lot has happened.The scariest thing has happened so far and that occured right after I wrote to you all last. We left the internet cafe and grabbed some McDonald's on the way back. We walked back because it is not to far from the city. Kristin, Rachel, and I were walking down the backroads that lead to the hotel and there were some guys in a sports car sitting outside the club. They said Bula to us and it is normal to say Bula back otherwise you seem rude. So I gave them a slight wave and we kept on walking but when we turned down the next road we saw them drive past us, park, and rool down their windows to watch us. We thought is was weird but kept on walking because we were almost back. We turned down the next road and we were on the hotel road almost back when I saw a car coming up behind us again. It was the same car as earlier and it drove past us, parked in front of the hotel, rolled down their windows, and watched us walk/run into the hotel. This was very scary because this year many of us have been followed which is not normal for Fiji. But we were safe and haven't seen that blue sports car since.

Saturday we woke up and watched the guys play rugby for a while before all of us girls headed out to Mugs and Muffins at the Stinter girls apartment. Mugs and Muffins is an event where a group of girls meet together and just enjoy an afternoon drinking coffee, tea, water, etc. and eating muffins (which were really cupcakes), and banana breads and scones. We had fellowship with each other for a while before Jane talked to all of us on relationships. This was a really good talk as we realized that we can't always wait for other people to initiate the conversations or wait for them to ask what our name is before we ask them. It went into more detail but that was the part that stuck with me the most, because I know that I tend to wait for others to talk to me instead of going up to them first. At night the group went to an event called Synergy. I can't really give you much detail on what happened because I stayed back at the hotel and slept because I was sick. It was a huge bummer but it was fun to hear all the stories from the group when they got back. We spent the rest of the night just playing card games and hanging out which is the usual around here at night since it gets dark around 6pm.

Sunday seemed really normal for me. Most of the group went to Calvary church but a few of us hung back and went to Kyle's church that he normally attended. The service really reminded me of back home because it was small and was the same kind of worship I am used to. The Fijians were very welcoming and loved to talk to us and hear about our time in Fiji so far. We didn't get much of a Fijian experience of going to the other church but we really enjoy our time and the sermon was great. It was focused on 2 Timothy. We went back to the hotel and asked how the other groups experience was and found out that it was not good at all. They learned about speaking in tongues and they all said it was not Bible based at all and the person speaking was basically yelling at them. Needless to say they will probably be looking at a different church next week.

After church we got to participate in the real Fijian culture. We went to Colie's house and went to a Lovo. This was very different from anything we are used to back home. A lovo is a big hole in the ground where all the food is cooked in. When we arrived a bunch of the guys were drinking what is called Cava, which many of you have heard about from Kyle. Normally the guys are the only ones who drink it and if they drink enough that is what they consider their alchohol. But, it is part of their tradition so all of the guys in our group tried it once just to see as well as some of the girls from our group. The guys were a lot better at hiding how absolutely disgusting this drink was than us girls. I tried it and it was the most disgusting thing I have ever drank in my life. If any of you guys want to know what it tasted like then go out, grab some mud, mix it with water and then drain out the extra dirt. Afterwards, drink it and that is basically what it tasted like! We then ate dinner which consisted of a bunch of different foods that they typically ate. I tried some of it but after being sick the night before and then trying cava I wasn't too interested in tasting too many different things. I ate a lot of chicken which was really good, yet here in Fiji you need to watch out for bones. They don't take the meat off the bones at all, instead they chop all the meat up including the bone and serve it so you get used to spitting out any bones that may be in your food. I also tried some type of tree fern leaf which I did not enjoy much at all. It looked like green beans at first but when you ate it, it was chewy and really crunchy and rubbery. Some of the other foods they had were sweet and sour fish, rolls, lamb, and a few other interesting foods. Some of the food was really good while others were not good at all. We finished lunch and then just hung out with all the Fijians and played games, sang songs, or just talked. This was really fun and it was really cool to get to know more of the Fijians and just spend time as a large group.

Sunday night we ended the night by going to McDonald's and just spending some time with a little smaller group just talking and eating some good American food. After being here only a week I cannot wait to go back home and eat a HUGE juicy steak..so Mom, you better have that ready for me when I get home, PLEASE!! PB & J has become the normal lunch, dinner, and snack food so that we can save some money but you can only have it so many times before it just seems disgusting. We went back to the hotel and played some SkipBo and spent some time in smaller groups which here in Fiji you need. You can be the biggest extrovert in the world but everyone needs down time..it has taken me time in Fiji to really figure that out. A group of us went up to one of the bigger rooms where we all began singing songs and praying together as a group for our time here in Fiji. This was really cool that our group can just spend time with the Lord and just enjoy being together at the same time.

Today was our free day. We all slept in which to most, including me, was only until 9:30. We spent time hanging out at the hotel in the morning and at 12:30 a large group of us along with some of the Fijian guys went to the waterfalls. We spent all afternoon out there and we had a blast. Enjoying an amazing walk through the woods and see all of God's creation was really cool. We got to the waterfalls and there were a bunch of mini ones that led into little pools. At the very end of the path there was a rope swing and a larger pool that we could swim in. The water was freezing but after a few jumps off the rope swing you got used to the water quick. I believe that we all jumped off at least once and had a really fun time jumping and taking fun pictures. There was one downside and that was when Jane, who is one of our leaders, decided she wanted to try the ropeswing as well which didn't turn out so well for her and she broke her finger on the first try. She went to the hospital with one of the girls and finally made it back to the hotel just a little while ago. We came back and we were all starving and I was craving some BEEF! 4 of us went back to the hotel to quickly shower and clean up before going to dinner at the Bad Dog Cafe which served some good American foods. The burger was delicious and even though it was not beef from home it was the best burger I have had in a long time. We just spent some time eating and talking about our day and then headed over to the internet cafe which is where I am at now. But what is a walk without some guy asking us our names and us responding with fake names? lol




Please keep praying for team unity, good health, and safety for all of us here in Fiji.

That is all I have for you all right now but I wish you all the best back home and I can't wait to be able to share stories with you all in person! Love you all!