May News

Our children have enjoyed the last two weeks of holidays and this week they will all gradually arrive back at school and the hostels, for the second term. Our teaching staff started back at the end of last week in order to prepare lessons, and work on different options for the next 13 weeks.

As there hasn’t been any action with the children, let me introduce you to some of our amazing hostel staff:

The team is headed by Tema (right), our Hostel Director, who oversees and is ultimately responsible for all three hostels. Tema and Tony and their four-year-old son Temnik, are house parents at the boy’s hostel. Apart from her daily duties of being “Mum” to six teenage boys, Tema spends a lot of time working with Fiji Immigration on behalf of students and anyone else who requires a visa to come and help with the ministry. Tema also accompanies any students requiring a doctor after hours, and has spent many nights
sitting waiting their turn at the local medical centre. She is often out and about interpreting in the evenings and her position is certainly not a nine – to – five job. We often witness the great rapport she has with the children’s parents. Tema has been working with Harland Deaf Ministries for nineteen years and has had a huge impact on many lives. Thank you Tema

Mere (left) is responsible for the daily running of our main hostel and each evening after the children have gone to bed, she will be found writing up the white board with the next days’ timetable. Mere looks after her 16 boy’s downstairs and keeps them looking “loved and well cared for”, and the new little boys who come to our hostel are soon into routine under Mere’s guidance. She keeps her “flat” spotless, well organised, and all her boys have their own basket where they can find their clean clothes. Keep up the great work Mere!!

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Liti has been with us since 2008, and is our cook. She does a fantastic job of preparing food for around fifty every week day, and organising for each hostel to do their own cooking over the weekend. Liti who is day staff, rises at 3.30am, leaves home at 5am and is often not home in the evening until about 7pm, depending on when she can leave the hostel knowing that everything is under control for the evening meal. Liti with her team of four, heads off to the market and supermarket on Tuesday and Friday mornings, returns to the hostel and sets to work on her cooking. She is “full of fun” and is often found entertaining the other hostel staff. Liti, we couldn’t function without you!

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Ana was one of Vivienne Harland’s first pupils in 1995, and went on to become hostel staff. Ana is an amazing worker who never seems to sit still for long and will always offer tea to anyone who turns up at the hostel. She sleeps with six of the younger girls in her room and it is quite common for her to be woken in the night by one of her girls needing attention. Please pray for Ana, that she will get a good night’s sleep, as it is very hard to convince her that she needs to rest in the middle of the day. Ana’s day off is Friday, when she will often travel by bus, to see her mum and care for her. We love you Ana.

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Va has been with us for four years now and has quickly picked up sign language through living in the hostel. Va is also responsible for several of our younger girls and we have recently bought her some new bunks so that they all have a bed and she no longer has to sleep on a very thin mattress on the floor. Her bedroom is a little like a jig saw puzzle, and if it was taken apart, I suspect no one but she could put it back together again. Va is a “thinker” and often comes up a way “things” could be done differently. During the first term, Va became quite ill and was back in her village for some time. We are thankful that God answered prayer and she was able to come back to us.

Please pray for these wonderful ladies and the balance of staff will follow in the next blog.

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