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Despite the arrivial of Hurricane Josie in the South Pacific, we had a nice Easter week here Fiji. Palm Sunday began the week, with Children’s Sunday. The children dress in white, perform mimes and songs, and recite memorized Bible verses. The church was packed, and from youngest to oldest, the kids did a super job!
On Thursday, former teacher Tina Mareu, with her family, performed a beautiful mime and song in sign, as part of our school Easter service. Her husband Jale delivered a very moving message on Abraham’s obedience and trust in God; his willingness to sacrifice his beloved, only son, as God did in sending Jesus.
Mesake was the first young deaf boy found by Vivienne Harland when she began the deaf ministry here. He now has a beautiful family of his own----with NINE children!! They are all beautiful, and very talented! “Beautiful on the inside, as well as the outside,” as my father would say. We loved watching them working together in leadership, encouraging and serving in so many ways. The children (ages 2 to 21) are all hearing, and the older ones are excellent interpreters as well. Sign language was their first language, but they are fluent in English and Fijian as well. It was a joy to be with them! Mesake works in Suva during the week as a carpenter, and leads a deaf adult Bible study. He also helps out in our hostels at night during the week. He and his family organized the camp program and prepared most of the meals. The family teamwork was most impressive! 
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In my last blog, I told a story about how God used a wrong turn in the road to change the life of a young deaf teenager. Here’s another story about a very special couple that we’ve come to know and love, whom God has used tremendously to help the Fiji Deaf Ministry. We met because of an overbooked hotel. Sam and Christine Tawake-Bachofner run a beautiful resort on the island of Beqa (pronounced Ben-ga), in the village of Lawaki. After working in Fiji for some time, Jim and I felt the need to get away for a day or two. We looked online, and enquired about a place on the nearby island of Beqa. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately as it turned out, that place was fully booked and could not take us. The manager suggested we try Lawaki Beach House, a small resort a little further along the coast on the island. It was there that we met Sam and Christine.  Sam is a Fijian, from Lawaki, and his wife Christine is from Switzerland. They have run their small resort for about 15 years now. It’s a simple, unspoiled place with lots of natural beauty. It has 4 small bures, a backpacker dorm, and an outdoor covered dining area, all right on the beach. The reef snorkeling is the best, with crystal clear water, and lots of brightly colored fish , sea cucumbers, sea turtles, and coral. There are other activities too, like kayaking, deep sea diving, a relaxing massage, or a visit to the village. Sam and Christine were warm and welcoming, and treated us royally. We could watch the sunset over the ocean from our porch, and listen to the sound of the waves in our bure at night. Everything we ate on our visits to the island was either grown there, or caught in the sea that day. The bread was home made, the eggs free range, and tropical fruits and vegetables all freshly picked. This place was definitely a little piece of heaven! We’ve returned several times since that first visit, and have taken many of our volunteers there.
As we talked, she told us her dream was to become a teacher, but she couldn’t afford university fees. Jim offered her a job in our hostel, where she could learn sign language, and offered that the ministry would help out with school fees. Christine came the next year, learned sign language quickly, and graduated from university with high honors. She is an excellent teacher, and sought after as a sign language interpreter. She also teaches Sunday School to the deaf, and is the youth group leader in her church. (Her aunt now refers to Jim as ‘Head Hunter’, for stealing one of her more promising waitresses!) Another couple, Marita and Matt from England, also vacationed at Lawaki. They were running treks thoughout Fiji (Talenoa Treks). They got into conversation with Sam and Christine about a village they had visited on one of their treks. It was Nabutautau, the village where Missionary Thomas Baker had been cooked alive and eaten by the villagers, for touching the head of the village chief, back in the days of cannibalism, before Christianity came to the islands. Marita and Matt mentioned that they had met a young 6 year old deaf boy in that village, named Sailosi. Their heart went out to him, as he was the only kid in the village not in school. Sam and Christine told them about Gospel School for the Deaf, and gave
them our contact. Matt and Marita not only brought Sailosi to GSD, but paid to sponsor him as well. This year, Marica and Sailosi are beginning their 5th year at GSD. They both love school, and now have a wonderful deaf community of friends here. God used a vacation get away to bring us two young deaf students and an extremely talented and hard working teacher. In addition, we have made two wonderful friends who have been a big support to the Fiji Deaf Ministry!! Yes, Lawaki is a very beautiful and special place! Thank you Sam and Christine! |
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