Report 1 – Emmaus in Fiji (posted Friday 18 July)
written by Karen Fowles - your roving Emmaus journo in Fiji!
The Country:
Many of the Australian team arrived over the period of a few days, to fairly warm weather in Fiji. The 20-28 degrees Celsius certainly feels more like summer than winter! The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze and some cloud. What a beautiful place for an Emmaus walk – blue ocean, coconut palms and the sunsets are amazing!
The Church:
Bethany Methodist Church is a large yellow concrete building on a busy road between Nadi and Suva, just outside Nadi. It has two floors and is modestly appointed upstairs with flowers, carpet and traditional timber pews all facing the front. Above on the wall at the front is a plaque of the last supper and below is a large thin, mirrored cross. On the altar area sits a fishing boat, that was built inside the church and reminds us of the scripture “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Here Jesus calls us to go out and reach people. This Emmaus walk will certainly do that in a new and unique way.
The Team and Training:
The team members staying at Wests have spent time in devotion together in preparation for the walk, not to mention hanging out and enjoying the coolness of the pool. On Wednesday, the whole of the Men’s Team gathered for the first time at Bethany Church. There was some nervousness as some of the Fijian men spoke for the first time in front of the rest of the team. Warren and Brian also gave their talks. All were well received. Brian particularly shared his long time dream to bring Emmaus to Fiji and must be feeling a sense of great satisfaction now that has been achieved. God is truly amazing and we are very blessed to be a part of the adventure.
The People:
For many of the Australian men, this was their first time in Fiji and for some their first time overseas. When I spoke with many of the Fijian men on team, they related their adventures of travelling to Sydney to do their Emmaus walk. One gentleman recalls walking back to the conference room, only to be startled by a very large lizard that gave him a heck of a fright. All of them considerably enjoyed their time in Australia and are really looking forward to sharing the experience as they take on their leadership roles with the first pilgrims of Fiji.
The Food:
If there’s one thing the Fijians know how to do well, it's the food. On training day at the church, morning tea and lunch were the traditional and bountiful Fijian spread prepared and served by happy smiling Fijians. Tables were dressed in bright floral, (bula) fabrics and the food included scones, cake, rice, bread and a variety of other foods with coffee and tea, and for that we must sincerely thank the church community. During this time, the team was greeted in a typically Fijian way, by being individually presented with a shell necklace. Each of them took to attaching their name badges to it, which certainly gave the Fiji Emmaus its own unique ‘flavour’.
The Pilgrims:
On Thursday night, the pilgrims arrived in quiet expectation and many were very shy in this new setting. Allowing for ‘Fiji time’, the pilgrims registered, gathered their name badges and were welcomed with tea and supper. There was considerable excitement just as the bus was to depart, as it was noted that 2 of the pilgrims had vanished and could not be found! Plan B was formulated and just as all were departing, the 2 re-arrived in a taxi, with one extra!! The bus finally departed for the walk with about 16 pilgrims.
We will be continuing to pray that indeed all involved will meet with Him, on the road to Emmaus in Fiji.