We have had a busy few months with so much going on, and at such a fast pace it has been hard to take a moment to pause and reflect on it all.
We breezed into Wellington for a chilly three weeks!
Oasis Farm
In April we had a small but capable team here for a week at Oasis Farm in Sabeto. A lot of the work here was to do with termite damage and prevention. The termites had completely eaten away at a treated pine post for example, which was replaced using Australian building methods. We were also able to replace some timber door frames with aluminium and put in a concrete path which will make a big difference for people staying there in the rainy season.
Another great team at Oasis Farm.
Termites
Termites are something that Roy continues to do whatever he can to educate himself about. There is not a lot of knowledge about them in Fiji as this variety has only been here for about 15 years and the devastation they are causing is really coming to the fore now. He still learns everything he can from anyone who knows something, including Fiji Biosecurity and local pest control companies. Unfortunately there is no real experience of termites in New Zealand either, but Roy has been able to glean some advice from people in Australia which is great. This is a huge learning curve as he has been working out the different ways to keep buildings safe from termites, eradicate the colonies and build with them in mind. This knowledge continues to be helpful for all the ministries we work with and lots of homeowners we know in Fiji as well. This is an ongoing problem for Fiji that won’t go away and we want to do our best to help people with it.
When termites come to snack on your kitchen bench top.
Morrinsville Baptist at Sabeto Christian Camp
In May we had an amazing team from Morrinsville Baptist help us renovate the kitchen at the Camp Managers house at Sabeto Christian Camp. They were only here for a week, but brought a lot of trade skills in plumbing, electrical and mechanical with willing servant hearted people that were happy to do anything, including the occasional late night concrete pour. We had a lot of fun with them and are excited that they want to regularly bring teams, as they were a total joy to work with. We are looking forward to receiving another team from them later this year.
A problem we have with a lot of the ministries we want to help is that they have lots of work to do, but not the finances needed to provide the building materials. It has been great to work with different people, churches and organisations in New Zealand to help these ministries in Fiji raise the much needed funds. One of these partnerships has been between Sabeto Christian Camp and El Rancho, the Christian camp in Waikanae where Roy and I first met. We are also excited for the ongoing relationship with them and hope to see some of their staff here in the future!
At the end of a successful project with Morrinsville Baptist.
A sad farewell
At the end of May we got the heart-breaking news that Giles Simpson, our regular volunteer that helped on just about every project we did in our first 18 months here, passed away suddenly. We are so incredibly grateful for the friendship we had with him and all he taught us. He was our go-to guy for all language and cultural understanding, as well as a great listening ear and he was always willing to lend a hand at short notice or when we were in New Zealand and we needed something done in Fiji. We will definitely miss him!
It was a privilege to celebrate Giles' life with his family and friends.
A slice of New Zealand winter
We had the great opportunity of going to New Zealand for three weeks in June and July, where we were able to spend a few childless days in Christchurch meeting the NZCMS office team and have some great training and orientation while the kids spent time with family.
As we have now officially started as NZCMS Mission Partners, we were able to meet with new link churches coming onboard to support us and it was great to share what we do and have a new enthusiasm and passion join us. We were also able to have a recommissioning service at our home church in Waikanae and we even managed to fit in visits with a few family and friends! It was a super busy trip, but very encouraging and exciting to be able to do. It was our first experience of New Zealand winter for three years and I think it is safe to say none of us are that keen to experience that again in a hurry!
Experimenting with our new selfie stick at Christchurch airport after our NZCMS orientation.
New Permits
Our work permits have now been approved for another three years. There was a bit of drama with the kids' names being left off them and us needing to leave the country, but it is all sorted now. After taking nine months with our first application in 2021 we can probably count ourselves fortunate with the ‘minimal’ 6 month wait this time around. This is an exciting accomplishment that we can now get put behind us for a few years and get back into doing what God has called us to do here.
A.C.E Convention
Last month we all went to Suva for the week of Gabrielle’s school convention. This is an event where she participated in art, music, sport and academic competitions against kids from other schools that use the A.C.E. curriculum like they do. It was a great experience for her to be a part of and she made some new friends in Suva. She even came away with a third place ribbon for a water painting which is pretty good for an 11 year old in an under-16 competition. Roy managed to fit in lots of meetings in Suva at the same time with the boys in tow.
Gabrielle with her watercolour painting that was awarded 3rd place. Special thanks to Kathy for coaching her through it!
So, we have been keeping busy over this last season and we look forward to the time ahead with a new excitement for the work we are doing here. Becoming NZCMS Mission Partners has brought with it a bigger support crew and we thank all the new people that have joined us on this journey since our recent visit to New Zealand. We certainly know there is more than enough work in Fiji to keep us busy for a while and thank you for helping us to do this! If you want to hear from us more regularly we send weekly emails with prayer and praise points, if you would like to get on that email please get in touch. Otherwise we have launched a new website which includes our latest video we created to share at churches in New Zealand while we were there.
MMM NZ 30th Anniversary!
We will be back in New Zealand for the MMM Conference at Totara Springs, Matamata, from October 18-20. If you have ever wanted to know more about MMM or join with those who make it happen, all are welcome and we would love to see you there.
Vinaka vaka levu,
Roy, Rachael, Josh, Gabrielle and Kelepi
Some Bonus Photos
We got all dressed up for a wedding.
Gabrielle asked for a day off school to help with a project, fine by us!
However getting Josh involved requires more coercion!
Gabrielle sprained her ankle, but on the bright side it coincided with a 5 week break in gymnastics classes.
Our good friend Kathy came to visit with her grand daughter Serenity.
The weather was a tad different when seeing her again a few weeks later!
This family photo is straight after racing from Auckland International to the Domestic Terminal and cutting it extremely fine to the final bag drop time. Poor Kelepi was still recovering from the trauma at the time of this photo.
We had an encouraging visit to El Rancho and came away all kitted out with their merch!
When it's 0⁰C when you wake up in the morning, hot water bottles are essential for church.
We've been getting involved with the youth from our church, they're an awesome bunch.
This look from Gabrielle sums up her less-than-willing requirement to participate in the school convention in Suva.
Stopping to stretch on the way back from Suva. If only gymnastics was an event at the convention!
This look from Kelepi sums up his more-than-willing attitude for a boys week out in Suva while the girls were at convention.
When being a passenger is too much for them... just set them free!