"BULA" Fjij

I always knew that I wanted to travel on my way home from New Zealand. I had tried a couple different options but none seemed to be coming together and then randomly near the end of semester I heard some girls were going to Fiji and after looking up prices, I decided to go with them. It was a bit of a crazy decision but one of the best things I could have done. The trip was suppose to be about relaxing and getting a tan before we all headed home but once we got home we all knew that the theme of the whole trip was 'God Provides'.

Since we all booked our flights separately, we arrived in Fiji at different times and even on different dates. The first two to arrive were Caroline and Verana. We really had no clue where we were going to stay or where we wanted to go. I had some suggestions from someone I had stayed with in New Zealand but that was about it.

The Fiji airport is super small and when Caroline and Verana got off the plane they were overwhelmed with what to do next not to mention the fact that they had just spent hours crying because they left the day we all had to say our goodbyes to people. They ended up meeting a travel agent at the airport and found out she was a Christian. She helped them figure out where to stay, what we should do on our trip and talked with them about her faith. It was a HUGE blessing and they were even able to use internet in her office to get a hold of me in New Zealand. We found out if it hadn't been for her, we would have ended up going to the rainy side of the island and would have missed out on so much.

This is the four of us waiting for the last member of our little Fiji crew to arrive. In the picture it's me, Verana from Germany, Maxine from Canada and Caroline from Denmark. We are holding up 4 because we ended up waiting 4 hours in the airport because Christina's plane was delayed and by this time we were over waiting in the airport for people.

This is the "hostel" we stayed at on the main island. I put hostel in quotes because it was really more like a house. It was so random and actually reminded me of Africa quite a bit but it was a huge blessing to stay there because the people that owned it were Christians and it only costed $15 for a night which included 3 meals a day that were amazing! The best part was all the randomness about it that we all got a good laugh at.

Fiji was so beautiful, of course. This is on the mainland as we were walking to the beach near our hostel the first day I was there.

This is us chilling in the "backyard" of our hostel. It was a random yard where they would cook sometimes and had laundry up for all the workers that were there and then some chairs which we sat in to soak up some sun.

Here's the room we stayed in. I would like to point out that my area is way cleaner than Caroline's area. It was so fun to all stay in one room.

We went to town one day to buy water before we went to Mana Island where we stayed for about four days. You can't drink the water there and they charge a lot for bottled water so we stocked up!

I was the only American on the trip so I was the only one who appreciated how funny this was. It was basically a dollar store type shop with clothes.

This is the beach near our hostel. It was funny because the travel agent we met said Fijians think this beach is gross because it doesn't have white sand like the smaller islands do. I on the other hand thought it was beautiful! I wanted to soak up as much beach time as possible before heading back to the midwest!

Another picture of Nadi beach on the mainland. The weather was really wonderful but I guess for Fijians it was winter because they are still in the southern hemisphere so while we were laying out on the beach people were wearing hats and jackets.

We took a boat to Mana Island from Nadi and it was the scariest boat ride I have ever been on! It took about an hour and it was raining so the driver was looking out the side window because he couldn't see out of the front and one of the engines kept acting up so both workers were yelling back and forth at each other in Fijian. Let's just say I was doing a lot of praying! Once we got to the island, the hostel staff took our luggage for us and sang us a Fijian welcome song. The word "Bula" in Fijian is hello so everywhere you go you hear it said and are always saying it.

Once again we stayed at a random hostel. This is where we ate meals each day. It was funny to be inside but still eating at picnic tables with sand under your feet.

Here's Caroline showing off the lovely bathroom. We were lucky because our travel agent called ahead and we had two rooms (one for 3 of us and one for 2 of us) because usually they put people in huge dorms with up to 36 people!

One day we went to explore the island and we walked around the whole thing in 2 HOURS! It was so beautiful and everywhere you looked you saw the ocean. Caroline and I found a huge seashell that is now my jewelry holder.

One the beach were "Souvenir Shops" which were these little shacks that people would set out necklaces and other stuff on each day.

One day it was really rainy so the hostel staff decided to show the movie 'Castaway' with Tom Hanks because it was filmed on one of the islands nearby. So we just moved the picnic tables and voila, you have yourself a theatre.

For cups the hostel used old Starbucks cups which I thought was hilarious. Merry Christmas??

This is Verana, Christina and myself making jewelry out of coconuts. I made a cute little bird but the saws you had to use were intense so my bird was more abstract than I planned.

This is the view we had each day at the hostel. It was Right on the ocean but with an island as small as it was, everything is Right on the ocean.

One of the days we were there we went to see the school on the island. The village that is there is made up of Fijians that work at one of the two hostels or the resort on the island. The kids at the school were so cute and we loved visiting them!

One of the coolest things we got to see was a night church service. We heard the music from our hostel and went to go check it out and it was so amazing. We couldn't understand anything because it was in Fijian but you could see so much joy in the people. They performed dances and then the pastor brought it when he gave the message. They were so kind to us as visitors and it was neat to be sitting by the ocean on a large blue tarp worshipping with other believers in a different language. God is so good.

The last night I was on the island, the staff did a fire dance show.

Another thing we did in Fiji was snorkeling (which I kept calling scuba diving by accident) which was incredible! I had never gone before and I was blown away with all the cool colors and fish I got to see. We had so much fun and took a boat out to where we snorkeled and when we were coming back the sun was setting and I felt like I was in a movie!

Some of the girls I went to Fiji with, I knew better than others but after all that we went through and experienced, I feel like we are bonded for life. It was an amazing time to reflect on all that God had taught me and done while in New Zealand and to get excited about what is to come. Each day was an adventure and God was so faithful. He provided in so many obvious ways and I really needed that reassurance as I traveled home. I hadn't felt that close to God in a while and it was so amazing to be reminded that even when we don't feel God or see Him working, He is always there.

Leaving

Wow. Leaving Bible School. Leaving people I grew to love. Leaving a country that is beyond beautiful. It was NOT an easy last couple of days to say the least. Monavale campus had become my home and I was devastated with the idea of leaving but also had a mix of emotions because I really missed people back here in Omaha.

This is the sign at the end of the driveway for the bible school that you can see from the main road. I saw this sign every time I would come back to school from Cambridge or a trip or even when I was finishing a run.

This is a picture of the dorms on one side of the main buildings. Each of the sliding glass doors in a room for four people. I actually never lived on this side but walked down the hallways countless of times. I loved the community living at school. I learned so much from people and miss that closeness.

This is a picture of the view outside the unit (or apartment type thing) Megan and I lived in. I LOVED when the sun was at this level in the sky and would create the coolest colors of yellows, rich greens and oranges. It was such a calming part of the day.

Here's my desk in the office that I shared with the RAs, Jen and Jesse. This is where I did most of my internship work and loved working on the projects I was able to. It was also fun to office with Jen and Jesse and had lots of great conversations.

This is one of the views of the Homestead at Monavale. I loved sitting on the porch and journalling and looking out at the fields, mountains and gardens. The homestead had so many incredible old rooms we could hang out in.

This is kind of random but it's a picture of the cross roads of Cambridge Rd (the road the school was off of) and Parallel Rd where I would run. I ran pretty often and since the school is kind of out town there's only one path to run every time so I got pretty familiar with Parallel Rd. God spoke to me so many times and each time I would get out of school, I felt like I would have a perspective shift and was refreshed. I loved looking at the mountains in the distance and on the way to Parallel Rd there were fields of sheep and cows. Sometimes I would run with people and I have so many memories on that road.

This is my bed and me in the final stages of packing. I had packed so many times before but this was the first time I wasn't coming back to school so it had a different vibe that before. I gave so many things away because I didn't want to overpack and didn't bring that much with me to begin with. It was good to have something to do that last couple of days like pack because it helped take your mind off of leaving.

This is where Megan spent most of her time at school since she was the chef intern and because we were friends, it is also where I spent most of my time. It was also the only place that had brewed coffee opposed to instant. Megan and I met before I went to ABS when she first arrived for her internship and our friendship grew as the semester went on and also when we became roommates for the last 10 weeks of school.

This is a picture of the unit that Megan and I lived in. It was so fun to be roommates and I loved having a bit more space to hang out and talk. I will never forget the numerous conversations we had on the couches and know that God had an amazing purpose for us to be roommates. The unit was still smaller than a regular apartment but it was the perfect size for us. I loved our little home.

Leaving is still kind of a blur to me even now. The last day we had a nice breakfast but we were all in tears from saying goodbye to people. Megan and I were the last the leave because we were taken to the airport by Jen and Jesse the next day so the last day was full of goodbyes that happened about every hour. It was so emotionally draining. I cried and cried. Last time I had to say goodbyes it was hard because I was saying goodbye to so many friends but this time was also hard because I had to say goodbye to staff and even the whole experience of being at school.

It seems so crazy to me that a year ago I was so nervous about leaving and at times even annoyed with God that He would have me go to New Zealand because of all I was leaving behind. Going to bible school is by far the riskiest thing that I have ever done in my faith and also the most rewarding. I loved being there and having the time and space to really think about what I believe and why. I think everyone should do at least a semester at bible school. I know that with God each year is a different and new adventure and even though it's hard to believe that my life could have even more adventures, I know that New Zealand is not the end-all-be-all experience, but it will be hard to top.

One thing that I think about when it comes to traveling is prayer. My prayers when I'm stepping out into the unknown and am nervous about traveling are so rich and real. The closeness I feel with God is incredible because I don't have a plan B. I can't imagine my life without the people and experience I had last year. I will be forever changed and can't wait to see what God has in store for me in this next chapter of life. Thank you for all your prayers and support that gave me the opportunity of a lifetime.

Graduation

At the end of each semester at bible school, there is a graduation dinner and graduation. Since I was at Capernwray for two semesters, this was my second of both. The grad dinner is a fun night where we dress up and play games and be the goofy people we are. Last semester's theme was "Robin Hood" and this semester's was "Decades" so each family group was assigned a different decade they dressed up in. My family's decade was the 1980's which I was more familiar with than most of the other students in my family.

Here is Rachelle, Caroline, me and Heather at grad dinner. It was so fun to see what everyone did for their decade and Heather and I had a really fun time getting ready together.

This is me with Megan and Jen. Megan was the chef intern this semester and is from Colorado. We ended up being roommates for the second half of the semester and would stay up talking almost every night! Jen and her husband, Jesse, are from Canada and were the RAs for the semester and lived in the Homestead. The three of us girls would talk almost every morning and both were amazing encouragements to me and inspired me to grow deeper in love with Jesus with their lives.

Here I am with Anneloor. She is on staff as the House Manager and was my discipleship leader my first semester. We instantly connected and became friends. She offered countless encouragements and advice when I needed it. She also would give me organizing projects on work day because she knew how much I love to organize and we both were kind of geeky when it comes to cleaning.

This is me and Rachel a very very good friend of mine that I met way back last July when I first got to Capernwray. We did the first semester together and that's when God really put us in each other's lives. Next we did ABS together and our friendship grew and I think when you share an experience like that with someone, you will always be close. After Adventure Bible School, we both came back to Capernwray for internships. Rachel was the coffee shop intern and I was the graphic design intern. Once again our friendship grew and changed and saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest that I had to do. I have been so blessed to watch her grow in her relationship with God and I know we will be friends for a very long time.

This is Dawood Latif and his wife Judy. Dawood works with Gideons International and I met them last semester. They are wonderful people and at the end of the year I spent a relaxing weekend with them at their house.

This is Suz and Dave Bruce who were my billets last semester for ministry week so I was able to live with them for a week and get to know the amazing people they are. It was an overwhelming blessing to continue our friendship over the year. They helped me plan my two week break first semester and then went with ABS for one of our trips. When I started my internship, I went to the same church as them and got to go to a few of their small group meetings which were always so refreshing. I was so blessed to find such an amazing Kiwi couple to have as friends.

This is Cloudy (Claudia) and me at graduation. She is on staff with ABS and we became friends even before that when she would stay at Monavale first semester. She has been through so much and God has shown up in her life in so many incredible ways. I learned SO much from her and her life continues to inspire me.

This is Heather who I went on ABS with. She ended up staying on for the rest of the semester and I was so glad because we got to joke around and hang out after ABS. She is amazing and super down to earth and we would have so much fun being complete nerds together. One of my favorite memories with her is rolling down hills randomly one night at school.

It's hard to believe that God put so many wonderful people in my life at school and this is one of them. This is Esther Print. She's originally from America but married a Kiwi and has lived in New Zealand ever since. She was my discipleship leader the second semester and blew me away each week with the wisdom she has and love that pours out of her. No question was ever dumb and she takes her relationship with Jesus so sincerely.

This is Caroline from Denmark, Heather from Canada and me. Caroline and I were roommates for about a month when I got back from ABS and Heather and I were in the same family group. They both are amazing and we share a rare form of humor that most people don't get. I have never laughed as hard as I did with these girls and loved hanging out with them. They both did ABS after I did and I got to go and hang out at the ABS lodge a couple weekends with them to help out and it was a huge blessing to go and see them.

I'm going to refrain from making this a giant blog post about every person that impacted me and that I grew to care about from school because that would be a very very long post. Graduation was very different the second time around because I was saying goodbye to so much and to so many people. My mind can't handle how God could bless me the way He did with the community I was able to be a part of and His grace that He shows me.