We are working away trying to get the boat ready to leave. We are also going through and cleaning all the lockers, putting the food stuffs in plastic containers, and then spraying bug juice everywhere. The last thing we do before we lock her up will be to bomb (more bug juice) the interior with the most toxic stuff we can find and pray the little devils don't become immune to the stuff. Of course I will go around the whole exterior of the boat and close off any teeny weeny holes I may see with steel wool and Gorilla Tape. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that we can keep them out, but I'm not all that confident; they are so tenacious. The photos I'm sending you are of the Marina here at Vuda Point as well as some from when Suzi went to Church with some locals. Church ended up being someone's house but they fed her and you know Suzi, she had fun. Glad I missed this one!!! The shot looking out of the Marina is where they blasted a channel through the coral reef. It's about 8 ft. deep at "0 tide so at low tide we are caught in here. I pray for no tidal waves!!!! During the cyclone season they have large metal "gates" that go across the inside channel to reduce the surge of the storm. One came pretty close a few years ago and the whole concept worked great, so once again, keep those fingers crossed for us. I better get to work as every time Suzi walks by I start feeling guilty, she's doing all the work. Then again maybe I'll just keep typing away.................... -David
David wishes he could speak for me, but, after all of this concentrated time on Sidewinder, I am still here! So, I must share my first Sunday experience in Fiji with you. Clara, the smiling worker who takes care of all the cruisers' needs at the laundry and restroom facility, told me her husband was a pastor at the little community church and, in response to my question about going to church to hear sweet music here in the area, she invited me to go with her husband, Lute, who would pick me up at 9:00 AM. Delightedly, I waited for him that morning and met him walking down the road with two kids. We proceeded to walk back up the road a fair distance of 2 km and were finally picked up by a man in a small truck. We proceeded to pick up more villagers on the way up to the top of the hill and ended up parking at a primary Muslim school, surrounded by mango trees, green grass, and scattered tiny houses, all with a fabulous view of the ocean below.
The official pastor of the missionary church was Charlie, one of the first people we picked up, along with his lovely wife, Luisa and their three children. Charlie and I spent an hour walking among the mango trees while he described the history of his ministry. As a young Fijian pastor in a new Christian church, he found the established institution way too removed from the real people and their needs, so he and his family decided to give away much of what they had, and moved to live with the poor here in Fiji. He has done much work in the city of Lautoka with the youth gangs and has brought the church to this liitle community on the hill to help the people become self-sufficient and motivated to do their best. He is hoping to bring some technical training to them so they can improve their homes. Lute was one of the men on the street in Lautoka who became friends with Charlie, and now he assists him in the community.
I did not find the incredible music I was anticipating that morning, but a found a houseful of wonderful, warm, friendly people who embraced the essence of who I am. They shared tattered books of hymns written in Fijian so that I could sing along, and they welcomed me to share with them my story as part of their Sunday morning celebration.They were amazed that I would make the effort to come be with them, and I truly felt blessed. The taxi truck brought us back down the hill, and Clara's husband, Lute, and children invited me to share a meal with them. Emily, the oldest child, taught me how to say my numbers in Fijian, and we sat on the floor eating fresh fruit and fish with our fingers. They all accompanied me back to Sidewinder in the afternoon, and they were delighted to meet Captain David whom they had prayed for wholeheartedly during the service, and lo, and behold, there he was, feeling quite chipper after all of these days of feeling sick. My new friends hope we will return this next Sunday so that we can share a bit more of their lives with them. If not this Sunday, I will see them when I return after hurricane season. I would love to help them in some way.
WOW! [Home in] 11 Days!!! YIPPEE! - Suzi
There is so much to be done here; my visit just made me so much more aware of the reality. Life is hard, even in paradise!
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