Tovu Tovu

After a flight to Taveuni Island (on the smallest plane I’ve ever been on), we arrived at Tovu Tovu. Tovu Tovu is a family run inn on 120 acres of land. There are guest cottages, a meeting room/restaurant, a farm, and a church on the property. We spoke to Allen, the owner, and met his family and staff. Noa and Elizabeth have been cooking our meals every day and taking such good care of us. They are the sweetest ladies, and great cooks. Our first Sunday on the island, we went to church on the property. After breakfast you could hear singing coming from the woods. It was as if they were calling us to join them. We followed the voices up to a quaint white church. The man giving the sermon told us how great it was to see white skinned people in his church. He said this shows them that God is all over the world, and asked that we take their light back home with us. We listened as he spoke about the gifts that each of us are born with. He said that it’s up to us to decide how we should use our gifts to help others. The message was great and the kids seemed to enjoy it. He then spoke about God being all around us, in the trees, animals, everywhere. This immediately reminded me of a conversation I had with my grandmother recently, and made me smile. 

Island Bound

Tomorrow I’ll be on a plane with a fellow teacher and 14 students en route to Fiji for a National Geographic photography expedition. After nearly a year of planning and preparation, it’s hard to believe we’re almost on our way. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but packing for this two week trip has been a real challenge. We’ll be staying in several places, even spending 5 days in a village on the island of Taveuni. I’m so looking forward to spending time with former students, getting to know new ones, and experiencing Fijian culture. I suppose I’ll practice assembling my mosquito net tonight.  Wish me luck!