Fiji Waterfalls!

Growing up in Colorado, I am no stranger to the crafted beauty around me. The flat plains giving way to strikingly beautiful mountain ranges filled with streams and animals and plants. And let's not forget about the sunsets.. Gorgeous! And every one, unique!

I am a few hours shy of 6 weeks in Fiji (which is just about 1000 hours in total). Of those hours, most have been spent doing various IT tasks or campus projects. I have also had the distinct pleasure of being with a new family that is: most everyone on the campus! But in particular the Roche family. The close community, aided by the close proximity, means for plenty of people interaction; which has been an amazing experience and honing in my life that is to keep people at the core of what I do in vocation and relationships.

Last weekend, was the first time to touch the ocean. This weekend? Hack your way through the jungle for 2 hours to find a waterfall that few people have ever seen or experienced. It was simply stunning! While it isn't the source of Fiji bottled water, it surely fits the bill of picturesque, untouched, fresh, Fiji water! The insects, rain, vines, and copious amounts of mud were all well worth the effort. And most of the effort (machete hacking) was done by Toni, the campus construction/maintenance employee who also happened to double as the guide for the trip. The waterfall was sublime. And I am so thankful I took my camera, tripod and neutral density filter: the photos are something I'll keep with me for a lifetime. On a related note, the whole stereotypical hack-your-way-through-the-jungle with a machete depicted in movies is surprisingly accurate. So also is the concept of: if it moves, you probably do not want to touch it with any exposed skin. ...I wasn't seeking its attention, but those ant bites can seriously sting!

I am again reminded of the importance of community this week. It is a blessing to have family (and friends) you can reach out to and have honest conversations with; especially when you are feeling weak, vulnerable and the future seems like a distant fog you are blindly walking into. I cannot say what my future holds, but keeping a close relationship with trusting and caring friends/family is worth so much more than any possessions or money can give. I am reminded of the importance of slowing down, breathing and being honest with where I am today. Tomorrow really has enough worries (Matt 6:25-34), it is much better to give thanks for the here and now (Phil 4:6-7) and enjoy what is going on in the moment.

I will leave you with a really neat real story that happen just last week. The baker (we'll call her name: Mere) on campus grew up in a home that would not exactly be classified as a "good situation". Mere and her sister would frequently go weeks at a time without food or provision--this was due to substance abuse from both of their parents. It was during one of these times that she prayed to Jesus for food; remembering from a Sunday school lesson that God hears or prayers and answers His children's requests. On one particularly long stint without food, they prayed for food and were met with a knock on the door 30 minutes later from a woman with a bag of groceries. Mere had her first miracle!

Today, Mere is married to a youth minister and has a 2 (almost 3) year old daughter. Her daughter was diagnosed with an irregular heart-beat condition that has left her short of breath, low energy and a compromised immune system. In a wonderful miracle, as described by Mere, her daughter was selected for free treatment on something equivalent to the Mercy Ship (providing free health care and surgeries to the underprivileged and at risk). Mere was unable to travel with her daughter for the surgery, and in her stead was her mother (grandmother of the daughter). After a successful 1.5 hour surgery, the girl was set to be monitored by medical staff for following week and a half. Some time during the night after the surgery, the daughter feel asleep and the grandmother left the room for a short period of time. When she came back, the granddaughter was awake and was asking about where the man was that came into the room. Nervous about who would have come into the room, the grandmother asked what happened, what did he look like and what did he do? The granddaughter said a man came in the room smiling, walked up to her bed, gently touched her incision on her chest and said softly "don't worry, everything is going to be okay".

Upon checking the granddaughter's chest, there was no more incision; and the results from the blood work came back completely clear with no abnormalities found.  ... Needless to say, the doctors and medical staff all had a bit of a predicament on their hands the following morning: the child they operated on the day prior now had no incision, and was made completely whole. Praise Jesus!

What is so neat about this story, is that Mere had not waivered in her childhood belief in God and His miraculous ability to perform miracles; but her husband, mother and family have not experienced (and many not believed) miracles can happen today. As Mere shared her story this week, she was moved with tears explaining how this miracle has been restoring the relationship with her mother (as she was present during the surgery, recovery and sharing testimony of the healing afterwards) and with Mere's husband, who repented to God and his wife for not believing in miracles--and it was the first time he had ever apologized and asked for forgiveness from his wife. How amazing is God?? With a miracle He restored a little girl, a mother-and-daughter and a wife-and-husband. Now that they are home, there has been nearly constant visitors from various neighbors and relatives who want to see and hear about the miracle. Praise Jesus!

Isn't it amazing how similar we are today to those that walked with Jesus 2000 years ago? The news of God interacting and caring for humanity, healing their brokenness and touching their lives is so attractive! Was the man who walked into the room just an angel? Was he a doctor? Or a total stranger? ... We may never know this side of heaven. But what I do know is that Jesus promised His disciples that they would do even greater works than He did after he rose again from the grave.

John 14:12 (TPT)
“I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father!