posted Sept 16th

We are happy to be back ‘home’ in Fiji after 3 months of missionary adventures & a total of 40 drug-awareness programs in the Cayman islands & Jamaica!

Sometimes people ask us how the Caribbean islands compare with the Pacific islands & one of the most striking things for us is the peace & calm we feel when returning to Fiji! After Jamaica, even the Fijian taxi drivers seem very polite, (they actually go away when you say ‘no thank you’!). People are genuinely friendly & welcoming, there are much less hustlers & you feel safer.

We found that we arrived back in Fiji just in time for the annual Hibiscus festival–this is Suva’s biggest yearly event & involves one week of festivities at Albert Park. Various organisations and companies have tent exhibits, while other parts of the park are dedicated to typical children’s fairground activities. On the last day, there’s a carnival march all through the main street with costumes and colorful floats.

We were able to join in thanks to our friends Analesi & Milika who are also trustees of our Pacific Outreach charity. They have 2 early learning centres in the capital & for several years now have set up ‘Kindy in the Park’ to promote their activities. (Big ‘thank you’ to both of them!)

The Hibiscus march went very well & a photographer from Caines Jannif was able to get this excellent shot: