Fiji

We encountered a slight change of plans when we arrived in Fiji at 5:30 this morning.  Our flight to the Solomon Islands had been canceled due to mechanical difficulties.  The kids were fabulous throughout the entire change of plans.

 



So while we watched the beautiful sunrise over the mountains of Fiji, we also filled out paperwork and picked up all of our checked bags.  In response to the question left in the comment sections (I love it when I find comments!), our boxes are full of things like school curriculum for the 1st nine weeks of this school year and the last nine weeks of last school year, a village set of clothes and a Honiara set of clothes for each us, and yes, we brought stationary, too.  The books alone account for the majority of the weight.  I guess that's what happens when your kids begin to advance in math and science and when your whole family loves to read.  Thanks to a program that Wycliffe provides using recycled computers, we are also carrying computers for each of our Lavukal translators.

After we went through customs, we boarded a shuttle along with all of the other people who had hoped to be on their way to Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.  I felt especially bad for those who were on a World War II sight seeing trip.  Tomorrow is the anniversary of when the allied forces landed on Guadalcanal, and the American Memorial will be holding a special ceremony in the morning. Our fellow travelers won't make it to the Solomon Islands in time.

 



Around 8 a.m., we arrived at a pretty little resort in Fiji.  The airline is providing meals and housing for us while we wait for tomorrow afternoon's rescheduled flight.  I love the way God answers prayer.  Sarah has been saying all along that we needed some extra time in Fiji, and now we get a day to catch up on sleep and rest before we hit the ground running in Honiara.

 



 

This is the view from our hotel room.  I snuck in a little nap this morning, and now I'm about to read a book while Aaron and the kids swim in the pool.  We've been surprised at the cool and dry weather here in Fiji.  The Lord knew we needed just a little more time to restore.  What an unexpected gift!