Public Holidays and Being Soaked...

Bula!

Today is a public holiday in Fiji, Diwali.  It is a hindu festival in which they are celebrating the return of "one of their gods/king" from banishment to the forest after 12 years.  What does that mean for me here in Fiji?  It means that I got to spend the morning and early afternoon at Esquires (a nearby coffee shop in town) with my teammates, and then with a few different students since USP is closed today (which I didn't know until last week!).  So my usual Wednesday appointments/schedule has been a bit jumbled today!

I met with Lailani (a final year student that I have discipled this year) and we processed her upcoming talk that she will give tomorrow night at the Student Life weekly meeting.  She is sharing with students the truth that we as believers are ambassadors for Christ!  Please be praying for her as she continues to give her nervousness and fears up to the Lord and allows the Holy Spirit to speak through her!

After Lani headed out, I was joined by Shareeza (a 2nd year student that I have had the privilege to disciple this year).  We spent time catching up since it has been a busy past few weeks for her and she hasn't been able to meet up.  She then told me a sweet story of an opportunity she had this past weekend on a field trip to share her faith with a girl from the sanatan faith.  This girl had a lot of questions about who Jesus is and what it meant that He died on the cross for our sins.  Shareeza and one of her friends got to clearly share the Gospel with this girl and the conversation ended with her asking Shareeza if they could meet up again to talk more about Jesus.  I can't tell you how encouraged I was after hearing this story of how the Lord is moving in Shareeza's life!

We decided to brave the rain (it rains all the time here now in Suva, since it is nearing their summer season) and head to pick up some groceries.  Well as we walked down town the rain picked up and before I knew it we were sprinting across streets screaming and laughing.  Of course we ran into people that we knew and we had to explain why were completely soaked (most Fijians don't like getting wet...but Shareeza is a rare exception).  She was such a trooper and we had a great afternoon.  Now we're hanging out in our apartment and she's helping me edit this blog as I write it since she is exceptionally better at editing english than I am...sad, but true!

I know that this last week and a half on campus will be a roller coaster as we meet with students for the last time and gear ourselves up for returning to the States in less than three weeks.  But days like this remind me that God's plan for the day is so much better than my own!  I would never have thought that I could spend a whole day with Shareeza (she's quite the busy girl!) and it has been such a blessing and a ton of fun!

That's all for now!  Shareeza and I are going to begin dinner while we sing along to Christmas music...oh life in Fiji :)

God Bless!
-Mary (and Shareeza!)

A Day on the Dunes

Today Jenny, Kori and I took a little road trip to Sigatoka.  We got to take a car out there and I volunteered to drive the first shift.  I have driven in Fiji about 2 other times, but never for this long.  For two hours this morning I was trying to calmly navigate driving on the left side of the road (in Fiji, the drivers sit on the right side of the car) numerous potholes, speed humps in the villages, and random dogs, cows and horses.  As Kori said on the way home, driving in Fiji is definitely not boring!

We finally arrived safely in Singatoka and headed to the sand dunes.  This is a pretty popular national park here in Fiji, but we've just never been able to make it out there before.  We met up with Rups, Jovi and John (3 USP guys involved in Student Life) who were going to go with us as we explored the dunes.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was definitely so much better than what I was expecting.  We spent the next few hours running around the largest sand dunes I have ever seen.  It was a blast!  I'm a little sunburnt now and very tired, but it was a great Saturday!

We're definitely not taking our last few weeks here in Fiji for granted.  It's been so incredible to see how the Lord continues to challenge us to finish strong this year and continue being faithful with what He placed before us.

Have a great weekend!
-Mary Lin

A Sunday Morning in Fiji...

Jenny and Kori were going to go to a church in Lami with the boys this morning, so I hopped in a taxi to go to Calvary Temple to meet up with two girls (Mere and Luisa) that I lead in Bible study at USP.  As I walked up the steps of the church I was greeted by warm smiles and handshakes which I responded to with "Yadra Vinaka!" (Good morning!).  I quickly went into the sanctuary and found an empty seat before the usher took me to sit up front (as they often do when they think you are a visitor!).  The choir was incredible and I quickly found myself singing along as I looked around at the congregation joyfully praising the Lord and the children walking up and down the aisles clapping their hands and singing.  

As the service continued there came a time where the congregation was encouraged to get up and move around the sanctuary to greet each other.  This used to make me so nervous when I first came to Fiji, but I now love to walk around and greet the others who are worshipping the Lord.  I took this opportunity to run up and find Mere and Luisa who were sitting closer to the front (Mere is the student that I went to see get baptized last week!).  After a few minutes we all went to sit back in our seats and the service continued.  As the pastor closed his sermon in prayer we all filed out to make room for those attending the next service (which would be in fijian).  I hugged Mere and Luisa goodbye and jumped in a taxi to head home.  I reheated my unfinished coffee from this morning and went to go spend time with the Lord.  As I was reading through 2 Corinthians, I paused to listen to the distant sound of a choir singing a hymn.  Everything slows down on Sundays here in Fiji.  It's common to see families walking along the sidewalk to church with their Bibles in hand.  Most fijians attend both a morning and an evening service on Sundays.

As I wrap up a year here in Fiji, I have come to learn that while many fijians do understand that what truly matters is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is not uncommon to talk with students who believe that what is important is how well you "act" the part, and "do the right things".     And is it any different back in America?  How often do people join churches, Bible studies, choirs and service teams to make them feel good and to check it off the list?  And then how often do we, even as believers, get wrapped up in this "act"?  How often do we play the part on Sundays, and then wake up Monday morning and blend into the world again?  We're called, as believers, to be a light in the darkness.  We're not citizens of this earth, but of Heaven.  Do you live that way?  Do I live that way?  The Lord has been teaching me this year again and again that this life is not about me and my comfort.  This life is about Christ, and making MUCH of HIM!  So my challenge to me and you both, is to be real...be vulnerable.  Take off that mask and be a light for Him everyday!  The world wants us to dim or hide our lights because they are offensive, or intolerant.  But let's remember that the Gospel is offensive according to the world!  Who wants to hear that there is NOTHING that they can do to earn forgiveness?  Believing that a relationship with God is a free gift goes completely against all that our society stands for.  We can't earn it, we can't maintain it, we can only accept it and faithfully spend our lives learning how to die to our flesh and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The grace of God covers all.  So what is your response to this?  How will you live in light of these truths?

My prayer is that I am faithful with what the Lord has put before me today, and to bring Him glory through it!  I am striving for true genuineness in my walk with God.  Whether I am sharing Christ with students, hanging out with my STINT team, or trying to figure our what God has next for me after I come home from Fiji, I pray that I will be filled with the Spirit and joyfully choosing to follow Him and not my own plans.

I don't know how you spent your Sunday morning (or are going to spend it tomorrow morning, if you are in the States)...but my challenge to you is that it isn't a brief act that you put on for an hour or two, but rather a continuous response of praise to the Lord for what He did, and what He continues to do in our lives.  Be bold, and let the light of Christ shine through you all week long.

"So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him."
(2 Corinthians 5:6-9 ESV)

Hmmm...more motivation with a new page?

So as you can see, I've updated my blog!!  I thought to myself today that I needed a change, so I revamped my blog a little, and I really like it and hope it will encourage me to blog more often!  We'll see! ;)

Today has been a much needed day of rest!  This past weekend we hosted our Student Life Women's Retreat!  It was held at a camp in Nadave.  It was so beautiful there, and was a welcomed change of scenery from the louder city life that we experience here in Suva.

Over 25 students came to the conference!  Jenny and I headed up the registration table and it was so neat to see all the different women that the Lord had brought to conference.  We were so excited to see what He had in store!  Sai Kathy (one of our amazing women on staff here in Fiji) was our main speaker and she spent 3 main sessions challenging the girls to find their worth and identity in Christ and how He sees them, rather than what the Lord pushes on them.  I honestly could never accurately portray to you how incredible it was to see Sai Kathy take a leap of faith (she had never been the main speaker at a conference before!) and allow the Holy Spirit to give her the words to say!  Girls were in tears as they realized the incredible freedom that we can experience in Christ!

Apart from the main sessions, the girls had the opportunity to attend seminars (Kori and I led one on physical/emotional lust and how we need to continue to take our thoughts captive and surrender them to the Lord!) enjoy some free time and time alone with the Lord.  Each night had a theme.  Shareeza, one of the sweet girls that I disciple, led the Friday night Crazy PJ Party!  Girls showed up in some pretty incredible outfits/PJ's and we played some games.  We all laughed SO MUCH that night!  Kori was crying she was laughing so hard during one of the games.  I just loved seeing Shareeza take that leadership role and watch as the Lord drew those girls together!

The last night we held a talent show where groups of girls performed different items (i.e. songs, dances, skits, etc.).  Again...there was a ton of laughter!  The night ended with a coffee house and then heading off to bed.  The next morning we found out that a group of girls had met in the common room of one of the bures (their cabin) after the talent show to sit and talk through what they had learned that weekend, share life stories, etc.  I love it when we just give the Lord the reigns and He completely surprises us and does more than we could ever have imagined!

Tupou (she's in one of my Bible studies this semester!), Maina (one of the girls I disciple!) and Nessy (a good friend of one of Kori's girls).

Nani and Latu lead worship at conference and did an incredible job!  These girls are gifted!

Niumai and Tupou at the Crazy PJ party!

Va (one of our awesome staff women!) Maina and Makalesi!

We slept under Mosquito nets!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!  I can't believe we're heading back to the States in 7 weeks.  But I'm so psyched to see what else the Lord has in store for us during this last month and half!

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend!

Mid-Semester Break!

Bula!

We're just starting up the 2nd half of the second semester at both USP and FNU!  Last week students had their mid-semester break.  We took that opportunity to hold a training day for students on leadership, a prayer breakfast, hosted a birthday party/girls night for one of our students, and took a trip to our director, Koli's, village!  It was a full week, but a lot of fun, and it gave us time to prepare for these last 7 weeks of ministry here in Fiji!

These are the girls that I lead in Bible study at FNU! 

 Last week over ten showed up!

Celebrating Charlotte's 21st birthday at our apartment!

We ate tons of cake/cookies/pies and taught the girls how to play charades!

On a carrier truck driving to Koli's village!  This may have been my idea to take a carrier...kind of on my bucket list for things to do in Fiji.

It was definitely an adventure, and much scarier than I thought it would be!

Our whole group in front of the chief's house.  Koli, the Campus Crusade for Christ director here in Fiji, is part of the chiefly family in Tailevu.  We got to bring out new grill there and make American cheeseburgers/chicken for everyone.  It was pretty incredible.

Please be praying for us as we plan the women's retreat for THIS weekend!  We're super excited to see what the Lord has in store!  

Let me know how I can be praying for you!

Mountains, Korea and Kiwi's!

Just a glimpse of what I've been up to recently!!!

Yesterday, Kori, Rob and Kori and I at the top of Mr. Korobaba!  It's about a 10 min. taxi ride from our apartment.  It took a little over an hour and consisted of slippery clay, rocks, steep climbs where we had to cling to roots and numerous times where out feet sunk into the mud, but...as evidence of the picture above, it was well worth it!  I love times like these where we get a chance to get out of the city and experience Fiji!

On Saturdays I lead a Bible study for 2 girls, Soohyun and Mijee, who are both from Korea.  This past weekend they treated me to a Korean meal for lunch!  I absolutely love hanging out with these girls.  Afterwards we came back to my apartment for Bible study.  It is so incredible to see how the Lord works...bringing us together from Korea and America to learn about Himself here in Fiji!

This past week we were joined by a team of ten from New Zealand!  8 Students and 2 staff will be with us for 2 weeks at USP sharing their faith and joining with us in ministry with students.  It is so fun to have them and we're so excited to see how the Lord is going to use them!

Thanks so much for keeping me in you prayers!  Let me know how I can be praying for you!

God Bless!

-Mary Lin

Quesadillas and Skim Milk

These past 2 weeks....

-Our STINT team and Campus Crusade for Christ staff here in Fiji had the opportunity to practice our acting skills in front of the camera the week after we got back from New Zealand!  The Pacific Islands Regional Team is putting together over 150 different talks to train new Campus Crusade for Christ staff in countries that are low on staff (Papua New Guinea!).  I got to give three different talks, and although it was a little weird at first, it ended up being kind of fun, and definitely incredible to think about how the Lord is going to use those videos to equip staff for the next 15 years!

-Just before 2nd Semester started, we hosted a girls night at our apartment.  It was so much fun to see students that we hadn't seen in a few weeks.  We spent time catching up, laughing and teaching them how to make quesadillas (which they LOVED!).  

-Last night we had a Student Leaders meeting at our directors' house, Koli and Jeanette.  Over twenty students attended.  It was so cool to see students take the initiative to plan out this next semester and trust the Lord!  I help head up the prayer committee and last night our group grew from 4 members from last semester to 9 members this semester!  These students will take turns leading Prayer meetings for students at USP on Fridays.  They have also planned a prayer breakfast for students as well as a prayer walk on the 2 different FNU campuses over their mid-semester break.  I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store as they take the initiative to walk with the Lord and make a difference at USP!

-And finally, last night, after a month of not being able to find skim milk in Fiji...we FOUND IT!  And how did we respond?  Jenny and I stocked up a bit...so we're good to go!  That's Fiji for you...you never know when a key food will go missing from the store for weeks at time...so we've learned to improvise :)

We made the girls Quesadillas, they had never eaten these before!

Pretty much a movie star in the making!

Koli, our director, leading the students in the meeting yesterday

Enough skim milk to last us for a while :)

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support!  

Until next time,

Mary

 

Conferences, Rain, Cold Showers and Lots of Cake

3 weeks ago today we were packed and on our way to the Coral Coast Christian Camp for the

2011 Student Life Conference.

75 students from both USP and FNU came together for a 5-day long conference that was themed, "Just Be It."

Seru, one of the pastors from a local church in Suva as well as a past Student Life President when he was a student at USP, was the main speaker at the conference.  Each day he spoke on the different attributes of God, and how we are called to trust Him, and live our lives striving to be more and more like Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

  Along with these sessions each day, students had the opportunity to attend seminars on topics like discerning God's will, time management, God is good, etc.  They were also each put into teams that would meet together after the main sessions to talk about the discussion questions, and apply what Seru had spoken about to their lives.  There was lots of free time during the day for students to enjoy the beach across the street, go kayaking, play volleyball, go on the zip line, play a pick up game of rugby, or just sit and talk.  The nights were "theme" nights and consisted of "Find Your Tune," "Bible Hero Night," "Pacifica Night," and "Banquet Night."  

Although it rained most of the conference, students had a blast and the Lord was so faithful!  On the final night, Matt Anderson (a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member who is serving in New Zealand), gave the commissioning message.  He challenged students to come forward if they felt the Lord call them to be willing to Go or Do whatever He led them to in the future (being a life-long laborer for Christ; whether that's in full-time ministry, in a job, in another country, etc.).  Over 30 students went forward!  I am so excited to see the continued fruit that the Lord produces from this conference!  

On the last day there were a lot of tears shed as the Summer Project Team said their goodbyes and headed off for their debrief and then back to the States.  It was a reality check for me as I realized how much these American students had grown to love the Fijians in only 6-weeks.  It is definitely not going to be easy at all to say goodbye to all the incredible people I have had the privilege of getting to know and love while here in Fiji.  But I still have 4 more months here, so I'm striving not to take any of it for granted!

Below are some pictures that describe some specifics from the Student Conference!

Students registering for the Student Life "Just Be It" Conference

I got to lead the "Time Management" Seminar, which was a lot of fun.

Students worshipping the Lord during one of the main sessions

Odi (with the red hat) is the cousin of one of the girls I disciple.  She raised enough money for both her and him to come to conference!  He was raised with a muslim background, but while at camp, some summer project students as well as a student from USP, got to share the Gospel with Odi and he accepted Christ!  Please keep him in your prayers!

Our STINT team on the Banquet Night

And then...

WE WERE OFF!

The day after Student Conference ended, we jumped on a plane and headed to the beautiful country of New Zealand!

It was there that we would meet up with about eighteen USP students to go to the 

International Student Life Conference, V20.

It was an incredible week-long conference where 500+ students from over forty countries joined together to learn about and worship the Lord!  Rodger Hershey (the former Campus Crusade for Christ director at my Alma Mater, Miami University!) was the key-note speaker and he did an incredible job!  He challenged students to remember our purpose on this earth, to glorify the Lord, and how to become life-long laborers for Christ in our own cities, states, countries, and even around the world!  

During one of the days we had an opportunity to go and share our faith around the Hamilton community outside of the camp where the conference was held.  It was so incredible to come back that night and hear the testimonies of students who took a bold step and shared their faith, many of them, in a foreign country for the first time!  The final night we had a commissioning night, and again, it was such an encouragement to see students from all over the world surrender their lives to serve the Lord, wherever He may call them!  

Some fun facts from the conference:

-We stayed in RV's the whole week (international students/staff were allowed to stay in campers b/c the dorms would be too cold!)

-The food was incredible!  Seriously, the best food I've ever had at a camp!

-We had cake almost every day!  New Zealand is a great country :)

-They put off fireworks on the 4th of July in honor of the Americans!

-We had cold showers almost every day...that was definitely an adventure

-It was pretty chilly there!  For the first time in 7 months we weren't hot!

After the conference ended, we got to tour around New Zealand (the north island) with the students from USP.  This was a ton of fun.  We went to Rotorua where they have lots of geothermal things like boiling mud, etc.  We also got to go to lake Taupo, which was really pretty.  We stayed in hostels along the way and I got to drive one of the cars!  We had a caravan of about 5 cars the whole time.  It was quite a sight to see :)  I loved getting to drive though, especially with having to drive on the opposite side of the car and the road than what I'm used to in the States!  

After a few days, the students went to spend time with family/friends in New Zealand, so my team and I took off to explore this new country for ourselves!  We squeezed into 1 car and drove all over the northern part of the north island.  It was absolutely beautiful.  We went to tons of beaches, saw where they filmed part of "Prince Caspian," walked around small cities, drank coffee in cafes, saw some waterfalls, did some hiking, and just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us.  After about 3 days, we headed back to Auckland to return to Fiji.

Below are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into our 2 weeks in the beautiful country of 

New Zealand!

Hello New Zealand!

Team Fiji arrives in New Zealand! (Rob stayed back in Fiji)

Us STINT girls just loved getting to spend time with the Crusade staff women in Auckland!

Luke, one of our Student Life leaders from USP, had the opportunity to give his testimony at one of the main sessions!

Students at V20 during the Commissioning Night, going up to sign a poster that indicated that they desired to be a life-long laborer for Christ!

Some of our students at Crescent Moon in Rotorua

The view from Cathedral Cove

And right now you find me back in Fiji.  We just got back from a Student Life BBQ, which was held at our directors' house.  This coming week we will be doing some filming of us giving different seminars/messages for the new staff who join Campus Crusade for Christ in the future.  We will also be planning this coming 2nd Semester!  Where does the time go?

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!  And please let me know how I can be praying for you!

God Bless!

-Mary

And We're Off!

The past six weeks have been a complete blur, yet so incredible!  Last night we joined with the Summer Project team to process what they have seen the Lord do here in Fiji this summer, and it was such a blessing to be a part of!  Students are truly returning back to America with a new heart for the nations, having made an eternal impact here in Fiji, and closer than ever in their walks with the Lord!  


Now it's time to hit the road!  In just a few short hours we are jumping on buses with about a hundred USP/FNU students to head to the Coral Coast Christian Camp for the Student Life Conference!  For five days students will have the opportunity to learn more about the Lord, attend seminars, meet new friends, and pray about taking leadership positions within Student Life back on campus!  The American Summer Project Team will be joining our students for the majority of this conference, which will be so fun!  


Then on June 30th my STINT team and I head off for New Zealand!  We'll meet the rest of our Fiji staff and about fifteen USP students there the following day for the V20 international conference!  For five days we will be joining over five-hundred students from all over the world to learn more about the Lord and worship Him together!  I am so excited to see how this experience is not only going to encourage us, as staff, but especially our students, who for many of them this will be their first time outside of Fiji!


Please keep us in your prayers!  We will take a few days following the conference to see different parts of New Zealand, and then head back to hot Suva to plan 2nd semester!
God is Good!


I can't wait to tell you all about it!


-Mary

Semester One Coming to an End!?

What a semester it has been!  Below are a few snapshots of life here in Fiji the past few weeks.  Things have definitely looked a lot different with exams taking over students at USP, launching ministry at FNU, the Miami Summer Project team joining us, preparing for the Student Life Conference in less than two weeks, and the V20 New Zealand conference in July!  

Meet Hannah!  Hannah is from Minnesota, and has been studying here at USP this past semester!  She will be returning to the States in less than two weeks.  We have been meeting for discipleship this past semester, and she has been such a blessing and encouragement in my life!  It's incredible how the Lord brings two American's to Fiji to meet and get to grow in their walks with Him together!  I will definitely be missing this girl!

So one day, Jenny and I joined the Summer Project students at the nearest beach (about a 45 min. bus ride away) for the day.  Well, Jill, Jenny and I decided to stay a bit longer and take the later bus home.  This turned into waiting on the side of a road in Fiji for over an hour, praying that the bus would come!  Eventually, just as it was getting dark and the mosquitos were attacking, a bus came to our rescue!  Oh the adventures we experience on this island :)

Last night we got to help lead the first girls night for the Summer Project team!  We went to a really fun cafe to eat dinner.  Afterwards I had the opportunity to talk to the girls about renewing our minds in the Lord, and thus finding true contentment in our relationship with Him!  It was so neat to see the Lord give me the chance to share with these other girls what the Lord has been teaching me a lot about lately.  After this talk, we got to get some coffee and eat dessert as the other staff women answered questions from the students on a panel.  The girls seemed to really enjoy the night, and it was so fun to get to love them that way!  The girls in the picture above, (from L to R) Abby, Kori, Jill and Natasha, are so fun, and have definitely kept me laughing!

Flowers in Fiji are pretty incredible!  After we finished up girls night, we were packing up to leave and one of our waiters came in and told us the following, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but I wanted to tell you that I'm an atheist and an alcoholic, and my manager is wanting me to go to a recovery program and church, but I haven't gone.  Well I have been eaves dropping on your talk tonight, which I'm really sorry about, but I truly think that it was the Lord's will that I heard what you were talking about because it really opened up my mind to learn more about God."  Seriously!?  We serve an incredible God!  Please keep this man in your prayers!

Apt. 10!  I love living on this island with these girls :)

So overall, things have been incredibly busy lately, but it's been so awesome!  The Lord is so faithful, and it has been so neat to see how He has been stretching us all and helping us give the Summer Project team a glimpse of what the Lord is doing in Fiji!  I have a feeling a few of these students will return to Fiji on STINT in the future!

Thank you for your continued prayers!  Let me know how I can be praying for you!

Blueberry Pie, Americans and becoming truly Fijian!

I have fallen asleep multiple times while trying to write this blog/upload pictures!  Not because it's boring (obviously!), but because ministry here in Fiji is incredible, and absolutely PACKED!  Below are some pictures that I hope give you a glimpse of what's been going on here in Fiji the past few weeks!

I am still trying to hone my pie-making skills!  So far I have successfully made a blueberry pie (Jenny made me start jumping up and down in the grocery store when she surprised me with her find of frozen blueberries!) and two apple pies!  They turned out so well that Rob wanted an apple pie for his birthday dessert last week!  This past week we got to celebrate Brian's Birthday on Monday, and then on Wednesday we sang "Happy Birthday" To Rob!

The picture above are the Student Life students who came to our Welcome Lovo to help us welcome the twenty-five Americans involved in or on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ at Miami University!  We are LOVING having them here!  We have the opportunity to join their Summer Project and help to give them a taste of STINT life, here in Fiji!  We are praying the Lord uses this project to put STINT on some of their hearts for the future!  They will be helping us launch a new Student Life movement at Fiji National University for the next three weeks!  USP students will be on study break and then taking their exams, so it's such an incredible opportunity to have twenty-five additional laborers join us!

We finally look Fijian!  A few weeks ago we got traditional Fiji Sulu Jabas (the top/skirt outfits pictured above!).  The boys on our team got shirts in the same pattern and we wore them to welcome the Summer Project team!

This is a picture of me with my new friend, Lindsey, from Eastern Kentucky University, and Piniana, a 2nd year USP student I am going through follow-up Bible studies with!  Lindsey is one of the American students on the summer project team.  Just last week that team saw over sixty students put their faith in Christ!  What a blessing to have them join us! 

Finally, as I have mentioned before, while our directors, Koli and Jeannette, have been away in New Zealand to raise support, I have had the opportunity to work alongside La, another Student Life staff woman, to head up prepping students to attend the V-20 Conference!  We are prayerfully taking about twenty students involved in Student Life to New Zealand to attend the V-20 Conference during the first week of July.  This conference will be hosting students involved in Student Life from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Australia, the US, and so many more countries!  What an awesome opportunity for students to gain a vision for how the Lord is working all across the world and meet other students from other countries who love the Lord, too!  

Now, the challenging part is that I have been put in charge of helping coach these students in support-raising!  That has definitely not always been easy, but these students want to go so badly, and their faith in the Lord to provide is so encouraging!  Above is a picture of one of the girls I get to disciple, Lani, (in the red t-shirt) setting up at her "tea" this past Saturday.  A lot of the students have hosted similar events where their family and friends can come and give a free-will offering and get to talk with them about this opportunity to travel to NZ!  Many of the students have never been out of Fiji before!  I am so excited to see how the Lord continues to provide!

Thank you so much for your prayers, please keep them up, and let me know how I can pray for you!

God Bless!

The Lord will Provide!

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind!  Students are in their last two weeks of classes before they take exams!  Where did this semester go?!

Right now, along with encouraging students to use their time well as they begin studying for exams and completing assignments, and continuing to meet weekly with students for Bible studies, discipleship and follow-up appointments, we're seeing the Lord move in students' hearts!  They are currently trusting the Lord as they raise money to go on the 5-day long Student Life Conference at the end of June and/or the V20 conference in New Zealand during the first week of July!

For the past few weeks my team and I have been working alongside students and encouraging them to send out support letters, print out Buy-A-Block sheets (raising support by asking friends for different cent amounts, each completed sheet is over $50!), and set up appointments to meet with potential ministry partners!  

We're praying for over 150 students to attend the Student Life Conference!  Registration closes THIS FRIDAY!  Please be praying for the Lord to continue to bring in the money for these students to attend this conference!  Students who were involved in Student Life last year told me that this conference was their favorite part of the year!  They grew so much in their faith, and it's a great opportunity for students to get plugged into Student Life and make lasting friendships.  Please also be praying for our team (especially Kori and Dave as they head up the conference team) as we plan the details of this conference, and trust the Lord to provide the students!

Our Student Life directors, Koli and his wife Jeanette, have been in New Zealand this past month raising support!  While they have been gone, La (a Student Life staff member) and myself have been heading up the V20 conference prep.!  We're praying for the eighteen students who are signed up to continue persevering and trusting the Lord to bring in their support!  I have had the opportunity to lead weekly meetings with these students, encouraging them in their support raising efforts, and it has been so incredible to see some of these students take bold steps to send out sponsor letters, and follow-up these letters with phone calls!  There have been times where I've asked a few of the girls I'm discipling for one of their support letters, they are so encouraged by this!  After they give me one of their letters, I challenge them to now go and ask ten people they were afraid to ask because they need to take the initiative, leaving the results in God's hands!  People want to join their team, they just need to be given the opportunity to do so!  THIS THURSDAY marks the first deadline for these eighteen students.  They need 2/3 of their money in at this time so we can purchase plane tickets and apply for visas.  Please be praying!  While some students are in awe at how the Lord has provided, many are still desperately praying to see some money come in before the deadline!  God is sovereign and I'm confident He will provide for the students He desires to go, but students need to be bold and trust Him!

THIS SUNDAY we are so excited to welcome the Miami University Campus Crusade for Christ Summer Project Team!  Twenty-five staff and students will be joining us in ministry here in Fiji for five weeks!  Please pray for their safe travels!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

What do disciples, Easter, Garnet and Gold, Bible Study and God's intimacy have in common?

They all happened in April!

Kele, Maina, me and Lani!

This past month I have had some incredible opportunities to get to hang out with the six girls that I am discipling this year!  A few weeks ago I went to a basketball game that Lani, one of my disciples, was playing in.  Kele and Maina, two of my other girls, came with me and it was a blast!  I love getting to see the Lord’s hand guide these relationships!  I meet weekly with each of these girls to go over a specific concept or idea (like how to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, how to be a good steward of your time, why we’re called to obey the Lord, etc.).  In addition to this, I try to hang out with these girls as much as possible just to live life with each other.  We grab lunch; go on walk, run errands, etc.  The goal is to equip these girls to become lifelong laborers for Christ wherever He leads them!  I want to teach them as much as possible about what it means to multiply their lives for the Lord’s kingdom, and what it looks like for them to take leadership roles within Student Life, share their faith and lead younger students in Bible study or Discipleship.  These relationships have definitely become a highlight of my time here in Fiji so far!

Celebrating Easter here in Fiji was definitely a new experience!  Fiji pretty much shuts down for Easter weekend.  On Good Friday, Jenny and I went into town to meet some students and had to search around for a while to find an open coffee shop!  It was a great weekend though.  On Easter Sunday we went to church and had lunch with some Fijian friends.  It was definitely a little different than in America, but it was very memorable!  The Monday after Easter my team had an Easter dinner, which was delicious!  We even got to dye eggs (although they were brown…so that was a new experience!).  We took communion as a team and it was so incredible to come together as Americans in a distant island and remember that even way out here, we worship, serve and remember the Lord who took our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross over two thousand years ago, then rose again, defeating death and thus offering His children a way to enter into a personal relationship with Himself!  How great is our God!  I hope you had a great Easter!

Last week I had a surprise come in from Upper Saddle River, NJ!  I went to the post office and picked up a package from Brian, my boyfriend!  Inside, on the top of the box was a huge Florida State University Flag (his alma mater)!  He is definitely doing a good job at converting me to become a Seminoles fan, even all the way over here in Fiji J   The package was such an encouragement though, and he provided me with more than enough candy to share with students for the upcoming weeks! 

Vilisi, Luisa, Nani, Lavonne and myself at our first Bible Study! (Mere is missing)

Last week I started my first Bible study!  There will be about five girls in it, and I just love them!  We are going through a Bible Study called the Discovery Group.  It covers foundational truths of what it means to be a believer, how to walk with God, and the importance of sharing your faith!  Yesterday, before Bible study, I encouraged the girls to go with me onto campus to share our faith!  We split up into two groups (because three of them had never shared their faith before!) and an hour later we returned to tell each other what the Lord did!  The girls were definitely nervous as they went out to talk about the Lord with classmates, but they were so encouraged to see the Lord move in the hearts of students, and lead the conversations!  Then we went into Bible study where we talked about God’s forgiveness.  This was definitely God’s perfect timing, especially in light of Osama Bin Laden’s death, and the controversy that surrounds that even here in Fiji.  We talked about God’s love for all people, and that only He knows hearts, it’s not our place to judge.  These girls ask great questions, and are so eager to grow in their walks with God!  I’m really excited to see what the Lord has in store!

Finally, last week I had the awesome opportunity to speak at Student Life’s weekly meeting, called Connexion.  We are studying the attributes of God this semester, so I talked about the intimacy of God!  I was nervous, but more excited to get to share!  The Lord has been teaching me a lot about His intimacy these past few months, and how He loves me just as I am, so it was really fun to tell students about that, and encourage them to pursue the Lord intimately as well!!  I definitely felt like I reverted back to my “teacher” voice, which I haven’t used in a few months, but loved the chance to get to trust the Lord and see how He chose to use me to impact students!

We are now preparing for the Miami University summer project team, which will be here in just a little over two weeks!  Twenty-five students and staff will be joining us in ministry here for a month!  We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do!  We’ll start at USP for the first week, but since it’s the students’ last week of lectures, we’re prayerfully going to begin going to FNU (Fiji National University) to begin Student Life there!  It is so cool how the Lord provides twenty-five additional laborers just in time to help us pioneer ministry on a new campus!  Please be praying for those American students as they finish raising support, and get ready to see the Lord change their lives forever as they follow His call on their lives to come to Fiji for the summer!

I promise, I will get better at updating this blog!  We had some interesting internet issues this past month, so prayerfully, that is behind us!  God Bless!  Please let me know how I can be praying for you!

-Mary