Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, and that has me thinking...
I've mentioned before how much I truly LOVE Fiji, but it's not because of the breathtaking sunsets, gorgeous views, or island vibes. It's because the Fijian people inspire me.
You can't even ride a bus down the street without someone on the sidewalk smiling and waving at you shouting, "BULA!"-- the Fijian word for "Hello!" When I tell you that these people are the most friendly, happy, hospitable, and thankful people on earth, I am not lying. The Fijian people will do anything to make each other smile. They embrace tourists as their own children, truly making us feel welcomed.
When we first got to Fiji, my mind was blown. I was expecting a resort-like wealthy area settled along the beach. Some parts of Nadi, the mainland, are poverty-stricken. Many Fijian people walk around with no shoes and dirty or tattered clothing. Children in the schoolyard were playing with sticks and cans. Some parts of Fiji were more touristy, but driving through some streets I was really able to see how little the people have.
Life on the islands is similar. Electricity is limited and the tap water is full of bacteria. When we went to the kava ceremony, the man's house was a one bedroom shack holding nothing but a bed, a shelf, and a few straw mats on the floor-- it didn't even have a door. Island people have to get deliveries of water and food, leaving their diets limited. There are no supermarkets or convenience stores on the islands, so what they get is what they have.
But they taught me the greatest lesson about kindness and thankfulness.
Hopping off the boat the first day at Korovou, we had to walk across a long underwater sidewalk because it was high tide. The sidewalk was slippery, and even though he was carrying two heavy suitcases on his back, my new Fijian friend Nick held my hand the whole way so I wouldn't fall. The workers greeted us with a beautiful song and smiling faces. When we arrived at the kava party Saturday night, one woman was so thankful to us for coming. We didn't understand why until the next day when Nick told us that by contributing, we had raised money for her daughter to go to kindergarten. Everyone helps everyone out in Fiji, no questions asked. Both resorts were the friendliest places I've ever been. Everyone we saw remembered our names and happily said, "Bula!" They were such hardworking people, who refused to let us help with the dishes, or anything for that matter.
And although they were working so hard, the smiles never left their faces. They would sit and talk with us for hours, asking us about home and thanking us for visiting. They were modest with what they shared with us, just telling us little stories about their lives.
What they did share was so interesting! Though a hike up the mountain took us nearly two hours, Nick is able to go up and down the other side to his village in half an hour-- barefoot. He can climb trees to get coconuts and knows how to heal a cut hand using only the leaf of a certain bush. The Fijian people make the most of what they have on the daily, never complaining that they don't have the newest iPhone or Chipotle for dinner.
We happened to be at Korovou on Sunday, where they had an English church service at a small Christian church next to the resort. I was excited when my friends said they'd like to go with me. So before we left the island on Sunday, we walked over to the church and took a seat near the back. A young Fijian girl was singing while a man played the drums... She had the voice of an angel! Soon the pastor came to greet us and asked us to move up to the front pew. He asked us to sign the visitors' log and write where we were from. His two little children came over to us with Bibles so we could follow along with the service, too.
When the service began, the pastor introduced each of us, asking us to stand so the congregation could say a blessing for us. He thanked each one of us individually for coming and really made us feel welcomed. We sang a few songs including one that was simple but the message was clear:
"So high, you can't get over it. So low, you can't get under it. So wide, you can't get around it. That's the Father's love for me."
Everyone in church was doing actions and singing to the song... It was really fun to see how much they loved the Lord! These people were passionate! When the pastor started his sermon he had only one Bible verse, Matthew 1:21, "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” In the sermon, he talked about how Fiji used to be a cannibalistic nation. They would kill and eat people without thinking twice. Thankfully, two missionaries from England came to Fiji and brought the Word of God with them. The Fijians realized how wrong their actions were and praised God for sending Jesus to save them from their sins. The whole sermon was about how we are thankful every single day because Jesus came to earth to save us. Sure, the service wasn't Lutheran like I'm used to, but it really made me realize how grateful I should be.
The pastor led two separate prayers. For one of them he asked the visitors to come up front and face the congregation. The members all reached out their hands and prayed for us. They prayed for safe travels and thanked God for bringing us all there that day. In the second prayer, I didn't hear him ask God for anything. He thanked God for another day of life, for the visitors, for the plants and animals, food, clean water, and most importantly for sending His Son Jesus to save us from our sins.
Though the Fijian people have close to nothing compared to what I have at home, they are 1000 times more grateful on a daily basis than I am. I realized that my heart has been distracted by material things like clothes, shoes, McDonald's... I care way too much about what this world has to offer. Most of the time when I talk to God it is because I'm asking him for something.
I want to be more like the Fijians and thank Him not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. For the little things. For everything. I take all of my material possessions for granted, and completely overlook the basic ones. When the pastor thanked God for clean water I realized how truly blessed I am. God has given us everything we need to live on this earth, and eternally in Heaven. If it weren't for God's grace, we would all be miserable sinners, spiritually dead in our sins. But because of His mercy in sending Jesus to make the ultimate sacrifice for us, we are able to live every single day knowing that one day we'll be with Him in Heaven-- and that's something to truly be thankful for.
I feel like God allowed me to go to Fiji for a reason. He opened my eyes and my heart there. He has me doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do in the future... Maybe missionary is on the list? Only He knows, but I'm excited to find out what's next. :)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AMERICA! May your hearts be thankful like the Fijians and your bellies full of Turkey!
No comments:
Post a Comment