I took Sue, my hostess, out to lunch.
Governors - use the link above for its website - embodies the contradictions and charm of Fiji today. It describes itself as a museum-themed restaurant. Housed in an old colonial building, its walls are covered in memorabilia from the days when Fiji was an outpost of empire. A photo of the first plane to land in Suva (1928), the cover of volume 1 (1930) of Pacific Islands Monthly (announcing that wireless communication was going to transform life), posters of films with a Pacific theme, and so on. The service is immaculate, the menu eclectic and (for here) expensive. Sue and I were led to a table next to the one occupied by the deputy prime-minister and his entourage - almost as if the present rulers of Fiji were having the last laugh. Outside the rain poured down on the lush gardens.
I've also had a series of rather different encounters.
Coffee with Val Ogden at the Holiday Inn ( a bit ordinary compared with Governors!). Val's a mission partner and British minister, leading the theological education by extension unit at the Pacific Theological College. I've known Val on and off for years - she used to do sessions for my WEMTC students when she taught at Selly Oak, Birmingham. She's very outgoing (which makes an introvert like me jealous) and has been really helpful in setting up some contacts for my visit here. Val also hosted a meal Friday evening at her home at PTC, giving me the chance to meet some of the staff - very much an international crowd and a stimulating conversation. Challenges in theological education have similar themes right across the globe. Late in the evening the rain stopped and one of the lecturers helped me get a taxi - walking is fine during the day but not advisable late at night.
Coffee (I'm re-developing my taste for iced coffee) with Julia Edwards. another mission partner from Britain, Julia works for the Pacific Conference of Churches and is an expert on climate change. Her partiuclar concern at the moment is the need to relocate people from the most vulnerable situations in Pacific island countries. For many people it's already too late to reverse global warming and the rise in sea levels. They will have to be found new homes - with all the issues around social dislocation that goes along with that.
A visit to ECREA - the ecumenical research and social action institution for Fiji. It's director, Sirino Rikabi, took me through their programmes. What's impressive is that it puts into practice so much of what we talk about as theological reflection. Working with local communities - through the churches coming together - they help people analyse the issues they face and provide biblical and theological input to help them work on appropriate action. It's in its early days, but I felt it was being promoted with a combination of expertise, humility and realism.
A visit to Davuilevu. The Methodist theological college is out of town, not far from the domestic airport. A large hilly estate, it has space for students to grow their own food. I was to have given a talk to the students, but the flood situation stopped that and I went later in the day for tea with some of the faculty - as shown in the photo in my last post. As well as the Principal, Anil, and the Church History lecturer, Susu, There was an American couple, Wesley and Jerusha Neal, who helped us share some of our mutual concerns about church, ministry and theological education. When I mentioned my interest in Joh Hunt, the pioneer missionary to Fiji, the conversation got even more animated. The local staff promised to help me visit Viwa island, where Hunt is buried,
Which brought me to Saturday. Some preparation (I have a number of presentations to make next week) and then a wander round the Suva shops, mingling with the good-natured, multi-cultural crowd. Even here, though, recent problems aren't far away. The fruit and veg in the market is hugely expensive at the moment because of all the damage the cyclone has done to the crops. I couldn't resist buying a bula shirt - though not the most garish in the shop - and at the Methodist Church Bookstore discovered that they were still selling the 1933 Book of Offices of the British Methodist Church.
A pack of live crabs.
A well-stocked stall at the market.
Crowded street
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