Fiji Madison Levine Blog June 14

From Madison Levine in Fiji
June 14, 2015

The smile on my face has been constant ever since we entered the village of Nativi. The villages welcomed us with their traditional 'sebu-se" ceremony which was filled with beautiful singing by the villages and dancing in our newly sported sulus bought earlier in the trip. Afterwards, our families welcomed us into thei rhomes, which aren't the kind we're used to living in at home in the United States. They tend to be small, one to about three roomed houses. Nevertheless, they still give off a homey vibe. The kids here have a never ending amount of energy and are always down for playing some type of hand game. Their need to always be with each other inspires me to turn away from technology once we get back home and tune into other people. On Saturday , we began our projects of service for the village. Alexis and I tied up wires and rods to base for the cement pathway, while Abigail, Emily and some of the boys shoveled out where the pathway would be. By the end of our one of many workdays, we had finished about 20 feet of the pathway that will lead from the community center to the church. I'm very excited for the pathway to be finished; in a few days I've spent here, I've seen how muddy it tends to get from the rain, so this way everyone can walk to church without getting terribly muddy in the rainy season. Sunday morning we all got dressed up- Masha and I were generously given clothes by our mom- for the Sunday service at the church in the village. It was so neat being able to hear the kids and adults sing all in one place. In the afternoon we all went down to the river for a swim & I especially love how if anyone person goes to the river, then everyone goes- it's like a huge village field trip. One thing I've noticed that Mrs. Fluharty brought to my attention was that you can't walk alone in the village. You take about three steps by yourself and all of the sudden you have 5 kids fighting over holding your hands as you walk. Everyone here has an abundant love for one another & no mean bones in their bodies (I'm serious about this one- I can't think of one mean thing that happened at all). Here in Nativi, no one ever feels alone & I wish I could take that feeling home and share it with everyone because it truly heartwarming.