LAVENA Rugby and Netball TOURNAMENT

Naselesele Village -- already up and ready at sunrise for the big day (Saturday, April 16) -- the Lavena Games, for which the students from Naselesele, Lavena, Bouma and Qelene villages have been training hard at their skills in rugby and netball.

This busload had a great time singing gospel songs (loudly and cheerfully), making the hour-ride to Lavena very enjoyable indeed!

i took this sunrise photo-op to illustrate how the Light divides -- one either chooses to walk the path of shadows or the Way of the Light...

Scenic views from my window seat were in abundance... plastering a contented grin on my face, from ear to ear -- my heart singing praises to GOD for His creation...

A goatkeeper from Dala, with her "pets" in tow...

A beautiful place for the bus to break down! GOD's blessings throughout all mishaps are evident here...

Lavena at last -- with the whole busload of us safe and sound, with GOD's blessings and a little Fijian ingenuity (a young boy mechanic held a string tied to the accelerator all the way to our destination)...

All the kids VERY excited...

Akosita and Kata, giving the Naselesele kids their gunu ti (breakfast of bread with butter and jam and tea)...

Filo, with her team mates... ready for netball!

Seleima, Rosi, Pa -- major players for the Naselesele Blues girls' netball team... with their bibs a la rLn! (i painted each bib for one bu -- young green coconut.)

Miriama and Talei...

The 'selesele Blues -- on parade...

Opening ceremonies... in the already hot sun...

The Distric Officer in his "cool" outfit -- a la shades... being honored with a salusalu.

Filo -- head mistress at Bouma Village Primary School... with her colorful salusalu.

i was SO glad to document this -- the schools in Fiji are still permitted to show their CHRISTian roots... on their buildings, in the songs taught in the classrooms, in their prayers before meals... even after their games.

The Naselesele Village cheering team... very enthusiastic and VERY loud!

Net ball... Naselesele against Bouma.

Rugby... Class 3 or 4... Naselesele against Bouma.

Fighting over the ball...

Praying after a game well-played...

i took a little break from the all-day tournament -- katakata na siga saraga! To get away from the heat, i strolled over to the beach with little Jo...

Little Jo!

Postcard picture perfect... Lavena Beach.

World famous Lavena Walk... a hike worth sweating for!

We caught Dip taking his siesta/snooze/cegu...

Exploring the rocks for crabs?

Ana Maria -- enjoying our girl talk...

Gorgeous in GOD's sight...

Onisimo... made many goals -- makin' his mama Elenoa very proud indeedy!

Netball winners from Qeleni -- B team... very happy!

Mistress Filo giving a "best" award to Lavena Netball -- class A team...

Awards presentation -- closing ceremonies... all tired, but happy participants...

Scenic playground (the rugby field set in the usual location -- in the middle of the village) -- beautiFUL skies... Team sports -- island style!

We began this GODventureZ at sunrise and ended with the bus ride back to our perspective villages at sunset. The children sang loudly and boisterously, though tired. The bus did not break down this time -- though i still held my breath as the bus struggled up the incline, then coasted down with more speed on its way down.

Thank You, LORD, for this wonderFUL GODventureZ!

P.S. i am again raising funds for the Naselesele Village school children in Taveuni, Fiji. Your charitable donation of any amount is deeply and heartfully appreciated! GOD bless your loving heart!

FIRST Week in TAVEUNI -- Already!

rLn's art, on nau Tuvi's cupboard... JISU sa rauti au -- JESUS is enough for me.

Beni... "my" boy! -- ready for school, stopping by to say yadra (good morning) to his nei merlin...

Very typical gunu ti (breakfast) at nau Tuvi's house...

Nau Tuvi with grandkids Jotama, Kani and Leone...

My "new" backyard... We've got some plans to make this our cegu (rest) area, when the scorching sun is too much to bear indoors.

Leone, ready for school -- Class 2...

Viubani -- all green once more, after cyclone Tomas...

Naselesele Primary School...

Net-ball practice, getting ready for the Lavena four-village tournament...

Someone's "pet" snake... comfortable on its uvi "home"...

Maria, doing business in Naqara...

Ana with my ice-cream cone, with Buna Akeneta (a Facebook friend) and little Keiti...

Melania helping with the morning laundry...

Jotama... "my" boy! with his new backpack...

Nana Ana putting coconut oil on Jo, getting ready for school...

Ligani, Teci, Talei, Filo, Pule -- just posing for nei merlin...

Sepo and Tevita -- cooking cassava by firewood...

Nau Ana with her luvena, Make... a pretty couple indeed!

Ratu Jone's rooftop and Naselesele Village waters...

Mango tree framed by my window sill...

(April 16) Well, i've been here a week already! Every day has been busy, filled with activities of settling in to village life. Already i've painted (a do-over) a cupboard for dishes and for food storage... for fried fish we don't want the house cat Goldie to nab.

The Naselesele Village school kids are playing a tournament of games (rugby, netball) with three other villages (Lavena, Bouma, Qeleni). i painted the letters worn for the girls' netball team... for two bu (young coconut) per pair of bibs showing their playing positions. That was quite a job... with the humid heat and flies and mosquitoes and very curious kids surrounding me, cutting off any flow of fresh air. WheW!!! i earned my drink!

i'm the official photographer for the Naselesele teams tomorrow...Saturday. i'll post the pictures in the GODventureZ blog after this post... GOD willing.

This time around, i'm fitting in much better with the family. My Fijian (the little i know) is back and improving day by day, with the help of our reading our English and Fijian Bibles in the mornings and evenings before meals. i've designated myself the floor cleaner/sweeper; and with four kids running in and out, with bare feet, i'm usually saying to them: gusing gusi! (Wipe your feet!)

i've also talked to the Ratu Mika's wife, and now i'm allowed to wear a hat or open my umbrella within the village (which is taboo for the villagers), being a "half-cooked" Fijian... a kavalagi (non-Fijian blood). So i'm very much at ease in the village...

i'm posting this from Tovu Tovu Resort -- the only place so far in Matei where i can connect with y'all! Please feel free to follow/subscribe to this blog if you're interested in seeing more of the real Fiji -- vaka Viti... bula sa dina!

GODventureZ in TAVEUNI -- Day ONE

Thursday -- DAY ONE -- April 7, 2011 -- after leaving San Diego, Tuesday (7:20 pm of the 5th)... finally arriving in Taveuni, Thursday morning at 8 am! i've taken many videos and pictures since then, but because of internet connections being troublesome and vERRRyyy! slow, i'm only posting pictures for now. Hopefully, i'll be able to download the videos soon on Youtube so that all may see the REAL Fiji!

Here's nau (grandma) Tuvi's kitchen area, with her voivoi (leaves, dried, then cut and woven into large floor mats)... and rLn art in the background. Naselesele Primary School kindergarten class... doing their masu (prayers) before eating their brunch snack.Here's Leone, with his State-side soccer shoes from nei (aunty) merlin...Friday -- DAY TWO -- Nei merlin with Kani and funny-man Jo!Naselesele's au naturele laundry -- sunshine and fresh air free!Saturday night -- DAY 3 -- Captain Cook (cruise ship) meke -- Naselesele and Wiwi villages putting on a traditional Fijian dance program for the tourists... A couple of the talented performers... Ana and Kalera... Kata and ... Sunday -- DAY 4 -- Jo and Kani, in their sulus... ready for lotu (church). The little girl in one of Rose's ShoppE's (Ocean View Church) fashions... Little Maria...another in-fashion fashionable toddler, modeling one of Rose's ShoppE's very own... Seleima with her sister Maria...Ana, my sister-in-law... chef, fisherwoman, home-engineer, godly mother and wife, with four children in tow -- DEFINITELY the Proverbs 31 woman!Nau Tuvi -- posing for her i.d. picture... Nau Tuvi receiving her communion wafer from Akosita (in-house, as nau Tuvi is house-bound). Surprise feast -- Vili went diving last night near Walegalala and caught two lobster for me (moi!) and some awesome fish (which we shared with Kuku Vili). Ana, our resident chef, cooked (with husband Seru assisting) fried fish into curry vakalolo (with coconut milk); lobster with fresh squeezed coconut milk with chili, onions and tomatoes; fried with with onions, dolloped with ketchup, the family's favorite sause; and our neighbor Salote gave us waci vakalolo (dalo leavews with tuna cooked in coconut milk). Needless to say, i was very sinai (full!) after i've eaten my lobster and a little of everything else!

Fly swatters Leone and Jo... Yummm! Kana (eat) at last!