Teacher for a Year [Changed for Life]

Bula vinaka! My name is Jacquelyn and I was a teacher at Nagigi SDA Primary School in Fiji in 2011. The weather was hot, the ocean view was extraordinary and the people were the friendliest folks on earth.

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Out and About in Fiji This would be my front yard. It’s a wide bay and when the tide goes out, you can walk nearly all the way to the reef where the waves crash. It curves down from the school and in front of the village. The island I am on is made up of villages, where the people live. There are only two towns which constitute the draw of a city but is only the size of a small, American town. For me, it’s about a 30-minute taxi ride into town or nearly an hour drive by bus. At $1.90FJD by bus, that’s usually what I opt for unless the head teacher and his wife are going into town by taxi, just for the ride.

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Spending 3 weeks of the summer at my second home! Stay tuned for updates.

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From ADRA: “Cyclone Winston is a category five super storm that slammed Fiji on February 20 and 21. With wind gusts up to 325km/h, it left a path of destruction. Food, water and shelter will become urgent needs and your donation will help ADRA get supplies to those in need.”

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We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

Psalms 33:20-22

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This is from a post a wrote last year:

I have learned to love the simple life. Don’t get me wrong. I do miss my car, Starbucks, couches and hot showers. But I have gained a new perspective on my possessions and what are true life necessities. America has a high standard on the needs of daily life and since my time here, I have come to appreciate life without all the extras. How life can be exciting and full of satisfaction without the things the TV or internet ads tells us we must have now. I do love a dinner out with friends or a movie date. But is life’s happiness tied to commercial enterprises? Not for me.

Fijians have taught me so much about the core ingredients to happiness just by living among them. Family, faith, food and shelter. How every meal is homemade and does not have TV at the head of the table. How God provides for our needs, however material they are. And for me, I had to go to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to realize that truth. In America, I did know these truths but never applied them or called them my own. There was always a blog to read, a TV show to watch or a gas tank to feed.

When I return home, I hope and pray this happiness recipe sticks. That I will enjoy my routine and be thankful for all of life’s blessings, big or small. I will still love grabbing a cup of joe or watching TLC but it will be with recognition of how much of a luxury it is to have money to afford them. It will be in company with ones I love. It will never be taken for granted. I look forward to the homemade dinners and family conversations. To the time spent working around the house and sharing a conversation over coffee made at home. To know that having hot water and a car is a blessing so many people cannot afford. I will be satisfied with all the blessings God has given me because it is oh so good just the way it is.

Being home, I need to read this everyday.

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Text messages from Fijian friends make me want to jump on a plane for a return visit.

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As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.

Galatians 6:14

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Last week, my local church hosted Vacation Bible School for local children. The songs were fun, the kids adorable and the lessons relevant. Each night was a blessing in itself as I corralled 12 kids under the age of 9 to the different activities. Sounds tiring but totally rewarding.

'And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."' Matt. 18:3

It was only a 6-day program but I pray the message stays with my Mighty Moose children forever.

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1 John 3:16

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(Source: typographicverses, via suzyhumanity, via mikeclevenger)

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God gives us time. And who has time for God?

Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts