Fiji Happiness

Wrapping My Thoughts Up:

Well folks, I am back in the states now and back to the day to day life i was living before i left for Fiji. I am grateful to be back with my family and i am excited to go out to school for Fall semester, but i cant help but feel a little empty. This past month was truly a blessing. I was able to devote my focus soully on serving without having to worry about school or other distractions. I was able to dive deep into my soul and pull out the potential within. It made me realize how much more good i can do in the states and how much more i plan to and will do. I love Fiji and it is a beautiful place, but i have definitely gained a greater appreciation for the ability to live in America. Some people may not love America for various reasons, but i sure do. I feel extremely blessed and undeserving of such good living conditions. I am very grateful and want to do everything in my power to serve others because of such gratitude. There is so much good to be done and i hope to be a part of making it happen in my own little way. These thoughts and lessons learned gives me more appreciation for this scripture

Alma 37:6~Click here and Check it Out!~

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

Pictures to Go Along With the Stories!!

Teaching American Sign Language Classes

Helping in Master Surevy's Deaf Classroom

Gospel High School, Lunch Time

Talking to the Gospel Students about the
Best Buddies Program

Hilton Boys Helping Me Cut Wood for the Signs

He is Using a Very Loud Electric Saw

This Tends to Happen When I Paint

Bundling Sticks

Look at All Those Done in No Time!

Success.

Gospel High Schools First Day of Best Buddies

Hilton and Gospel High School at Best Buddies

Best Buddies Rugby Game

Gospel Girls and Hilton Girls Getting Along Great

On the Left is a Deaf Teacher at Hilton and On the Right is a Hearing Interpreter from Gospel. They Knew Each other and Became Reacquainted.

Talking to Both Hilton and Gospel Students about the Best Buddies Program While the Lady on the Left Interprets for Me. It was Frustrating to Know Sign Language but Not the Right Type of Sign Language. They Spoke Fijian Sign Language. It All Worked Out Though.

Gospel High is in Pink and Hilton are in Yellow

My Man Helping Me Decorate the Canteen, Knailing
Up the Wooden Spatulas (into very hard concrete walls)
to Make a Sunshine Decoration

Drawing the Fruits and Veggies on the
Canteen Wall So We Can
Start Painting

My Helper Bees,

Paint Paint Paintin!

And a Little More Paintin

We Painted Flowers, Added a Chalk

Board for a Menu, and Made a Sign to Brighten

up the Yellow Wall

The Hands That Made Things Happen

The Last Week:

The last week was filled with wrapping up the adventure. We painted the Canteen (Lunch) area at Hilton, bundled sticks to border the gardens with, and Gospel high school came on Friday for their very first Best Buddies visit. It all ran pretty smoothly. The painting was so fun. A lot of my friends from the team helped me get it done and it turned out great! The stick bundling got done in no time because once we started working on it, tons of the students wanted to help out too. They were so willing to help and very good at it. Something cool about many of the projects were that the children were willing and able to help out with them. That way, they not only learned in the process, but can look at their work and feel accomplished. Best Buddies worked out great! The students were very enthusiastic about it. They had really taken joining the program seriously. Not too long before they came i had travelled to their school to tell some of them about it. Only some because their school is huge!!! They really listened and you could tell this by the way they acted when they got to Hilton. It wasn't as successful as i had hoped. There were only twenty students there because the principal at Gospel had decided to cut the number down and there were no deaf students, but hopefully these logistics will be fixed as the program continues. I am going to elect a president to help run the program while i am in America and it hopes are that it will grow and be very beneficial for the people there.

There are still some project ideas that i want to work on and hope to either hand them off to one of the team members who are still in Fiji or work on them through email while i am in America. Im hoping to talk to some people here that might be interested in helping get grants in order to make a way for the deaf students at gospel high to have teachers who are able to teach them in sign language instead of needing an interpreter that isn't knowledgeable enough to translate all the subjects.

I also want to create a way for the Hilton kids to be able to participate in more service activities because they love to serve and it really helps them learn and grow by having hands on activities. The students helped me a great deal with the projects we were working on at their school, for example the stick bundling, but also the cutting and painting of signs for the gardens. They loved it and didn't want me to take the brush away from them to do any of it myself. They were happy to help and loved the experience. This is evidence of their desire to serve and learn.

FUN!!! FUN!!! FUN!!! FUN!!! FUN!!! FUN!!! FUN!!!

Yes, Our Trip was filled with weekly diligent service which was hard work and fun, but weekends we took a little time to have some recreational fun too. Here are a few pictures that i havent already put on the blog! Enjoy!

Seeing Movies At The Theatre: