June Update

We've had a lot of people coming and going lately! First our 3 summer staff arrived. Then we welcomed a team from CA led by Dave Hansen (SI President). The president of the SI board and his family also arrived. Halfway through Dave's outreach, a "Vision Trip" team came from New Zealand and the US (a vision trip is a shorter outreach for people interested in catching the vision for SI and getting involved in some capacity). We're looking forward to several future potential partnerships that have been born out of this recent vision trip.

Currently we have a small outreach team, plus two engineering interns from Seattle Pacific University who are researching and designing an appropriate technology project for Momi (probably a methane digester--obtaining cooking gas from pig manure!).

This week and next we are hosting SI's academic co-ordinator and another vision team from colleges in the states that are interested in SI Fiji's future study-abroad program. We'll have several meetings next week regarding setting up this program; please pray for God's guidance and timing. We'd love to see it up and running by next fall.

The Pre-school Begins:

We are excited to announce that we've started the pre-school at the Momi base.

There are about 10 kids that regularly come and more are interested. Please pray that these little ones would come to know the Lord! We also are in need of tables, chairs, books, etc. (As you can see we have started out with short tables so the kids can sit on the floor!).

Agape Farms:

It's been great to have the help of the outreach teams as we continue to plant and grow things at Momi. Here they are planting pineapples!

The liners for the fish ponds are in and we expect to lay them next month. The sales of the fish and produce will go to run the farm and the ministries at Momi.

Home Visitations:

Pastor Joji (SI farm manager who lives at Momi) has been taking a few students around to visit the neighboring community each day after work. These home visits have become a highlight for the teams. They are always so blessed by the hospitality of the local people, and the students in turn share their testimonies with the families. Pastor Joji has started a small church gathering at Momi on Sunday mornings, and it's been neat to see the new believers coming each week to find out of more about how to grow in their faith.


"Z'" and Family

Remember "Z" (the single mom from our last update)? She is doing so well at Homes of Hope. There have been challenges, but she is growing in her new faith. She sent us a letter last week that says, ""Sometimes I feel rejected from everywhere, but then God says 'You are my child and I'm always here for you.' I have realized that the more I pray and believe in God the more He helps me and talks to me." What amazing words from one so new in her faith!

Last week we went to visit her mom and cousin back at home, and these two Muslim women gave their lives to Jesus as well! Please join with us in prayer for Z and her son, as well as her family back home. She has five little brothers/sisters (pictured here at home), one of which has Down's Syndrome. They live in dire poverty. We go to visit the family twice a month to check on them, pray with them and help out as we can.

Our Family

Our family is doing great! We are keeping busy with the outreach teams. Ray and I celebrated our 12th anniversary this month (even though we haven't actually had a chance to celebrate yet, since he went to Suva with the team that day!).

Isla is now officially crawling so that changes life a bit! She is pulling dishes out of cupboards, going through the trash and eating anything she finds on the floor (this week gecko poop and a dead cockroach. . .gross!).

Laura's mom Janet flew in for a month-long visit, so that has been a huge blessing! She is helping home-school the girls which frees Laura up to work on her MA paper for a couple of weeks. We've also been enjoying family times with the teams as we can.