Our most unusual experience in February was a trip to a Narocivo Village on the Rewa River to be guests for a Fijian Cultural experience. "What does that have to do with Self Reliance?" you may be wondering.
The stake president, President Qoroya, has been working with several of the villages along the river to promote the Self Reliance classes. When he counseled with the leaders of Narocivo, he learned that they had a group of skilled dancers that had toured New Zealand and Australia, presenting at tourist locations. Unfortunately, the way they managed the income from performances, and the travel expenses involved, the group came home with no financial gain. President Qoroya pointed out to the village council that they had a valuable asset, got them started on the Self Reliance books "Financial Management" and "Starting and Growing My Business" and encouraged them to explore business opportunities. The village has organized to become a tourist destination, and our group (Senior Missionary couples and Nausori stake leaders), was the first (test) audience
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| There was a lookout on the river to give early warning to the village that our boat was approaching |
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| After arriving by boat, we were carefully escorted to dry ground, our feet never touched the water! |
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| Elder Himle, Elder Hinkson Elder & Sister Walker |
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| I came prepared with my own Sulu (women don't wear pants in the village) but the other sisters with us were presented with a piece of Tapa cloth at the boat landing. |
The villagers had prepared the trail from the river carefully, and there was never a pool or muddy spot that didn't have a safe passage around it.
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| Sentry Duty |
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| Sentry announcing our safe arrival |
Since this presentation was a trial run (one of our jobs was to give constructive feedback about the experience) we had the unique opportunity of being able to relax about pictures. Almost every villager had their camera trained on our group through the day, and one of our escorts assured us that they would be happy to share pictures.
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| The welcoming song |
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| The straw was cut from a river reed. |
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| Lovo for lunch The traditional Fijian pit barbeque |
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| While lunch was being prepared, our guide took us to the bridge (about 1 km) that allows passage from the village to the main river landing, where the school is located. A bridge, and someone to take the picture is always a good opportunity for a kiss! |
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| After lunch, the music and dancing began. No, I am not leading the conga line. The guy behind me is "directing" this affair! |
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| There was lots of ceremonial recognition and mutual appreciation expressed |
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| Back to the boat for the homeward trip. This time high tide made entering the boats much easier. Ni Sa Bula |
