What's your favorite kinda colors ... BLUE and WHITE!

I just wanted to take a quick moment to express my love for the Kentucky Wildcats. Thank you Brandon Knight for your late game heroics.  I hope you all know that I'm rooting for you from the other side of the world!  Vinaka vaka levu!

Mud Rugby, Waterfalls and Island Paradise

Our team has been incredibly busy since we landed in Fiji almost three months ago.  We have chosen embrace the motto, "Work hard, play hard."  When we're not on campus doing ministry, we love to go on adventures and discover new things.

We've started to embrace the Fijian obsession with rugby.  We got a rugby ball for Dave's birthday and ever since we've been trying to perfect the game.  We live right across the street from a local high school which has a rugby field.  Dave, Kori and I went out to play rugby the other day and this is how we looked when we came back.

We also had the opportunity to go to one of my favorite places so far in Fiji.  Our friend, Sefo, took us to a waterfall in Wailoku, which is about half an hour from Suva.

Our friend and guide, Sefo

We hiked through the forest for about twenty minutes and stumbled upon this waterfall.  It was about fifteen feet high and we thought it was awesome!  We had some fun climbing and jumping off the top of the waterfall.  The water was cool and very refreshing.

Mary, Queen of the Waterfall

Dave gettin' air!

We were having a really great time when Sefo asked us if we wanted to go to the real waterfall.  So we climbed the first waterfall, walked upstream for about five minutes and stumbled on this waterfall!

The real deal

The bigger waterfall was probably somewhere around 45-50 feet.  The view from the top is much scarier than it is from the bottom.  Sefo convinced us that it was okay to jump from the very top into the pool below.  Mary bravely stepped forward and took the leap of faith first.  She made it look so easy that I had to try.  I couldn't be outdone by a girl.  So I worked up a little courage and took a leap of faith.  Unfortunately, my center of gravity must not be as good as Mary's, because I found myself turning in midair and landed directly on my belly and face.  It didn't feel great at the time but a few nasty bruises is a small price to pay for such a great experience.

Samurai Rob

Despite a few cuts and bruises, it was a great adventure for our team.  We had a great time and definitely plan on returning in the future.  I need to work on perfecting my waterfall leaping skills.

This past weekend, we had the incredible opportunity to spend a few days at Mana Island.  Mana Island is a remote island in the Mamanucas, an island group located northwest of Fiji's main island.  We took an hour and a half ferry out to Mana Island.  It was amazing to be in place that I've only dreamed of.  It was beautiful beyond what words can describe.  We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking and sailing.  We got to work on our tans and relax for the first time in almost three months.  It was definitely a change of pace from life in Suva.

Mana Island

On a boat, somewhere in the middle of the South Pacific

Dozens of small island resorts 

The Infinity Pool looking out over the Pacific

"If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me" Psalm 139:9-10.  As I looked out across the vast ocean, I was reminded of this verse.  No matter where I am, I can't escape God's presence.  He is with me always, even on some remote island in the middle of the South Pacific.  God continues to amaze me this year as he shows up in amazing ways.  It was a great weekend to connect with God in an intimate way.  I prayed for you, that no matter where you are, God would reveal himself to you and comfort you with His presence.

Enjoying the beautiful view

Rob loves to dig holes

Castaway Island, where the movie Castaway was filmed

I hope you enjoy the pictures.  Maybe after seeing them, you'll consider visiting?!?!  Now it's back to life as usual in Fiji.  We're relaxed, rejuvenated and excited to be back on campus.  I'm leaving in a few minutes to go share how great our God is with students.  I can't wait to see how God uses me today!  Most of you are probably closing out your day.  I pray that your may rest in God's presence this evening.  Read Psalm 23!  God bless!

How can we join?

This past week, we were joined my ten students and staff involved in Campus Crusade for Christ at Miami University.  They spent their Spring Break bringing the Gospel to the campus of USP.  God did some amazing things through these ten faithful servants in just four days on campus.  They were able to share the Gospel with almost 120 students, forty of whom accepted Christ for the first time!  They were then able to schedule twenty-four follow up appointments to teach the basics of the Christian faith to these students.

The Spring Break team also lead the weekly Connexion meeting.  They advertised all week as they met with students.  We had over 130 students show up which was our largest meeting yet!  The bure (where we meet) was packed.  Ryan preached on how God loves them unconditionally and each student was able to hear the Gospel.  The team was only here for four days but definitely made an impact for eternity.

Allie sharing her testimony at Connexion

                                                

Ryan preaching on "God is Love"

Special Friendships made in just a few days

Our biggest Connexion yet!

There was a lot of buzz around campus with ten new white faces roaming around and talking to students.  I was hanging out near the cafeteria when I noticed three students looking at me.  I walked up, asked them if I could join them and struck up a conversation.  "How can we join?" was the first thing out of their mouths.  Taken aback, I told them they didn't have to join but just show up to see what we were all about.  I ended up spending about two hours with them, sharing the Gospel and talking about life.

Joe and Leps

It turns out that Joe and Leps (pictured above) were already Christians but had fallen away from their faith and were looking to get back on track.  They explained to me that right before they came up to the cafeteria, Joe was explaining to Leps that he wanted his life to change.  And it just so happens that I sat down at their table with the good news of Jesus Christ.  Coincidence?  I think not.  About a week has gone by and I've seen these guys almost everyday.  They have a desire to learn and grow and have a relationship with God.  I've only know them for a week now but God has put them on my heart like no one before in my life.  I'm praying that God would continue to reveal Himself to them and that they would continue to desire a relationship with Him.

God is on the move here in Fiji and at USP.  It's incredible to see Him work things together first hand.  We're so excited to have new students joining our movement as well as older students taking on leadership roles.  Students that have been taught, trained and equipped through Student Life are sharing their faith and discipling new believers.  Seeing them step out in faith and share the love of Christ with their classmates might be the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Student Leaders taking care of business

I hope that you are encouraged as your read about what's going on here in Fiji.  Thanks for taking an interest in what's going on in my ministry and please continue to pray that God would show up in amazing ways.  Thanks for all your love and support.  What happens here in Fiji wouldn't be possible with you.  God bless!

What are you guys doing?

I can't believe it's March already!  Time has flown by these past few weeks on campus.  Classes have started and we're finally starting to settle in to our daily routines.  After Orientation week, we've been calling the 1600 contacts that we received from comment cards.  Our phone bills are high but we've gotten to meet so many students in the past two weeks.  We've been working hard ourselves but also teaching and training students already involved in Student Life how to follow up a comment card.

Working with Fijian Students to follow up all 1600 contacts

The cultural differences in here in Fiji have blown me away since we stepped on campus.  Everyone here is so hospitable.  This bodes really well for doing ministry because people will listen to what you have to say!  A typical phone call with a student goes like this:  

"Hi, my name is Brian with Student Life at USP.  A few weeks ago, you filled out a survey during orientation week.  On that survey, you checked that you would be interested in hearing more about Student Life and how to have a relationship with God.  I was wondering if you'd like to meet to talk more about that?"

And the crazy thing is that they say yes, almost all the time!  It has been a really fruitful first couple of weeks.  The first week we were on campus, our six person STINT team shared the Gospel over sixty times and saw twenty people come to faith in Christ for the first time!  Praise God!  If they are responsive to the Gospel, then we set up another appointment called follow up.  In follow up, we meet to teach the the basics of the Christian faith, like how to grow in their faith and what it means to be a part of God's family.

Dave going through follow up with a few students

Ministry is going great in Fiji but it's not all roses all the time.  There are a few challenges that we face on a daily basis.  Because students are so hospitable, they will often tell you they want to meet and then never show.  They're not as straightforward as Americans so if they're not interested in meeting with you, they'd rather tell you they are and then just not show up.  Sometimes this can be frustrating but God has always provided people to talk to on campus.  Another huge challenge is ministering to Indian students.  Almost all of them have a Hindu background and are very set in their beliefs, even if it's just what their parents believe.  Most of them believe that all paths lead to God so it doesn't really matter which God you believe in.  Please pray for our team as we try to build relationships with Indian students and learn how best to witness to them.

Our weekly meeting in Student Life is called Connexion.  Connexion is held every Thursday and is pretty comprable to what we do in America.  There is music, icebreakers, worship, and a message.  Our theme this semester is God Who?  Each week we'll be teaching an attribute of God.  Students from any background or faith can come to Connexion and learn exactly who God is.  We want students to have a right view of who God is.

For our first Connexion meeting, we taught them the Cha Cha Slide.  They loved it!  We've had requests to play it every week during the meeting.

Teaching the Cha Cha Slide!

Students asked if the Cha Cha Slide could be a permanent part of our weekly meeting

This week is special because we have visitors from Miami!  Ten staff and students from Miami Campus Crusade for Christ are here on their Spring Break.  They've come to help us with ministry for a week.  It's exciting to have extra laborers on campus to help with the harvest.  We're excited to have them be a part of what God is doing in Fiji.  They will be sharing their faith everyday and passing the contacts of people they met along to us when they leave.

We greeted them by having a traditional Fijian meal at our bosses' house.  The meal is called a lovo, which means oven, and refers to the way the food is cooked.  They dig a hole in the ground and start a fire.  Then, they put rocks on top of the fire and let them heat up.

Preparing a Fijian meal for the Spring Break Team

Once the rocks are hot enough, they place the food on top.  Then they bury the lovo and let the food cook for about two hours.  The food turned out to be delicious and we had a great time welcoming the spring break team.

Lovo, Fijian for oven

This was my contribution to the lovo process:

No explanation necessary

The Spring Break team getting to know some of the key student leaders

Please pray for the Spring Break Team this week as they step out in faith to meet USP students.  God is doing amazing things here and we're so excited to be a part of it.  

Lastly, I would like to thank you again for reading.  I am still losing to Kori in followers of my blog, so if you would like to help me out, follow my blog publicly by clicking "Follow" at the top of the page.  I would like to thank Becca, Brett, Shanda, Dave, Mike, Terri Beth, Brady and Trent for answering my plea!  You are all wonderful and I'm praying for you!  

Thank You for Reading

We've come to learn that giant centipedes are a frequent sight in Fiji.  They can actually be really harmful if they bite you.  We've heard some horror stories from students about being bitten by these centipedes, or peders as we like to call them.  So naturally, I decided to play a joke on Kori.  I screamed "Peder!" and Kori just screamed.  I hope you enjoy!

Also, Kori and I both have blogs to update our friends, family and supporters back home.  She reminds me on a regular basis that she has more people "following" her blog than I do.  I beg to differ but the numbers just don't lie.  So if you're out there, and you read my blog privately, and you have an extra thirty seconds on your hands, sign up to follow my blog publicly!  Bragging rights are a powerful thing and I would love to have them.  If you don't know how to publicly follow my blog, just click follow at the top left of this page and follow the directions from there.  

I would also love to take this time to thank all of those people who read my blog.  I would like to say a special thanks to the seven people who are publicly following Brian in Fiji (two of whom are members of my team here in Fiji):

• Kathy - I think you were my first follower and fifteen posts in, you're still with me.  Thanks.
• Bobbie - You're super technological and I appreciate your loyalty.  Thanks for helping my Mom when it comes to computers.  Please help her become a follower of my blog.
• Jeff - We've known each other a long time.  Thanks for hangin in there with me.
• Brady - You're my favorite brother who is currently following my blog.  Love you bro.
• Mrs. Haluga - I think you read my blog because Dave doesn't ever post on his.  Either way, I'm still glad to have you.
• Kori and Mary - You don't really count because you're here in Fiji and get to experience everything I do.  But I appreciate your support in my endeavors.

It makes everything worth it knowing that at least five people will read what I have to write.  So whether you're public or private (preferably public), I appreciate you and thanks for reading!