By Ann: One of the joys of cruising in Fiji is attending church services. I know, not everyone would say that church services are their thing, but once you hear the Fijians lifting their voices in song you will agree. They are a treat. The churches that we have attended in Fulunga and Nairai were Methodist. Honestly, I was hoping to see more Catholic churches. I did attend a Catholic mass last year when we were in Suva. And I never would have known about it if our friend Mo, from Nagalelevu had not told me to look for it. Mo used to live in Suva and used to attend daily mass.

Now Mo lives on a small island, sometimes with his nephew, but for most of the last ten months, alone. That’s a big change in lifestyle. When we go ashore in Nagalelevu one of the first things you notice is a statue of the Virgin Mary on a pedestal in the garden. This statue was one of the first things that the guys “reclaimed” upon their return to the island. And today Mo has created a nice bench to sit and pray. And he adorns her with fresh flowers daily. Mo refers to the statue as “Our Lady” and stops to pray twice a day. And he credits “Our Lady” with much of their good fortune. When we asked how it was that they were able to afford a fiber (Fijian slang for 20 foot open boat with outboard), Mo put his hands in together as if in prayer, his eyes lit up and lifted to the sky and he said, “Our Lady provided.”

"Our Lady" (Picture from our visit last year - has since been cleaned up)

Knowing that I would often miss church services during our travels I obtained a daily mass booklet for Catholics. It has kept me in contact with my formal faith as we have traveled. Seeing Mo’s strong faith that he so willingly shared with me I decided to take it in for him. Pleased is not a strong enough description for his reaction. His eyes filled with tears of joy. He held it as gently as a newborn. And he thanked me profusely.

Pray for our safe travels, Mo and I will pray for you in return. Small island, big faith.