Mission Life

Accommodation

Arriving at Pacific Theological College, we were met with three lovely new apartments, still not quite complete. We are the first occupants, along with some Korean medical/health personnel who are studying English and Fijian in preparation for their mission work across a number of hospitals and clinics. The apartments will eventually be used for families, students, academics, sabbaticals, etc... and will become a key asset as the Pacific Theological College expands into becoming a university.

Identifying tasks to be done at the new apartments, we considered what missionaries generally need to contend with in any new environment. Access to water and shelter are key. They rarely happen smoothly and adjustments need to be accounted for. A couple of people experienced early diarroeah and upset tummies. The water supply tasted a bit odd. We eventually discovered that it was being diverted from another house and shared with construction workers on a building next door. We now filter all our drinking water and check how the pressure is before planning a shower!

Garden

The site resembled a construction zone when we arrived, so we quickly got to work to plan our Mission Garden. Clearing weeds was a first task. Collecting and filliing plastic drink bottles, we started to create a retaining wall border for our garden beds. This is a great way to reduce waste and recycle. We also learnt about creating in-bed composting tubes and recycled plastic bottle planters. If we get time, there are lots of ideas we can have a go at.

Cuttings were brought in from lots of other people's gardens, especially Fuata's. Fertilizer was made by boiling up onion skins. We will add aloe vera, potatoes and bananas to the cuttings too. They all provide good nutrients.

Mission gardens are a wonderful opportunity. They can eventually provide beauty and food, sustenance for body and soul. They bring us close to the Creator God. They can also provide ingredients for wellbeing and healing. They are a learning and modelling site. We undertake teamwork here and hope to be able to develop a model garden that demonstrates good sustainability practices and ideas for recycling what would otherwise be landfill waste.