A Christmas Card with love

Suva has Christmas saturation. In case you'd wondered if the commercial 'trappings' of the season are as evident here as anywhere else, they certainly are. Santa wears a bula shirt and advertises merry mobile phone deals. (Other networks are available).

There are jolly, holly offers everywhere, and of course the lure for all ages to keep up with festive fashion trends. 

But many from Suva, including families on the College campus, travel to villages and the smaller islands to see relatives over Christmas, where life may lack the Suva glitz but perhaps gets to the heart of Christmas more effectively. 

For me, as campus is quiet because it's the long 'Summer' holiday, I'll be pressing on, this week at least, with the production of BD courses, tackling an article I've been asked to write, finishing off a newsletter 'Conch Shell' which goes to all students studying by extension across the islands, and assignment marking. Always assignment marking... 


But it's good, and I can work a bit at home and a bit in the office and still enjoy walks by the sea and visiting neighbours on the campus. My next door neighbours Auntie Selai, younger Selai, Selah, Elena and Disele came over for a meal on Saturday evening, accompanied by their new ukelele! So we passed a pleasant time strumming and feasting. 



I shall have charge of a pastoral group next year made up of student and staff families, so the plan is to make visits to them over the Xmas period too. Cakes will be made and distributed because I've invested in a table top electric oven. Wondrous! A Christmas blessing if ever there was. No more buns with burnt bottoms...

Sally Lowe from St Martin's, Dorking shared this and I'm grateful to her.

CHRISTMAS  SOUNDS

by U.A. Fanthorpe

Boeings wing softly over Earth

Humming like enormous Messiahs

Bringing everyone home for Christmas;

Children wailing impossible wants,

Housewives worrying in case enough isn’t,

Parsons, with prevenient care, sucking Strepsils,

Telly jingling twinkling mistletoe-ing,

Cash tills recording glad tidings of profit,

Office parties munching through menus  -

Crackers!  Champagne corks!

At the heart of it all, in the hay,

No sound at all but the cattle

Endlessly chewing it over.

Not quite a stable, but still plenty of room for contemplation about simplicity, earthiness and the newly born.

(Photo with grateful thanks to Wes, Jerusha, Mercy and Josiah Neal serving with UMC Global Ministries at the Methodist Theological College, Davuilevu, just outside Suva. We took a walk on their campus, which included a visit to the piggery....)

And you'd like a carol, I guess? Well here's the choir of Nasinu Methodist Circuit doing their stint of carols in the park this Christmas.

Wishing you and your loved ones
God's hope, peace, justice and joy

this Christmas and New Year

Val x