More of the same but different

This year marked my third graduation experience at the Pacific Theological College. Can't believe it really.... Of the hundreds - possibly thousands - of photos that could be shared, here's one of Mrs Selina Koi, sitting in-between Nisha and myself, who got her Certificate in Theological Studies through PTCEE and actually worked so hard, she picked up more credits than she needed to! Well done indeed, Radini Selina.

With her husband, Anglican Priest Fr Sam Koi, Selina is off to minister in the Anglican Church in American Samoa and she's keen to continue Extension studies from there and encourage students from the local congregations to sign up. That will be great. And we can always go and visit to encourage in person, eh? Never been to American Samoa.

In the Extension Department, we don't feel the effect of academic years so much, we just keep rolling. So course editing is being done - a BD module on James, John and Revelation currently - and Nisha is doing a great job at getting a database with a mind of its own to conform and do what we need it to. We were really glad to see Rajesh who called in last week for a bit of academic support and general encouragement. Little by little he's notching up his first course in Biblical studies, even though he's in a lot of pain after an accident and facing many a challenge in life. It was so good to catch up with him and hear the latest. We prayed together and then he kindly posed with Nisha for the blog pic! It reminded us again, that there's something really affirming about seeing concrete evidence of achievement on your file when there's slow progress and considerable obstacles in other areas of life. Study can be a tonic.

Also a tonic was the dancing by the PTC community at our Graduation feast - as ever. Here's a snippet of the Tuvaluan number!

Then back at Church, at Nanuku compound in Vatuwaqa, there were touching reunions and proof, if proof were needed, that God's work is in safe and enthusiastic hands. The first scene I encountered was teacher Priya busy rehearsing the young people for Sunday School Anniversary which is almost upon us. Brilliant. I'd missed them while in the UK....

And always good to celebrate the arrival of little ones. Shelley's family dog had pups. The children were very excited indeed for me to meet them! She's a very smiley dog. Any blog readers need a puppy? You'll need to arrange export/import/quarantine etc, but could be a fund raiser for Church I was thinking....


The bus or taxi to Church in Nanuku settlement rumbles over the creaking Vatuwaqa bridge, now being replaced by a shiny new one. Also, in the centre of Suva, near the port, loads of development going on. Why is this of interest? Because it's yet another illustration of China's massive influence in global construction and development projects. 

It's a big topic of conversation on the taxi rank and in the Fiji Times. Many are of the opinion that local firms and expertise were up for it, able to deliver and could have been prioritised. Not for the same price, says Fiji's government. How many developing countries are replicating that kind of debate?

Then, you know when your past comes back to haunt you, but in a great way? Well, by the miracle of social media - 'What's App' in this case - I'm now part of a Selly Oak Centre for Mission Studies retrospective group. The class of 2008/9 - the last year I was Director of SOCMS at The Queen's Foundation in Birmingham - have got together online, and this means I'm back in touch with an absolutely brilliant global group of theological colleagues doing all sorts of exciting things in all sorts of diverse places. The chief instigator and rounder-up of us all is The Very Revd Raphael Akhijemen Idialu PhD from Methodist Church, Nigeria. And, via the group, we've all been celebrating his fairly recent 'Dr' bit. So proud of you Dr Raphael! May all that hard work bear wonderful fruit. 

I'm touched that the group wanted to include their tutors! I mean, you could choose otherwise couldn't you? Good to be back in touch with valued former colleague Dr John Joshva Raja again through all this app activity. There are 'in' jokes among the group that I don't get though, frequently involving 'Tesco'. 

Let's leave it that way. 

Probably ignorance is bliss....