Fiji Day 10 - Monday

This was written in my journal pending me to be able to update on the final day of our Fiji Trip....so sorry if all my tenses are upside down.

I can't actually believe that it's time for us to go back. I'm so tired that I'm actually on autopilot mode. After the whole drama yesterday about the flights and waiting for the shuttle bus...After 12 days in Fiji, staying with each other 24/7 this is it.. we're finally going home. Back to our own little lives, our own little comfort zones.

Everyone had to be awake and ready for the Resort's shuttle bus to bring us to the airport at 6am. We were waiting there at 5.50am .. and waited..and waited..and waited.. providing breakfast for all the mossies.. we were all so braindead from the whole week's activities and the lack of sleep on the final night (surprisingly we were provided with really nice rooms on the final night of the trip). Anyway, Dr Peter Chen had to go and follow up with the reception and finally a semi-filled minivan came along.. and only half of us and half of our luggage could be uploaded. DUH. the driver said that he would come back for the other half of us.. so whilst waiting for another 20 mins, we slopped on MORE insect repellant and sat on our suitcases... Just when Grace Choy wanted to go to the toilet via the balcony door that Ben had left unlocked just in case.... the minivan came back..

We were all reunited at the airport check in queue which was crazy madness long. some of us went to the cafe to get breakfast and wait whilst some of us queued.. After about an hour we reached the counter.. only to realise that there were some problems with Hsien's and small Peter's passports as their Australia VISAs were in their old passports and therefore not updated on the database (or something like that).

Whilst we were waiting, we heard on the PA system that our flight had been postponed by an hour to 10 am instead.. That was probs quite expected, cos the check in queue was still so long... After an exorbitantly pricy brekkie, there was another announcement over the PA system.... That Nausori Airport was closed indefinately and all flights in and out of Suva were cancelled.

Wow... what a relieving news... We had been fortunate enough to catch the last flight out. Imagine if we had not, we would be stuck in Suva. Thanks to Dr Peter Chen for being decisive about just booking the internal flights.

More duty free shopping later, we found a quiet little spot to play our last game of Dai Di together on the mission trip (small Peter won every round!!)... The time came for us to board and when we were walking to the airplane, the rain started pouring down and the winds were so strong.. THE CYCLONE WAS BACK.. like it was stalking us.. GO AWAY!!!!!! duh...

And then.. more waiting.... on the plane.. which was stuffy and warm... with the rain pouring down outside.. there were some problems with the wait list which caused delays as they wanted to help everyone out of Fiji..then we had to wait for them to stock up on the drinking water in the plane... So, we only took off an hour later...RAHHHHHH

4 hours 22 mins later, we touched down!!! WOOTTTSSS we're back. Everything that the Fiji church memebers had given us successfully passed through immigration checks... when we were sitting in the arrival hall waiting for our transport back to church... we all just HAD to buy Maccas for a meal..... Woah... the taste.. MACCASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! we all gobbled everything down like super fast... yeah!! we can eat fruits and salads again!!!!!!!

So yah, the time came for us to all say goodbye to each other. Ben's mum was so relieved to have him back safe and sound.. but WAIT! there's more! he knows how to write his Chinese name now (thanks to Hu Die). hur hur hur...

And that was the end of the trip.. of course there's still more work to be done... the presentations on Sunday to the congregation..the reports for CCMA...the final calculations for our finances etc.

Just let us catch up on our beauty sleep first please...

*update: Peter Li slept at 8pm on the next 2 days that he came back till the next morning.
Oh our little Ben Ben had afternoon naps and evening naps for the next few days.
Hu Die fell sick a few days after she got back but thanks God that all of us were healthy during the 12 days in Fiji.
Hsien has done up a newsletter that will be distributed on Sunday. (I will also post a copy here on the blog)

Finally: Thanks to our amazing God who has brought us through these 12 days safe and sound. For letting us experience the cyclone and flood so we can see how fortunate we are in Sydney but bringing us safely out from Fiji. There are so many thanks that we would like to say to everyone else. who gave financially and prayed for us. We sincerely THANK YOU.