Love and compassion

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I often cringe when I see the brochures about Fiji because they paint this surreal picture of endless sand and smiling faces. In fact we don’t tell people we are going to Fiji very often because they inevitably say, “Ooh that will be lovely”. If they actually came with us they would be gobsmacked at the conditions we live in and those of our friends etc.

Sadly since the coups started there has become a growing selfishness in this nation. When you think about it every coup has at its core ” I don’t like what is happening so I am going to change it. Never mind that this will involve rebellion, corruption and law breaking, the very things I don’t like”.

SO now that we have an illegal government running as a self serving dictatorship this behaviour is starting to overflow into the community.

2 examples of that this week were

1. a Korean tour minibus that fell into a ravine. In front of the attending emergency services and police a group of young people started robbing the dead and dying passengers in the vehicle. They ran off with jewellery, handbags etc. and nobody even stopped them.

2. For the first time in all the years I have been coming here we were warned to not let Raewyn drive alone at night as she would not be safe. Considering where we are in Tavua, which is very poor but historically very safe, I couldn’t believe things were so bad.

And lastly from the “Be thankful for what you have and be glad you aren’t a Fijian local”, one of our friends is a full time pastor and his family lives on around $50 to $75 a week.

They have nothing but God looks after them and with help from friends like ourselves they pay their bills and never starve.

In the last 6 months their food bill has gone close to $!00 a week to feed them and their 3 kids. This is because things that they live on like rice, have doubled in price in 4 months.

A whole chicken that used to cost $2 or $3 is now ELEVEN DOLLARS. $11 is 3 days pay for many people here.

SO whilst we battle inflation in NZ realise that we are very blessed.

Our interest rates are tumbling, our economy is sound, our government is intelligent, educated and relatively honest.

Stay Safe ~ Dean Letfus @ www.MassiveAction.co.nz (coming to you from Tavua)