Tavua

On Saturday we decided to go to the other side of the island to check out Latoka, Ba, and Tavua. These places were hard-hit by the flooding in January and we heard that there is a lot of need on that side of the island. We started at 7:30 am and took a 4-hour bus ride to Nadi, we were then met by an Indo-Fijian man named Prakesh. Prakesh is a contact of our friend in Suva, Peter Lee, and agreed to drive us to the three sights we wanted to check out. We then spent the next 4 hours in a hot sticky car driving from location to location. We got out periodically to meet with potential partners and survey the area. Nothing jumped out until we got to Tavua. It is a beautiful town nestled between mountains and sea, with florescent green jungle outlining its edges. Tavua is small and surrounded by villages within walking distance. We met with an LDS bishop and his wife and explained the purpose of HELP. Then, David asked about different needs in the community. The bishop’s wife asked to speak and began detailing projects that fit so perfectly into what HELP is trying to do, that I got visibly giddy. Her and I spoke excitedly about possibilities to help in Tavua. We went on to discuss logistical matters with the larger group and as we stepped into the car, David and I were sold. I probably shouldn’t write that in my blog, especially since we they are a million different factors we have to look into and weigh before we make a final decision, but the reality of that moment was that I thought Tavua would be perfect.