Walking to Nabutautau in Fiji

Reading today’s gospel from Mark 6:7-13 reminded me of the walk to Nabutautau, Fiji. In the gospel Jesus advises his Twelve apostles, as he prepared them for their first missionary journey around the local villages, to take nothing for the journey except a staff. They were not even allowed to take a “spare tunic”! Shortly after I completed my formal Fijian language course, the archbishop of Suva at the time, Archbishop Petero Mataca, invited Frank Hoare and me to accompany him on the journey to the famous village of Nabutautau. Frank and I had been studying Fijian together. The journey took 10 days. We made our way up the Wainimala river, staying at each village along the way. After resting for a day at Nasauvere, we climbed over the Nadrau plateau which took us over the Sigatoka valley, a journey of two days. We slept on the mountain and crossed over the heart of Viti Levu. We were also following the journey of Mr Thomas Baker, an English Methodist missionary who was killed in Nabutautau. It was quite a journey. There are many things I still remember about this trek. But I recall carrying little with us. If we needed anything, the villagers provided. We were well fed along the way and, if we needed some clean clothing, it would be provided. It was a great way to complete my formal language learning course because it enabled me to learn a lot more, including how to get by with so little and yet be provided with so much. Still, it reminds of many today who are forced to get by with so little and end up on the street or in refugee camps relying upon the little that charities or kind passers-by can provide.