Appreciation

A few of my JVC volunteer friends from Weno came to our church on Fefan this last weekend and they got to see some of my home island. Charles’ mom from America was also visiting and came along. Their short visit and cheerful reactions that followed had a powerful impact on me.

They were taken aback by how amazing my community was. All them continuously commented how happy everybody looked and excited all the little children were. The atmosphere of friendliness and relaxation was in stark contrast to what they are used to on the grimy streets of Weno. Small kids giggled as they skipped past, and old men wandered over to shake their hands. I have come to accept this as normal behavior because I am surrounded by it all the time, but I forgot that this is truly special. The outward generosity and happiness of my island folk is pretty special.

The other thing that they were awed by was the overabundance of tropical plants. Fefan is famous for being fertile and every corner is spilling over with vines and leaves. Charles’ mother was especially impressed and said many times, “Oh this is wonderful! This is what I was hoping the islands would be like”.

Their hour long tour of my community made me appreciate my home much more. All of the things that impressed so much in the beginning of my service have now become commonplace, but reminders like this are necessary to make me realize that I am living in paradise.