Saturday November 8th- Adventures in Rabi

 Oh my goodness, Saturday was something else! (writing this Monday morning)

I stayed up late moving laundry and hanging it out. My mind was spinning about the logistics of getting to Rabi and if the boat would actually be there (you don't count on something happening until it actually happens) and thinking through what we would need for the day. The kids (except Annie- she's on the couch on the main level) are sleeping downstairs- you walk outside to the deck and down to access and since it was our first night and everyone crashed, I wondered if they would wake up disoriented and walk into the pool or what... It didn't help that there was a verrry loud Indian/Hindi party going until way after midnight- loud music and a someone talking constantly in the microphone. Anyhow, the bed and  home are comfortable but I only got a couple hours of sleep that night. 

We woke up at 5 to start gearing up to go.. We wanted to leave at 6:00 to meet the man at 8:00. (we had been told it was a 1.5 hour drive so we wanted to give ourselves 2 hours since every drive has taken a lot longer than anticipated.) Well the drive ended up taking 3 hours... We enjoyed the scenery and were pleasantly surprised that the roads were a lot better condition than we imagined they would be. But it was rainy and pot-holed... would the cars hold up? would the roads get worse, there could easily be a place with a washout, we could pop a tire- we only saw buses and 4x4 on the drive- but every car that came out direction gave us home that we would actually make it.

Getting to Karoko and finding the man with the boat felt like a a huge relief - we were actually going to Rabi! I think we were all smiling and laughing to ourselves that there was actually a boat, that the guy didn't give up waiting for us. We were also a little nervous about the water-- moderate rain at this point with low solid clouds and no sign of letting up. The boat driver, by the way, is Mr. Drona (sounds like Drowner)... humorously foreboding and were wondering if we should not take that and the weather as a sign. At what point is a crazy idea a not-good idea?? 

We're all smiles as we load the boat... The boys and Emily are in Keens and Tevas but the rest of us are in tennis shoes (Altras for the win). Any attempts to keep shoes dry are immediately ineffective and we consign ourselves to the fact that we will be absolutely drenched today but- hey- at least it's not chilly. 

Our bags are loaded in the center with a blue tarp over them, we take our seats- the boys in the bow, Jeff, Annie, Grandpa and I in the middle bench and Grandma, Emily and Katie in the back bench and the driver and his two young children in the very back. 

The rain stays steady as we made our way across the ocean- halfway through it intensifies to a driving rain- pelting us... visibility is low but we laugh and keep our eyes peeled for flying fish (a few people saw one).

After 30 minutes we pull up to shore in Rabi in an absolute downpour- we retrieve our belongings and wade ashore. Jeff is sure to verify with the driver that regardless of what happens, and whether or not he hears from us, be at the pier at 4:00pm to take us home- today.

We huddle under a tree, not sure what to do next- we've heard a few rolls of thunder. I turn to Jeff and tell him, "I think Rabi has something against you!" Immediately a flash of lightning and crack of thunder almost directly overhead. Oof! No one wants to get struck by lightning... (stating the obvious). We walk to the main road and nobody is out but we find someone and ask where the church is. "The blue building over there" We find said house and there is a porch to keep us out of the rain. We try the door and to our surprise it's unlocked. Inside it looks like a missionary flat that has been abandoned- books and a planner from 2023, dirty dishes still in the sink, a very dilapidated toilet. but hey, it's a place to stay out of the rain. We snoop around and imagine what it would be like to actually stay there as a missionary. It looks like it has been a few years since anyone lived there but we figure it's there for when the missionaries come for a few nights. At that point we think it's the church but it turns out the church is a different home nearby)

Jeff tries calling a few numbers on his phone while we drip dry and wonder what is next. It's still a steady rain... A mix of what are we all doing here and I can't believe we're here. 

Jeff and I and a few kids walk across the way to a shop to inquire about Tostera and _____ two people that he knows live on the island. The teenage girls working there are so shy, we can hardly get information out of them but piece together that one of them is Tostera's daughter and that we can find ______ two villages down- it's a long walk. 30 min to an hour. Not sure if we're going to walk but someone suggests we take a bus and helps us arrange for someone to come. A bus comes (a truck with metal frame and a tarp) and we load up... Jeff in the cab and the rest of us in the back. We end up sucking a lot of exhaust but it's a new experience. We pull up to the house and find _____ working out front. He and Jeff walk across the road to rouse Tostera who is sleeping. It's still raining and we visit on the porch for about an hour. The home has a shop in the front, his wife and children stay inside and we only see a few of the children. Everyone is so cheerful from a distance but also so shy in person. We learn that _____ dries coconut and Kava and takes it to the council every week for his income. He has a coconut dryer that he built- the only one on the island- that he uses when it's rainy. He dries about 5 bags of coconut or Kava root a week. Jeff inquires about the ward and reminisces and they laugh. He asks about different members he remembers and many have passed or moved away. We give gifts- ties, white shirts, a few t shirts and candy to his friends and matchbox cars and candy to the kids. The kids are shy. I play with two of the boys and show them how to pretend to drive their cars along a cardboard ramp and a long piece of corrugated metal there in the yard that makes an excellent raceway. A dog pees on Katie's skirt wrap... The dogs here looks so scraggly and have open wounds and flies on their ears. 

We wrap up our visit and make some calls to a number to ask for a bus. Eventually a work truck stops at the store and the very kind young Indian man offers us a ride back to ____. We all cram in the cab except for the boys and Jeff in the flatbed in the back. We converse and find out he's from Labasa and is here for a few months to work on the roads and will go to Taveuni next. He doesn't want payment but accepts some money. We go back to the missionary flat and use the restroom, decide by now it's about 2:00 and lets call it a day. It's still raining... If we leave soon we can make a lot of the drive before dark. 

We call Mr. Drona and he says the boat can be there in 45 min.  We sweep out the floor of the flat and walk through town out to the pier. 

The clouds have lifted slightly and it's only a drizzle now. The kids explore (they find all the hermit crabs- mostly tiny ones- they could ask for!). We can see the hillsides now and Jeff points out the home that used to be the church.  We stand on the shore where he remembers having baptisms and a branch picture- so many vibrant and happy memories. I think it sinks in to him that Rabi is different now- it's still small and quiet and remote by all means but there is a nice packed road, more cars and trucks and everyone has a solar panel on their home and there's cell service... on his mission there was one truck, one bus and one phone. It felt like the literal end of the earth. Many people have passed or moved... I think one of his fears was would it feel the same or would it feel different. It's both and that's okay. I ask him if he regrets coming or not- sometimes things are better as a memory- and he says are you kidding? His experience here was so unique and changed him to the core- I think visiting gives him a sense of reminiscent contentment and closure- that Rabi doesn't have to be the same - his memories are in their own, untouched place in his heart. His Rabi is still there.

The boat still hasn't arrived and we make another call-- the man assures us that his son has just left. Five or six boys have wandered over from town with a soccer ball and start to play in the small field where we are. Jonathan and Ben jump in the game- they do so seamlessly somehow they all know who is on what team and what direction they are going- the field is wet and slippery with puddles and it becomes a comedy of sliding and falls when kicking or trying to change directions. The boys are hilarious and having the best time, the laughter is contagious. They play for almost an hour as we wait for the boat.... finally we hear the boat arriving! 

The group of soccer boys follow us out further to the pier, one of them rips one haha and says something to blame it on Jeff. Laughter- boys will be boys! They wave goodbye as we load up and they continue out to the pier and jump off. We ask the driver if the boys can join them and Ben and Jonathan eagerly jump out and swim to shore. They jump off the pier and back into the boat. The soccer boys tell Ben and Jon to come back soon! Ben isn't sure how to reply. He loved being with those boys and says, "I wish I had a group friends like that at home!" An amazing memory to cap off the day. 

Only light rain on the boat ride back. I can't believe it rained. all. day. Before the trip Jeff told me the rain in Fiji only lasts an hour and then clears up. I'm giving him a bad time about this weather haha. A few of us see a flying fish on the way back. 

Our cars are still there and it's still daylight- we are all soaked. We make the drive home- divvy out the cookies and candy and granola that we still have in the car. Everyone has been such good sports and such good travelers all in all. There is a lot of waiting and standing and unknowns today and we had zero complaints or meltdowns. Emily has said multiple times that she feels like everything is not in her control- I said I agree! (she's a bit worried about dengue and germs) but she doesn't complain. I told her if she can handle this experience she can handle anywhere on her mission :) 

We make it back to our home in Savusavu in time to run to the grocery store and make sure we have food for Sunday. The Indian party was going strong again- it must be a wedding celebration or festival or something.