Winter in Fiji (sigh)

After squashing five days of work into three last week, I was ready to kick back and relax in the last week of term.  Ha!  Last-minute preparations for Nick going to Fiji, end-of-term stress for the teachers, and getting everything done in four days was the reality.  On Sunday after the pm service we gathered at the Kempf home for pasta and soup so that Nick could meet with the Fiji Missions Trip 2012 Team - ie Erinmarie, Dannica, Jesse and Sam.  This has been in the planning for a long time, and on Friday they will be off for nine days.  Seems like there were still a lot of things needing doing! It was decided that I would accompany the five of them to the airport in the Phillips's bus - I volunteered as I was needing to get to a violin shop in Christchurch and this was a good time to do it.  The whirlwind week of hecticness reached its climax and end on Friday morning at 9.15 am as we drove away - bags all packed, passports in place and everything done.  Phew! Please pray for them as they are in Fiji from 29 June to 9 July, ministering in and to the church and community in Ba alongside Rev Vijay.

Did just a quick drop-off at the airport, then got out my trusty iPhone map to get across town to Antonio's Strings.  The shop is in a building of office suites in a closed-off "no thoroughfare, no public access" street next to a lot of earthquake damage and repair sites and heavy machinery.  Found parking and spent the next hour surrounded by a vast multitude of violins and every kind of accessory available.  Had my violin valued and restrung; while they were busy with it in the quiet workshop a magnitude 4.0 earthquake rumbled through the building - window panes rattled, the building itself shook - it felt big and I wondered if I should be seeking shelter.  No one else did though so I kept my little nerves quietly contained!  Of course in Christchurch they are so used to those frequent shakes that no one worries any more.  During the day I had been in contact with Mrs Rentoul who was in Christchurch with a small group of our school kids on a Young Leaders' Conference.  The school van had broken down and it looked like they might struggle getting back to Timaru.  I met up with them at 3 pm at Middleton Grange, accompanied Bethany to the mechanic where we waited for about an hour for the bus to be fixed.  Fortunately it was all sorted but I drove back to Timaru behind them in case anything went amiss.  Tuckered out when I got to the Phillipses at 6 pm to return the bus and collect Aaron, and nearly fainting with hunger - they kindly fed me before letting me collect Caleb from the Tuckers and go home.