The Joy Of Giving To Those Who Can Never Repay

Posted on by exploramum

The joy of giving to the kids

who are less fortunate than us

One of the joys of staying for a while in one place is that you become a traveler and get to know the locals, shop at the marketplaces, make friends with your neighbors, and other people visiting the area as we did in Savusavu, Fiji.

market

©Exploramum and Explorason – Making friends with the locals at the market

This is quite different from being a tourist – more so on a single parent travel adventure – or staying at a resort. Here we can give a lot away, and that is part of our random acts of kindness. It is something we believe every family can do during their family travel. It is a bonus advice we can give you as we slowly become luxury travel experts.

©Exploramum and Explorason – we help these two kids who are staying next door

There is a couple nearby that take in kids (the kids have no families left here to care for them). Sometimes the mother will remarry if the father dies, and the children are left with the grandparents, but if a grandparent dies, then the one left can’t look after them.

So this couple gives them somewhere to sleep and some food. So right now they have 9 kids in their home. Some come and go. Some can’t afford to go to school.

Fijian children

©Exploramum and Explorason – children are taken in by the pastor next door

(The boy on the right is about 11 and has never been to school. School is $16 AU a term and there are 3 terms in a year plus the need for uniforms. Notice he has girls sneakers and same clothes most day.

His Mum and Dad died and he lives with his Grandpa – or stays with the couple next door.
I would love it if anyone would like to sponsor his schooling (I can organize while I am here.)

I wish I could help them all – more on that in another blog as we know the joy of giving to strangers or random acts of kindness.

We often go in with lollies/candy, crisps, & chocolate chip cookies etc. Sometimes we give eggs, fruit or vegetables we might have bought, and have extra of.

sharing

©Exploramum and Explorason – sharing with other Fijian children

(My son gives this boy a lollipop).
We also give clothes, books, toys, underwear, shoes, costume jewelry, toiletries, etc. and often buy the kids ice-blocks on the way home from school. They are happy with so little, but it is nice to be able to bless them and the joy of giving gives a depth to our soul.

Yesterday I felt like the Pied Piper. I noticed as we walked home from school, that I have an entourage of little blue-shirted boys walking with us. So I pop into the small store and buy them all an ice-block. At ten cents each Australian, it is one of the cheapest little delights of the day.

Fijian store

©Exploramum and Explorason – local Fijian store

Often my son goes in and just plays with the kids next door, and they all swim in the beach, and they all love him, and call him to play anytime we walk past.

children

©Exploramum and Explorason – Explorason plays with the children we help

Sometimes they squeal as he brings out a toy to play with – it might be a frisbee – but the time that is shared is great too.

They are happy with so little. I noticed yesterday afternoon as we attempted to walk home from school that we were actually stopped so many times. As we walked closer to our ‘home’, more neighbors would call “come”, or “small one” to my (seven-year-old) son and raise their eyebrows, which is a ‘yes’ here. We must have stopped in at about seven places, and declined on a couple too, that we barely got in much before dark – it took nearly three hours, to do two-kilometer walk!  I have never felt so happy in such a short space of time.

I wake and the first thing I see is the tranquil Koro Sea, and the palm trees. As I gaze across the ocean I wonder where my life will venture to?

ocean

©Exploramum and Explorason – the beautiful ocean out the front of our home

This is just the start of a journey and we have so much more to see. But for now this is a peaceful and happy paradise, and I am rested and very, very content.

Questions and Comments

  • What is your definition of happiness?
  • Share your thoughts and comments with us below.
Fijian boat

©Exploramum and Explorason – Fijian boat

The joy of giving is really what is making our adventure worthwhile, even if it just means touching a few lives in a small way.  Later we do a fundraiser and use the joy of giving with the help of our friends to help a village.