Villagers from Kabara Island in the Lau group dedicated the past three months to preparing for their trip to the Methodist Church Conference held in Suva last week. Despite limited income opportunities, over 40 community members traveled for days to attend this significant national event.
The villagers plan to spend an additional two weeks in the capital visiting friends and family, taking advantage of the opportunity to stay longer in Viti Levu, as transportation to the Lau group can be challenging. The trip was supported by the village chiefs, who contributed $5,000 towards travel costs.
Chief Tui Lomati Mosese Kotobalavu highlighted that this journey is a yearly tradition for the Kabara villagers. “About 40 church members came on this trip, and we spent the last three months preparing seafood to sell at the conference, which we did and also earned good income,” he stated.
He emphasized the importance of this event, saying, “This is a very important event for us, especially making time to attend this church gathering and to hear more about the word of God. We will return home and share our experiences and messages from our church leaders with our families.”