Thursday began at 6.25am with Helene asking if I was awake, and saying prayers started in 5 minutes. I staggered out from under the mosquito net, and sown the steps to the church, where I sat listening to Fr. Hudson and others pray Morning Prayer. Because the English has been simplified, initially by Charles Fox, I couldn’t join in. And there were no books. But that was fine, sitting, in quiet, joining the prayers in spirit.
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| Charles Fox's house, where we stayed the night |
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Then coffee up at our hosts house, before we went down to Charles Fox hut at the beach. This was where we had breakfast. And while there Charles talked about some of the miracles that occurred there, dancing crab shells, the stick he banged against the water tank when rain was needed, and it always rained. The rat that went to fetch something for him he had dropped. He seems to have a very Franciscan spirit. Charles talk us that Dr. Fox first lived in this hut, and then moved up into the house we had slept in, which is now being used by Fr. Stephen while he waits for Fr. Sam to retire.
Then Charles showed us around the village of Taronaira. First he took us to the new Fox memorial cross which Charles was instrumental in erecting on the point where Fox erected a cross. In part the cross was put there by Fox as a pointer to the spirits of the dead who came there to point them to their true resting place. In part it was put there showed Christ’s dominance over hammer head sharks and tricky currents after 3pm. When at Taronaira Fox came up here every day at 4am to pray. Charles said this was the heart of Fox’s spirituality, and what allowed him to do all that he did.
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| Fox Memorial Cross |
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Charles has built a concrete cross with sand from both Malaita and Guadalcanal as a sign of reconciliation. They also built and altar with stones in it from Aotearoa- New Zealand, and all the dioceses from Church of Melanesia. The NZ stone was given to him at Convocation in Matamata and had a tau cross painted on it, which you can just see. His vision for the place is that it will be a place of prayer and quiet reflection for those needing such a space. It will be a place where people can learn to pray as Fox did.
Charles also showed us around the village, and through the slipways and new enterprise checking, certifying and repairing life rafts. Charles came to Taronaira to reinvigorate the place. It had lost a lot of its reason to exist. It was only servicing the Southern Cross, the mission ship for COM, and could no longer afford to do that. So through building up the slipway business and starting new enterprises the hope it will re-invigorate Taronaira and become a heart of mission again. A grand vision.
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| slipway at Taronaira |
After our tour, and lunch back at our hosts, we went down to the beach at St. Clare’s to wait for ht ferry. We talked with Fr. Stephen about his hopes for St. Clare’s and wondered if Franciscan Aid might be able to help. Then we went on our last plastic boat trip and met the ferry where we were hauled up the back on board and set off back to Honiara.
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| Fox Memorial Hut |
When we arrived there, there were no docks as there was a cyclone warning out, so all the ferries to Makira and Ysable were still docked. We manoeuvred between a few ships and tied up next to another boat and unloaded over the side onto the ship, and then off that ship over the side onto the wharf. Not a gang plank to be seen. A reasonable swell made the whole enterprise very interesting!!!!! After a stiff coffee or two, we arrived back at our refuge of St. Agnes Rest house, where we showered away two days of salt and found clean salt free clothes. Dinner that night was with the brothers, which was really nice. Jimmy and I went off for a quite beer afterwards which was very nice. A good chance just to chat
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