We arose just after 4am to join the youth group from the Suva Cathedral for the breakfast ministry to the homeless on the streets on Suva.

The homeless get off the streets before sunrise, so it was a rush to meet them before they vanished. Yet it was a shock to see so many young people hanging around the streets. The night clubs had closed at 3am, but Suva’s youth were still mingling around, in the dark, watching the team set off for the city streets and parks. Homeless people with their cardboard for mattresses, shopping bags over their feet for socks, and jerseys over their head for privacy were familiar sights. The team offered sandwiches and hot tea to everyone they came across, sometimes they wanted prayer and it was a privilege to pray for them. In very courteous English they would reply with ‘thank you very much’ for the kindness bestowed upon them. The homeless were appreciative and the night clubbing youth looked lost and aimless. Another culture shock.