Stormzy

On today's agenda (apart from the Bishops signing a very important document which was basically the reason for this whole trip) were two activities which we kind of could have done with the unending sunshine we've had for the last two weeks.

Activity 1) A boat trip to the Island of Manukan
No sooner had we donned our lifejackets and jumped on board, we were hit by the mother of all tropical storms, meaning that by the time we reached the island we were a little soggy. It's the kind of place that looks dreamy and exotic if you hit it in the sunshine but doesn't quite have the same effect in the rain, especially when you're huddling under a tree, cradling your rucksack in the hope of keeping your camera dry. By the time we'd waited on the jetty to get the boat back we were 100% soaked through, starting to get cold and concerned about the prospect of having to go straight out for a formal dinner. Thankfully, our hosts were generous enough to drop us back at the hotel for a bit, even when we left wet patches all over their vehicle. 

Activty 2) Visiting the prayer centre at the top of Kokol hill
It's the longest drive I've ever taken up a hill and the views are supposed to be spectacular. Unfortunately the rain was at it's heaviest by the time we reached the summit and we could only see a few metres ahead. And I had to close my eyes and grip hard on the chair all the way down.

Not the most successful way to spend our last day. 

However, this evening we attended a confirmation service (my first, ever) and it was fanastic. It summed up the last two weeks for me in that it was an incredible mixture of being utterly hilarious, beautifully holy and full of the most wonderful people. I might have cried a little but I'll leave you to speculate about that.