The Methodist Church conference should be a sign of a new beginning for all those affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston, says Ponipate Nawasarawa.

The Mataso villager from Ra is in Suva to attend the annual church conference.

His village was badly damaged by Cyclone Winston with more than 12 families left homeless.

Out of the 50 houses in his village, he said 12 were completely destroyed with others partly damaged.

Mr Nawasarawa said the cyclone didn’t spare their farms either.

“We have come to the conference to get spiritual motivation after what we went through during the cyclone.

“Just listening to the hymns from the various choirs and listening to the wonderful messages every night gives me a sense of peace,” Mr Nawasarawa.

He said devastation by the cyclone had psychologically scarred most villagers of Mataso.

“It was unbelievable how the strong winds took down our house. They were very frightening and we hope that this conference will help us recover,” Mr Nawasarawa.

He said that most villagers were still living in tents in Mataso.

“It’s a joy for us to be here especially after what we went through and we are looking forward to the rest of the programme for the rest of the week,” Mr Nawasarawa said.

The father of seven said it would be a new beginning for him when he returned to Mataso later this week.

“This is a sign of a new beginning for me and we want thank the church for their support for us members during the cyclone,” Mr Nawasarawa said.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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