Captain's Log #2
October, 2000

GOD'S NOT DEAD!
No no no no - God's not dead - He is alive! God's not dead - He is alive! God's not dead - He is alive! I can feel Him all over me! Add a heavy accent, lot's of rhythm, clapping, creative motions and strong belief and you too can learn
a 'Fijian' hymn! Tonight a little nine year old boy stands and weeps to give his testimony of God's goodness. He kept trying to speak but the tears came faster than he could wipe them away. His mother was comforting him - She too was in tears. By now we were all in tears (and I didn't even know what the boy was saying). Seems the boy's heart was overflowing with praise to a very real God. For years he and his mom had tried to live out their faith as best as they could in the home of a father and husband who was viscous toward Christianity and the church. The Nazarene pastor and
his wife had nurtured his faith secretly for fear of the man's anger. "God has been good to us!" the little boy said, "My father is not with us - he has gone away... he has given his life to God and God has changed him forever. I have seen it! The reason he is not here is because he has taken the fishing boats to the island of Kadavo to start another Nazarene church there!" (seems he got tired of waiting for 'pastor' Harmon's boat to get here!) "He will be back when that church is going!"

NO NO NO NO - GOD'S NOT DEAD - HE IS ALIVE! OF TIRES AND DITCHES The D.S. got up at 4 AM yesterday to travel to a church that was in trouble, looked like it might be closed down. One of the tires on the vehicle was flat (this week he's already welded the muffler and door back on). He told me that he stood there in the dark and thanked God. "It was VERY hard, but I told God to tell Satan these things won't stop me!" Before the day was done he'd also spent an hour and a half with the vehicle in the ditch in deep mud. I want to ask you to especially pray for one man in particular this week.

The District Superintendent Pastor Aseri. He is a great man of God! He is a humble man whom God has chosen to lead the Nazarene church in Fiji during crucial times. If God prompts you to pray for him - would you drop whatever your doing right then and pray. Rest assured there is probably
much hanging in the balance. Church tonight at Namadi (pronounced Namandi) ended with a crowd around the altar, their hands lifted in praise and worship to a Holy God - and in the crowd the face of a nine year old boy was beaming! Don't tell him God is dead. Oh - and the church in trouble? They rallied to the call. Pledged to pull together. Committed to unite. Fight against Satan, see him defeated and grow like never before. You watch, they'll do it because they serve the God of the empty tomb! NO NO NO NO GOD'S NOT DEAD - HE IS ALIVE!

- the Schmelzenbach's

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