Captain's Log #30
December, 2002

FIRE AT 1000 KM/HR!!
Exhausted, my mind recalled that a long time ago as a child in Africa, I had decided that airplanes were not good places to rest - especially on flights over 10 hours. It was now 2am. This was just the other day. Everyone else was asleep it seemed. I figured that I was quite a few miles above earth and that I had quite a few hours to go before reaching the 300 tiny dots of land called Fiji in this 747. Could I sleep? no. Then one of the passengers decided to start a small fire on board...   oh yes they did. You know, I hear about people who hardly ever have anything 'interesting' happen in their lives and I wonder "how do they do it?" Where are these people when this stuff is happening to me? Some think I make these things up...  how could I make this stuff up? Truth is I don't even tell you guys a lot

Fiji Boat Calander

of the stuff...   Like the other night back on the main island of Viti Levu when the Chinese man scrambled, shaking and distraught up onto the back of the mv/Galilean. He dove past me down onto the rear deck, spoke not one word of English or any of the African languages I tried on him. He just kept rattling off Chinese (which I don't speak that well) and taking his finger he kept writing 911 on the deck. Obviously he was trying to get away from someone, probably those who had beat him up. He was scared,  really scared, then suddenly..... no - sorry - never mind... that's not the story I was telling.

FIRE AGAIN!!
Anyway back to the fire on the airplane. By now it was into the wiring and messing up the electrical systems which evidently is not a good thing, judging by the attitude of the people wearing uniforms, earnestly going back and forth past me. Well they got it all put out and we landed just fine a few hours later...   point being,  THANK YOU FOR PRAYING! Even when most of you who pray for us do not know the specifics we might be facing at the time, God certainly does and those prayers move His hands. Thank you!

KADAVU
We just returned yesterday from the other side of the island of Kadavu. This trip included taking and introducing Dr. Bartle, the DS for this district, to what God has been about there. We left at 4 in the morning and once more this would not be an eventless trip. Some time after dawn, about the time I was showing Dr. Bartle how the depth guage didn't work any more because the water was now a little over 6,600 feet deep, the exhaust on the starboard engine blew. What this means is that at that point the Pacific Ocean was aggressively being pumped into the engine room along with all the exhaust. This is not a desirable thing so I shut that engine down and we finished the trip on 1 engine. The next day was spent jury rigging a patch repair using a piece of pipe and half of an old tire, which are not plentiful in places that have no roads or vehicles.

PREACHING WET
Sunday was a great day of celebration and worship and feasting with the many people who have been impacted by this Kingdom work on this island, as Dr. Bartle preached twice. Between those two times we returned out to the mv/Galilean for 'rest'. Dr. Bartle managed to get drenched in the choppy seas so that he could dry off on the boat, put on  some of his last clean, dry cloths and 30 minutes later, climb right back into the tender for the return trip the same way in order to be soaking wet to preach in the evening service. Throughout this day,  God didn't seem to mind these things as the people's response to Him was overwhelming. On the way to show Dr. Bartle through the village, we passed through the barricade that had been built to stop the village people from coming to this 'Church of the Nazarene'...   this day was a great evidence of how much this barricade had failed! It will take more than barricades made by man to stop this Kingdom being build by God!

WET AGAIN
Storm conditions postponed our return trip from Kadavu and we found ourselves the next day in our open coastal boat, with the pastor, navigating the reefs to get up the coast. I warned Dr. Bartle that he might get 'a little damp' and an hour into the trip...   as the 'somewhat rough' water conditions created by the storm were sending wave after wave, more or less over us...   Dr. Bartle turned to me and yelling, so that I could hear him...  he sputtered through the water and said; "Harmon, whatever I have done to upset you, I AM SORRY,  PLEASE FORGIVE ME, JUST LET ME GO HOME!!"  To which I said that I forgave him and to please let me go home with him...   to which he said; "NO, NO, NO - YOU STAY AWAY FROM ME!"   Dr. Bartle is a great sport, as I am sure 30 years of being a missionary in Papua New Guinea requires, and God uses that.

The FIJIBoat Project - Phase 2
(I'm making this phase thing up as we go)
For some time now, we have prayed for and looked, with excitement toward the day we could possibly add a chase/work boat to the ministry here. Thanks to you who are partnering with us, that is now fast becoming a reality! We currently have under construction, right here in Fiji, a commercial quality, 32 foot boat that is custom designed to meet very directly many of the specific needs and deal with the conditions that we are now becoming very familiar with. This boat is being built out of metal and built tuff and will be capable of carrying construction material and ministry people to the outer islands, safely, in relatively rough ocean conditions (which we seem to find ourselves in the midst of, a whole lot!). This boat should really change the dynamics of how we do what we do as we move onward and outward through what, at times is a very steep learning curve on this ocean!

ENGINES
Right now we are praying about and praying for the engines to install in this boat. Pray for us as we desire to do exactly what God knows would be the best for His Kingdom work in each of these decisions. Pray for us also as this is another  leap of faith! But we are finding this faith is worth living by! What an awesome God, to trust none other than us...   you and me...   with His eternal Kingdom work...   by faith!! Not only here in the South Pacific, but around the world. He is trusting us to take Him all the way to the very last person of this world that so desperately needs Him!!  What a God to believe so much in us and in the transforming work that He is doing in us...  to trust us with it all!! Not a fancy program! No business plan that it all hangs on here! Just you and me! If that doesn't keep us humble then nothing will. What a great privilege, what an awesome God!

For the souls of the South Pacific,

Harmon

Be sure to visit our NEW web site at http://www.fijiboat.org
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The FIJIBoat Project / Nazarene Maritime Ministries is completely funded by designated donations and is a "10% Special Project" approved by the World Mission Division, Church of the Nazarene.

A Big Thank-you to those of you who support Nazarene Maritime Ministries regularly! To be a part of this ongoing ministry you can send support to:
FIJIBoat Project / Activity Fund ID # AFS 1219
General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64131
or you can now contribute online >>

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