Captain's Log #35
July, 2003

REFUSAL
"No!"... the voice was commanding and clear and it came from an older man toward the side and back of the large group of people. As an elder in this 'Mataqali', all heads turned toward him. This gathering of this extended family group consisted of 13 complete families all tied closely together through common lineage.

"This cannot be allowed to happen!" he continued with deep conviction. His argument was convincing. Their traditions and customs could surely never be extricated from their very identity, they never had been. Who they were, and nothing short of that, was at stake.

CHANGE
Silence filled the meeting room. Slowly the patriarch of the people, the older leader of this entire 'Mataqali' addressed the man and the people; he began to speak... "Do you see this one to my side?... What has he ever brought to us before? I will tell you what he has brought. Drunkenness and trouble and fighting, when he left this village years ago he was without discipline and without hope... a violent life that took him directly to the prisons of Fiji... Now tell me who you see before you tonight... what has he brought to us today?" The room was silent, many heads remained bowed. "It is hard for us to even imagine what he was like before because this is not the same man. Nothing less than God is changing who he is - it is very obvious to every person in this room. Today he has brought to us One called Jesus - today we will listen to what he has to say because his changed life has earned that... and also because he is my son."

JESUS FILM
Eventually permission was granted to allow our JESUS Film Team in and on Tuesday night we showed the JESUS Film to 215 people who sat riveted to the screen as they watched and listened to the incredible story taken from the Gospel of Luke, about a God who's Love for a lost world took Him all the way to death on a Roman cross. As the presentation came to a close, the young man stood to his feet. "This is the message that I bring to you the people of my village... if you are willing to confess your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then this is the time to publicly do that." To his amazement 62 members of his own family boldly accepted Christ right then.

126 ACRES
The people called a meeting. Something very strange was decided. 126 Acres of land was set aside by the chief and 11 families made the decision to get serious about following God and so they decided to pull up their homes and move to this new 126 acre place as they planed out a whole new village community revolving now around the church represented by the chief's son who brought the JESUS Film. A home was given to the son of the chief and right in the middle of the land a place designated to build the 'Church of the Nazarene'. Now that's the way to start churches!

ONE CHIEF HEALED
Most likely it was a stroke that did it. The entire right side of his body was paralyzed and had been for some time. Last Sunday the old man was helped by his daughter to one of our churches way over on the west side of the large Fijian island of Viti Levu. The pastor felt led to pray for the man's healing and God healed him. Turns out the old man is a chief. Not from this island, but the island of Taveuni - that's the Fijian island that is split in half by the faint line on our charts with the number 180 on it. It is where someone, somewhere a long time ago, decided that the old day would end and the new day would start each day for the world. That's one of the islands the church hasn't been able to get to yet - we've been busy - and there's been no opening. Later the man wanted to talk to the pastor. "Come to my island. Bring your church. I will give you some land"...& can I tell you that the harvest is ripe, but the workers are not as few as they used to be! God is building his army of workers one by one... so far this year we have watched him start a new church each month in Fiji.

ONE HEART RESTARTED
For those of you who continue to pray for us and the work... thank you! Especially thank you for praying for our physical health and safety over this last month. Cindy had to have surgery that should not have been overly complicated. God provided a great surgeon here in Fiji to do the work. One problem. After they put her out for the surgery they administered an antibiotic that she reacted against and, according to the doctor... "her heart more or less shut down, Harmon"... as he was explaining this to me I waited for him to finish his sentence... "I was able to resuscitate her and stabilize her and she's fine", he said. "thank you", I said. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers and the other people who so often don't know all their praying for.

Our God Reigns,
Harmon

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