Captain's Log #40
May, 2004

SWIMMING 5 KM IN A FLOOD
"This is where the police tried to stop me!" the voice of Marika got my attention from the seat behind me as we drove along the road in our 4 wheel drive. "I told them they would not stop me; I would get to my wife and daughter and I went past them and dove into the river (this was the Navua river in full flood!) "There was another man with me who also was trying to get to his family, but he didn't make it, he was swept away and later I found out he was able to grab hold of an overhanging branch further down the river and somehow keep himself from being swept out to sea."

These kinds of conversations out here never cease to amaze me as they usually happen in such a casual tone. I turned around and asked Marika if he got all the way to his wife's village. By now I had figured out, that would have required him to swim about 5 km through raging flood waters which usually is a good way to die.

"Yes I got to her - when I got to the water I said to the Jesus; 'FOLLOW ME!' My wife and daughter had climbed to the top story of the community center at the village because by now the whole village was completely under water. She told me that when they first saw me swimming up toward them at the upper story where they were trapped, they thought I was a cow because all they could see was my head!"

[Please pray for Marika and his family, he is a Fijian mechanic who has helped us with routine maintenance on our outboard engines for a number of years]
 
SUBMURGING A NAZARENE CHURCH
As I write this it is pouring rain outside like it only seems to be able to here in the South Pacific's torrential downpour! Overall though, the situation has changed significantly in relation to the floods on this island that hit us as I wrote the last report. At this point 19 people are dead or still missing from the flood on this island of Viti Levu. The Church of the Nazarene in the town of Navua, to our East ended up under water but all 68 members of the church are accounted for. All of their homes were flooded.
 
'NMM' RESPONDING
In responding to the disaster, Nazarene Maritime Ministries was at the right place at the right time and has been helping with the delivery of tons of flour, rice, oil, sugar, tea, salt, powdered milk, and more as well as basic medicines. What we are able to do is only because of the way you respond and enable us to help. The NCM office out of Manila quickly committed that they would also help together with the South Pacific Field. Then from across the Nazarene district of Fiji, people who themselves were devastated by the floods began stepping forward and we watched as many, many Fijians started collecting food and clothes. They put together 'work days' to help others around them whose lives had been destroyed - this is Christ's church in action, the living out of what matters to our Lord.
 
WHAT 60 FEET OF WATER DOES
'NMM' took 3 boats and navigated a long ways up the Navua river toward the interior of the Fijian island of Viti Levu to get to the village of Nuku. Ultimately we were only able to reach it with 2 of the 3 boats, having to leave 1 of the boats 7 nautical miles short of the village. We had received reports that this village was very difficult to reach and needed help. At this place, during the height of the flood, the water rose more than 60 feet above it's normal level and in so doing took the coarse of an old riverbed. With the crashing, violent flood waters rising now on both sides and all around them, the village itself was turned into a tiny island that was decreasing in size with every minute, cut off completely from the outside world.

A VILLAGE SPARED
Literally another few feet would have wiped the village off the face of the earth. Miraculously it was right at the last minute that the flood waters stopped rising and eventually began receding. What they did loose was all their crops and gardens now covered in mud and the 19 families were in trouble when we got there. There is no way to describe how it feels to be able to actually help in the midst of disasters like this. Thank you for allowing us on your behalf to do exactly that in presenting this village with over 1,300 pounds of basic food, at a critical time, in the name of Christ. As we left, we left behind one of our churchmen to work with them through the days that followed as the people seemed amazed that no-one from their village had died.
 
AFRICA - 1928
In 1928 my great grandfather spoke to the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene and told the story of floodwaters that came crashing down a valley towards an African village. These raging waters also took an old riverbed, cutting off the village and turning it into an island. Throughout the night the violent waters kept rising as the screams of the villagers could be heard from shore and all attempts to reach them failed. By morning the entire village and all it's people were gone.

He saw in this story something similar to what we do as we work hard to reach those lost in the raging oceans of sin and darkness. Here and there a lifeline is secured; here and there a lighthouse is established on shore; here and there a life boat makes it across. But time is short and our message to those out there in the darkness of sin's night is "Hold on!! - Don't give up!! - We'll do everything in our power to get to you before it's too late! - We have the answer and the only hope that there is: His name is Jesus!"

From these waters,

Harmon

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