The Fiji Boat Project - Captain's Log 51

Much has happened since sending out Captain’s Log #50 some time back. I returned to Fiji within a week of the overthrow of the government here and then with Cindy and the kids still in Australia, I went on to visit our work in the Solomon and Vanuatu Islands. I brought Cindy, Danielle and Quinton back into Fiji on Christmas Eve and life has gone on through the roadblocks.

If you do not receive prayer requests and updates from George and Nancy Miller, our missionaries in the Solomon Islands… then you surely need to get in touch with them at george_nancy@reachone.com and get on their mailing list.

The Solomon Islands are to the north and west of Fiji and the Millers are amazing missionaries whom God is using to push back the kingdom of darkness across that part of the South Pacific. The stories of George’s travels and challenges, as he reaches remote island places, will make you stop and pray for him.

During the time that I spent with George and Nancy, the story of the conversion of one of the JESUS Film Leaders and church planters, amazed me. As we were discussing the maritime challenges facing a man by the name of Moffat, who consistently risks life and limb crossing a fair piece of open Pacific Ocean, George related Moffat’s conversion to me. It seems that Moffat was a godless man who somehow got his hands on an old Nazarene missionary book. While reading this book, way out in the bush, all by himself… God spoke to his heart and Moffat was radically converted all alone out there. The missionary book happened to be the story of my own great-grandfather and his life’s work in Africa. I look forward to meeting Moffat one day as we obviously have more than a common heritage.

Pray for the Millers in the Solomon Islands and pray for men like Moffat – who face the enemy as we speak. Pray also for the Millers as they face the effects of the Tsunami that just hit their islands and has claimed many lives and devastated thousands more.

Peter and Jenny Isaac are Papua New Guineans. This great family is our first national South Pacific missionaries to the islands of Vanuatu 600 nautical miles to the west of where we live in Fiji. Peter and Jenny were both teachers at our Bible School in Papua New Guinea when God finally brought about the fulfillment of the calling on their lives to be missionaries. They left their families and homeland and traveled to the distant islands of Vanuatu.

As I stayed in their home and listened to the stories of their lives over the last six months since my previous trip there when they first arrived, I was drawn into the burden and passion that this man and woman of God carry for the lost across this part of the world. Even though their tenure is only half a year at this point – the stories of God’s activity seem endless. Please pray for the Isaacs and also the Potters as they return from furlough to that island nation. These people are serious about the Kingdom.

Often I am asked what our work involves these days and what the FIJIBoat Project is doing. When we first became missionaries, it was on ‘special assignment’ as a ‘merchant marine officer’. The initial mandate for us from the church, was to launch a ministry in the South Pacific, that specifically targeted the challenges offered by the Pacific Ocean. I remember in some of our pre-deployment training it was clearly communicated that to be effective missionaries we would need to be able to adapt, be innovative and be flexible. This has certainly been true. Here’s a quick overview.

The year 1999 saw Nazarene Maritime Ministries and the FIJIBoat Project actually begin to take shape in tangible form. What began as a growing vision in the heart of James Johnson as he entered his 15th year of mission work in the South Pacific, now started coming together as names such as Bustle, Helstrom, Welch and many, many others of you joined with us at the outset by faith in launching out into totally uncharted waters. The question was simple, but profound. At the dawn of this new millennium, how do we help to meet the real challenges faced by an expanding mission work across the greatest expanse of water known to man – the Pacific Ocean?

Charlie Hail, a former pastor of mine used to tease me about always using the word ‘incredible,’ but even Charlie would say that these last seven years have been incredible!

Amazingly, with designated giving alone, over these last seven years to date, this project and ministry has remained at all times ‘in the black’ and has seen the motor vessels Galilean, Galilean2, and Galilean3 purchased, built, equipped and travel over 27,000 nautical miles of South Pacific waters. God has used NMM and the FIJIBoat Project to transport a total of 1381 pastors, JESUS Film Team members, government officials, Work & Witness teams, missionaries, church people and villagers as we have moved many hundreds of metric tons of cargo, building material, hospital equipment and disaster relief supplies in a total now of 452 logged ocean voyages to date.

But God has and is now using this ministry way beyond the Republic of Fiji Islands and way beyond a boat or two. Our prayer from the beginning was always to remain open to however God would lead; to remain innovative and passionate about keeping the main thing the main thing. The main thing is whatever the King of this Kingdom calls us to as He builds His Eternal Kingdom across this watery part of the world. Today Nazarene Maritime Ministries has been actively involved right the way across both the South Pacific Field and also the Melanesia Field to the west.

The vision that God has given us has been to help in meeting whatever the real challenges are, of mission work across these South Seas. Many times that has been to help with funding whatever ways work best to transport ministers and church people who live and work from island to island.

Our Log books now show that 452 times to date that has meant actually taking them in our own boats. But in addition to that, sometimes it has meant paying for passage on cargo ships or on ferries or village boats or (if there was a runway somewhere on that island) getting people to places by airplane. But there’s more. Whether it’s high tech CO2 Life Jackets for our missionaries in the Solomon Islands or a 23 foot boat and motor to navigate the most primitive interior of Papua New Guinea, the borders of NMM keep expanding further and further, even to the point of working innovatively to partner with one of our great Bible Schools in meeting a crucial gap in funding needs as they disciple and equip our upcoming generation of Kingdom workers across the South Pacific as this work keeps expanding. What an awesome privilege it has been to watch things unfold and actually be able to be a part.

The last four days here in Fiji, we have had monsoon type blowing wind and torrential rain. The flooding has been devastating, especially toward the northern parts of these islands. Countless families homeless. Millions in damages. Entire villages gone. The effect on the surrounding ocean conditions has been obvious. The marine weather report this morning reads… ‘rough to very rough seas’.

Seven years of this work, reading these reports, tells me that when the Fiji Meteorological marine weather report reads ‘rough to very rough seas’… that is an understatement. Actually reality out there past the harbor entrance an hour or two… is really nasty. Dangerously so. You and I would not say ‘rough to very rough’ if we were out there, we would say ‘this storm is going to take us down’. No place for a 32 foot vessel – safety is always highest priority.

What do we do? The District Assembly and the delegation I was to pick up way out there, needs to be on this island, not that one. Eventually last night and this morning, we coordinate what will end up being a total of six vessel voyages to accomplish the task. Two smaller boats already out in that island group doing four trips many hours long within the sheltered waters inside the barrier reef and then passageway on a large cargo ship that has no problem with these ocean conditions and that happens to be dropping off cargo at a place we should be able to get our people to if we work on it.

For each of you who are also a part of all this, we thank you again for trusting us with the kind of partnership that meets real needs out here where the ‘rubber hits the road’… or where we find no roads… the ‘prop hits the water’ and we accelerate towards the next horizon.

GALILEAN PLANK HOLDERS...
Our prayer partners now number well over 1000! Please use these "Captain's Log" Reports to stay up-to-date on prayer requests and answers. Write harmon@fijiboat.org to join this vital prayer partnership! May God bless you for your faithfulness!

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 >>