During the last two months the homes of ethnic Indians in Fiji have been stoned, looted and burned by thugs. Families have had to flee into the bush at night for their own safety. There is little law and order here.
All this could lead to a civil war if things are not settled soon. In spite of such problems, as missionaries we have to be positive that God is in control. He is sovereign and will continue to add precious souls to his church.
New opportunities
Recently we have seen a few new faces in our church on Sunday morning. Most of these are from the village of Veisaru. We have been visiting that particular village for a long time and have faced stiff resistance from its people, but now, slowly, they are opening up to the gospel.
The witch-doctor, who was opposed to us, now sends his son and daughter to the morning service, and others do the same. We praise God for this development. Our desire is to see such parents come to hear the Word but, since it is cane-harvesting season, many adults are working in the cane fields.
The numbers attending the morning service have decreased overall, because of the coup, which has affected every one of us. Many have lost their jobs, and poverty is increasing. I am preaching from the Book of Exodus, reminding our people that we have a faithful God who cares for his people.
Recently, the head of the native Fijian village of Tabataba, about 14 km from our town, invited us to take the evening service there. So we went with our group to share the Word. We were well received and I had the privilege of preaching to about 120 indigenous Fijians and their families. So we do see the hand of God at work. Most of these natives are Methodists, but nominal ones.
Prayer and preaching
We continue to have prayer meetings in the two villages, regardless of the risk. We try to finish them by 7.00 p.m. because it is not safe to drive in the evenings. We see a good response to these, and once cane-harvesting is over more people should join us.
We are studying the topic, ‘What is worldliness, and how does it affect us?’ Everyone participates in discussion and ample time is given to prayer.
Besides these prayer meetings there are two Sunday afternoon preaching meetings. One is in Malele and the other in Benai. Each Sunday we go and share the Word with these people, and slowly they are growing in grace. But more Bible teaching is needed in these two centres
