FIJIAN CONVENTION 2011
(Namaka, backyard of Bro. Tui's house)
23rd August – 1st
Sepember 2011
Report by Henry & Joyce
On the evening of 23rd
August, about 7pm, we landed on
schedule at Nadi International Airport to
a warm welcome from the Fijian brothers and
sisters. We checked into the Sandalwood Lodge,
the same lodge that Bro.
Richard stayed at each time he visited Fiji. After cleaning
up,
we had dinner at Bro. Tui's home.
The next morning, Bro Tui
came to bring us to his home for breakfast after which we drove to
Nadi Town and then to Lautoka Town for lunch there.
The
evening was spent with Bro. Tui and the brothers who had been there for the past several
days
to put up a structure, a simple "tabernacle", for the saints to
assemble. The "tabernacle" was constructed on the field just behind
Bro. Tui's house. The brothers were putting on the finishing touches to the structure as the convention was to
start the next day. Most of the materials
for the entire structure were
either free or on free loan. The huge effort put into building
the
structure was very evident, as there were palm leaves wrapping the pillars,
tarpaulin covered the mud floor and plastic wrapped the benches.
Getting
to know all the brothers and sisters was the easy part but to remember so
many names was something else. Though many have Biblical names, they are all in the Fijian
language.
Certain brothers and sisters had to make sure that there was enough food to feed all who came from different cities and islands to feast on the Word of God. A brother donated a young cow. Cooking was done just outside this "tabernacle" using large pots and pans. Tubers, such as cassava and yam, went by way of "lovo", the Fijian earthen oven.
The night was cool in the
low twenties while the day was sunny in the high twenties and the
humidity was low: perfect weather for a convention. It was also the period of two week
Fijian school holidays, making it possible for many
families with their many children – toddlers, preteens and teens, to all
come to the convention from the other islands.
With the only active Branhamism threat in Fiji gone, the true believers have been blessed and strengthened through the ministration of the Word of Truth.
The convention was four days
long, with two services
a day. The morning session started at
9.30am
and ended before 1pm. The evening session started at 3.30pm and ended by
7pm.
Even then, fellowship still continued after each session ended.
Most of the believers
would stay on just to sing and fellowship after they
had taken their meals.
Bro. Gan preached and
taught with the aid of charts. He taught on how God orchestrated His Own
ministry; taught on the two seedlines and how the serpent seed got over the
Flood. He also covered subjects such as the Second Coming of Christ,
the Tribulation Period, the Millenium,
the giving of tithes, supporting the ministry and the pastor of the church,
Christian dress code, and others. One important point he emphasized to
the congregation was the the importance of critical thinking when studying
the Word of God – how to sieve the
"information" that
came to us from preachers, books and the electronic media.
The Fijian brothers and
sisters just loved to sing all day long. There would be at least 5 groups or
single singer at each session coming out to sing.
On the seventh of the eight sessions, I went out to sing two songs, with one Fijian version of “It's no longer I that liveth”.
In the late afternoon, Bro Tui went off with some believers to the beach to water baptize four converts in the sea. It was a beautiful day, literally and spiritually, for these new believers.
The convention ended on Sunday, and the following day, God blessed us with a trip to a tiny but lovely private island. Some of the brothers and sisters came along and brought dinner with them.
On the
island I had a tremendously enjoyable night sky. I was awed just to behold the
Greatness of God through the immense universe
of stars by charting the constellation
on my iPad (using an application that
charts the planets and stars). How Great Is Our God!
This was one of my two wishes
that I prayed, for God to bless me on this trip. And He did. Amen.
The evening before our
departure (on the following early morning) we spent our time at Bro. Tui's.
Some of the brothers and sisters who had yet to go back to their hometown
gathered
to ask Bro. Gan questions. We ended up having another
teaching session going.
I estimated at least forty had gathered
to listen and to learn.
Bro. Gan promised the
Fijian saints that he would try to have one of the two African brothers
whom
he had in mind to visit them next year.
As this is the first convention trip for Joyce and myself, we have both been blessed by the
message taught and the warm loving hospitality of all the Fijian brothers
and sisters.
I had gotten to know and learn from some of the brothers, while Joyce had gotten to know the sisters as well as the little ones.
Bro. Gan had brought along only a dozen Bibles on this trip, to be co-paid with FJD$5 from those who desired a copy. Of course, it was not sufficient.
We had a
big sendoff at the airport the next morning. Just before we departed through
immigration, I sang the only song in Fijian I knew to let everybody
know that
we were
all together in Jesus Christ.
Bro. Richard Gan: This is my 5th trip to Fiji. It is wonderful to see that more believers have come out from under the spell and deception of the Nicolaitan spirit that had bound them for many many years prior to my receiving an invitation to visit Fiji from Bro. Aminiasi Tuidraki.
Religious falsehood had created much fear among many believers everywhere insomuch that they could not truly worship God in spirit and in truth. Under such a religious power, darkness prevails to put the weak under bondage. But the Light of God's Truth would set at liberty those who have an ear to hear and a heart to receive. Faith would overcome fear, somewhere, somehow.
I want to give our Lord the praise for a
miracle that took place during the flight from Sydney to Nadi. About half an
hour before boarding, I experienced a pain on the right side of my rib cage.
The pain increased when I boarded the plane. The pain radiated down the front
and back towards the pelvic area. Initially I thought that I was
experiencing the passage of a kidney stone. Having gone through one
experience some years before, the pain was not similar to what I had
experienced. There was a lot of tightness and pain around my pelvic
floor insomuch that I could not sit comfortably. I had to lean on one side,
sitting on only one side of my buttock. I was restless and kept getting up
to walk and to go
to the toilet because of the feeling that the bladder was
full. I took a painkiller (paracetamol) hoping that it would help. In the
toilet, I was just hanging in there (screaming out in silence) and praying.
Of course, my brother, Henry, and his wife were concerned and they were
praying for me, too.
My brother kept looking out for me whenever I got up to
go to the toilet.
The flight was almost 4 hours long. As the cabin crew prepared for landing, I took my seat. I sat down as comfortably as I could and breathed deeply. I kept praying, telling the Lord that I did not come to Fiji to find myself heading straight to a hospital for an injection or any such thing as medical treatment. Just as the plane was half an hour from landing, I felt a cool rushing wind came down from above down through my right side of the body down towards the pelvic area. The pain appeared to be pushed down and out away from me. The feeling was like nothing I have experienced. It seemed unreal. One moment the severe pain was there and the next it was flushed away! I turned and looked at my brother and smiled and said, "The pain's gone!"
This particular experience is one of a number of pains and afflictions which I encountered since I hit the apostolic road in 1981. Whatever the climate, the environment, the accommodation and the food be, the Lord saw me through. Not only His grace is sufficient, His healing hands are never too short to reach down to touch in the moment of needs. Glory to God and His Blessed Name be praised! Amen.