Australians intervened in the Solomon Islands in 2003, ‘to help a friend’ at the request of their government. God is already intervening with revival there in the Western District as well as in many churches in Honiara, the capital.
A team of 15 from Pentecost Island in Vanuatu joined with an international team from COC Bible College in Brisbane (students from Holland, England, Korea and China) with Geoff Waugh in the Solomon Islands for four weeks.
We spoke in many churches and youth groups in Honiara, the capital, visited the prison for an afternoon with the inmates, and the team also visited Parliament House and prayed there as guests of the Speaker of Parliament, Sir Peter Kenilorea (who was the first Prime Minister after independence in 1984).
The Pentecost team had a really good week in the mountain villages, and introduced the others to village life, including washing in the river, sleeping on the floor, and eating lots of taro, yam and sweet potatoes.
Many youths there are involved in revival there since July 2006 when the Spirit moved on the Christian High School at the night chapel on 10 July, the first night back after their vacation. Many had visions, revelations, spoke in tongues and were repenting deeply. Since then they have visited many villages sharing the good news and praying for people.
Gideon Tuke, a United Church minister hosted us. Grant Shaw (a Bible College student who grew up with missionary parents in China, and was on staff at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and in John Arnott’s core group) joined Geoff Waugh for ministry on Gideon’s some Island, Simbo in the Western Province – a 90 minute flight and two hour outboard canoe trip.
Simbo is the nicest island we have seen, even better than Pentecost which is more rugged. It's picture postcard everywhere. We had great meetings each morning and night in three villages, so slept in one, and at Gideon's place for the others - all in close walking distance. We prayed for many sick people, and lots of pain disappeared. They took us for a one hour canoe (outboard) trip up the absolutely marvellous lagoon between the two islands, to pray for a sick chief, and many of his people. All felt much better, and pain went. We saw views of scenic grandeur.
At each meeting in Simbo we prayed for heaps of people, because they are so open, hungry and receptive. Of course we also prayed for their revival teams of about 60 people who also pray for the sick and have seen many healings.
We had a wonderful time at the National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC) in the north west at Choiseul Island - 2 hours flight from Honiara. Gideon (our organiser), Grant and Geoff led many sessions, and spoke at the crusade night on Friday night with a huge response of to pray for. Here is Grant’s description of the youth crusade night:
The nation wide youth convention was held at Choiseul Island. We were there for 5 days. It was an awesome time and God moved so powerfully. So much happened, so I’ll just tell you about one of the nights. It really impacted my life!
We were invited to speak for their huge night rally. Geoff began and as he began to speak God began to move on the young people in a special way. Then he handed it over to me at about half way and I gave some words of knowledge. They came forward and we prayed for them most of them fell under the power and all of the testifying that all the pain had left their body. After that I continued to speak for a bit and then gave an altar call for any youth that wanted to choose to give their lives fully to Jesus, no turning back!
Most of a thousand youth came forward, some ran to the altar, some crying! There was an amazing outpouring of the Spirit and because there were so many people Geoff and I split up and started laying hands on as many people as we could. People were falling under the power everywhere (some testified later to having visions). There were bodies all over the field (some people landing on top of each other). Then I did a general healing prayer and asked them to put their hand on the place where they had pain. After we prayed people began to come forward sharing testimonies of how the pain had left their bodies and they were completely healed! The meeting stretched on late into the night with more healing an many more people getting deep touches.
It was one of the most amazing nights. I was deeply touched and feel like I have left a part of my self in Choiseul. God did an amazing thing that night with the young people and I really believe that he is raising some of them up to be mighty leaders in Revival.
That national youth convention (NCYC) drew youth from right across the nation. Two outboard motor canoes came from Simbo - Gideon's island. The both the girls' fibreglass canoe and the boys' wooden canoe had motor trouble in the rough seas in the 2-3 hour trip from Gizo island to Choiseul (the convention island). They had to dump all their sweet potatoes and rice as the loaded canoe was being swamped, as it drifted without a motor. Two lads lightened the load by swimming 9 hours back to Gizo to get help - noon to 9 pm across the strong currents.
They staggered onto the beach too exhausted to talk. The village people helped them recover. Eventually they got a message to the Australian soldiers here, who then sent a launch to tow the canoes back to Gizo to get the motor repaired. They arrived the next day - with two heroes, later written up in the national paper.
The team was in Honiara with Jesse Padayachee from Brisbane for healing crusade meetings, after many revival meetings in the Guadalcanal mountains where revival has been speading among the youth - as it did in the west two years ago. So our visit has been amazing timing to encourage them all, including at the youth convention as so many of them there have been involved in revival also.
Jesse had a week with the team, including a healing crusade on Saturday night in the park by the sea. Mathias from Pentecost Island in Vanuatu once again led worship with the Pentecost team and that was really strong. Then Jesse spoke in the open air and prayed with many people.
On the final Sunday they had a full Church at the South Seas Evangelical Church main church in town with about 700 people, and the first to respond for prayer was Sir Peter Kenilorea, the first prime minister here, and now Seaker of the Parliament. A huge number came out for prayer. That church is calling it revival, but I'd see it as just a beginning. Then at night the team went to another SSEC church, and again prayed with a lot of people after Jesse spoke. Mostly it was for healing prayers, but also many for salvation as well.
We thank God for His mighty acts. We are privileged to live for Him and serve Him among the nations.
The Lord has poured out his Spirit in fresh and surprising ways in New Georgia in the Western District of the Solomon Islands in 2003, and this year has also been touching many church in Honiara with revival and strong moves of the Holy Spirit.
In spite of, and perhaps as one result of, the ethnic tension (civil war) for two years with rebels armed with guns causing widespread problems and the economy failing with wages of many police, teachers and administrators unpaid, the Holy Spirit has moved strongly in the Solomon Islands.
Youth leaders attended an Easter camp in April, 2003. The weekend following Easter, from the end of April, youth and children in the huge, scenic Marovo Lagoon area were filled with the Spirit, with many lives transformed. Revival began with the Spirit moving on youth and children in village churches with extended worship in revival songs, many visions and revelations and lives being changed with strong love for the Lord. Children and youth began meeting daily from 5 or 6 pm for hours of praise, worship and testimonies. A police officer observed that the number of reported crimes has been reduced and that former rebels are now attending daily worship and prayer meetings.
Methodist missions established strong churches in New Georgia a hundred years ago. These are now part of the United Church of the Solomon Islands. Munda, on the south-west of New Georgia where the pioneers began, has the church’s headquarters with its administration, hospital and schools. It lies 50 miles from Seghe on the south-east coast in the Marovo Lagoon, with its 40 miles of lagoon with 1,000 islands. Seghe Theological Seminary is the national Bible College for the United Church. James Mitchener in Tales of the South Pacific said, “I think Segi Point, at the southern end of New Georgia, is my favourite spot in the South Pacific. Behind the point, hills rise, laden with jungle. The bay is clear and blue. The sands of Segi are white. Fish abound in the nearby channel.” Seghe (formerly spelt Segi) in the south east of the island and Munda in its south west both have airstrips. I visited the area in July 2003 at the invitation of church leaders.
My first experience of this revival was near Munda, on a nearby island. We took the outboard motor canoe with Rev Fred Alizeru from Munda (Fred had previously been in my classes at Trinity College in Brisbane). Two weeks previously, early in July, revival started there with the Spirit poured out on children and youth, so they just want to worship and pray for hours. They meet every night from around 5.30 pm and want to go late every night! I had to encourage the kids to see school also as a mission field, to pray with their friends there, and learn well so they can serve God better. So they need to get to bed early enough to do that!
At Seghe and in the Marovo Lagoon the revival has been spreading since Easter. Now many adults are becoming involved, also repenting and seeking more of the Holy Spirit. Many gifts of the Spirit have emerged, including the following:
Transformed lives - Many youths that the police used to check on because of alcohol and drug abuse are now sober and on fire for God attending daily worship and prayer meetings; a man who rarely went to church is now leading the youth singing group at Seghe; adults are publicly reconciling from rifts or strife that may be many years old.
Long worship - This often includes prophetic words or actions and visions. I visited Sunday services in July in a village of the lagoon. About 200 youth and children led worship at both services with 1,000 attending. They sang revival songs and choruses accompanied by their youth band. I prayed individually for over 200 people from 9.30 to 11.30 pm. They just kept coming - mostly adults. On the Monday night at Seghe the congregation there worshipped from before 6 pm to after 9pm, then I taught, and then prayed with each of the family groups there.
Visions - Children see visions of Jesus (smiling at worship, weeping at hard hearts), angels, hell (with relatives sitting close to a lake of fire, so the children warned them); some kids saw Jesus with a foot in heaven and a foot on earth, like Mt 28:18 - “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” One boy preached (prophesied) for 1 1/2 hours, Spirit-led.
Revelations - especially words of knowledge about hidden things, including magic artefacts and good luck charms. Jesus will have no rivals at all! Kids show parents where they hid these things! If other adults did that there would be anger and feuds, but they accept it from their children. One boy told police that a man accused of stealing a chain saw (and threatened with the sack) was innocent as he claimed, and gave them the name of the culprit, by word of knowledge.
Confusion - Adults asked many questions at teaching sessions. I realised that my study in renewal and revival over 30 years has given me experience in the areas they were confused about, such as traditional and revival worship, deliverance, discernment of spirits, gifts of the Spirit, understanding and interpreting visions, tongues, healing, Spirit-led worship and preaching, leadership in revival, and so on.
Doors have flung wide open there, and they all want teaching on revival. So on New Georgia as well as in Honiara, the capital, leaders are interested in courses on revival and the Holy Spirit. Those leaders will be able to immediately use their study materials in their preaching and teaching in the villages and towns of the Solomon Islands.
I had the privilege of washing the feet of the government Minister for Police and National Security, Hon. Augustine Taneko the member for the Shortland Islands, and of his wife at a prayer meeting in their home in Honiara, as well as washing the feet of the Assistant Commissioner for Police, Johnson Siapu, and his wife at that meeting. Augustine is up very early every morning praying for an hour or two with his relatives. Police pulled him and his family out of their home during the ethnic tensions (civil war) and relocated them in Honiara in a large guest house.
Our mission team, mainly law students from the University of the South Pacific, had the privilege of staying in the home of the first prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Sir Peter Kenilorea, a strong Christian leader, who has adult children who have studied law. The team ministered powerfully in the Western Solomons in revival meetings there, with many testimonies of healing and commitment to God.
You can help! Prayer support is invaluable. We supply text books and distance education materials because the people there cannot afford them, so courses must be offered at minimal cost to them. Some keen students at the Bible College cannot afford the cost of study, but are already powerfully anointed by God to lead in revival.
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Mission support can be sent or transferred to the Renewal Journal Mission Account, especially for orphans in Nepal and Kenya, or for revival mission teams in the South Pacific. E-mail contact to Geoff Waugh (Renewal Journal editor) is through the Christian Heritage College School of Ministries link on www.renewaljournal.com |
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