Solomon Islands District
NEWSLETTER January 2019 Volume 2, Issue 1
Promoted to Glory On Monday 14th January the father of Major Robert Evans was ‘Promoted to Glory’ after a 12 month battle with cancer. While on their mid-term furlough in Melbourne Robert Evans Snr’s health declined requiring him to move into palliative care, leaving Majors Robert and Vanessa with the difficult decision to return to their appointment at the end of their furlough not knowing how long he had to live. Within a week of returning to Honiara, they received the call that Robert Snr only had days to live, requiring them to return to Melbourne. While they didn’t
January alongside family and friends who gathered to celebrate Robert Snr’s life.
make it back in time before he died, they were at peace with the precious time they got to spend with him during his final weeks. Major Robert had the honour of conducting his father’s funeral at Moreland City Corps on Friday 18th
Majors Robert and Vanessa would like to extend their sincere appreciation for the extraordinary love and care that has been expressed to them and their family during this time. They were also deeply moved by the cultural expression of love and support by members of the Honiara Corps who held a “House Cry” at their quarters on the day Robert Snr died to share in their grief, standing in the gap of their family while waiting for a flight home.
Inside this issue:
Disaster Relief
2
Disaster Relief Continued...
2
Disaster Relief Continued….
2
Donation of Resources
3
Australia Day Reception
3
Bible Alert Ministry 3 A Personal Note
USS Mission Team In June this year The Salvation Army USA Southern Territory is sending a Salvationist Service Corps Mission Team of young adults to Solomon Islands for five weeks to engage in service in an international context. To prepare for this trip two of the team leaders, Jovanie Smith and Captain Valentina Cantu, travelled to Honiara this month. Due to the District Officers returning to Melbourne for a family funeral, the USA team leaders were hosted by Wency Ramo’oroa and Joshua Henry. Wency and Joshua worked through the draft itinerary with
their guests, providing them with very helpful cultural and local knowledge about the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands. They even made time
for a visit to the Honiara Central Market, American War Memorial and, of course, the Lime Lounge Café! Prior to their departure on the Sunday afternoon Jovanie and Captain Valentina shared in worship at Honiara Corps with Captain Valentina sharing a powerful word about Abraham’s faith and obedience (Genesis 22). Jovanie also shared her testimony, delighting the congregation with a ‘rap’ song to illustrate her story. The District is looking forward to meeting the whole team in June!
Special points of interest: Visit by US Salvationists AUD$1,700 donated to Disaster Relief Visit to Cyclone affected communities Progress with new missions and buildings Distribution of Bibles
4
Disaster Relief Trip On January 1st much of Solomon Islands was impacted by severe weather caused by Cyclone Mona and Cyclone Penny, while Majors Robert and Vanessa were on furlough in Melbourne. Eager to be financially equipped to assist impacted communities when they returned, help was sought from Salvationist friends in Australia, raising AUD$1,700 (SI$9,400). Upon their return, a District Meeting was held to assess the impact on Salvation Army congregations and communities. This assessment revealed that the following congregations sustained substantial flood and storm damage:
The church building at Gateway Corps sustained the worst damage, requiring the whole structure to be demolished for safety reasons. While discouraged, the congregation continue to worship in the communal dining room at Pastor Charles’s home. Major Robert shared a word of encouragement with the congregation, reminding them that “the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands” (Acts 7:44-50) and they “are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5), “built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). A further blessing was shared with the presentation of a chainsaw that was donated to The Salvation Army by a local businessman who heard about this trip. This word of encouragement and added blessing was so enthusiastically received that some of the congregation remained ALL night to worship God and thank Him for His blessing!
1. Burns Creek Neighbourhood Fellowship 2. Henderson Neighbourhood Fellowship 3. Gateway Corps 4. Ramah Fellowship 5. Aisalinga Mission
On Monday, 28th January Major Robert and Pastor Joshua embarked on a Disaster Relief Trip to Malaita Province to distribute these funds and to offer a word of encouragement to these impacted churches. Their first stop after arriving in Auki by ship was Gateway Corps in North Malaita. The heavy rain from the cyclone caused a lot of damage to the North Road turning the usual 4 hour truck drive into a precarious 5½ hour trip.
Page 2
While in North Malaita, Major Robert and Pastor Joshua also visited a neighbouring village further up the Kwai River near Lolu to follow-up their interest to join The Salvation Army. Land has already been set aside for a church and the 8 families that make up this community have all agreed for The Salvation Army to commence in their village.
destroyed their community kitchen. This community were very appreciative of the financial assistance provided, which meant they could repair their homes and get back on track with the church building. They are so excited about hosting the Convention and becoming the first Salvation Army Fellowship in West Kwara’ae!
The final destination was Aisalinga Village, which is situated up in the mountains south of Auki. Village leader Elijah Ramo has been attending the Honiara Corps off and on for a few years and is determined for The Salvation Army to come to his village. He has been patiently waiting for a visit for the past six months. Who would of thought that it would take a cyclone to push forward a visit by the District Officer?! Despite the damage to their homes, they have pushed ahead with the construction of a church building in anticipation, despite not yet formalizing their desire to join The Salvation Army. During this visit, Major Robert met with the Paramount Chief, who called the community together to hear all about The Salvation Army first hand. The interest and questions asked during this meeting demonstrated how much they want to belong to The Salvation Army.
The next stop was Ramah Village in West Kwara’ae (near Gwaunaru’u Airport outside Auki). Elder Martin from Ramah has already commenced the construction of a new church to host the Salvation Army Convention in June. The building site was inundated by flood water during the cyclone, which also damaged food crops planted for the Convention and
Solomon Islands District
Donation of Resources
About mid way through last year Majors Robert and Vanessa put a call out among Salvationist friends around Melbourne for the donation of pre-loved uniform shirts. This was in response to the large number of Soldiers enrolled at the North Malaita Convention in July and the new missions emerging across the Malaita
Province. Around the same time a post on Facebook about the planned commencement of Learning Spaces to capture those children who have fallen out of the education system, evoked another wave of support. While on mid-term furlough these donations were very gratefully received by Majors Robert and Vanessa. Such an outpouring of generosity required the purchase of excess baggage to transport everything back to Honiara! The uniform shirts have been put to immediate use with the Soldiers who were enrolled at the end of last year with borrowed shirts receiving their own uniform. They will also resource another
round of Soldiership Classes at two new congregations in the next month. The Jolly Phonics teaching resources provide a helpful foundation of materials to begin planning the introduction of Learning Spaces at each congregation. The Salvation Army Solomon Islands is very grateful for this support!
Australia Day Reception Australia Day celebrations in Honiara this year were conducted at the Australian High Commissioner’s Residence with a reception held for a variety of community leaders working in Honiara. The coinciding visit of Australia’s chiefs of security added an extra dimension to the evening with the presence of the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police and the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force. It was also an honour to have the caretaker Prime Minister assist with the formalities of the
community leaders working hard to serve the people of Solomon Islands through their respective roles.
evening. Majors Robert and Vanessa were delighted to be invited to this event and enjoyed the many social connections and networking opportunities with other
There is a diverse group of Australians working in variety of roles in Honiara, many of whom have left family behind in Australia. Such an event provides a unique sense of solidarity between people who have paid a huge personal cost to make a difference in the lives of others; whether that be a volunteer position, business venture, diplomatic appointment, technical advisor or even Salvation Army Officer.
Bible Alert Ministry Major Robert Evans presented some of the Bibles donated last year to Pastor Joseph Eric from Bible Alert Ministry. This important ministry exists to distribute Bibles to Solomon Islanders in remote village areas. After the Convention in North Malaita last year, Pastor Joseph approached Major Robert to discuss the possibility of a partnership with The Salvation Army to assist in obtaining donations of Bibles to support his ministry. At that time Major Gary Grant from Melbourne was collecting Bibles for
Volume 2, Issue 1
the Solomon Islands, so Major Robert seized this alignment of opportunity to help facilitate the distribution of these Bibles through Bible Alert Ministry in areas where The Salvation Army is expanding. Over the next three months Pastor Joseph and his team will travel around Malaita taking the Word of God to these villages. The Salvation Army looks forward to hearing the stories of how God will use this ministry to impact lives through this partnership.
Page 3
The Salvation Army Solomon Islands District Officers - Majors Robert & Vanessa Evans PO Box 323 Honiara, Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 30344
Officially launched on the 4th November 2011, The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries is a District of the Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Territory. With an established presence in the capital Honiara in Guadalcanal and an expanding presence in Malaita, the Holy Spirit is opening up new ministry opportunities for The Salvation Army throughout the Solomon Islands. Building upon the vision of the pioneering Officers and subsequent leaders, we intend to fully explore these new opportunities and will raise up indigenous leaders to advance the kingdom of God in the Solomon Islands.
Fax: (677) 30344 Mobile: (677) 749 4524 Email: solomon.islands@png.salvationarmy.org Website: www.png.salvationarmy.org
Prayer Points: Reconstruction of Gateway Corps building Application of new Missions for Fellowship status Completion and launch of DME Coconut Oil Plant Launch of School Fees Loan Program and additional funds to increase availability of loans to parents
A Personal Note... “If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” – Maya Angelou During my time in Honiara I’ve noticed two things: 1) God’s presence and peace is overflowing and abundant 2) Community is such a beautiful thing. Although my purpose in Honiara was solely focused on creating partnerships and relationships for the young adults that will be spending 5 weeks in Solomon Islands this year, I’ve gained a family in return. My time in Honiara taught me to be still and to be present amongst the Lord and his people. I realized during planning for a mission trip that God does not make any mistakes, nor does He hesitate in His decision. He is a faithful God and a loving God! Captain Val and I formed a great relationship with Joshua and Wency! We have come to love the
Lime Lounge and the Central Market. Not only are we Islanders but family. Wency and Joshua taught me the way of life in Honiara and provided great laughs and memories for me. Although we all live on the different sides of the world, we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. Plus, we are Facebook friends, so we will forever stay in communication and family! The Salvation Army in Honiara is not like most, if anything it is unique in culture and in worship. The people of Honiara taught me that worship is free and overflowing! The Lord meets us where we are, and He honors us through worship. One thing that I’ve come to fall in love with is the weather. Ha! Now I know many are probably thinking that I am crazy because it is so hot, but I see it as God favor shining down my face! There is no doubt in my mind that the 7 to 8 young adults that will
be coming this summer will fall in love with Honiara but most of all with God’s people and ministry. I have hope I will return to Solomon Islands. Peace and Grace.
Jovanie Smith