Solomon Islands District - Music Workshops

After months of planning we were very excited to welcome music teacher and professional musician David Hedges at Henderson Airport in Honiara on Thursday, 1st November.  David is a friend and colleague from Melbourne who we got to know during our previous appointment as the Corps Officers at Cranbourne in the south east suburbs of Melbourne.  David is a music teacher at several schools in Melbourne and plays in a jazz band and a Bruce Springsteen tribute band on the weekends.  He is also an active member  of the worship team at Cranbourne Corps where he plays piano and saxophone. David’s musical talents across a variety  instruments and his teaching experience made him my first choice when considering who to invite to the Solomon Islands when local musicians expressed their desire to learn how to read music and how to play a brass instrument.

Prior to Vanessa and I coming to the Solomon Islands, another colleague, Andy Postlewhite from Wonthaggi Corps, indicated that they had a supply of unused brass instruments that the Corps would be happy to donate should they be needed.  At that point in time, we had no intention of imposing a brass band onto the Solomon Islands, as we wanted the expression of worship in The Salvation Army to emerge from within their culture. However, their enthusiasm to start a brass band led us to accept this generous offer.  So, together with a number of  other donations of music and instruments organised by David, these brass instruments made their way to Honiara.

The Music Workshops commenced on Friday, 2nd November at the Rove Police Band Hut where our learners joined in with the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Band. We were warmly greeted by the Police Band members who allowed our learners to sit in on their rehearsal and then invited our guest music teacher to conduct their band as they played an arrangement of ‘The Young Amadeus’.  Following their rehearsal, the RSIPF band members remained for the afternoon to sit alongside our learners to provide support and coaching.  Their presence was an enormous encouragement to them and a great help to David to ensure our learners got the most out of the workshops.  It was such a joy to watch the interaction between the RSIPF and The Salvation  Army!  By the end of the afternoon the newly formed brass band learners were playing simple tunes.  Following the brass workshops, the Honiara Corps Worship Team gathered in the evening for a session with David.  This provided an opportunity for our very  talented musicians to showcase their skills along with David on his saxophone, to everyone’s delight.  The local musicians really appreciated David’s feedback and input into furthering their musical development. It also provided a good opportunity to introduce some brass charts to familiar worship songs to demonstrate how contemporary and brass can complement each other in worship.  A brass arrangement of 'I Give You My Heart’ demonstrated this well and was practiced up for use during our worship service on Sunday.

On Saturday we moved from the Police Band Hut to the Police Youth Club for the day, which provided a larger space to accommodate members of the public who had expressed interest in joining our music theory workshops.  Solomon Islander musicians have amazing talent in being able to play music entirely by ear but most of them have never learnt how to read music.  This evoked a high level of interest on the Facebook Event we created for David’s visit.  The Saturday workshops built on the knowledge learned the day before for the brass learners and provided more detailed music theory that was applicable for all of the musicians in attendance.  It was also great to see a number of the RSIPF band members join in on these sessions for their own musical development, with some commenting favourably about the quality of David’s teaching and the materials he used. The day ended with ‘An Evening with Dave’ where I interviewed David about his music background, faith journey and why he agreed to accept my invitation to come to the Solomon Islands.  In between David’s compelling story he performed a couple of items on his saxophone and trumpet.  Of particular  enjoyment was David’s rendition of the gospel hit “People Get Ready”, which had the audience singing and clapping along.

Our Sunday morning worship service provided the first opportunity for our newly formed brass band learners to perform before an audience after only two days of tuition.  The congregation were amazed and delighted to hear their progress in such a short time.  The room was filled with cheers, laughter and applause at the sight of the very first Salvation Army Band for the Solomon Islands.  A couple of the Corps leaders even commented that this was a significant step forward in the growth and development of The Salvation Army  Solomon Islands.   The inclusion of brass into the worship by David and myself with the song ‘I Give You My Heart’ really lifted the worship musically to another level and David’s reprise of ‘People Get Ready’ was a huge hit.  A  prayer of dedication was offered over the donated instruments and the brass learners, dedicating this new music ministry to the glory of God.

The final event and climax for the weekend was a Sunday evening concert at the AOG Church in Burns Creek.  This 4 hour concert featured our guest musician, The Salvation Army Brass Learners, RSIPF Band, Honiara Corps Worship Team, Destiny Church Dancers, The Holy Cross Boys (Honiara Youth) and a number of other individual items.  There is so much that could be said about this event but words cannot quite capture its significance and impact for the Burns Creek community.  Burns Creek has been a hot spot for crime and anti-social behaviour for many years with the police only ever entering the community in a law enforcement capacity.  So, when a bus load of police officers disembarked outside the church armed with musical instruments, it didn’t take long for a very curious crowd of people to gather.   The RSIPF Band was definitely a highlight of the evening, but so was the performance of our brass band learners.  Over 180 people witnessed this historic evening and celebrated the musical talents of young local musicians.  The atmosphere of worship was electric and the strong sense of community extraordinary in this settlement of Malaitans on the fringe of society.  Both the RSIPF Band Director and the local Pastor acknowledged the evening as a significant moment in the development of community relations between the police and the community.  Our expectations for the weekend were far exceeded!  

We are immeasurably grateful for David’s generosity of his time, talents and resources to turn our vision into a reality.  He has left a musical legacy that has laid the foundation for the ongoing growth and development of this music program in the Solomon Islands.  We are also very grateful for the new partnership that has been forged with the RSIPF Band and look forward to continuing this relationship into the future as we work together to raise up a new generation of brass musicians.

Solomon Islands Ministries - Salvation Army Convention

While visiting the North Malaita Fellowship soon after our arrival to Solomon Islands in January, I met with their leadership team and asked the Fellowship Leader Charles Akwastaloa what his vision and goals were for this year.  He expressed to me a very strong desire to bring the churches together from the surrounding villages to present the mission of The Salvation Army in North Malaita.  After follow-up conversations, his vision developed into an opportunity to also bring together the three Salvation Army congregations from around the Solomon Islands for worship, fellowship and witness in North Malaita.  Six months later, Charles and his family turned this vision into reality by hosting the very first Salvation Army Convention in the Solomon Islands.

Over the weekend of the 19th - 22nd July Salvationists from Honiara Corps and Moscom Fellowship joined with the Kwai Fellowship in North Malaita and with other Christians from surrounding villages, including Lolu and Capernaum where new Salvation Army missions are soon to commence.  The Territorial Commander, Colonel Kelvin Alley from PNG, was our invited guest for the weekend.  He flew from Port Moresby to Honiara where he met us for a connecting flight to Auki in Malaita, followed by a four hour drive on the back of a truck up the North Road to Kwai.  Along the journey we stopped at Forcem Market, about an hour out of Auki, to pick up the group from Moscom who had traveled by mosquito/banana boat from Maro'upaina Bay to Atori the day before, and then embarked on a three hour drive along the East Road that morning.  For all of the Moscom group this was their first time ever on a truck and their first time travelling to this side of Malaita.  The time and effort expended just to get to the convention was indicative of its significance in the lives of those who attended and in this season of growth for The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands.

Upon arrival we were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, along with some local cultural dancers who ushered us into the conference area prepared by Charles and his family for a very warm welcome. Beautiful floral leis were presented to the Territorial Commander, Vanessa and I, as well as the Moscom contingent.  We were then blessed by a heart-felt welcome song by the Kwai congregation before words of welcome were given by Charles.  The rest of the evening was a vibrant celebration of worship with all three congregations participating through various musical items.  Colonel Kelvin Alley gave the opening address, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend by outlining his theme - "Foundations for a Rock Solid Faith."  It was a truly inspiring evening with nobody wanting it to end, despite their tiredness from a long day of travel.

In addition to some amazing teaching and fellowship over the weekend, the convention reached a climax on the Sunday morning with the Territorial Commander officiating three very significant ceremonies during the worship service.  These ceremonies commenced with the enrollment of two Junior Soldiers from the Kwai congregation.  The enrollment of Webster and Rebecca has brought the number of Junior Soldiers for this relatively new Salvation Army congregation to 12 young people, who are being discipled by Junior Soldier Sergeant Phillip Omelengi.  Immediately following was the enrollment of 17 new Senior Soldiers from the Kwai and Moscom congregations.  Three of these new soldiers traveled from Moscom for this special occasion and the other 14 new soldiers represented a number of surrounding villages in North Malaita.  Unfortunately, the 4 recruits from Honiara, 4 from Manao'oba Island and another 7 from Moscom were unable to make the trip over for the convention.  They will be enrolled in the coming weeks at their respective home churches.  After the enrollments, Colonel Kelvin Alley called to the platform Kwai leaders Charles and Judith Akwastaloa for a history making announcement for the Solomon Islands.  The Kwai congregation has been operating under the banner of the North Malaita Fellowship since it commenced in July 2017.  Over the past twelve months this congregation has become a spiritually vibrant and evangelically active Salvation Army church growing in membership and mission.  In recognition of this growth and development, an application was sent to THQ for the North Malaita Fellowship to be given Corps status, officially recognising it as a fully functioning church in The Salvation Army.  The Territorial Commander took great delight in presenting a Certificate of Recognition of Corps Status, making this the second Corps in the Solomon Islands.  From that moment the 'North Malaita Fellowship' became known as the 'Gateway Corps, Suafa Bay.'  This was indeed a momentous occasion that reflects something of the mighty movement of the Spirit in Malaita.


One of the highlights of this convention for me was seeing the pure expression of joy on the faces of everybody in attendance, especially from the Moscom congregation.  The Moscom Fellowship live and worship in one of the most remote parts of Malaita and rarely have the opportunity to interact with anybody outside of the four villages on Maru'upaina Bay in East Areare.  To come together with other Salvationists in such a way opened up the internationalism of The Salvation Army to this congregation, even in this small corner of the world called Malaita.  All of a sudden they were not alone!  Now they feel as though they are a part of something so much bigger than just their small Fellowship.  They built friendships and made spiritual bonds that will last a lifetime.  We witnessed the Moscom Fellowship leader Miriam come alive and emerge out of the timid cocoon of uncertainty seen in our previous trips to Moscom.  She danced and laughed and cried during worship and boldly declared her passion for the Lord in such a way that Vanessa and I turned to each other at the same time and asked, "Who is this woman?!"  Then there was the row of four young girls from Moscom whom I captured through the lens of my camera during the Friday night worship service.  This was truly a divine moment I will never forget!  Rarely have I seen this depth of worship and unrestrained passion pour out from the hearts and mouths of such young lives.  Words seem so inadequate to describe the full impact of this event, but I am certain it will be spoken of for years to come.


We are immeasurably grateful to Charles, his family and the congregation in Kwai for all their hard work to host this event and for their gracious hospitality; to the Territorial Commander for making the trip to North Malaita and for providing the right word for the right occasion; to Paul Harohau who funded the transportation of the Moscom contingent; to the neighbouring churches who joined us in fellowship and provided musical support; and to those who travelled all the way to North Malaita. Most of all we give glory and honour to God for the mighty movement of His Spirit throughout this weekend!

Solomon Islands Ministries - Red Shield Appeal Dinner

It all began with an accidental encounter from tagging along to a social event where we weren't invited.  In other words, we gate-crashed a party! 

To put this into perspective, a friend of ours who was the Interim Country Director of World Vision in Solomon Islands back in January, asked us to tag along to a double birthday party he was invited to attend for two Australian High Commission employees. Near the end of the party (where we were graciously made to feel very welcome) Vanessa and I were approached by another guest who is an Australian Federal Police Officer.  He introduced himself and asked us how we were connected to the birthday boys.  After a bit of a laugh about how we came to be at the party, he inquired further about our role with The Salvation Army.  This conversation revealed that the AFP Officer, Darren McClelland, was looking for a 'project' outside of his work role to engage in while in Honiara that would make a difference in the lives of the people he is here to serve.  A follow-up coffee appointment at the Lime Lounge Cafe (aka our 'Office') found an alignment of opportunity between Darren's desire to engage in a philanthropic project and our vision to explore the possibility of starting a Red Shield Appeal in the Solomon Islands.

An accidental encounter and an alignment of opportunities led to the formation of the very first Red Shield Appeal Committee for the Solomon Islands with Darren appointed as the Chairperson.  Darren wasted no time in recruiting three other committee members from among his AFP colleagues working with the Solomon Islands Police Development Program (SIPDP).  This brought together some powerhouse volunteers who have expertise in procurement, planning and event management.  It was truly a pleasure working with such a motivated team who leveraged their networks to obtain some amazing sponsorship for our first RSA event, a Fundraising Dinner at one of the premier venues in Honiara, the Heritage Park Hotel.

After a couple of months of planning, the Red Shield Appeal Fundraising Dinner was held on Friday, 13th July with 115 people from local businesses and community organisations in Honiara gathering to support the The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries.  A very fine buffet dinner was accompanied by the musical talents of local band 'Set Wan' and followed by the auction of sponsored items, which included:  3 night package for two including double/twin share bungalow, continental breakfasts and return airfares (Sanbis Resort & Solomon Airlines); 3 nights accommodation package (Papatura Resort); ten $100 vouchers (Bulk Store); designer chair (Ozdesign Furniture); Garmin 64s handheld GPS (Y-sato Marine); $3,000 donation, Samsung Galaxy phone, Huaweii Y3ii phone (Our Telekom); 2 night weekend dive trip for 1 person (Bilikiki); Smootharc Welder (BOC); personal care package & spa vouchers (Jings Spa); remedial/therapeutic massage vouchers (Charles Gauba); gift baskets with soaps, oils & lavalavas (Kokonut Pacific & Salvation Army); aluminium framed mirror (Tropic Glass & Aluminium); WW2 Guadalcanal Battlefield tour for 4 by former US Marine.

The dinner and sponsored items raised a combined total of SBD$89,200!  This is a phenomenal result for our inaugural Red Shield Appeal event.  The money raised will be used by The Salvation Army to purchase a DME (Direct Micro Expelling) set-up from Kokonut Pacific to establish a coconut oil plant at Gateway Corps in North Malaita to provide employment for the surrounding villages, foster community development, and generate income to resource our rapidly growing mission and ministry across Malaita.

We are delighted with the success of this event, not only for the money raised, but for the new networks established that will provide a platform of ongoing supporters for the future development of The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands.  All of this because we gate-crashed a party six months ago!

Solomon Islands Ministries - Territorial Leaders Conference

Last month Vanessa and I had the opportunity to spend some quality time interacting with Territorial and Divisional leaders from The Salvation Army Papua New Guinea Territory.  Our time in Port Moresby commenced in response to an invitation to attend the Territorial Leaders Conference, which gave The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries representation at the TLC for the first time.  While Solomon Islands has been a part of this Territory since it's launch in 2011, the TLC ushered this relatively new expression of The Salvation Army into a new era of growth with an announcement by the Territorial Commander that IHQ had approved a name change for the Territory, which will now be known as The Salvation Army Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Territory, with the Solomon Islands being granted 'District' status.  So the Solomon Islands Ministries is now officially the Solomon Islands District, which means Vanessa and my position has been changed from 'Officers in Charge' to 'District Officers'.

The TLC was led by Commissioners Willis & Barbara Howell from the USA Southern Territory, with Colonel Julie Alley from PNG setting the tone for the weekend with the keynote address by declaring, "The kingdom of God does not rise and fall on our ability.  We are to lean into the supernatural ability of Jesus Christ."  This powerful introduction was followed by two days of amazing teaching from the guest leaders who spoke around the theme 'Following Christ, In Leadership.'  In the opening session, Commissioner Willis spoke on the importance of 'guarding your heart' from Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do."  Later, Commissioner Barbara led an interactive session inviting the leaders present to share the characteristics of leadership we found most inspiring and then spoke about the nature of servant leadership.

On the Sunday morning of the conference Vanessa and I gave a presentation about the growth in the Solomon Islands over the past six months, which was enthusiastically received by everybody present.  During our presentation, Vanessa spoke about our new Solo Army Lavalava project and presented the Commissioners and our Territorial Leaders with a lavalava each as a gift from the Solomon Islands. This gift made a real impression on Commissioner Barbara who ordered 40 to take back to the USA Southern Territory for a Divisional Women’s Weekend. 

During the week following the TLC, we engaged in a number of meetings at THQ with Cabinet Secretaries and department heads to discuss some of the new initiatives ready to launch in the Solomon Islands.  These meetings proved very productive with a strong commitment of support coming from THQ for the ongoing development of The Salvation Army in this emerging district of the Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands Territory. 

Solomon Islands Ministries - Return to Kwai

After teaching the newly written Soldiership Training Course to our congregations in Moscom and Honiara, it was time to return to Kwai to conduct the final test round of this new material.  The timing of this trip was two-fold:  To finish the final edit of the Soldiership Training Course for presentation at the Territorial Leaders Conference in PNG and to prepare the next round of recruits for enrollment at the upcoming Salvation Army Convention in North Malaita.

Since our first visit to Kwai in January, we have been delighted to discover that the mission outreach of the North Malaita Fellowship has extended well beyond the Kwai River into the neighbouring villages to further north onto Manao'oba Island and down south into West Kwara'ae.  This outreach brought eager recruits into Kwai for the Soldiership Training Course from Lolu, Kolefe, Tabarara, Ona and Manao'oba Island!  Praise the Lord for this extraordinary mission growth, which we pray will produce many new congregations in Malaita!!

The beautiful simplicity and deep spirituality of this village provided the perfect atmosphere for our ministry trip with early morning prayer meetings and evening worship services creating a spirit of anticipation among those gathered.  Once again, the words of the chorus "You are my God, You are my Father, You are my King and I worship You" in both English and To'obaita languages united our spirits with the Spirit of God and became an anthem for the weekend, just as it did during our ministry trip to Moscom. Another song that added to the tone of the weekend was 'Mighty Man of War', which was introduced by my ministry partner Joshua Henry from Honiara Corps.  It somehow seemed very fitting to our purpose to train new Soldiers of The Salvation Army - "Mighty man of War, Lion of Judah.  We bow down and worship you.  Yahweh Yahweh, come and do what only you can do." Well, we are certainly seeing what only God can do with the rapid expansion of The Salvation Army throughout Malaita!

Our schedule for these trips is always fluid to fit into the rhythms of village life.  This weekend was no exception, with our course being moved from Saturday to Sunday morning after the worship service to allow time for those traveling from afar to arrive in time.  The resulting four consecutive sessions in one day didn't seem to phase the very enthusiastic recruits who were eager to engage with the new course material.  Their eagerness was matched by the enthusiasm of the existing Soldiers from the North Malaita Fellowship whose curiosity about the new material had a number of them stay behind after worship to join in.  Of the 22 participants who completed the Soldiership Training Course all 13 of the new recruits signed up to be enrolled at the Convention in July by the Territorial Commander.  

Beside the numbers, the feedback from the participants was equally encouraging.  To hear consistent comments that the material is easy to understand, well formatted and culturally appropriate (my paraphrase of their comments) affirmed the reasons behind the rewrite.  More helpful than the encouraging words were the comments and questions that have contributed to minor edits along the journey.  It is our hope that the final draft will provide a resource that will serve The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands well into the future with a new generation of well-equipped Salvationists rising up in every Province! Joshua's presence was also a real blessing as a translator (when necessary) and an evaluater to assess the effectiveness of the course.  It also served as a training opportunity to prepare him as a future facilitator.

We left Kwai with a deep sense of satisfaction that our purpose had been achieved and God was glorified!  Our expectations were exceeded and our excitement for the mass enrollment of 10 recruits from Moscom, 5 recruits from Honiara, and now 13 recruits from Kwai is almost akin to the early church who celebrated that "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).

Solomon Islands Ministries - Return to Moscom

During our previous mission trip to Moscom Fellowship in January, we determined that a follow-up ministry trip was necessary to fulfill our commitment to provide ongoing training and support for this remote congregation.  Moscom is located on the Maro'upaina Bay in East Areare, which is one of the most remote parts of South Malaita. Access is only by boat via a direct 24 hour journey from Honiara through the Maramasike Passage and up the east coast. Alternatively, an indirect trip can be made by truck along the precarious east road from Auki to Atori where a mosquito (banana) boat is then caught for a two hour journey down the east coast of Malaita.  Both routes are long, expensive and not without their risks.  Therefore, any contact by visiting groups is received with great enthusiasm and appreciation.

This time, I was delighted to take a larger team from Honiara Corps, including Vanessa who overcame her fear of small boats to participate in this trip.  Vanessa and Elizabeth conducted the Home League Leadership Training Course with some of the women in Moscom, as well as the Junior Soldier Preparation Course with the children who belong to this Fellowship.  Joshua was our worship leader and I the preacher throughout the week at the evening Fellowship Meetings and Vanessa preached at the Sunday Morning Service, which happened to be Mother's Day.  I also took the opportunity to introduce the new Soldiership Training Course that I have rewritten specifically for the Solomon Islands cultural context.  Alongside these programmed training opportunities was the informal interaction with village life where just as much ministry occurred as each of our team members spoke into the lives of those present.  I had a lot of fun interacting with the children who eagerly took me snorkeling in the bay and loved the little games we played around the village and Vanessa really enjoyed observing and learning some of the day to day duties performed by the women.

The addition of Vanessa and Elizabeth to the team meant that we could connect with the women at a deeper level than was previously possible with just Wency and myself.  The Home League Leadership Training Course created an intimate learning environment where the women opened up about the issues impacting them personally and their participation in village and congregational life.  One story shared that made us angry was that a Pastor from another church in one of the neighbouring villages told our women that it was inappropriate for them to speak in the church and that they did not have a valid voice because they were "pencil breaks" (uneducated)!  Vanessa spoke strongly into this space, reinforcing the gender equality message of The Salvation Army and reaffirming their value in Christ by having them declare daily, "I am strong, I am courageous, I am beautiful and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Joshua’s presence also added great value to the team.  He led worship throughout the trip, offering strong and sensitive spiritual leadership that stimulated an atmosphere of worship that greatly encouraged the local leaders.  Joshua also came alongside a number of the men who were previously absent as they do not normally engage much with the congregation.  His interaction resulted in some of the men attending the weeknight Fellowship Meetings, with three participating in Soldiership Classes and two committing to become Senior Soldiers.  This trip laid the foundation for a future leadership role we have asked Joshua to fulfill as the Area Officer for Malaita to oversee and support the rapidly expanding ministry of The Salvation Army in this province.

The introduction of the newly written Soldiership Course was very successful and had a real impact not only on the recruits but others in the village as the course manuals were passed around.  We were encouraged that 10 recruits have committed to being enrolled as Senior Soldiers at the North Malaita Conference in July, alongside other recruits from Kwai and Honiara.  The Junior Soldier Preparation Classes were very enthusiastically received by the Moscom children with 18 new Junior Soldiers being enrolled during the Sunday Service.  These are the first Junior Soldiers for the Moscom Fellowship and the second group of Junior Soldiers for the Solomon Islands.  A Junior Soldier Sergeant was identified from among the women who participated in the Home League Leaders Course and was given a crash course in teaching the Junior Soldier lessons beyond our visit.

Joshua and I had the opportunity to visit the Hydroelectricity plant for the three villages on Maro’upaina Bay (including Moscom), which revealed how vital and vulnerable this resource is for village life. This involved about an hour hike through the other villages and up a jungle track that led to the base of the mountain where the Hydro dam was built.  Not long after our previous visit to Moscom the Hydro generator broke down and has not been working since.  The impact of this breakdown has had a significant effect upon the economy for this area.  For example, the fishermen who depend upon the income from the sale of their fish to pay school fees, can no longer refrigerate their catch to sell at the markets.  Therefore, there is no income and they cannot afford to pay school fees, which means their kids are out of school.  The flow-on effect is that dad then has to go to Honiara looking for alternative employment with mum back at the village carrying the load of managing the family and farms alone for long periods of time.  This was a very common story across all three villages!  I suspect the way the children attached themselves to me throughout our visit was evidence of them craving a father-figure who will interact and play with them beyond the provider role of a father.

While a number of challenges remain for the Moscom Fellowship, it was clearly evident that our trip was timely and had a real impact on this congregation.  We left with a sense that these Salvationists are better equipped for ministry and we look forward to reconnecting with many of them again soon as they attend the North Malaita Conference and engage with the wider Salvation Army of the Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands Ministries - Easter

Throughout our ministry we have always placed a special emphasis on Easter, creating an atmosphere of worship that engages the whole person with its significant redemptive message.  Typically for us, this commences with the Passover on Maundy Thursday, a Good Friday Service, a sunrise Dawn Service on Resurrection morning, climaxing with a celebration Easter Sunday Service.  In each of our appointments these services have taken on a different shape as we have sought to lead people on a journey of discovery through a teaching series and a dynamic encounter with God through a visual display.  Our first Easter in the Solomon Islands has been no exception!  

This year our teaching theme leading up to the Easter weekend was "Fo Mekem Yufala Biliv" based on the Gospel of John, exploring the reason he wrote his gospel:  "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31).

On Thursday night we held a Passover Service at our Quarters where 35 people from Honiara Corps gathered to participate in the liturgy of the Passover that Jesus would have shared with His disciples during the Last Supper.  Unlike other years, we opted not to have a full meal (for practical reasons) but nevertheless we had a meaningful time of worship around the Seder plate.  We incorporated a scene from the animated movie 'The Prince of Egypt' to help tell the story of the Exodus, which really captured the attention of both the kids and adults!  The outdoor setting and tropical environment provided a very pleasant atmosphere for such a special evening.

The next morning the congregation that gathered for the Good Friday Service in the same location increased to 50 as we continued our journey through John's gospel, drawing upon his own testimony at the cross, "The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe" (John 19:35).  Our youth led a powerful time of worship, the crucifixion story was read by a number of our soldiers and everyone was challenged to become one of the witnesses at the cross by taking a small cross made of palm leaves to share with someone who does not yet believe.

Easter Sunday morning commenced with a very early start before dawn at the American War Memorial on top of the Skyline Ridge.  A few of us joined with Kukum Campus SSEC Church for an Easter Sunrise Service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As we watched the sun rise our hearts were joyful as we lifted our voices in praise and shared in fellowship with other believers on this significant occasion.  Later that morning we returned to our regular place of worship at the Rock Haven Inn for our Easter Sunday Service, with 90 people packing into the conference room.  The atmosphere of worship was electric as our youth once again did an amazing job at leading worship.  It is hard to describe the extraordinary sound when Solomon Islanders express themselves in worship, except that the presence of God is tangible!  Easter Sunday was one of those God-honouring occasions.  Our Easter series was brought to a fitting conclusion with the witness of Mary Magdelene declaring, "I have seen the Lord!" (John 20:18).

Solomon Islands Ministries - Auki Mission

Over the past few weeks there has been some exciting movement around Auki in the Malaita Province concerning The Salvation Army, which does not yet have a presence in this town.  The movement I speak of is the activity of Holy Spirit who is stirring the hearts of some local pastors who are feeling restless, as they have been disconnected from any real denominational alliance for some time (that is a whole other discussion for another time and place).  Their restlessness led to a meeting with their spiritual mentor Joshua Henry who happens to be a Salvation Army soldier at Honiara Corps.  Joshua met recently with seven of these pastors to respond to their call to learn more about The Salvation Army because of their respect for his leadership and his strong witness.   

Throughout their time of worship and sharing together Joshua felt the Lord speak the following prophetic words for this group of pastors:

"As far as the Solomon Islands is concerned, The Salvation Army is the newest move of God in this country for NOW!"

"As far as The Salvation Army is concerned, everybody in the Solomon Islands who are Christians could all be citizens of the Kingdom of God already.  But to join the military of a nation there is a separate recruitment.  The Salvation Army is now that recruitment for a mission movement of God in the Solomon Islands."

"The Salvation Army is the fresh stream that is flowing into this country and out of this country."

As Joshua relayed these messages to me I felt both excited and terrified by the potential implications of such utterances!  Imagine if all seven pastors responded to Joshua's message by saying, 'sign us up!'  Well, we have dared to imagine such an outcome, despite not having the resources at this point in our journey to support an immediate burst of growth like this.  We dare to believe in a God who "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20) and who "will meet all [our] needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Alongside this prophetic word from Joshua we have proactively stepped into this mission space to pursue a couple of social enterprise opportunities to build a foundation for sustainable growth throughout the Malaita Province by developing a mission base in Auki.  We continue to look and listen for where the Spirit is at work so we can join in on His mission activity.  We continue to trust God to lead the development of His Army not only in Malaita but right across the Solomon Islands.  We continue to prioritise the development of future leaders and financial sustainability as we develop further ministries.

Solomon Islands Ministries - International Women's Day

Today, communities all over the world are celebrating International Women's Day to promote equal rights for women and raise awareness of continued gender inequality that causes discrimination, exploitation and abuse.  In the Solomon Islands such a day has particular relevance with 64% of women aged 15-49 reporting physical and/or sexual abuse by their partner, girls as young as 12 being forced into prostitution, and only one woman holding a senior government ministry position.  The Australian High Commission in Honiara has prioritised gender equality by committing to support the work of the Ministry of Women, Children, Youth and Family Affairs in achieving their five priority outcomes for women:  improve and ensure equitability in health and education, improve economic status, equal participation in decision making and leadership, elimination of violence against women, and increase the nation’s capacities for gender mainstreaming.

The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries joined forces with a variety of government and non-government groups this morning to march in solidarity for gender equality.  The march commenced behind the Honiara City Council building and proceeded down the main street of Honiara to the National Museum, where a large crowd gathered to hear a number of inspiring speeches, including one from the Prime Minister's wife Madam Rachel Houenipwela who shared her story. 

As The Salvation Army builds it's ministry presence and mission impact in the Solomon Islands, it is clear that we have a key role in empowering women and addressing some of the ongoing issues in this space.  Major Vanessa Evans has recently met with a number of community leaders in Honiara to discuss issues of prostitution, human trafficking and domestic violence.  Each of these leaders expressed a strong desire for the churches to be more proactive in promoting a healthy biblical framework for equality. 

More than ever before, the famous words from William Booth's final speech, "While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight!" continue to echo as a pertinent call to action for all Salvationists to fight all forms of injustice until equality is finally achieved.

Echoes of Another

"In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me." (Jonah 2:2)

There are about 50 people huddled underneath
that tarp with about another 100 below deck
 in the cargo hold and 50 more on the stern.

It was around 3:00 am sandwiched between my camera bag, where I was leaning my head, and a group of teenage girls who were literally sitting on top of each other in a desperate attempt to shield themselves from the rain, that I felt a level of distress I cannot ever recall experiencing before. We had already been on the boat for 35 hours on our journey back to Honiara from the east coast of Malaita, and the conditions on the open sea had deteriorated with waves splashing onto the deck and rain lashing against the tarps that were flapping furiously in the wind, providing minimal protection for the 200+ passengers on board. Together with an electrical fault that caused the rusty metal floor in front of us to become electrified, nobody was having a good time!

In that moment, I did call out to the Lord in my distress from underneath the pandanas mat my travel companion unselfishly shared with me in an attempt to protect me from the elements. Somewhere between my tiredness and borderline seasickness I found myself praying, 'Lord, get us to dry land or end it now!' From the security and comfort of my living room my prayer now sounds a little melodramatic and somewhat irrational for a man of faith. However, after two sleepless nights on an overcrowded, unseaworthy vessel with a crew who were uncertain of our exact location (the disadvantage of sitting next to the cabin with someone who could understand the frantic conversation between the captain and crew), rational thought had long escaped me!

God answered me in a most unexpected way! Dry land was still three hours away and the boat stayed afloat, but God confronted me with a very personal and powerful reminder of a family who took a similar journey to Australia five years ago. For the first time their story that had previously received deep sympathy from me, now evoked a deeper empathy as a small part of their journey became my reality. These conditions that I had absolutely no control over all of a sudden made their story very real for me!

I remember when I first met the Afshar family from Afghanistan. As I listened to their story of how they escaped serious threats from the Taliban by boarding a small boat that took them on a long and dangerous journey through Malaysia, I struggled to imagine the sort of conditions they would have experienced. I had absolutely no doubt that their story was true. But as a person who at that point had never sailed longer than an hour on a comfortable and well equipped passenger ferry, with room to move around and enjoy the journey, it was difficult to really connect with their experience. Their journey across the ocean was a compelling tale that was far removed from anything I had ever experienced or could imagine experiencing. Until now!

While the similarities between our respective journeys start and end with a boat trip, I found this uninvited reminder of another family's distress in the midst of my own a profoundly emotional experience. It right-sized my own circumstances and redirected my reality towards the reality of another. For the next few moments I imagined myself sitting alongside the Afshar family with their bodies leaning against mine, sharing the same pandanas mat to protect each other from the discomfort of a shared experience. In my distress I was given a rare gift to feel the distress of another more deeply than I thought was possible. Pakistani novelist Mohsin Hamid is quoted as saying, "Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself." Out there on that ocean in the dead of the night and during a raging storm, I found the echoes of another family in myself. My prayer now is that those echoes will resound through a more empathetic life and ministry as I continue to pursue a passion for the LORD, the LOST, LIFE and LEADERSHIP!

Would I want to go through an experience like this again? Absolutely not! Am I grateful that I did? Overwhelmingly so!!

Solomon Islands Ministries - South Malaita Visit

Our trip to the Moscom Fellowship in South Malaita started and finished with travel dramas!  We were scheduled to leave Honiara at 8:00 pm on the Sunday night following our return from North Malaita but the boat departed at 6:00 pm instead, despite confirming the time with the port that morning.  A second attempt to depart the following day on another boat was also frustrated when transportation at the other end could not be arranged.  Therefore, the trip was rescheduled until the end of the week with a change of route through Auki and Atori.  Instead of a direct 24 hour boat trip from Honiara to Moscom, the change of plans would mean the ferry from Honiara to Auki (as with our northern trip), a four hour truck drive to Atori and then two hours on a small 'mosquito boat' south to Moscom.  This change of plans meant that Vanessa opted not to go on this journey due to her fear of very small boats and open water.  This proved to be a wise decision as we encountered up to 2 metre swells in some sections of pretty rough waters over this leg of the trip.

The name ‘Moscom’ was originally coined as a radio call sign by the local village leader when he worked for Australian Aid.  It is a hybrid of the actual village name ‘Mosipe’ and the word ‘community’, which stuck and has now become known throughout Malaita.  This village leader responded to the need for a church in Moscom by contacting his close friend in Honiara who was instrumental in bringing The Salvation Army to Solomon Islands.  The community wanted a church that cared for more than just their  spiritual needs, so they were very responsive to the message they heard about The Salvation Army through the visit of Captain Soddy Maraga from PNG.  Over the past few years, the Moscom Fellowship has been led by a local Salvationist named Miriam, with the strong support of the nearby SDA Pastor Seke.  Like Kwai in North Malaita, The Salvation Army has grown around a few families in their village, but unlike Kwai, this congregation has a notable absence of men, who watch on from a distance when not attending their watermelon farms.  Miriam is a hard worker who does her very best to juggle her duties in the village as a mother and grandmother with the responsibilities of being the congregation leader.

We were greeted at the beach, further along the shore than planned due to rough waters, by a large group of very enthusiastic village kids, .  This meant a 20 minute walk through the neighbouring SDA village and up a rather steep hill back to Moscom, with the kids super keen to carry our luggage.  We arrived at the village on dusk and were once again blessed by a lovely welcome song by a group of children and a time of worship and fellowship.  

The Saturday program was much the same as Kwai in North Malaita with a session of teaching about Salvation Army symbolism and a session discussing the Sacraments.  Unfortunately Ness wasn't there to teach the kids so they all (25 of them) decided to sit in on the adults session.  I'm not really sure how much they took in but they at least pretended they were interested.  The Sunday Service had quite a different feel to up north but was nevertheless a wonderful time of worship.  The girls performed a vocal item that featured some beautiful harmonies that lived up to the reputation of amazing singing in the Solomon Islands.  On Monday, Wency led four sessions of Soldiership Classes and I got to sit back and watch this wonderful man of God in action.  The questions that followed each of these sessions demonstrated a genuine desire to integrate what they were learning into the realities of living out their faith in a remote village.  These classes resulted in two Adherents being accepted that evening during a Fellowship Meeting.

Village life in Moscom maintained the beautiful simplicity and generous hospitality that we enjoyed in Kwai.  It was such a pleasure to interact in the life of the village through conversations over meal times and even joining in a spontaneous game of mud soccer with the boys!  It was somewhat of a spectacle having the visiting 'white Pastor' playing in the mud and word spread through the village like wildfire.  The boys thought it was hilarious every time I slipped over in the mud while trying to kick the ball.  Another aspect of village life we witnessed was the migration of watermelons from the hillside farms down to the beach in readiness for the boat to Honiara.  The farmers hauled countless bags of melons, weighing approximately 50 kg each, on their shoulders down the steep hills.  I couldn't sit idle watching all this physical activity so I followed one of the farmers back up the hill to lend a hand, which was very much appreciated.
  

Unfortunately, village life is not an Utopian existence.  While engaged in one of our evening conversations, thieves from a neighbouring village broke into our room and stole all the money we brought with us to support this Fellowship from my bag!  This was a significant amount of money that would have been a real blessing to Miriam and this congregation.  The village leaders were devastated that this happened to their guests while in their care and it was a harsh confrontation with a growing problem in this remote area where people have to work very hard to survive.  Nevertheless, this disappointing experience did provide a platform for prayer and teaching from Ephesians 6:10-20 about the spiritual battle in which we are engaged.

I said at the beginning of this post that our trip started and finished with travel dramas.  Well, our trip home was a 38 hour saga!!  We were scheduled to leave on Tuesday but our boat didn't show up.  It was then supposed to arrive at 10:00 am on Wednesday but ended up arriving at around 3:00 pm.  It took three hours to load up the melons from all the farmers waiting along the shoreline that spread across four villages.  When the boat eventually set sail out of the bay it was starting to get dark so it docked at a nearby port for the night because the Captain wasn't confident sailing in the dark due to the lack of navigation equipment on board!  We slept on the boat to stay close to our belongings and woke up very early in the morning to a large crowd waiting to board the boat with their cargo, including a rather large pig.  The journey through the channel dividing Big and Small Malaita was rather calm but got very wet along the way.  It also got very crowded as we were met by smaller boats along the way to transfer even more people and cargo on board.  By the time we reached the last port at the end of the channel our boat was overcrowded with barely any room to even stand with people jostling for positions to get out of the rain.  This was the scene for a cramped, cold, wet and miserable final 10 hours across Indispensable Strait between Malaita and Guadalcanal during the night (fortunately we picked up another Captain before departing the port who was confident sailing in the dark!).  At around 3:00 am we noticed some sparks on the floor in front of my feet.  An electrical wire was exposed between our deck and the engine room below, which was shorting out sending sparks through a rust hole onto the 

metal deck that was awash with sea water!!  Together with rough seas and constant storms, it was a very long night and the sight of land couldn't come quick enough.  We arrived in Honiara port at around 6:00 am but had to wait another hour before we docked as the crew pushed through the crowded boat to collect fares.  Praise God that Wency had the money for our fares in his belongings, which didn't get touched by the thieves a few days earlier!

Despite the dramas and discomfort of the journey, the experience was irreplaceable!  We got to share in the reality of many Solomon Islanders who have no other way to travel between the Provinces.  We got to see island life up close and personal.  Underneath the tropical beauty that surrounds us everyday is a challenging existence that exposes the vulnerability of these incredibly resilient people.  This experience provides us with a deeper understanding of the context in which our brothers and sisters in Christ are serving under the flag of The Salvation Army.  May God give us wisdom to use this experience to inform and guide us as we lead The Salvation Army in this context.