Throughout our Officership, Vanessa and I have had the joy of leading five overseas mission trips with Salvationists from our appointments at Noarlunga Corps and Cranbourne Corps to Thailand and Indonesia. This month we have had the pleasure of been on the receiving end of a mission team from The Salvation Army USA Southern Territory. On Tuesday, 4th June six young Salvationists arrived in Honiara as a part of the USA Salvationist Service Corps for five weeks of mission in the Solomon Islands. A team of Honiara Corps members eagerly greeted the USA Mission Team at the airport with songs of welcome and presented the visitors with a lei made from local tropical flowers. The drive through Honiara confronted the team with a new cultural reality that was literally and figuratively a world apart from their familiar surroundings. They couldn’t wait to get to their motel to change out of the jeans they travelled into something a little more suited to the tropical conditions! 
After a rest day to recover from 26 hours of travelling we took the team to the Coral Sea Resort for dinner and the annual Solchoc Festival to experience the flavours of locally grown cocoa at the chocolate tasting night. The evening included information about the emerging cocoa industry in the Solomon Islands. Before launching into the mission schedule, we set aside a morning for cultural orientation, which included a language lesson in basic Pijin with a local language teacher. It was pleasing to see the Mission Team integrate these cultural lessons into their interaction with locals throughout their trip.
The first week of mission activity included learning how to make lavalavas with the Home League ladies from Honiara Corps and participating in a couple of social enterprise projects — sewing reusable sanitary kits (girls) and constructing a backyard foundry (guys). Their first Sunday was Pentecost, which provided an opportunity to engage in an ecumenical service at the Holy Cross Cathedral. This was a significant occasion for the Catholic Church and Salvation Army in Honiara, coming together in worship for the first time with the musical support of The Salvation Army Brass Band Learners.
The second week focused on preparing for the “One Army Congress”, which I think is fair to say was the highlight of their mission trip. So many cultural, spiritual and relational experiences were packed into an unforgettable journey to West Kwara’ae in the Malaita Province. You can read a full report of the Congress in the June Newsletter. In summary, the Mission Team experienced the reality of sea travel on the Fair Lady Ship, trekking through the bush to the village and the simplicity and beauty of village life in the Solomon Islands. The program contained many powerful spiritual moments and stunning cultural expressions that left a lasting impression on the team members. Their participation through worship, dance, preaching and teaching also left a lasting impression on local Salvationists.
The journey back to Auki (main port of Malaita) opened up an unexpected ministry opportunity while meeting with the Provincial Police Commander. He invited our team to a local village where he worships to introduce the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army. The village chief invited us to stay overnight and conduct a program to a couple of hundred curious onlookers. Our team was once again blessed by the gracious hospitality of village life.
Following the Congress, the team began preparing for their VBS (Vacational Bible School) program at two primary schools in Honiara. The first two days of VBS was conducted at Honiara Integrated Primary School, which is a council run school. The Salvation Army has developed a ministry relationship with this school through a number of teachers who attend Honiara Corps. The final two days of VBS was conducted at Advance Christian School, which is a private school established and run by the Honiara Corps Secretary. The VBS program included worship, teaching, craft activities and interactive games. Reports from both schools indicated that the children loved the program and the teachers appreciated the investment into their respective school communities.
One of the other Corps activities the Mission Team supported was our Brass Band Learners. Three of the team members who played brass instruments engaged in our practices, providing musical tuition and support to help prepare the two pieces of music being practiced for the ecumenical service and Congress. Having extra players in each section of the band gave a boost of confidence to our local players and contributed to the success of our public performances. The worship team also enjoyed the musical engagement of the Mission Team as they participated in practices and Sunday worship. It was obvious the enjoyment was mutual.
Engaging in local communities, not only offered unique ministry experiences but fostered meaningful relationships between the team and members of the Honiara Corps. Through our Neighbourhood Fellowship groups the team shared in village life in an urban setting. Even in the capital city of Honiara, the simplicity of life is a stark contrast to suburban life in North American cities. We paired off the team members and sent them to visit five of our Neighbourhood Fellowships during their visit, which meet in very different settings. In each group they shared in a meal, a time of worship and participated in the ‘One Army International Teaching Resource’ used for discipleship across all groups. Everybody loved this up close and personal engagement with the visiting team.
Scattered throughout the mission program were opportunities to experience the diverse cultural expressions of the Solomon Islands. This included watching cultural dancing at the Coral Sea Resort and listening to a bamboo panpipe band at the National Museum during the Solchoc Festival. On the Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday, we took the Mission Team to a formal parade at Lawson Tama Reserve with the Prime Minister and the Governor General in attendance and a performance by the RSIPF Brass Band. This ceremonial occasion highlighted the strong links that still exists between the Solomon Islands and Great Britain, even after 40 years of independence.
A visit to the National Referral Hospital was another highlight and a confronting experience for the Mission Team. The conditions of the hospital are quite frankly ‘third world’ with patients having very limited access to quality medical care in deteriorating facilities. The hospital is known to run out of essential medicines and patients have to rely on friends and relatives for access to clean drinking water! Together with our Community Care Ministries team, the Mission Team prepared some care packs for distribution to 31 beds in the maternity ward. It was a lovely surprise to find one of the women from Honiara Corps, who had just given birth, during their visit. She was very pleased be a recipient of one of the care packs.
The mission trip wasn’t all work and no play. Rest and tour days were scheduled throughout the trip to allow the team to enjoy some of the recreational activities available in and around Honiara. A trip to Mbonege Beach provided opportunity for a welcomed swim and snorkeling through a sunken Japanese shipwreck. Visits to Central Market and a craft market provided opportunity to buy souvenirs and local handicrafts. Wency took the team up to the American War Memorial for an insight into the Battle of Guadalcanal and a panoramic view of Honiara. He also took them to the Art Gallery where the team fell in love with the beautiful paintings from local artists.
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