Major Robert and Vanessa, along with Auxiliary Captain Wency and Fostina, travelled to Port Moresby to attend the PNG Southern Region Congress that hosted a visit from the World Leaders of The Salvation Army, General Brian & Commissioner Rosalie Peddle. The Congress commenced on Thursday, 27th October with Offer’s Councils, where Officers from South Central Division, South East Division, Gulf District, Solomon Islands District came together for two sessions of worship, teaching and fellowship. The first public Congress meeting ‘Celebrating the Southern Way’ was on Friday evening, which featured a night of praise and worship, cultural items, and a message by the General. On Saturday morning, Salvationists from around the Southern Region gathered at THQ for a March of Witness around Boroko, followed by an Open Air at Centre Point. The Koki Corps Brass Band, along with a combined Timbrel Brigade, led a procession of hundreds of enthusiastic uniformed Soldiers that snaked around the streets of Boroko, offering the public an impressive sight. The real impression, though, was the presentation of God’s Word though song, drama, testimony and a salvation message. In the evening, the Children and Youth were featured in a Praise & Worship meeting, presenting some very creative items that included cultural dances, timbrels and an amazing silhouette performance. The final public meeting on Sunday morning was a Holiness Meeting, which attracted the largest crowd for the weekend. Like with the previous events, the pre-worship had people up dancing and singing with great passion and cultural pride. Koki Corps Band and a Divisional Worship Team supported the congregational singing, with the Cadets presenting a skit for the children’s segment and a combined Sunday Schools reading the Scripture before the General gave his final message. One of the highlights of the Holiness Meeting was the mass enrolment of 84 Senior Soldiers and 67 Junior Soldiers from all over the Southern Region. The other highlight was the public acknowledgement of Auxiliary Captain Wency and Fostina as the first non-commissioned Officers of the Solomon Islands by the Territorial Commander, with the General praying a prayer of blessing over them both.
Reflection written by Auxiliary Captain Wency & Fostina Ramo'oroa...
When we heard that we were required to be at THQ for the General’s Visit we were very excited and looked forward to attending the program and anticipating to see and experience greater things that God is going to do in our lives during the program. While we were very excited about the news of going to PNG, we did have some doubts in our preparations which gave us less hope whether or not we will be able to attend the program because our visas were not ready. Even on the last working day of that week before we flew on Sunday to Port Moresby, I was waiting for an email from THQ confirming the approval of our visas. However, at about 5:00pm I received a message from our District Officer advising that our visas were finally granted. Praise God. Anyway, the rest is history. The program had three parts to it. The first part was a Welcome program at the Airport, the second was the Officer’s Councils and third was the Congress.
Aux Capt Fostina had a great experience during the program. She was well received by the Officers, including our Territorial Leaders, and they encouraged her a lot in her ministry. Their hospitality and kind gestures made her feel at home and feel that she is part of a wider loving and caring Army. She was quite surprised by the infrastructure in PNG, including THQ. But most of all, she was deeply moved and encouraged by the messages shared by the General and Commissioner and also the skits by other groups during the program. As a newly emerging member and leader in The Salvation Army, those messages have motivated her to see and evaluate herself, especially her spiritual wellbeing. She also acknowledged that even though her understanding of English is very low, she seemed to grasp most of what had been said. She was also blessed and privileged to meet with General Brian and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle in person.
So, both of us are new in this space. This is our first time to attend what is called Officer’s Councils and Congress. We did not know what Officer’s Councils was all about and what the congress looked like in The Salvation Army context. However, attending the program during the weekend gave us more insight into The Salvation Army programs. We are so thrilled with what we have seen and experienced during the weekend. We also feel that God has spoken to us during the weekend through what we have seen, heard and felt.
During the weekend, we met some officers and cadets and they were very generous to us by encouraging us in our ministry and especially about life at the Officer’s Training College (OTC); something that shed some hope for Aux Capt Fostina, as she is in a preparation stage for our journey to the OTC. Nothing more is so enjoyable than being in the presence of the Lord with those who share the same values, faith and are on the same journey. We learned a lot during the weekend about many things. Some of the things were very new to us while other things are an encouragement of what we have already seen. This opens our eyes to see the bigger picture of the wider Salvation Army. For us, we come from a country where some people know little about The Salvation Army and others know nothing about The Salvation Army. So our participation through the congress will help us to lead the Army in our own country.
We experienced some challenges during our stay for this program. But in the midst of those challenges, God has spoken to us powerfully to live a life of servant leadership and to accept those challenges as an encouragement on our journey of faith. Above all, we are very grateful to God for His unconditional love and faithfulness upon our lives as He leads us down this pathway of our Christian Journey. We give God all the glory, honour and praise for great things He has done. Amen.
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