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.

Solomon Islands Ministries - North Malaita Visit

Before arriving in Solomon Islands we read about a new Salvation Army Fellowship that had commenced during May 2017 in North Malaita after two newly enrolled soldiers from Honiara Corps returned to their home village on the Kwai River.  Their arrival home was good news for their village as the church they left behind had disbanded due to the infidelity of the pastor.  After sharing their joy of joining The Salvation Army in Honiara, their witness led to a number of conversations among the community leaders that resulted in their decision for the discouraged church members to become the first Salvation Army Fellowship in North Malaita.  Previous leader of The Salvation Army Solomon Islands Ministries, Major Malcolm Herring, visited this fellowship just before returning to New Zealand and 15 new soldiers of The Salvation Army were enrolled!  As the newly appointed leaders of The Salvation Army in Solomon Islands we knew straight away that we would need to plan a visit to this Fellowship early in our role to see for ourselves the progress of what God had commenced in this remote location and to encourage this newly formed Fellowship of The Salvation Army.  We also wanted to make a strong statement to these new Salvationists that our appointment was not just to Honiara but to wherever The Salvation Army extended throughout the Solomon Islands. 

Our trip to Malaita started at the port of Honiara on a passenger ferry that took three hours to sail to Auki on the west coast of Malaita.  From there we climbed onto the back of a public truck with nearly 20 other passengers and a mountain of luggage for a bumpy four hour drive to the furthermost point of North Malaita.  The road trip took us through some stunning tropical landscapes, over some precarious river bridges and along the beautiful western

coastline of Malaita.  We were greeted upon arrival by a very enthusiastic congregation dressed in their full uniforms eager to meet their new leaders.  This warm welcome extended to a weekend of generous hospitality and rich fellowship that expressed deeply the kingdom values of Christ and their cultural values of community.

While our visit was certainly to meet and greet the members of this Fellowship, it was also to provide some teaching and to participate in their worship services.  Each day commenced with a 4:30 am Prayer Meeting and concluded with a two hour Fellowship Meeting that featured some of the most passionate worship and prayer we have ever experienced!  In many ways, Vanessa and I felt like spiritual dwarfs among these people.  If we thought the singing in Honiara was inspiring (which it is), this church took it to another level.  

On the Saturday I conducted a Teaching Seminar in two parts to teach on 'Salvation Army Symbolism' and 'Salvation Army & Sacraments'.  For such new Salvationists, these themes filled in a lot of gaps in their knowledge and understanding about the distinctives of Salvation Army worship and culture.  They fully engaged with the teaching and asked appropriate questions to seek clarity and to make sense of my Aussie accent.  During this Teaching Seminar Vanessa took 17 children through Junior Soldiers Preparation Classes, which is a young people's discipleship program in The Salvation Army.  At the end of the classes 7 children indicated that they wanted to become Junior Soldiers; which is the first group of Junior Soldiers in the Solomon Islands.  

Sunday Worship was something special!  Their church building is an old wooden, open-walled structure, positioned on top of a very steep hill that stimulated nearly as much physical energy to get to church as the spiritual energy that was generated during church.  A congregation of 46 gathered to celebrate their love for Jesus in their usual passionate style.  One of their leaders led a lengthy testimony time that had people eager to not only share their testimony through words but also through song.  Vanessa then had the absolute pleasure of enrolling the 7 Junior Soldiers before I had the privilege of preaching the Word of God.  It is always humbling to see people respond to the Word of God, but to have 13 of these soldiers kneel at the make-shift Mercy Seat (that I had taught them about the day before), recommitting their lives to God and His mission in North Malaita, was a truly overwhelming experience.  The afternoon included a Leaders Meeting, another first for North Malaita, that completed the picture for us about the scope of ministry already occurring in and beyond this village.  To listen to their leaders express their vision for the future was energising.  I cannot wait to write up my report for the PNG Territorial Commander about this growing ministry!

Throughout our stay in North Malaita we enjoyed fully engaging in the simplicity of village life.  From swimming in the river with the kids, watching food being prepared with cultural methods, eating food grown in the village, to showering under a tap behind a canvas screen out in the open air; life in this village offered an unexpected richness that is rarely experienced in the city.  

Returning home to Honiara was a bitter sweet experience.  Despite our enjoyment of village life, we did miss being connected to the wider world.  Yet, leaving this place, even after only a few days, was like being separated from a sense of family again.  There is something supernatural about the body of Christ that transcends culture and language through a deep unity of the Spirit, I imagine much like the disciples experienced in the early church.  We left North Malaita with a great deal of excitement for the future of this Salvation Army Fellowship.  We also left with enormous anticipation for what might be ahead in the second part of our journey to visit another Salvation Army Fellowship in South Malaita next week.