By Robert A. Meyer

When God announces judgment it provides an opportunity for Him to show mercy and forgiveness. Of course that forgiveness is extended on the basis of what His Word requires.

Jonah 1:4 describes God's use of the weather to get the attention of his disobedient missionary. "But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the seas, so that the ship was like to be broken." (A modern day Jonah would likely take a jet. I shared this thought with Brother Alan Brooks and he said: "How would you like to be thrown out of a jet?") Jonah was fleeing into a storm.

All through the scriptures it can be seen how God used weather to get people to listen to His Word. Genesis' record of His dealing with Pharaoh and Egypt is a prime example. Psalm 83:15-18 gives two reasons God sends the "tempest" and the "storm:" "So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." The two reasons are to make them afraid and that they may know.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." (Proverbs 1:7a). "The mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his god..." (Jonah 1:5a). In verse nine Jonah revealed to them that he feared "...the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land." He was declaring God as Creator. In today's cultures that is a good place to start witnessing.

After showing benevolence toward Jonah by rowing hard to get to land, they took Jonah at his word and probably by his arms and legs and pitched him over board. When the mariners experienced the calm sea which followed they feared the Lord and sacrificed to Him. The Hebrew word for fear in this passage is yare which speaks of reverence. So, missionary, remember, God is always seeking precious souls...even in our storms!

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By Alan Brooks

The Nias Bible Project has been a tremendous success. Only eternity will reveal the results of 49,000 Bibles put into the hands of Indonesian young people. God promises that His Word "shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" Isaiah 55:11. Please continue to pray for the results.

Because of the great success with the Bible Project, other missionaries have contacted me inquiring if it may be duplicated at their place of service. Dr. Tim Meyer, veteran missionary to Australia, has been traveling to the Solomon Islands to evangelize and train nationals. Recently, he met with the Premier of the Malaitan Province while in the Solomons. They are all for Bible distribution in the 142 high schools on Malaita. The premier said they would probably average 200 students each, making a total of 28,600 Bibles needed. What an opportunity to impact another island for the cause of Christ!

We need to raise the added funds for the printing of Bibles. Will you ask God if He would have you involved in this outreach? I am so excited to see what can be done! As the seed of the Word of God is sown, it will lay the foundation of evangelism for our missionaries and generations to come. Only God can open a door like this, so we must be prepared to go through it. I can think of no better investment in these days of economic down turn. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is there will your heart be also" Matthew 6:19-21. The returns are out of this world!

Please contact me if you desire any further information: alanbrooksbimi@yahoo.com or 423 344-5050.

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By Ed Sims

Aborigines were the first to inhabit the country of Australia. Although many explorers from several countries stepped on the shores of Australia's coasts, the first real immigrants didn't make permanent settlements until 1788. As America won her freedom, England began immigration in earnest to the Southern hemisphere with incentives to colonize. As prisoners many colonists had no choice. Through the decades, much of Australia's immigration came from Europe and Great Britain, especially after World War II.

In the 1970's Australia adopted a multi-cultural policy for immigration. Our United States immigration is usually phrased as a "melting pot," where many cultures and traditions merge into a common culture. Multi-culturalism encourages people groups to maintain traditions and cultures unique to themselves. The immigration minister during the 70's, Al Grassby, declared the merits of multi-culturalism by saying, "each ethnic group desiring it is permitted to create its own cultural heritage indefinitely, while taking part in the general life of this nation."

Since then many world situations have promoted immigration from all over the world. The fall of Saigon in 1975 has greatly influenced the suburb where we have planted the Great Hope Baptist Church. Thousands of Vietnamese have chosen to call Inala their home.

Inala is comprised of many cultures such as Aboriginals, Fijians, New Zealanders, Tongans, Samoans, Cook Islanders and many Asian peoples. The vast majority are Vietnamese who have fled their homeland for religious freedom or to escape political persecution. We have made friends with several Vietnamese pastors and tried for a time to learn their language, but found ourselves lacking.

It has been easier to reach the children as they are learning English in the public school and we have the opportunity to teach religious education in the public school each week. Even if they don't understand the entire lesson, they enjoy the songs and object lessons. So, as you can see, we have a unique advantage in reaching the world with the Good News of salvation each week. With the language and cultural barrier, our church has made a friendship with Vietnamese of like belief in our community. They hold their services in our building on Sunday afternoons and Saturday nights. Men in our church are invited to preach in their services regularly with an interpreter and we try to join with one another for special services.

This arrangement helps both cultures as the language barrier can be difficult. We can refer our door knocking contacts who don't speak English to them and they can refer their English ones to our church. Pastor Heip and his wife, Han, are tireless workers for the Lord. Another friend, Pastor Hoa and his wife, Chi, work in the Camira area. They are facing great opposition as they begin a building program. The land has been purchased, but neighbors and city inspectors have caused many delays and unnecessary costs for them. Your prayers are appreciated as many good Vietnamese men minister in Australia.

The many heart breaking stories from the people of these two churches alone cause us to be thankful to have a small part of what God is doing to reach many cultures in this little area we call home.

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By Tim Meyer and Alan Brooks

The following story comes from Dr. Tim Meyer, veteran missionary to Australia. Brother Tim has been making trip to the Solomon Islands for quite a while. God is working in a great way. I know that you will be blessed by what you read. I also invite you to pray for us and with us about the continued outreach and training of national leaders.

The Solomon Islands is rich in Christian history. This archipelago of islands lies off the northeastern coast of Australia. The people are Melanesian, black islanders. In the late 1800s islanders were "blackbirded" by ship captains who had contracts with Australian sugar cane growers to recruit workers for the fields. These workers were called "kanakas." Some of these islanders were legally hired, but many were gang-pressed or sold into slavery by their village chiefs.

Florence Young was born in New Zealand in 1856. Her family migrated to Australia and in 1878 her brothers bought a sugar cane plantation in the Bundaberg region of Queensland. Burdened to win these islanders to Christ, Florence started the Queensland Kanaka Mission in 1886. She taught the "blackbirded" islanders to read and instructed them in salvation and Bible teaching. When Australia federated in 1901 and introduced the "white Australia policy," many of the islanders were sent back to the islands. Many, however, went back born again.

Florence spent six years of the period between 1891 and 1900 working as a missionary with the China Inland Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor. When the Boxer Rebellion broke out, it was unsafe for white missionaries to be in China; some were martyred. The CIM instructed Florence to go back to Australia. When Florence returned, she continued the work with the Queensland Kanaka Mission and eventually received a letter from an islander who had become a Christian in Australia but had returned to his home island of Malaita. He asked for missionaries to come and help reach his people with the Gospel.

The message was from Peter Ambuofa. Peter had returned to Malaita in 1894. Having accepted Christ as his Saviour while in Australia, he returned as the first born again believer to the Malaitan village of Malu'u. He did not receive a friendly welcome. His family was expecting him to return with at least some sort of worldly wealth; instead, he came only with the Gospel. His family was from the inland regions of Malaita; they had walked down to Malu'u to meet Peter. His mother approached him with roasted taro. "Son," she said, "You come back with us, up to your home in the hills. You see this taro? It's your food, but if you don't come with us, you will die of hunger." She put the taro back in her basket and walked away. This was a great insult; island culture demanded the sharing of food with relatives.

Peter sustained himself eating the small fruit that grows off the trunk of an nwanwa'o tree. The tree usually bears fruit just once a year, but it sustained Peter for six months. This gave him time to plant a small garden. Peter began to try to reach his people with the Gospel. Whenever his family came down from the hills, they tried to force him to return with them. Peter could not read very well, but he had learned to write John 3:16. This he shared with others. He sang the song "Jesus Loves Me This I Know." Eventually he led his brother to salvation. His brother was later murdered.

After receiving the invitation, Florence and several other Christians formed the South Seas Evangelical Mission. This mission existed for over 70 years. Men and women, mostly Australian, surrendered to the mission work in the Solomon Islands. The mission had a boat built, named the Evangel, and this boat sailed between the islands transporting missionaries and doctors. A Bible College was established on Malaita. The method of teaching was primarily Bible instruction given each week to the village pastors, who would return to their villages to preach this for the Sunday Worship services. Hundreds of these village churches are now scattered throughout the islands.

On Monday, August 10, I received an email from James Ngofia, a young man from Malaita that has been working with me in the islands: "Tim, Stephen called me through phone last week to pass this message to you as quick as I can. Well, this is the message, Peter Ambuofa family members have been preparing to go into Independent Baptist with you and they are waiting for you to go up and see them in Malu'u. It looks likely that you will organize a church in there. This is very important. Peter Ambuofa family members need any reply from you as soon as possible. James." So on August 19 I met with five Christian men from Malu'u, four who were the grandsons of Peter Ambuofa, the first born again Solomon Islander to return to his native home after being led to Christ on a sugar cane plantation in Australia by a lady who worked with Hudson Taylor in the China Inland Mission! Great Commission work continues through the power of the Gospel. The fifth man I met with was Stephen Korii- he's the grandson of Peter Ambuofa's first convert!

Brother Tim Meyer adds the following: I am helping them get a church constitution together as they have been formally a part of the South Seas Evangelical Church which has recently taken some wrong direction. They want to do this properly. I hope to be there in November to attend their covenant service and to preach for them.

The grandsons of Peter Ambuofa are in the church and one of them will be the pastor and will be attending the Bible Institute classes I teach when I go over.

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Scot C & Katie Daku -  AMERICAN SAMOA
Paul J & Wendy Daku Jr -  FIJI ISLANDS
James & Dawn Daley -  INDONESIA