Captain’s Blog

Captain’s Log #2

September 15, 2000 on 3:24 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

No no no no - God’s not dead - He is alive! God’s not dead - He is alive! God’s not dead - He is alive! I can feel Him all over me! Add a heavy accent, lot’s of rhythm, clapping, creative motions and strong belief and you too can learn
a ‘Fijian’ hymn! Tonight a little nine year old boy stands and weeps to give his testimony of God’s goodness. He kept trying to speak but the tears came faster than he could wipe them away. His mother was comforting him - She too was in tears. By now we were all in tears (and I didn’t even know what the boy was saying). Seems the boy’s heart was overflowing with praise to a very real God. For years he and his mom had tried to live out their faith as best as they could in the home of a father and husband who was viscous toward Christianity and the church. The Nazarene pastor and
his wife had nurtured his faith secretly for fear of the man’s anger. “God has been good to us!” the little boy said, “My father is not with us - he has gone away… he has given his life to God and God has changed him forever. I have seen it! The reason he is not here is because he has taken the fishing boats to the island of Kadavo to start another Nazarene church there!” (seems he got tired of waiting for ‘pastor’ Harmon’s boat to get here!) “He will be back when that church is going!”

NO NO NO NO - GOD’S NOT DEAD - HE IS ALIVE! OF TIRES AND DITCHES The D.S. got up at 4 AM yesterday to travel to a church that was in trouble, looked like it might be closed down. One of the tires on the vehicle was flat (this week he’s already welded the muffler and door back on). He told me that he stood there in the dark and thanked God. “It was VERY hard, but I told God to tell Satan these things won’t stop me!” Before the day was done he’d also spent an hour and a half with the vehicle in the ditch in deep mud. I want to ask you to especially pray for one man in particular this week.

The District Superintendent Pastor Aseri. He is a great man of God! He is a humble man whom God has chosen to lead the Nazarene church in Fiji during crucial times. If God prompts you to pray for him - would you drop whatever your doing right then and pray. Rest assured there is probably
much hanging in the balance. Church tonight at Namadi (pronounced Namandi) ended with a crowd around the altar, their hands lifted in praise and worship to a Holy God - and in the crowd the face of a nine year old boy was beaming! Don’t tell him God is dead. Oh - and the church in trouble? They rallied to the call. Pledged to pull together. Committed to unite. Fight against Satan, see him defeated and grow like never before. You watch, they’ll do it because they serve the God of the empty tomb! NO NO NO NO GOD’S NOT DEAD - HE IS ALIVE!

- the Schmelzenbach’s

Captain’s Log #1

September 1, 2000 on 3:21 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Crash Helmets and Life Preservers…
During deputation, we read these words from a book entitled “Honor”…

“It is madness to wear velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets; ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares! We know little of the full-throttled race of heart that comes from a true encounter with God… an encounter that brings you into a new place from which you can never again return. You are at that moment and forever completely ruined for anyone but God”

We invite you to join us in being “ruined” for God. What an incredible way to live……

Greetings in the name of the Lord >from the most beautiful place on earth…. FIJI!
This is Harmon and Cindy Schmelzenbach and this is now the FIRST email report from the mission field…to you:

You who shared our faith in God for the vision of the “Fijiboat” Project…
You who gave of your resources to see this first series of miracles come to pass…
You whose prayers have literally become the hands of God asHe’s carried us this far…
You whom we need desperately … now more than ever! KEEP PRAYING!Web Sites and Miracles…
Hopefully, you have been able to log onto the Fijiboat web site at www.fijiboat.org and have read about the miracles of God as He has brought the “Galilean” down the west coast of the U.S., of storms and diesel engines,of political crisis in Fiji and work permits, of finances and faithfulness. If not, go to the site and pull up “Past Updates” for the story and photos.

We will be able to keep updates on the sitefrequently (providing the internet access stays predictable), now that we are actually here.From what we have seen so far…. thesereports will be from the very box seatsin the arena of God’s activity, as we watch Him work in ways we have only read about… in scripture!

Prayer Request #1
What an incredible privilege to be here and watch Him work all around us. Please pray for God’s leaders to continue to be raised up from the heart of this country. The harvest is RIPE… but the workers are FEW. The men and women God is using in this place are currently giving themselves to 40 day fasts and around the clock prayer chains. God will not ignore these cries from His children. We ask that you would join with them and become partners in the upcoming events as God’s kingdom moves forward here in the South Pacific.

Prayer Request #2The “Galilean” is being prepared and is awaiting shipment out of Oakland harbor. (We have been balancing political stability in Fiji with insurance companies in London.) God brought about a miracle in allowing the duty for importing the vesselto be waived… a significant victory! Continue to pray for God’s anointing on this tool and her safe arrival here in Fiji.The kids!On a personal note…. Danielle and Quinton are adjusting very quickly to Fiji. The children here have welcomed them into their fellowship with open arms and they are beginning to learn the language one word at a time. Thank you for your prayers on their behalf.Email Addresses Welcome…If you know of others who would like to be on our email list, send us their addresses. We would be happy to include them! We can be reached at harmon@fijiboat.org.Late Breaking News…I am concluding with Harmon’s latest update for the Web Site: It should have already been posted. You are getting the “VIP” Preview!

August 29, 2000

Tonight was significant! For me it was my first JESUS Film showing here. It happened on the outskirts of Suva, the capital of Fiji, on the main island of Viti Levu. Finishing an evangelistic rally in the Caubati (pronounced ‘Thaombahti’) church, we moved down a few hundred metersinto an open field and began setting up the equipment. Darkness fell and the heavens opened up, revealing thecountless myriad of brilliant stars that span the galaxies above the southern hemisphere.As the life of Jesus began to unfold on screen, 190 peoplegathered. Between the reels, I listened as one after the other, people testified to the transforming power of the One depicted before us. One of our workers was late in getting there. He made his way in the darkness through the people to where I was and apologized to me… “Pastor Hahmen”, he whispered over my shoulder, “I am sorry to be late… I must ride the bus and walk to three different places to preach today before I could come to help tonight… I am sorry!”Could I ask you to do me a favor folks? Could I ask you to pray for God’s workers here in Fiji and also could I ask you to pray to the Lord of the harvest. You see the harvestis really, really ripe andthe workersare desperately few. Maybe the window for harvesting is small. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers now. Please pray today. Jim Johnson told me before he left on furlough that if we had 100 more men, we could start 100 new churches in the next 100 days. I believe him. Could you pray with us for 100 more workers - we need them now. And could you be praying as we begin to organize an army of prayer warriors around the world - maybe God is asking you to consider this? I could not be more convinced that prayer is not an option in this work. This battlefield is not casual folks. The enemy is real. The lack of serious prayer support has one simple result in this battlefield - casualties!I wish that I could tell you what the response to the film was tonight, but I can’t. As the last reel was finishing I had to climb into the four wheel drive and start racing for home. As it was I nearly made it backby the deadline for the military curfew. Another reminder of where I am.Pray specifically for us as we search out God’s direction for the JESUS Film team here in Fiji and in Western Samoa, Sawaii, and Pago Pago (pronounced Pahngo Pahngo). Our Jesus Film leadership conference this last week was INCREDIBLE. God is doing great things - the Kingdom is marching forward like never before around the world - we in the Church of the Nazarene have now accounted for our one millionth new convert through the JESUS Film. These are the GREATEST days to be involved in the Kingdom!! The harvest is ripe!!As things stabilize here in these islands we are preparing to bring in the ‘Galilean’.We realize now at least one significant reason why we haven’t been able to until now. After Jim desperately has been working for the better part of a year to get some concession on the 27% import duty and 10% VAT tax,he wasjust notifiedbefore he left thisweek that all the duty has just been waved, leavingonly the 10% VAT tax. Praise be to God!! You who have prayedfor that - God has heard your prayers and answered! We serve a God who listens and whose hands are untied when His children pray.Surely God can only do His work through the faith of His children! I have personally seen this over and over these last months as people, pastorsand laymen alike have partnered with us, stepping out in faith to do what did not come easily. This project and ministry was able to be launched when a Nazarene business man and his wife made a decision that was not without serious cost. Not a decision to place their trust in Harmon and Cindy, Jim or Joy, orothers on our team. But a decision to cry out to the Lord of the harvest asking how they could respond to Him, and then actually, tangibly responding to Him by stepping out inFAITH - responding to His lead, trusting in Him and by faith committing that for every other person God spoke to, everydollar given, they would match it - and the momentum began as God started to move among His people. But God’s goal is not the collection of money. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His desire is that the hearts of His children be stirredin the building of His kingdom and He knows that “where our treasure is, there our heart will be also…” How humbling it has been to watch people sacrifice and give and then witness God’s response to that.Do not ever believe that the role God asks you to play is not critical as you step out in faith from wherever you are! Remember what God needs is involvement, involvement from your heart, regardless of what that might look like. For someit is whenyou wake up in the middle of the night and this ministry or another comes tomind - faith is being exercisedas you slip from your beds, drop toyour knees and lift usin prayer, even for just a few moments. For some this might takehuge amounts of faith. It isthis faith however it looks, being exercised and stretched and offered to God, that I truly believe unties the hands of the Almighty - God is asking each one of us in these days and in these hours, todecide what we believe and to step out infaith like never before right where you are at home and alsoas His Kingdom reaches out to the ends of the earth - What a privilege to walk with Him and serve Him! What a privilege to do that together with you. Tonight nothing less than eternal souls havehung in the balance and then, one by one been added to the Kingdom in the outskirts of Suva in Fiji. You are a vital part.I thank my God every time I think of you;and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy! -Philippians 1:3-4a

Serving HIM with you,
Harmon, Cindy, Danielle and Quinton Schmelzenbach
Furlough Dates: April, May, June 2002
Field Address: G.P.O. Box 16973, Suva, FIJI