Captain’s Blog

Captain’s Log #48

April 1, 2006 on 10:10 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

FIRE

The South Pacific Field was deeply effected in the wake of one of the most awesome conferences we’ve ever had, some weeks back. Dr. Bustle together with Dr. McCullough, Rev. Vern Ward and Rev. James Johnson held a four day Holiness Revival at night time with intensive day time seminars on being a part of the explosive House Church Planting Movement that is sweeping much of the world! God set fire to pastors and lay people alike! Reports have been coming in of great things happening as over and over we are hearing of new churches starting in the homes of person after person that was there!

What an awesome District Assembly we just had this last week with Dr. Nina Gunter as Fiji reported 40 churches now (including our new house churches) and as we listened to excited, positive reports about what God is doing across Fiji, from pastor after pastor culminating with the anointed preaching of Dr. Gunter at our ordination service with two more elders added to our roles.

RADIO Since our responsibilities have expanded now over a much broader part of this watery world – we have really been very busy and very excited about involvement and exposure to so much more of what God is doing across the South Pacific, through the Church of the Nazarene! I would like to introduce to you who might not know of it… our Radio Ministry broadcasting into and out of Papua New Guinea which is located toward the far western reaches of the South Pacific, beyond our work in the Solomon Islands and Islands of Vanuatu. God is currently using two different Nazarene programs in PNG in an awesome way! One is KGS (Kirapim Gutpela Sindaun) and the other is KBOM (Kria Bilong Ol Meri). These two programs are each one heard over the airwaves of 9 different radio stations and because of that, they now cover all of Papua New Guinea with the message of Hope where otherwise there is no Hope, Life Eternal where otherwise there is nothing but death. Through shortwave radio we are also now actually reaching very distant outer islands and well into the islands of Indonesia itself. God is doing a mighty work as His message of holiness and victory is pushing the boundaries of the enemy beyond the distant shores!! The mandate is clear. Go into ALL THE WORLD! We have no choice but to push the boundaries and charge ahead. Where could you find a more powerful tool in the hands of Gods people to do exactly that – Nazarene Radio across the far Western limits of the South Pacific Ocean!!

God’s blessings on the hard work and efforts of those involved have resulted in exactly the kinds of problems that we all pray for and then brace ourselves against… challenges that overwhelm us completely, challenges that only God can solve!! We want to be about God’s business – we desire for Him to get all the attention and glory as we pour out our lives. Those involved with our PNG Radio Ministry have been doing exactly that and God’s blessings on their efforts have resulted in serious expansion, taxing all the equipment, resources and personnel as countless numbers of listeners have been added!

Could I ask you to pray for these great people. Pray for Jeff Myers, a fellow missionary who is working hard to meet the challenges of this Radio Ministry. Pray for our national ministry heroes. People like Pastor Daniel and the many others involved.

Imagine operating a small ‘sound studio’ crammed inside the Publications building producing radio programs around the din of all that takes place in publications? Yet it is exactly from here that the Message has been proclaimed and gone out. It is from here and back to here that requests have come from distant villages, for this Nazarene church to please come to them, this church that they hear talked about as they listen in some remote place to the crackle of static and the call of the Master.

Papua New Guinea presents immense challenges with vast areas requiring the most durable of four wheel drives and beyond that airplanes where there are no roads and beyond that boats where water is the only way to get there. It is to the people of those distant places that God relentlessly calls us, His people. It is in rising to the challenges of reaching them, that our faith is stretched. The expense and challenge of transportation is daunting, not only to maintain our current Radio Ministry and other efforts, but to continue aggressively to push those boundaries and keep on expanding until the Master says it is enough. It is His call to rise and meet these challenges, that we hear. Maybe God is speaking to you about joining us – if so – what an awesome thing! Pray and fast for those involved in our Radio Ministry, that they would remain passionate about God’s calling on their lives and that they would remain sensitive to God’s ongoing direction with such an awesome responsibility. Maybe God is calling you to be involved in ‘Work and Witness’ – a home is needed immediately for our Director of Radio, we want to build this home on our Bible College campus in Papua New Guinea. Beyond that we have a vision for building the kind of functioning recording studio that would not only meet our current needs, but one that could continue to expand as God continues to bless and use this ministry. If you want to be involved directly, get a hold of Jeff Myers at JSMyers@ReachONE.com and let him know.

WATER

Pray for Cindy and I this next month as we travel to the Sepik in Papua New Guinea to learn more about CBHC (community based health care) and also see how Nazarene Maritime Ministries might be able to be involved in a place where Nazarene churches and parsonages are built on poles above the waters of that remote river delta. A place where nothing happens unless the challenge of dealing with endless water is overcome.

431 OCEAN TRIPS TO DATE

Tomorrow I head out again early, scheduled to drive the pickup east and then leave the docks on the South East shores of Viti Levu at 0500 hours with the motor vessel/Galilean II loaded with the last of the assembly delegates back home to their island. This will be logged trip number 432 since launching Nazarene Maritime Ministries and the FIJIBoat Project in the year 2000. What a journey this has been. God has been so very good in allowing us the privilege of traveling this road with Him and also with you. This voyage tomorrow will be my fifth trip like this in a little over a week – most of these trips are about 120 to 140 nautical miles in duration. I have done that distance in a little over 4 hours on one extreme when the ocean was like glass one day and then the same distance in over 21 hours when the weather was not good. Usually it takes about 8 to 10 hours of running time. Regardless – as I navigate those waters I have time to think and pray – I’ll pray for you, you pray for me!

Our God Reigns,

Harmon