We had four graduates from our program in 2019: Alphonsus, Kitione, Asher, and Samuela. These men have successfully completed the program and are serving the Lord in their respected congregations.
Alphonsus came to us from the Solomon Islands and was our top graduate for 2019. He is now back home serving as one of the evangelists of the Honiara Church of Christ on the island of Guadalcanal. Alphonsus shares the pulpit with Lency, a 2018 graduate of the school. They plan to work with the Honiara congregation for two years to build it up and then return to their home islands to establish the church on them. Alphonsus is from the island of Malaita and Lency is from the remote island of Lata (4 day boat ride from Honiara).
Kitione is a leader in the church in the Naila village just out of Naisori. He was converted while in prison many years ago. After getting out he entered the military and served faithfully until honorably discharged. After that, he served the Fiji government until he retired again. He has a heart for prison ministry and has been involved for several years now. Upon graduation, he has started a weekly Sunday prison ministry.
Asher comes from the Federated States of Micronesia from the island of Pingelap. 10% of the population on this island is totally color blind. Not only does Asher have this condition, he is extremely nearsighted and super sensitive to light. He is legally blind. In spite of this handicap, Asher did very well and earned the "heart of a servant" award for the 2019 graduating class. He has returned to Micronesia where he is working on the island of Pohnpei assisting with preaching, translation work, and passing out tracts in the community.
Samuela lost his wife about 5 years ago leaving him with 6 girls to raise from age 3 to 13. Samuela is a former Olympian swimmer and commander of the Fijian army. While in school, Samuela had a full time job, preached for the 10 Miles Church of Christ, and took care of his six girls. Samuela has a heart for the work and continues to serve as the evangelist for the 10 Miles congregation.
These four graduates are representative of the caliber and character of the students we have enrolled in our program. We praise God for blessing us with this opportunity to serve! We continue to thank Him for your interest, words of encouragement, prayers, and support of this good work. May God reward you for your kindness!
Rocco
Director of the Bible Institute at Raiwaqa