Bible Institute at Raiwaqa, Fiji Islands
We currently are on our summer break from the Bible Institute at Raiwaqa (BIR). Lord willing, classes will begin again on the 22 of February 2021. I thought it might be good to highlight some of the activities of four of our graduates during the recent cyclone. On December 17, 2020 Cyclone Yasa roared ashore, cutting a destructive path the length of Vanua Levu, the second largest island in the Fiji Islands. Yasa was the strongest tropical cyclone since Winston in 2016, as well as the fourth most intense tropical cyclone on record in the South Pacific basin.
Thanks to the generosity of congregations and friends in the U.S. we were able to help the brethren with relief efforts in the villages of Vatudamu, Buca, Nabouwalu, Navare, and the town Labasa. Additionally we were able to help with relief on the island of Tavea. This is Emosi Sailo’s home island. Emosi is a graduate of our first class and an instructor at the Bible Institute. We were able to help with food for 43 families and materials to repair the roofs of 20 homes damaged in the cyclone on this island. Emosi and his wife, also a graduate of BIR, were able to come over and help with distribution of food and building materials. They also brought with them 1500 dalo tops and 1000 cassava cuttings to help with replanting the gardens in Vatudamu and Nabouwalu.
Side note: Emosi serves as an instructor in our full time program, director and instructor of Monday night program, and is currently teaching a remedial English class to some of our students. Nancy helps Emosi with an active personal evangelism and visitation program in and around the greater Suva area.
Movono Rokotuivalu, another graduate of the school, organized and oversaw the harvesting of the dalo tops and cassava cuttings in his village of Delaidemanu on the southern Island of Viti Levu. The dalo and cassava on the northern island of Vanua Levu was just about ready to be harvested when the cyclone twisted in the ground making it unfit to sell or eat.
Side note: Upon graduation in November, Movono was appointed an elder in the church at Delademonu. Movono also serves as the preacher for this congregation.
Cassava and dalo are staples in the diets of these brethren and will take 3 to 8 months to replace.. It will take about 3 to 5 months for the cassava to produce and about 6 to 8 months for the dalo. To help tie them over we were able to organize a distribution of rice, flour, surgar, oil, tin fish, and breakfast crackers for 103 families in the places listed above. Samuela Tupou, a graduate of the school, was able to help me with distribution. He is a former military commander who headed up logistics for the Fijian army. He was able to help with assessing the damage in the villages of Nabouwalu, Navare, and Tavea Island. He mobilized the brethren in Nabouwalu into four work crews to do repairs in Nabouwalu and Navare. He was able to liaise with the Fijian military in securing a place to store our materials and arrange for the road to be repaired so that the materials could safely be transported to the landing where they could be transferred by boat to Tavea Island.
Also, Samuela was instrumental in getting the church in Navare to start meeting again. After the passing of their preacher 2 years ago, the church had stopped meeting. We had placed materials in Navare 4 years ago to repair their church building destroyed by Cyclone Winston. The repairs were never completed due to the illness of their former preacher. Samuela was able to redirect the materials to repair a house that had lost its roof in Cyclone Yasa, so that the church could have a place to meet again. They had 7 families to show up for worship the Sunday Samuela was there and he was able to preach for them.
Side note: Samuela serves as the evangelist for the 10 Miles Church of Christ on the island of Viti Levu near Nausari.
We are proud of our graduates and the work they continue to do in serving the Lord!