Solomon Islands District Newsletter (Volume 3, Issue 10)

Solomon Islands District

NEWSLETTER October 2020 Volume 3, Issue 10

DME Plant Challenges Over the past few months The Salvation Army DME Coconut Oil Plant in North Malaita has faced a number of unexpected challenges associated with the theft of its generator. This theft disabled the plant from operating, causing significant loss of income for farmers, production workers and the District. Dealing with the theft was complicated by different cultural thinking that led the boys responsible to extorting money from the local Salvation Army Corps in exchange for the return of the generator. After a couple of visits by the District Officer, with the support of

family members from Honiara, an agreement was reached for the money to be returned and a strategy put in place for the

plant to resume operation. This situation also exposed some gaps in management at the village level, which are being

Inside this issue:

worked through by the District Team. Despite the challenges of this situation, it has affirmed just how important this plant is to Gateway Corps, surrounding villages and The Salvation Army.

The loss of income has been felt by everyone, as has the impact on mission in North Malaita. Therefore, it has been important to take the time to carefully resolve this matter by evaluating the underlying issues and establishing a foundation of values that ensure continuity of mission and income through this social enterprise.

The DME Plant should be back in full production this month.

Social Justice Focus

2

COVID-19 Update

2

Rauai Soldiers Receive Uniforms

2

High Way Community 3 Fellowship

Red Cross School Appreciation

3

Coconut Shells

3

Personal Reflection

4

Worship at Gateway Corps While visiting the DME Plant, Major Robert, together with Adrian and Webster Buakalo from Honiara Corps, had the opportunity to share in worship and fellowship with Gateway Corps. This church is a vibrant faith community that has overcome a lot of hardship this year. In spite of their many

challenges this congregation continues to display a solid faith and regularly engage in passionate worship.

Since last visiting this church in July, the village received a donation of cement that enabled them to lay a concrete floor, replacing the stones under their feet. The effort

they have put into this new building, since their previous structure was destroyed by cyclonic winds in January last year, is a testimony to their resilience and determination to remain an active presence of The Salvation Army in North Malaita.

The disappointment of the theft at the DME Plant has weighed heavily on this church and is seen as a source of shame for their village. So this visit was timely and provided a sense of hope with a pathway forward for the DME Plant to resume operation.

Special points of interest:  Cultural Challenges  Passionate Worship  Social Action  Mission Development  Community Outreach  Social Enterprises

Social Justice Focus During October, Honiara Corps focused on two significant social justice themes in

the Sunday morning services - Annual Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking and International Day of the Girl Child. Both days confronted the congregation with very real concerns for vulnerable girls and women in the Solomon Islands. Two Nominees for Officership were asked to speak into these important issues. Nominee Rachel Hagi preached from Romans 12:9-19 for International Day of the Girl Child, calling for awareness and action on issues impacting girls. Nominee Jennifer Kinikoroa spoke from Genesis 37:12-36 for the Day of Prayer for Victims of

Human Trafficking, declaring ‘we are too precious to be bought or sold.’

COVID-19 Update After months of being one of the few countries in the world with a COVID-19 free status, the Solomon Islands confirmed its first cases of the virus after receiving a repatriation flight of Solomon Islands students from the Philippines.

These initial cases were asymptomatic and were contained in quarantine, posing minimal threat of community transmission. The four infected students were isolated and later cleared after subsequent testing. No sooner did the PM declare Solomon Islands COVID-19 free again, another repatriation flight with a Solomon Islands soccer team

arrived from the UK and four more cases were suspected and later confirmed after

testing at the airport. With further repatriation flights planned from the Philippines, the risk of more cases is real.

The Solomon Islands Government and COVID-19 Oversight Committee are working hard, with the strong support of international donors, to ensure these and future cases are contained and do not lead to community transmission.

Honiara remains under a State of Public Emergency with precautions in place. In response to this development, the District Team have put in place a COVID Plan for Honiara Corps in readiness for any possible community outbreak.

Rauai Soldiers Receive Uniforms Despite COVID-19 related disruptions to normal activities worldwide, this year has been an extraordinary year of growth for The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands. Over the Easter weekend, 30 new Soldiers were enrolled from Rauai Village, which received New Opening status in August. At the time, only half of these new Soldiers received a uniform due to limited resources. Thanks to the hard work of some Home League ladies from Honiara Corps, a surplus of large size shirts were modified to provide a range of smaller sizes. Along with the local production of epaulettes, these

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uniforms finally made it to Rauai this month. Area Officer Envoy Joshua Henry had the privilege of presenting these much anticipated uniforms to the new Soldiers at Rauai New Opening on the 17th October. Envoy Joshua reported, “The next morning, Rauai was luminous as each soldier came to church in their uniform. There was a new excitement in the air, for they have been waiting for these uniforms since they were recruited on Easter.” Visitors from neighbouring villages were captivated by this sight with four of them expressing their desire to become Salvation Army Soldiers.

Solomon Islands District

High Way Community Fellowship Since the commencement of a weekday Neighbourhood Fellowship Group at High Way Community in Burns Creek, a large crowd of unchurched people are now calling The Salvation Army their church.

Every Wednesday, 40-50 people meet for

fellowship and every Sunday 20-30 travel into Honiara to join with Honiara Corps for worship. The community chief Peter Usi is very excited by this weekly connection and the presence of The Salvation Army in his community, so he invited Honiara Corps to join with his community for a Sunday evening service.

On Sunday, 18th October, 107 people gathered under a large tarp for an inspiring evening of worship and an amazing community meal provided by Peter’s family. Major Robert spoke from Deuteronomy 1:6-8 calling the combined congregation to ‘Break Camp and

Advance’.

This message spoke powerfully to those present challenging them to “move forward, take your eyes off where you are and focus on where God wants you to be!” The Salvation Army is moving forward at High Way.

Red Cross School Appreciation they had received support from a church and expressed their appreciation for the work the youth group did. One of The Salvation Army youth leaders expressed her surprise by the level of need and lack of resources for these children. She was very thankful to The Salvation Army for opening her eyes to this need by asking the youth group to get involved. This Special Development School continues to operate under challenging conditions and relies heavily on the support of other organisations to cater for the many children who have few options to assist them with their disabilities.

In July a group of youth volunteers from Honiara Corps participated in a working bee at the Honiara Red Cross Special Development School. This community service was deeply appreciated by the teachers and volunteers who work at the school with very limited resources. As an expression of appreciation, the school hosted an afternoon tea and information session to acknowledge the support of a number of organisations in Honiara and raise awareness of the needs of children living with disabilities in the Solomon Islands. A number of teachers at the school said this was the first time that

Coconut Shells One of the by-products from the DME Plant and every village home that uses coconuts daily for cooking are coconut shells. These shells are used as fuel for the dryer at the DME Plant and are disposed of in the villages. The Salvation Army is working with former Prime Minister Sir Billy Hilly to explore potential markets for these shells. His son has

Volume 3, Issue 10

produced the beautiful creations pictured below to show what type of products this disposable item can be transformed into. By purchasing shells from participating villages, employing labourers to clean the shells, artists to decorate them, and then selling them wholesale to international markets, this initiative has the potential to provide an

income source for locals and financial support for The Salvation Army mission in the Solomon Islands. To assist with the exploration of this possibility it would be helpful to receive some feedback about the possible sale of this product through international Salvation Army networks. Please contact Major Robert Evans with any suggestions.

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Support Needs:  Mission Travel Budget You can support the follow-up of increasing mission requests for The Salvation Army to commence in other villages by contributing to travel costs between the Provinces.  Building Funds for construction of Officer Quarters: You can support by donating funds to support the construction of Quarters at each of our village churches.

The Salvation Army Solomon Islands District Officers - Majors Robert & Vanessa Evans PO Box 323 Honiara, Solomon Islands

 Purchase of additional equipment for SAES: You can support by donating funds to purchase a deep freezer to store food for Emergency Services and Disaster Relief.

Please contact Major Robert Evans at robert.evans@png.salvationarmy.org for more information if you are able to help with any of these needs.

Phone: (677) 30344 Fax: (677) 30344 Mobile: (677) 749 4524 Email: solomon.islands@png.salvationarmy.org

Prayer Points:

Website: www.png.salvationarmy.org

 Protection from quarantined COVID-19 cases  Land for Honiara Corps  Financial support to start building Officer Quarters at new church openings in the Provinces  Mission growth at High Way Community in Burns Creek  Vehicles for Malaita Area Officers and SAES Trailer

Personal Reflection...

As we are going through this global pandemic, people are frustrated and their level of focus is not as before. In the Solomon Islands people are thinking of going back to their home Province hoping that the virus couldn’t reach them in their provinces. In a zone that is covered under the Emergency Regulations or Orders the movement of people and the way they do things has drastically changed. People are living in fear and uncertainty.

But in High Way One Community within Burns Creek in East Honiara it is different.

Instead of them thinking about going somewhere they decided to come to the Lord. A couple of months ago a Neighbourhood Fellowship was started off with the kids and few adults. As time went on it attracted many more, both the children, young and old. The current attendance of this Neighbourhood Fellowship itself is quite exciting and God glorifying.

God is faithful! High Way One was left isolated for so long.

Despite many churches in Burns Creek none of them visited this community. But through this Neighbourhood Fellowship it draws a crowd of unchurched people which gives them the opportunity to listen to God’s Word. I am so grateful to God for what He has done at Burns Creek. One of our members shared her testimony very powerfully by saying that they are so grateful for The Salvation Army’s initiative to start the Neighbourhood Fellowship at their community. She said that this was the only time that she was able to listen to the Word of God. I was very excited to see that our Neighbourhood Fellowship members are very active and participate well during our programs.

This gives me hope and excitement and also it motivates me to do more to advance God’s kingdom. I am immeasurably grateful to God and for The Salvation Army for stepping into the gap

and rescuing these people. Now my people are able to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you to The Salvation Army for being a father to the fatherless and you give hope to the hopeless. This is a new dawn for my people. We are slowly but surely. Amen

Envoy Wency Ramo’oroa