Solomon Islands District Newsletter (Volume 5, Issue 4)

Solomon Islands District

NEWSLETTER April 2022 Volume 5, Issue 4

Inside this issue:

District Easter Campaign Easter 2022 presented out of the ordinary circumstances for the Solomon Islands District, with COVID-19 still restricting public gatherings and the District Officers absent on compassionate leave.

The programmed District Easter Campaign needed reformatting to accommodate this altered reality. Instead of sending the

District team out to the village churches for Easter, a sermon series covering Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday under the theme “Redeeming Sacrifice” was sent to the church leaders to connect the District remotely with the same theme. The village churches were able to meet in person, but Honiara Corps continued to use live streaming worship via a Facebook event for the Easter series. This included Major Vanessa joining the live video from Melbourne to preach on Palm Sunday “Redemption

Prophesied”. Auxiliary Captain Wency preached on Good Friday “Redemption Promised” and Envoy Alick “Redemption Proclaimed” on Easter Sunday.

The series was rounded off the week after Easter with Major Robert preaching from home quarantine about “Redemption Personalised” from the Emmaus Road story. Ramah Fellowship

provided the following report: “On Good Friday we had our teaching session in the morning starting at 9.30 am and another session on Saturday morning. In the evening we had our youth group program in the evening.

On Sunday we had our main service in the morning led by Chris Lagwai. After our service the youth group presented two items followed by our Junior soldiers who presented three action songs. During this Easter weekend I felt that the Holy Spirit was working very powerfully at Ramah.”

Labour Mobility Pre-Departure Session

2

World Vision Donation

2

Return to Solomon Islands

2

ANZAC Day Dawn Service

3

Safe Migration & Human Trafficking

3

Mission Support Projects Planning

3

Personal Reflection

4

Special points of interest:  Employment Preparation

 COVID-19 Hygiene Packs  Home Quarantine  Lest We Forget!  Freedom Action  Advancing Mission

Labour Mobility Pre-Departure Session Since September last year, The Salvation Army has been conducting sessions on health and wellbeing at the Labour Mobility pre-departure briefings for seasonal and contract workers heading to Australia. This has prepared hundreds of Solomon Islanders for work at farms,

orchards and meat processing plants.

While Majors Robert and Vanessa were in Melbourne, another request came through to conduct a session for the next round of workers. This opportunity was delegated to Auxiliary Captain Wency and Envoy Alick who competently used

the powerpoint presentation prepared for previous sessions. In a serendipitous encounter at Brisbane Airport on their way home, Majors Robert and Vanessa met up with a group of Solomon Islanders returning home from six months seasonal work in Tasmania and Bairnsdale, Victoria. A couple of the men immediately recognized them and recalled the session they had attended before their departure. This encounter provided the opportunity to check-in about their experiences and enquire about the value of the information shared with them, which evoked very positive responses on both fronts.

World Vision Donation The Salvation Army received a donation of hygiene products from World Vision this month to support its churches in preventing the spread of COVID-19. This included pump packs of hand sanitizer and bottles of bleach. Auxiliary Captain Wency was on hand to receive these items from World Vision representatives who delivered them to the District Quarters. These donated items, along with additional health and hygiene items purchased by the District will be sent to Malaita and Western Provinces for distribution to the eight Salvation Army churches outside the Honiara emergency

zone. The increased spread of COVID-19 throughout Honiara and the provinces over the past couple of weeks makes this donation timely and welcomed. The Salvation Army continues to value the working relationship it has established with World Vision and appreciates their acknowledgement of the impact local Salvationists are making through a holistic mission and ministry approach across the Solomon Islands. COVID-19 may have slowed down the roll-out of other projects World Vision and The Salvation Army are working on together but the partnership remains strong.

Return to Solomon Islands The journey back to Honiara after their compassionate leave ended was not without complication for the District Officers. Navigating the COVID-19 entry requirements for Solomon Islands was time consuming, with multiple layers of approval needing to align before fights could be booked. First, was the long wait to be officially gazetted by the Oversight Committee. Second, was the process to have the District Quarters inspected and approved for home quarantine by the Ministry of Health. The potential for home quarantine was the most suitable option that would not only save The

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Salvation Army a significant expense, but facilitate a more conducive remote working environment for the required ten days. So, receiving confirmation of approval via email at 10:00 pm the night

before their flight created a high level of stress leading up to their departure.

Nevertheless, upon arrival at Honiara airport a ‘Certificate of Approval for Home Quarantine’ was waiting, allowing a trouble free re-entry into the country.

Majors Robert and Vanessa are very grateful to their District team for pursuing this process on the ground and for the support of expat friends who dropped off food throughout their quarantine. Quarantine at home has enabled outstanding jobs around the quarters, video meetings, study and administrative tasks to be completed.

Solomon Islands District

ANZAC Day Dawn Service For the past two years, COVID-19 caution and restrictions have prevented public gatherings from occurring, which has impacted significant cultural events like ANZAC Day. This year Major Robert decided to put a note on the ‘Expats Living in Solomon Islands’ Facebook Group announcing to anyone living in earshot of the District Quarters at Ngossi Ridge that he would be playing the Last Post at dawn on ANZAC Day while in home quarantine.

This announcement resulted in a number of requests to do a live video so other expats in Honiara could listen in. In response, Majors Robert and Vanessa created a Facebook event for a Dawn Service from their quarters via live video.

This live video event attracted 266 views, reaching a total of 357 people. It was particularly encouraging to receive comments from Australians and New Zealanders from various locations around Solomon Islanders expressing appreciation for the opportunity to share in this service from afar. It was also humbling to receive positive feedback from Defence families currently serving in the Solomon Islands.

The expat community living in Honiara share common joys and challenges serving far away from family and friends, especially on culturally significant days like ANZAC Day, which emphasizes just how important it is to recognise such days, despite the limitations associated with COVID-19.

Safe Migration & Human Trafficking (Report by Major Vanessa Evans) Following on from the Freedom Friday web sessions that were held in February, I was able to attend The Anglican Alliance East Asia & Pacific Community of Practitioners quarterly meeting. This was a great time of meeting with other members of The Anglican church, The Salvation Army and other NGO’s. This meeting is to help practitioners and agencies to find mutual support and encouragement and to work through the Freedom Action Framework. The Freedom Framework looks at how we can work through the 8 ‘P’ concepts and which ones we feel our organization

wants or needs to focus on in our respective countries. The 8 ‘P’s are Prayer, Prevention, Protection, Policy, Participation, Partnership, Prosecution

and Proof. Throughout the meeting there was a time for theological reflection where we listened to Bishop Alister from the UK. One thought that made me think was that of something Pope Frances said in 2013, which was “In this globalized world, we have fallen into a globalization of indifference.” How long are we going to sit back and watch humans Traffic others or enslave them? I found the meeting to be extremely encouraging and also a great encouragement for the work that is going on behind the scenes.

It was also an added blessing to meet up with one of our Indonesian colleagues.

Mission Support Projects Planning With the 2021 Mission Support Projects in the process of being implemented across the District, conversations have begun about proposals for the 2022 funding allocation. To this end, Majors Robert and Vanessa met with the newly appointed Territorial Development Officers, Territorial Secretary for Program, and Territorial Secretary for Business Administration to present and discuss their proposed use of this year’s allocation. This was a very productive and helpful meeting that has paved the way for Solomon Islands District to prepare and submit a formal proposal to

Volume 5, Issue 4

the Territorial Projects Committee for approval.

This second allocation of funding to the Solomon Islands is a significant financial boost to the growing

mission and ministry of The Salvation Army. The District is immeasurably grateful for this international support and investment in their development.

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Support Needs:  Building funds for new Officer Quarters: You can support by donating funds to contribute to the construction of Officer Quarters at our village churches in the provinces.  Purchase of furnishings for Officer Quarters: You can support by donating funds to purchase furniture and appliances for 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 Website: www.png.salvationarmy.org

Prayer Points:  Implementation of Mission Support Projects  Widespread COVID-19 community transmission

 Health system to stand up under the strain of COVID-19 cases  Continuity of mission and ministry within COVID restrictions  Progression of a property proposal for Honiara Corps and DHQ

Personal Reflection…

The year 2022 brings new hope and opportunities for our District. A year where we look forward with much expectation of our social enterprise projects should roll out. It was planned that I visit our fellowships and discuss with them their project. So in January 2022, I and wife Esther Hagi, with one of the youth from our Honiara Corps, travelled down to Western Province and met Major Robert and Vanesa Evans, our District Officers. We went up to Rex and Manalyn Teokomateana’s place. They applied for a fishery project which would suite them. We travelled to Noro and got an OBM to Gizo and truck to Paeloge where The Salvation Army built 15 houses. We only spent one night at Paeloge because we had to travel back to Munda. A weekend at Munda we did Soldiership Classes on Saturday and enrollment of two new soldiers for Munda New Opening. I am really excited because Munda is ready for their social enterprise project which is a fish filleting and reselling of fish.

Our District Officers got a flight back to Honiara on Monday, while my team got Fair Glory ship at Noro back to Honiara.

We were then to spend one week in Honiara and travel to Malaita Province northern region.

And thereafter to southern region to Moscom and Fouele.

But COVID-19 pandemic outbreak halted the travel due to restrictions and a lockdown was in force. This really affects our travel to Malaita to visit and discuss with our new fellowships and Gateway Corps DME plant which needs some maintenance. The travel restrictions lasted for almost three months, which at the moment still causes very strict protocols in travelling where a passenger must complete vaccinations and a swab test taken before boarding a ship. This restriction is a set back to our social enterprise projects for our churches.

However, as Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for good of those who love him, who have called according to his purpose.”

So I believe that this situation teaches us that God is still in control and I need to be patient and let him lead the way. His ways are brighter and higher as we submit to Him ourselves and our plans. I am still waiting and wanting to visit our fellowships to get these projects started to help our churches become self-reliant in this COVID-19 pandemic situation. While we are waiting to travel to the provinces we purchase the items, the OBM and boats from Y-Sato Marine and the Solar Freezer sets from Superfly company.

COVID-19 has caused as frustration, yet teaches us some good lessons and new approaches as a church.

Envoy Alick Hagi