Transforming Revivals

by Geoff Waugh

Dr Geoff Waugh reports on recent and current revival movements in the South Pacific nations of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, as examples of radical and effective discipleship.

This article is summarized from chapters in Transforming Revivals :

Transforming Revivals – PDF

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Renewal Journal 11: Discipleship:
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Great Revival Stories – PDF

Transforming Revivals includes a chapter by George Otis Jr ,  Snapshots of Glory

Revivals in the South Pacific

Transforming revival continues to spread exponentially.  The Sentinel Group (www.glowtorch.org) DVDs report on community transformation around the world, especially in Transformations I and II, and Fiji reports in Let the Seas Resound.  This brief update describes recent revivals in the South Pacific islands, representative of revivals multiplying in the twenty-first century.

Vanuatu, South Pacific

Law School students at their Christian Fellowship (CF) in University of the South Pacific developed a powerfully discipling community through their CF, which led to effective evangelism, mission to many nations, and involvement in revival movements.  Peer discipling with committed leaders encouraged personal growth and enabled powerful ministry.

The Lord moved in a surprising way at the Christian Fellowship (CF) in the School of Law in Port Vila, Vanuatu on Saturday night, April 6, the weekend after Easter 2002.

The university’s CF held an outreach meeting on the lawn and steps of the grassy university square near the main lecture buildings, school administration and library.  God moved strongly there that night.

Unusual lightning hovered around in the sky that night, and as soon as the prayer teams had finished praying with those who rushed forward at the altar call, the tropical rain pelted down on that open field area.

God poured out his Spirit on many lives that night, including Jerry Waqainabete and Simon Kofe.  Both of them played rugby in the popular university teams and enjoyed drinking and the night club scene.  Both changed dramatically.  Many of their friends said it would not last.  It did.

A team of eleven from their CF visited Australia for a month in November-December 2002 involved in outreach and revival meetings in many denominations and as well as in visiting home prayer groups.  They drove 6,000 kilometres in a 12-seater van, including a trip from Brisbane to Sydney and back to visit Hillsong.

The team prayed for hundreds of people in various churches and home groups – as in the cover photograph of this book.  They led worship at the daily 6 am prayer group at Kenmore Baptist Church, with Calvin Ziru on guitar.  That followed their own 5 am daily prayer meeting in the house provided miraculously for them.

Miracle House bought with “no money” (and sold later for $80,000 profit!)

Philip and Dhamika George from Sri Lanka bought that rental house with no money and made it freely available.  They had recently befriended a back packer stranger who advised them to buy a rental property because Brisbane house prices then began to increase rapidly in value.  They had no spare money but their new friend loaned them a deposit of $10,000, interest free, to get a bank loan and buy the house.  They sold the house two years later for $80,000 profit, returned the deposit loan, and used the profits for Kingdom purposes especially in mission.

The law students from the CF grew strong in faith.  Jerry, one of the students from Fiji, returned home for Christmas vacation after the visit to Australia, and prayed for over 70 sick people in his village, seeing many miraculous healings.  His transformed life challenged the village because he had been converted at CF after a wild time as a youth in the village.   The following December vacation, 2004, Jerry led revival in his village.  He prayed early every morning in the Methodist Church.  Eventually some children and then some of the youth joined him early each morning.  By 2005 he had 50 young people involved, evangelising, praying for the sick, casting out spirits, and encouraging revival.  By 2009 Jerry was a lawyer and pastor of a church in Suva and had planted a new church in his village as well.

Simon, returned to his island of Tuvalu, also transformed at university through CF.  He witnessed to his relatives and friends all through the vacation in December-January, bringing many of them to the Lord.  He led a team of youth involved in Youth Alive meetings, and prayed with the leaders each morning from 4 a.m.  Simon became President of the Christian Fellowship at the Law School from October 2003 for a year.

Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

In May 2003 a team from the CF flew to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu for a weekend of outreach meetings on South Pentecost.  The national Vanuatu Churches of Christ Bible College, at Banmatmat, stands near the site of the first Christian martyrdom there.

Tomas Tumtum had been an indentured worker on cane farms in Queensland, Australia.  He was converted there and returned around 1901 to his village on South Pentecost with a new young disciple from a neighbouring island.  They arrived when the village was tabu (taboo) because a baby had died a few days earlier, so no one was allowed near the village.  Ancient tradition dictated that anyone breaking tabu must be killed, so they were going to kill Tomas, but his disciple Lulkon asked Tomas to tell them to kill him instead so that Tomas could evangelise his own people.  Just before he was clubbed to death at a sacred mele palm tree, he read John 3:16, then closed his eyes and prayed for them.

Tomas became the pioneer of the church in South Pentecost, establishing Churches of Christ there.

Mathias, a young man who repented deeply with over 15 minutes of tearful sobbing, is now the main worship leader in revival meetings.  When he was leading and speaking at a revival meeting at the national Bible College, a huge supernatural fire blazed in the hills directly opposite the Bible College chapel in 2005, but no bush was burned.

Pentecost Bible College

By 2004, the Churches of Christ national Bible College at Banmatmat on Pentecost Island became a centre for revival.  Pastor Lewis Wari and his wife Marilyn hosted these gatherings at the Bible College, and later on Lewis spoke at many island churches as the President of the Churches of Christ.  Lewis had been a leader in strong revival movements on South Pentecost as a young pastor from 1988.

Every weekend the team from the college led revival meetings in village churches.  Many of these went late as the Spirit moved on the people with deep repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, and prayer for healing and empowering.

Pentecost on Pentecost

Grant Shaw accompanied Geoff Waugh to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu in September-October 2006.  Grant grew up with missionary parents, saw many persecutions and miracles, and had his dad recounting amazing, miraculous answers to prayer as a daily routine. They often needed to pray for miracles, and miracles happened.  From 14 years old Grant participated in mission teams travelling internationally in Asia. Then he attended a youth camp at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship which has had revival since 1994.  He then worked there as an associate youth pastor for 18 months before studying at Bible College in Brisbane. So he is used to revival – all his life!  In Vanuatu he was getting clear words of knowledge, and seeing people healed daily in meetings and in the villages. That inspired and challenged everyone.

Raised from the dead

At sharing time in the Upper Room service in Port Vila the capital, Leah Waqa, a nurse, told how she had been on duty that week when parents brought in their young daughter who had been badly hit in a car accident, and showed no signs of life – the monitor registered zero – no pulse.  Leah felt unusual boldness, so commanded the girl to live, and prayed for her for an hour – mostly in tongues – and after an hour the monitor started beeping and the girl recovered.

The mission trip continued on South Pentecost once more, based in the village of Panlimsi where Mathias was then the young pastor.  The Spirit moved strongly in all the meetings. Repentance.  Reconciliations.  Confessions.  Anointing.  Healings every day.  The healings included Pastor Rolanson’s young son able to hear clearly after partially deaf from birth.  Rolanson leads evangelism teams, and helped lead this mission.

South Pentecost attracts tourists with its land diving – men jumping from high towers with vines attached to their ankles.  Grant prayed for a jumper who had hurt his neck, and the neck crackled back into place.  An elderly man no longer needed a walking stick to come up the hill to the meetings.  Grant prayed for a son of the paramount chief of South Pentecost from Bunlap, a heathen village.  He was healed from a painful groin and he invited the team to come to his village to pray for the sick.  No white people had been invited there to minister previously.

The team, including the two Australians, trekked for a week into mountain villages.  They literally obeyed Luke 10 – most going with no extra shirt, no sandals, and no money.  The trek began with a 5 hour walk across the island to Ranwas on the eastern side.  Mathias led worship, with strong moves of the Spirit touching everyone.  At one point the preacher spat on the dirt floor, making mud to show what Jesus did once.  Marilyn Wari, wife of the President of the Churches of Christ in Vanuatu, then jumped up asking for prayer for her eyes.  Later she testified that the Lord told her to do that, and then she found she could read her small Bible without glasses.

Glory in a remote village

The team trekked through the ‘custom’ heathen village (where the paramount chief’s sons lived), and prayed for more sick people.  Some had pain leave immediately, and people there became more open to the gospel.  Then the team trekked for 7 hours to Ponra, a remote village further north on the east coast.

Revival meetings erupted there!  The Spirit just took over.  Visions.  Revelations.  Reconciliations.  Healings.  People drunk in the Spirit.  Many resting on the floor getting blessed in various ways.  When they heard about healing through ‘mud in the eye’ at Ranwas some came straight out asking for mud packs also!

One of the girls in the team had a vision of the village children there paddling in a pure sea, crystal clear. They were like that – so pure.  Not polluted at all by TV, videos, movies, magazines, worldliness.  Their lives were so clean and holy.  Just pure love for the Lord, especially among the young.

Angels singing filled the air about 3 am.  It sounded as though the village church was packed.  The harmonies in high descant declared “For You are great and You do wondrous things.  You are God alone” and then harmonies, without words until words again for “I will praise You O Lord my God with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name for evermore” with long, long harmonies on “forever more.”  Just worship.

The Upper Room church continues to move in the Spirit and has seen strong touches of God in the islands, especially Tanna Island.  They planted churches there in ‘custom’ villages, invited by the chiefs because the chiefs have seen their people healed and transformed.

During missions there in 2006, many young boys asked to be ‘ordained’ as evangelists in the power of the Spirit.  They returned to their villages and many of those young boys established churches as they spoke, told Bible stories, and sang original songs inspired by the Spirit.

Solomon Islands

Powerful revival in the Solomon Islands back in 1970 spread throughout the South Pacific.  Everywhere pastors and leaders when they sparked more revival, repentance, conversions and many healings and miracles.

The Lord also poured out his Spirit in fresh and surprising ways in New Georgia in the Western District of the Solomon Islands in 2003, and touched many churches in the capital Honiara with strong moves of the Holy Spirit.  God’s Spirit moved powerfully especially on youth and children.  This included many conversions, many filled with the Spirit, many having visions and revelations.

An anointed pastor from PNG spoke at an Easter Camp in 2003 attended by many youth leaders from the Western Solomons.  Those leaders returned on fire.  The weekend following Easter, from the end of April, 2003, youth and children in the huge, scenic Marovo Lagoon area were filled with the Spirit, with many lives transformed.  Revival began with the Spirit moving on youth and children in village churches.  They had extended worship in revival songs, many visions and revelations and lives being changed with strong love for the Lord.  Children and youth began meeting daily from 5 pm for hours of praise, worship and testimonies.  A police officer reported reduced crimes and that former rebels attending daily worship and prayer meetings.

Revival continues to spread throughout the region.  Revival movements brought moral change and built stronger communities in villages in the Solomon Islands, including these lasting developments:

1. Higher moral standards.  People involved in the revival have quit crime and drunkeness, and now promote good behaviour and co-operation.

2. Christians who once kept their Christianity inside churches and meetings now talk more freely about their lifestyle in the community and among friends.

3. Revival groups, especially youth, enjoy working together in unity and community, including a stronger emphasis on helping others in the community.

4. Families are strengthened in the revival.  Parents spend more time with their youth and children to encourage and help them, often leading them in Bible readings and family prayers now.

5. Many new gifts and ministries are being used by more people than before, including revelations and healing.  Even children receive revelations or words of knowledge about hidden magic artifacts or ginger plants related to spirit power and remove them.

6. Churches are growing.  Many church buildings in the Marovo Lagoon have been pulled down to be replaced by much bigger buildings to fit in the crowds.  Offerings and community support have increased.

7. Unity.  Increasingly Christians unite in reconciliation for revival meetings, prayer and service to the community.

Western Solomon Islands

A team of law students from the University of the South Pacific CF in Port Vila, Vanuatu, visited Honiara and the Western Solomon Islands in mid-2003.  Sir Peter and Lady Margaret Kenilorea hosted the team in Honiara.  Sir Peter was the first Prime Minister of the independent Solomon Islands, and then the Speaker in the Parliament.

Dr Ronald Ziru, then the administrator of the United Church Hospital in Munda in the western islands hosted the team there, which included his son Calvin.  The team had to follow Jesus’ instructions about taking nothing extra on mission because the airline left all their checked luggage behind in Port Vila!  They found it at Honiara after their return from the western islands.

At Seghe and in the Marovo Lagoon the revival spread since Easter.  Some adults became involved, also repenting and seeking more of the Holy Spirit.  Many outpourings and gifts of the Spirit have emerged, including the following:

Transformed lives – Many youths that the police used to check on because of alcohol and drug abuse became sober and on fire for God attending daily worship and prayer meetings.  A man who rarely went to church led the youth singing group at Seghe.  Adults publicly reconciled after years of old rifts or strife.

Long worship – This included prophetic words or actions and visions.  About 200 youth and children led worship at both Sunday services with 1,000 attending in Patutiva village where the revival began.  They sang revival songs and choruses accompanied by their youth band.

Visions – Children saw visions of Jesus (smiling at worship, weeping at hard hearts), angels, hell (with relatives sitting close to a lake of fire, so the children warned them).  Some saw Jesus with a foot in heaven and a foot on earth, like Mt 28:18 – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  One boy preached (prophesied) for 1½ hours, Spirit-led.

Revelations – especially ‘words of knowledge’ about hidden things, including magic artefacts and good luck charms.  Children show parents where they hid these things!  If other adults did that there would be anger and feuds, but they accept it from their children.  One boy told police that a man accused of stealing a chain saw (and sacked) was innocent as he claimed, and gave them the name of the culprit, by word of knowledge.  The accused man returned to work.

Spiritual Gifts – teaching sessions discussed traditional and revival worship, deliverance, discernment of spirits, gifts of the Spirit, understanding and interpreting visions, tongues, healing, Spirit-led worship and preaching, and leadership in revival.  Many young people became leaders moving strongly in many spiritual gifts.

These effects continued to spread throughout the Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands Mission

In the Solomon Islands the revival team of 15 from Vanuatu and 6 from Brisbane visited villages in the Guadalcanal Mountains, three hours drive and seven hours trekking from Honiara, and held revival meetings in November 2006 especially to encourage revival leaders.   They walked up mountain tracks to where revival is spreading, especially among youth.  Now those young people have teams going to the villages to sing, testify, and pray for people.  Many gifts of the Spirit are new to them.  The team prayed for the sick and for anointing and filling with the Spirit.  They prayed both in the meetings and in the villages.

Revival in Guadalcanal Mountains

Revival in the Guadalcanal Mountains started at the Bubunuhu Christian Community High School on July 10, 2006, on their first night back from holidays.  They took teams of students to the villages to sing, testify, and pray for people, especially youth.  Many gifts of the Spirit were new to them – prophecies, revelations (e.g., about where magic stuff is hidden) healings, and tongues.

Choiseul Island

Gideon, Grant and Geoff participated for five days in the National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC) in the north-west at Choiseul Island – 2 hours flight from Honiara.  Around 1500 youth gathered from across the nation, many arriving by outboard motor canoes.

The group coming from Simbo Island in two canoes ran into trouble when their outboard motors failed.  Two of their young men swam from noon for nine hours in rough seas to reach land and get help for their stranded friends.   The following day they arrived with a repaired outboard motor minus their food which they had to throw overboard in the rough seas.

The Friday night convention meeting saw a huge response as Grant challenged them to be fully committed to God.  Most of the youth came out immediately so there were hundreds to pray for.

The anointed worship team led the crowd in “He touched me” for nearly half an hour as prayer continued for them, including many wanting healing.

Here is Grant’s description of that youth crusade night:

We were invited to speak for their huge night rally.  Geoff began and God moved on the young people in a special way.  Then he handed it over to me at about halfway and I gave some words of knowledge for healing.  They came forward and we prayed for them most of them fell under the Spirit’s power and all of them testified that all the pain left their body.  After that, I continued to speak for a bit and then gave an altar call for any youth who choose to give their lives fully to Jesus, no turning back! 

Most of a thousand youth came forward, some ran to the altar, some crying!  There was an amazing outpouring of the Spirit and because there were so many people Geoff and I split up and started laying hands on as many people as we could.  People were falling under the power everywhere (some testified later to having visions).  There were bodies all over the field (some people landing on top of each other). 

Then I did a general healing prayer and asked them to put their hand on the place where they had pain.  After we prayed people began to come forward sharing testimonies of how the pain had left their bodies and they were completely healed!  The meeting stretched on late into the night with more healing and many more people getting deep touches. 

It was one of the most amazing nights.  I was deeply touched and feel like I have left a part of my self in Choiseul.  God did an amazing thing that night with the young people and I really believe that he is raising some of them up to be mighty leaders in Revival.

A young man healed that night returned to his nearby village and prayed for his sick mother and brother.  Both were healed immediately.  He told about that the next morning at the convention, adding that he had never done that before.

The delegation from Karika, in the Shortland Islands further west, returned the following Monday.  The next night they led a meeting where the Spirit of God moved in revival.  Many were filled with the Spirit, had visions, were healed, and discovered many spiritual gifts including discerning spirits and tongues.  That revival has continued, and spread.

Transforming Revival

An unusual pattern of discipleship has emerged in whole villages in the South Pacific during the 12st Century.  Applying the principles of 2 Chronicles 7:14, complete village communities have experienced not only revival but ecological and social transformation.  Mentors and leaders from among their own people have led them into radical repentance, reconciliation, and communal commitment to Jesus as Lord in all of life.

The following stories of community transformation from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu come from pages 58-70 of A Manual for Healing the Land by Vuniani Nakanyaca and Walo Ani, 3^rd edition, 2009, published by Toowoomba City Church, Australia, reproduced by permission.  Reports by Harry Tura from Vanuatu are added here.

Fiji

The twenty-first century has already seen many village communities transformed.  Rev Ratu Vunaiani Nakauyaca describes community transformation in Fiji.  The most powerful events in this ongoing revival are the direct results of repen­tance, reconciliation and unity,

One of the first instances of this oc­curred in 2002, when Chief Mataitoga of Sabeto village (between Nadi and Lautoka) had a dream from the Lord.  The village had a lot of social problems as well as enmity and divisions.  As a result of the dream, he called his people together to pray and fast to seek God for answers and healing.  Over a period of two weeks, many of the clans spent time with the Chief to sort out their differences.  They had meetings every night and God brought about rec­onciliation and unity in the church and village, many relationships being healed.

There had only been one church in the area until the Pentecostal revival of the 1960s which spread across the cities and towns and into the rural areas dur­ing that period.  Because of the rejection of the Pentecostal experi­ence by some people, many villages had two churches, one Methodist and one Pentecostal.  This caused division be­tween friends and family, with many people not communicating and carrying bitterness and resentment for decades.

When Ratu Mataitoga directed his people to come together as one, there was a move of the Holy Spirit with real repen­tance and forgiveness, and unity in the village was restored.  The long term results of this action were only revealed with the passing of time.  Productivity of the soil increased and long absent fish varieties returned to the reef.  Mangroves that had died and disappeared have begun to grow again.  The mangroves are very important for the ecology, providing shelter and breeding grounds for all kinds of fish, crabs, etc. all of which were part of the staple diet of these villages.

Healing the Land

The Healing the Land (HTL) Process, as it is now officially recognized, was really started on the initiative of Pastor Vuniani Nakauyaca.  For him it was a personal journey that resulted from an accumulation of various events.

The Pacific Prayer movement had a desire to see that prayer, repentance and reconciliation were carried out where nec­essary on location – where missionaries had been killed or where tribal conflict had taken place.  These were all based on a bottom-up or grassroots approach to bring healing and reconciliation.

Vuniani had visited Argentina and seen the beneficial results of reconciliation with the British over the Faulklands war.  He also visited Guatemala to see the Al­molonga transformation (see Transformation Series DVD/Video).  This was a singularly dramatic community change.  Jails and public bars closed, land fertility in­creased and crop production levels had to be seen to be believed.

What he saw brought a deeper desire in his heart to see this happen in Fiji, to give room for God to bring about com­munity and national transformation in similar ways to what he had seen over­seas.  He saw the need to appropriately respond to the circumstances and use the spiritual tools available to see the nation transformed.

Nuku Village

After returning to Fiji, he called some people together to seek God for solutions.  They felt they should begin at Nuku, and this took place 1-10 April, 2003.  Nuku is about 65 kilometres north of Suva, on the main island of Viti Levu.

The inhabitants of Nuku had been suf­fering feuds, infertility, mental illness and social problems for decades.  The water of the stream that flowed through the village had been polluted since a day 42 years previously, the water and banks being filled with slime.  At that time, children were swimming in the stream when the water suddenly turned white and they all ran for their lives.  Fish died and grass died.  Vuniani, as a child, was swimming in the river when this happened, so he knew the background story.  It was believed that the polluted water caused blind­ness, infertility, madness and even death.

Vuniani and the team went up to Nuku to activate the Process.  The key Scripture they went with was 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

They had two weeks of prayer meetings, the Methodist, Assemblies of God and Seventh Day Adventist churches being represented.  They spent time studying Bible refer­ences on defilement and Healing the Land.  This lead them to repent and con­fess their sins and the sins of their fore­fathers, in the same way as Nehemiah did.  These included killing and cannibalism, idolatry, witchcraft, bloodshed, immorality

They went to the high places in the area to cleanse them of the sinful acts that had taken place there.  The elders con­fessed sins of their forefathers.  Rec­onciliation first took place within fami­lies, then clans and finally within the tribe.  The chief of the area led a corporate prayer of repentance with the whole tribe.

On the third day of the Process, some women came running and shouting into the village, announcing that the water in the stream had become pure again.  It is still pure today.

Nuku village had been heavily populated, but because of feuds and disputes, peo­ple were chased out or just left and went to live in other villages.  Deputations were sent out to these to apologise for the past offenses.  A matanigasau (traditional apology) was sent to two villages, inviting the people to return if they wished.

The whole community now count them­selves as very blessed.  The productivity of the land has increased.  The stream water is pure and since that time shrimps and fish have returned to the waters.  The fertility of the banks and agriculture has radically improved.  Some people have even reported that the water has demonstrated healing properties.

Nabitu Village, East of Nausori, Viti Levu

What occurred in this village was very much a follow on from what was hap­pening around the country at the time.  There was a split in the tribe and there were a lot of unresolved issues.  During a business meeting in the local church, which was situated right in the middle of the village, a fist fight broke out.  There was always a heaviness in the vil­lage, like a hovering dark cloud.  This affected people negatively and there were not a lot of jobs available.

On the advice of chiefs, the people came together on their own initiative for a time of corporate repentance.  A lay preacher in the Methodist Church facilitated the Process.  There was instantly a change in the atmosphere.  The heaviness that had been there had lifted and everyone could feel it.  The division in the church was healed.

The lesson learned from there is that satan’s hold over people and places is tenuous to say the least.  It only takes one man to lead many into forgiveness and healing.  Satan has to leave, along with the oppression and curses.

Vunibau (Serua Island) in the mouth of Navua River

The HTL Process in this place was scheduled over a 14 day period.  During the Process the mixture of elements was poured out onto the sand on the beach.  Later that day, an elderly lady and her son went fishing on the beach.  They cast the net out but when they tried to haul it back in, it seemed to be stuck.  They thought that perhaps it had been caught on a stump or rock, but they found that the net was actually so full of fish that they could not pull it in.

They started walking back to the village to tell everyone, and the lady was fol­lowing her son walking along the beach.  Wherever his footprints were in the sand a red liquid appeared.  As she walked in his footsteps she was healed of migraine, knee ailments and severe back pain, all of which she had suffered for many years. This healing has been per­manent.  As soon as they returned to the village she told the whole community what had happened.

All the people rushed down to the beach to see this phenomenon, including the HTL team that was still there at the time.  To their amazement, right on the spot where the elements had been poured onto the sand, there was blood coming out of the sand and flowing into the sea.  A backslidden Catholic man gave his life to the Lord on the spot.  Photos were taken.  Vuniani was called from Suva (about an hour away) and he also witnessed the blood coming out of the sand.  This actually happened twice.

It was understood to be a confirming sign from the Lord that He was at work in the reconciliation and healing Process.  1 John 5:6-7, “There are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood.” 

This was similar to the miracle of the healing of the waters in Nuku, which was also recognized as a sign of God’s clean­sing and healing that was taking place amongst the people.  God is authenti­cating what He is doing.

At Vunibau many other signs quickly followed.  Large fish returned to their fishing grounds.  On one occasion, con­siderable quantities of prawns came ashore so that people could just pick them up.  Crabs and lobsters have also returned, and they have been able to sell the large lobsters for up to $25-$30 each.

After this sign of the blood, Pastor Vuniani recalled the scripture in Acts 2:19 where the Lord had spoken through the prophet Joel that “I will grant wonders (signs) in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire and vapour (pillars) of smoke” (NASB).  He wondered what would come next after the sign of the blood and felt that the next sign would be fire.

Nataliera, Nailevu North

In Nataliera village there were four churches.  There was no communication between their mem­bers, affecting even closely related families within the village.  Traditional witchcraft was still being practised and there were about eight sorcerers there.  In addition, there had been many more deaths than would be normal.

After forgiveness and reconciliation, the members of these four churches would meet every Wednesday for prayer and fasting.  On the first Sunday of every month, the four congregations would combine for one large gathering.  An Eco Lodge, previously closed, is now prospering after the HTL Process.

For many years the fishing on the reef had become lean.  Large fish were very scarce and for many years the catch had only ever comprised “bait fish” – the very small ones.  Much of the coral reef was dead and what was left seemed to be dying.

After reconciliation, on two separate occasions fire was seen to fall from the sky onto the reef.  After this, large fish returned in abundance.  The coral is now regenerating and new growth can be seen in abundance.

When stormy weather strikes and the boats can’t go out, the women pray and large fish swim in close to the shore and become trapped in a small pond so that the women are able to just wade in and catch them.  When women from neighbouring villages heard of this, they tried praying for the same provision, but without the same result.

Draubuta, Navosa highlands, north of Sigatoka

Vuniani’s son, Savanaca, was working with two teams in the highlands.  While they were there, pillars of smoke descended on the villages.  This was seen by many neighbouring villagers who described it as thick bloodstained smoke.  This sign was seen at almost exactly the same time as fire was seen to fall on the reef at Nataliera.

In this area there were many marijuana plantations.  The Nadroga council had been trying to prevent the plantings.  During the HTL Process, a deputation of marijuana growers approached the team and asked what the Government would do for them if they destroyed their crops. They had a list of demands which they presented to the team.

The marijuana crop was large, and esti­mated to be worth about $11 million.  There were 9 growers involved.  The team leaders told the farmers that it was their choice, that they should obey God and trust Him for their livelihood, without any promises from anyone to do any­thing for them.  If they could not, then they should not participate in the Healing Process.

By the time the Process had finished, the people had destroyed the crop as part of the reconciliation Process.  After the HTL ministry, a total of 13,864 plants were uprooted and burnt by the growers themselves.  There were 6,000 seedlings as well.

These are a few of the many miraculous events that have occurred in Fiji since 2001.  Every week, more such events are happening as the forgiveness, reconcilia­tion and HTL processes are being experienced.

Papua New Guinea

Rev Walo Ani and his wife Namana describe community transformation through Healing the Land in Papua New Guinea.

Karawa Village

It was a very exciting week in August 2006 where we saw the Lord move mightily in the lives of the village elders, chiefs, church leaders and the people.  A group of dedicated young people’s prayer ministry team started praying and fasting from 1st of July for the HTL Process. We witnessed repentance, forgiveness and reconciliations between family and clan members, and between individuals.

The Lord went ahead and prepared the hearts of people in every home as we visited.  They were ready to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness from each other and reconcile.  In some homes, members of families gave their hearts to the Lord.  Visitation of homes took two days.  On the third morning, after the dedication of the elements of salt, oil and water, the village elders and chiefs publicly repented as they identified with sins of their forebears; and each of them publicly gave their clans to the Lord.

Three dinghies and a big canoe with people all went in different directions up several rivers and along the nearby coast to anoint specific places for cleansing that were defiled through deaths and killings in the past.

That night there was a time of public confession and renouncement of things that were a hindrance in the lives of the people around a huge bonfire.  It was a solemn night; the presence of the Lord was so powerful that people were coming forward and burning their witchcraft and charms publicly.  No one could hold back, even the deacons and church elders, village elders, women and young people were all coming forward.  Young people started confessing their sins and renouncing and burning drugs, cigarettes and things that were hindering their lives from following Christ.

A young man, who had murdered another young man about 11 years ago, came forward and publicly confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness from the family of the murdered man.  That was a big thing; there was a pause and we waited and prayed for someone from the other side to respond.  Only the Lord could do this.  The younger brother of the man who was killed came out finally, and offered forgiveness.  We could hear crying among the people; it was a moving moment where God just took control.  Mothers, brothers and members of both extended families became reconciled in front of the whole village.  We could sense the release upon both families and village.  It was an awesome time; the meeting went on into the early hours of the next morning.  At the end of all this at about 2am the pastor stood up and said the prayer to invite Jesus into the community.

The village is not the same; you can sense the release and freedom of Christ in the lives of the people.  The Holy Spirit is still moving in people’s lives and they are coming to their pastor for prayer.  Recently, a young man surrendered two guns to the pastor.  News of what God has done and is still doing has spread to neighbouring villages.  God birthed a new thing in our area and I believe that many more villages will see the transforming power of God because they are hungry and desperate to see change in their communities.

There is abundance of fruit and garden food and two harvests of fruit on the orange trees have been observed so far.

A hunger for prayer has risen among the young people.  Straight after HTL Process young people from one of the clans started a prayer group which is still going on.  Two other clans started prayer groups after a lot of struggle to get going over the years.  The HTL team was the main support behind “Kids Games” which were held December 2006 in the neighbouring village of Keapara.

The studies were on Joseph and when they came to the section on forgiveness the Lord moved in a powerful way and revival started among the children.  They stood and asked for forgiveness from their parents.  There was crying and reconciliation between children and parents.

The Lord is arresting the hearts of the young, the old and the children and there is no holding back.

Makirupu Village

Makirupu is about 2 hours drive east of Port Moresby, with a population of about 600.  The United Church was the established church there and CRC and AOG have also planted churches there in recent years which caused a lot of offences between families.

The Lord moved in a mighty way convicting people of land disputes, immorality and fornication, fear of witch­craft and sorcery (fear was at its peak when the HTL Process began), lies, gambling, stealing, marriage problems, witchcraft, sorcery and charms and many other issues.  Miracles of healing started from day one; people who were deaf began to hear, their ears were healed.

The presence of the Lord was very heavy in the church.  I asked if there was anyone to repent on behalf of the young people and the young girl who had committed fornication and adultery with the last pastor came for­ward, trembling and crying, confessing, repenting and asking for forgiveness from God and the whole village.  The people were amazed at what God was doing.  Only He could do that.  The girl who had denied outright what she had done 18 months ago was arrested by God’s presence and could not hide any more.  A Sunday School representative came forward and repented and asked for forgiveness.  A former deacon could not hold back.  He came forward and confessed that he had been the messen­ger boy for the pastor and the girl and he said sorry to the Lord for denying Him.

Because of this incident 18 months ago, all the young people had left the church but when the air was cleared, the next day all the young people came and the church building was full to capacity.  The fear of the Lord entered the hearts of the people.  That same night the anointing elements were mixed and the mission land was anointed, cleansed and rededicated to God.  It was an awesome time.  The AOG pastor also asked for forgiveness from the United Church for leaving the church and causing division.  He and his wife and all his church members were part of the prayer warrior team right from day one of the Process.  A couple of days later the CRC members started joining us and by the end of the Process all three churches were united to see change in the community. The prayer warrior team grew from 7 to 40.  Praise God!

The next day news of what had hap­pened had reached everyone in the village and the nearby villages and more people came for the meetings.  They were hungry to hear the Word of the Lord.  The next few days people were seeing signs and wonders, something they had never experienced before.  Revival had started and the fear of God came upon the people.  Also on the third day the village chief invited Jesus into the community.

On the last day the whole village gath­ered at the spot where the village was started some five or six generations ago.  Anointing oil was mixed and all the chiefs and village elders were anointed and reinstated.  After that, groups of people and prayer team took oil to certain places defiled because of blood­shed in the past on garden land.  They anointed these places while deacons took oil to the boundaries of the village and the beach and dedicated the land back to God.

After lunch everyone came back to the village and started a bonfire.  Church deacons and leaders were the first ones to come forward with confessions of adultery, immorality and witchcraft.  Families with land disputes came out and reconciled with people they had taken to court.  Young people came out with charms and magic and burnt them in the fire.  A mother came out with her ten-year-old daughter and confessed she had handed down her sorcery and magic to her and said she was sorry, asking for forgiveness from God.  Both were prayed for.  Husbands and wives reconciled, artifacts of magic and idolatry were burnt.  God was doing His cleaning up in the lives of the people.

The next day we had a time of celebra­tion and you could see the release and freedom in people’s lives, singing was coming from their hearts and joy was bubbling over.  The Lord had again touched peo­ple’s hearts and His presence was so evident that the people did not want to stop celebrat­ing, although it was getting dark and there was no light.

The land and the people are being healed.  The day after the Process a cou­ple of men went crabbing and caught bigger and more crabs than usual.  A week later a lady went to her garden to find that the bad weed which had been a prob­lem to most gardens had started to wither and die.  She went back to the village and told everyone.  The fear that had gripped the hearts of the people had also been broken in prayer and now women are going to their gardens on their own – something they could not do before.  A few days after the HTL Process, men began to go fishing and to their surprise they were catching more and bigger fish than before.

There has been a case of instant healing of a patient with a stroke after the AOG pastor and his wife shared with her fam­ily about Roots and Foundations and how curses come into lives.  The whole family confessed, repented and recon­ciled with each other.  The pastor’s wife had some of the oil that was mixed in the village the week before and began anointing the lady while they prayed.  To their surprise, she was healed instantly.  She began to speak and eat on her own.  The pastor said he had never experi­enced anything like this before.  The presence of the Lord was so great they all started worshipping Him and time was not an issue anymore.  Praise God for this miracle!

During the Process, the pastors of the AOG, the United Church and an Elder of the CRC church, standing on behalf of the pastor, all repented of all the offences and misunderstandings between them in the past.  So now the three churches have decided to have a combined service once a month in the middle of the village.

The young people from all three churches are already having combined prayer meetings and they are in the process of building a big shelter in the middle of the village for the combined church services.

The villagers reported there has not been any stealing since the men were employed.  There has also been increase in their garden produce, fruit and nut trees.  The people are able to see their own produce come to maturity and sell it, whereas in the past it would have been stolen.

Makirupu and one of the nearby villages are known for getting floods during heavy rains.  One month before we got there, it had been raining heavily but the Lord has kept the floods away.  This is an answer to the people’s prayers.  However, the other village got the floods and we got to see some of the houses still surrounded by floodwaters when we were there.  It surely is amazing!

Kalo Village

Kalo is the village where about 126 years ago in 1881, four Cook Island missionaries and their families were killed.  The killings were led by the chief of one of the clans.

The outcome of the talks is that the leaders of this clan called all their families together, from far and near to come and start the repentance and reconciliation Process.  This was supported by the pastor and all the Church and clan leaders of Kalo.  It was a moving occasion and the leaders agreed to proceed with the HTL Process and a bigger reconciliation event with the relatives of the Cook Island missionaries present in the near future.

Healing The Land in Vanuatu

Pastors Walo Ani and Harry Tura report on transforming revival in Vanuatu.

Hog Harbour, Espirito Santo

The island was named Espiritu Santo because that is the island where over 400 years ago in May 1606 Ferdinand de Quiros named the lands from there to the South Pole the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit. 

In April 2006 the Fraternal, under the leadership of Pastor Raynold Bori, conducted protocol discus­sions with the Hog Harbour community leaders and explained to them what the Process involves.  In May 2006 six pastors from Luganville did the HTL Process and God’s presence came on the people that week.

Here are some of the stories of Healing the Land in a village of 800 people:

• Married couples were reconciled.
• Schools of big fish came to the shores during the reconciliation.
• A three year old conflict, bloodshed and tribal fighting that could not be stopped by the Police, ended and reconciliation was made.
• The presence of the Lord came down on the village.
• In June of 2006, 12 pastors from the Luganville Fraternal were invited by the Litzlitz village on Malekula Island to do the HTL Process there.  These Pastors spent three weeks teaching and doing the Process during which many instances of recon­ciliation and corporate repentance were witnessed.  Village Chiefs and the people committed their community to God.

One year later the President of Vanuatu re-covenanted the Nation to God on the island of Espiritu Santo.

Litzlitz Village, Malekula Island

The presence of the Lord was so real and manifested and many miracles were seen such a people healed, dried brooks turned to running streams of water, fish and other sea creatures came back to the sea shores in great number and even the garden crops came alive again and produced great harvests.

Miracles happened three days after the HTL Process:

• The poison fish that usually killed or made people sick became edible and tasty again.
• The snails that were destroying gardens all died suddenly and didn’t return.
• As a sign of God’s transforming work a coconut tree in the village which naturally bore orange coco­nuts started bearing bunches of green coconuts side by side with the red ones.
• A spring gushed out from a dried river bed and the river started flowing again after the anointing oil was poured on it when people prayed and repented of all the sins of defilement over the area.
• A kindergarten was established in the village one week after the HTL Process took place.
• Crops are now blessed and growing well in their gardens.

Vilakalak Village, West Ambae Island

A lot of things had been transformed such as people’s lives had been changed as they accepted Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit for effective ministries of the Gospel of Christ.  The Shekinah glory came down to the very spot where we did the process of healing the land during the night of July 1.  That great light (Shekinah glory) came down.  People described it as a living person with tremendous and powerful light shining over the whole of the village community, confirming the Lord’s presence at that specific village community area.  On the following day people started to testify that a lot of fish and shell fish were beginning to occupy the reefs and they felt a different touch of a changed atmosphere in the village community.

The lands and garden crops then started to produce for great harvests and coconut crabs and island crabs came back in great abundance for people’s daily meals these days.  The people were very surprised at the look of the big sizes of coconut crabs harvested in that area.  I went there a month later to see it.  You can’t believe it that the two big claws or arms were like my wrist when I compared them with my left wrist.  That proved that the God we serve is so real and He is the owner of all the creatures.

Lovanualikoutu, West Ambae

They saw many miracles of people restored to the Lord and witchcraft destroyed.  The Chief said the sinner’s prayer on behalf of the community one night and they all surrendered their lives to the Lord as he invited Jesus into the village.

A team of people swam out to sea with the anointing oil to worship there and dedicate the sea and reef back to God.  The day after the team’s departure from the village a pastor who went out spear fishing saw a large migration of fish.  He in fact reportedly speared two fish together at one stage.  When he reported this to the Chief there was dancing and rejoicing under the cocoa trees where the Chief and some young people had been working.

During the reconciliation when the Chief began to speak, a light shower fell from the sky. There were no clouds but only a sky full of millions of stars. Surely God was in this Process!  The prayer team continues to see visions and witness miracles of more reconciliation and repentance.  Harvests from sea and land have begun to be more abundant than ever before witnessed.

The reports of transforming revival confirm that God’s purposes for us include far more than personal, family, or church renewal and revival.  They also include community transformation, including social and ecological renewal and revival.

These accounts of transforming revival continue to multiply in the twenty-first century, calling us all to deeper repentance, reconciliation, renewal and revival.

(c) 2011, 2nd edition.  Reproduction allowed with copyright included in text.

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