“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

 Dear brethren and friends,

This time I would like to share with you my blessed experience during my last visit to Vanuatu. This was an experience which I will never forget.

It was the first Island country in which I began my work in the Oceania Division region. I will never forget our first visit in this country together with Br. Sanaila. God was helping us, and Br. Tony William was the first fruit of our effort. He was a missionary minded person with a very serious interest to study and to join our church. That is why to my surprise he came to Fiji while I visited my brethren there.  After serious studies and some clarification he took a stand to be rebaptised in the original Reform Movement. Then came time for our second trip to Port Vila – the capital city and economic centre of Vanuatu. We met there with Br. Tony William and he guided us to his home island of Epi. It was a very blessed and happy time when many souls accepted and followed the truth and joined our IMS church. A few more trips to Vanuatu followed, where Bro. Tony William helped us get started with the work at Port Vila, he helped us to find connections in the Solomon Islands too.

Sadly, I have to inform you, that Br. Tony William passed way about three months ago.

After the sad news I did my best to find out the opportunity to visit our brethren in Vanuatu. This time I had a plan with a different approach.  I pleaded to our Lord for help. In this circumstance, I had many reasons to worry. My main concern was that Br. Tony William was fruitful but even so, he was a person who likes to work alone, not as a team leading person. That is why my first and main effort was to meet the field committee members and build a working team. It was so wonderful to see my brethren in the field committee ready to work as very well organized team. They waited and wanted in their hearts to work as a team, as it is according to our Lord’s plan and according to their wish. It was a happy and enjoyable time for all of us to be together and to plan together in perfect harmony. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit amongst us. Let our Lord continue to give His abundant blessing to our faithful and humble brethren, who are now responsible for the Lord’s work in Vanuatu.

We had a very blessed time in our spiritual conversations and seminars. We spoke about the transforming process of our characters, mentality, nature, and the tests which we need to experience by the guidance of our Lord. It is very important for us to surrender ourselves to the Lord and permit Him to transform our characters according to His divine character, and for us to become as He is. Yes, we need to become as Christ is. Let us all have this great goal, having in mind, that we must surrender to Christ entirely!

May God bless our brethren in Vanuatu.

Let we all pray for them.

Pr. Anton Salavyov