2012 Fiji Prayer Convention Report

July 30, 2012

Acknowledgements

This final report on the 2012 Fiji Prayer Convention has been prepared by Lilian Schmid, it draws on a number of resources, past and current, including Dr Geoff Waugh's book South Pacific Revivals, Community and Ecological Transformation and notes from Ps. Inosi Vono. Rev. Geoff Armitage also contributed a comprehensive chronology of the events during the Convention and this has been merged into the main body of the report.

Background and History

Revival on the Fiji Islands
(The report below is reproduced from the website of Fusion Ministries Inc. © 2007-2010 http://www.fusionministry.com/fijivideo.php?page=1)

The events of the past few years on the Fiji Islands can truly be called revival. Ratu Epeli Kanaimawi, a pastor on the islands and Vice President of the ACCF (Association of Christian Churches in Fiji), was invited to the Transform World conference in Jakarta, Indonesia in May 2005, along with over 1,000 Christian leaders from around the globe. The following in an excerpt from his report...¹

Community and Ecological Transformation

(The following is an extract from Dr. Geoff Waugh, Journal in Fiji 2003, South Pacific Revivals, Community and Ecological Transformation.)

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. 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 to 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. 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 on April 1-10 2003. Nuku is about 65 Kilometres North of Suva, on the main island of Viti Levu. Continues here...²

New Wave and New Generation

The 2012 Fiji Prayer Convention was held from the 2nd to the 6th July 2012 at Sigatoka Fiji. The theme was "Preparing the way for New Generation." This gathering also launched Transform Fiji which is a seven year initiative to see the nation transformed with every last village in Fiji experiencing transformation by 2020. Pastor Inosi Vono, the Convener of the Convention invited Luis Bush, the International Facilitator of Transform World, Lilian Schmid, the Convener of Transforming Sydney, Michael Maeliau from the Solomon Islands, and Mr. Henrick Minder from Switzerland as guest speakers.

What was the purpose of this Convention?

RESTORATION Due to the different views and perspectives of different religions present within Fiji, there needs to be restoration of the original stand of why CHRISTIANITY was introduced to Fiji, and that is to bring unity and better relationships especially within the different denominations. The presence of different views within the denominations has also brought different spirit which needs to be eradicated and restored with a new and united Christ-like spirit throughout the different denominations, ethnic groups and cultural institutions and especially day to day interactions. The end result of this restoration process will be the improvement the different aspects of society be it economical, social and cultural institutions.

RECONCILIATION Ongoing from the above topic after the process of restoring the much needed unified spirit their needs to be reconciliation within the different denominations to bring about unity and a new perspective for the future of Fiji. Restoration needs to be carried out between

Churches to churches
Church to indigenous Fijians
Church to chiefs
Chiefs to chiefs

There is a great need for reconciliation as people in Fiji fail to recognize that the process of reconciliation is a powerful process which is being neglected at most times.

REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD Once the two topics above are addressed then it could assist the process of rebuilding the temple of the Lord which is the spirit and souls of those who have been hurt.

TRANSFORMATION This will follow after the three processes above have taken place, which will transform people and their souls within the community to unite and bring about change for a brighter Fiji. This will be generally the end result of the processes mentioned above.

GENERATION The transformation will bring about change not only for the present generation but for the future of Fiji's children. It will also instill a new perspective for a new unified Fiji. Continues here...³

Monday 2nd July

Monday afternoon at the Stadium, the opening of the Prayer gathering was a formal occasion where the chief of the province, Ratu Sakusa Makuta, officially welcomed the delegates to the land of Fiji. In a traditional ceremony the Chief was honored with the gift of a whale tooth. Michael Maeliau from the Solomon Islands brought a Shophar which was blown 4 times before presented to the chief as a gift. This official welcome from the indigenous owner of the land releases spiritual authority to the prayer gathering to pray for the land of Fiji and its people. Continues here...⁴

Tuesday 3rd July

The second morning on Tuesday, we all came together and they invited Luis Bush to open with a prayer, they invited the whole village of Lawai to come including the children, the theme was About 'A New Wave for the New Generation', and the whole team came to bless the new generation. Continues here...⁵

Wednesday 4th July

On Wednesday three significant events took place. The first was the consecration of a prayer house which was set aside as a place of prayer similar to Moses' tabernacle where the Glory of the Lord would settle whenever Moses went to prayer. The second was a hilltop where the chiefs of the province were anointed. Specific prayer for the cleansing of all occult practices on the hilltops was offered from ancient days up to the present including Masonic rituals and curses. A prayer for restoration in the land was offered by Luis Bush and Ps. Inosi Vono. This prayer for Restoration officially launched Transformation Fiji which is the 7 year vision to see every village in Fiji experience Transformation by 4th July 2017. One intercessor saw the cloud of Glory descend on the mountaintop just as it did on the Mount of Transfiguration. Continues here...⁶

Thursday 5th July

On the 5th of July Luis Bush at the meeting with Pastor Inosi and his team recommended to invite Michael Maeliau, Henrick Minder and Lilian Schmid back to Fiji and as well as Pastor Djohan Handoyo, the Chairman of Transform World Connections from Bethel Church Singapore to be the speaker at the stadium in 2013 Transform Fiji Conference. Pastor Djohan Handoyo has confirmed that he has received the invitation for next year's event. Transform Fiji result in God's blessing on Fiji to the very last village as you envisioned by the end of seven years. Continues here...⁷

Friday 6th July

On the final evening Friday night the 6th of July 2012 Henrick Minder brought a challenge for the Christians to stand up and change their nation as mentioned in 2 Chron. 7:14. Henrick also quoted from 1 Tim 2:1 which says that praying for "kings and all those in authority" is of first importance and not where we usually put it, i.e. last. Rev. Geoff Armitage brought a message from Naaman (2 Kings 5) being healed of leprosy without, and the pride of his heart within. Everyone responded by dipping themselves seven times, in the river of God, as a prayer that the LORD would cleanse our hearts from the sin of pride. Lilian Schmid finished with a closing prayer: the Lord's Prayer in both the Fijian language and the English language and thanked everyone in Fiji for their generosity and their heart to transform their nation.

The final message came from Inosi Vono who called for the grace of forgiveness to be exercised by all present towards anyone who had caused them offense. In conclusion he asked all the Pastors present to come on to the stage and kneel and repent of denominationalism and pride that had been separating God's family. This was a blessed place to bring the Fiji International Prayer Convention to a conclusion. Let me conclude this report with the words of Psalm 107:15:

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wondrous deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

Special thanks to contributors of this report.⁸