Hi, Friends.

Greetings from Fiji! This past week has been a truly awesome week for youth ministry here in Fiji. For the first time the National Youth Department of the Fiji AoG conducted a National Youth Convention. At the concluding Friday night rally Deputy Superintendent Peta Cili declared, "This is just the end of a new beginning for Fiji AoG's National Youth Department!"

Each day of the week-long convention began with teaching sessions attend by some 300 delegates from all over Fiji. The evening rally crowds grew from 800 on the first night to almost 1900 by Friday's conclusion.

Guest speakers included Rev. Chris Long, National Youth Director of the Malaysia AoG, Rev. Steve Thomas, Youth Pastor of Calvary Temple in Springfield, IL, and myself representing Asia Pacific Campus Challenge/Book of Hope.

Tuesday morning began with Pastor Steve proclaiming that each young person was created by God to be a winner! Pastor Chris followed suit with his teaching that the devil will not win! My session followed on with examples from Daniel's life to encourage every young person that God can make a difference in this world through them. That evening Pastor Chris returned to the pulpit and challenged every young person there to dare to be a history-maker. He walked through the life of King Josiah in II Chronicles 34. The atmosphere was super-charged with faith!

The following night Pastor Steve gave a great call for the youth to dare to do great things for God. David's passion and preparation to build the temple (I Chronicles 28) was what the Holy Spirit used to stretch the heart belief that God could and would use us to advance His kingdom!

Leadership, prayerwalking and student mobilization were the primary foci of the remaining morning sessions. Host pastor, Suliasi Kurulo, gave an inspiring message on Fijian missionaries and their part in fulfilling the Great Commission in the South Pacific and around the world. Again, faith rose up within the youth as they dared to believe God to use them for Kingdom purposes.

On the final night at the conclusion of pastor and AoG executive Apete Tanoa's message, Missionary Ty Silva challenged each one there to respond to the call of the Harvest Master into full-time Christian service. For almost one hour young people stood in line to sign their name in a public pledge that they were willing to say YES if God called them to full-time Christian service. After signing they poured their hearts out to God in brokenness and contriteness of heart. Several collaspsed under the power of God's presence.

When the final count was tallied, 277 of Fiji's youth and young adults had joined the Passion for the Planet rolls. This brings the total signed commitments to over 850 youth from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Guam, Vietnam, Saipan and now Fiji who are willing to say YES to the Lord of the Harvest! HALLELUJAH :-)

Pastor Tanoa proclaimed that "Zeal and zest is coming back to the youth of the AoG of Fiji!"

Plans are already in motion to conduct a national youth conference in 2003. John Sogovale, Fiji National Youth Director, and his leadership team are moving out to take Fiji for Jesus. The Book of Hope will be a center-piece of the evangelism strategy to touch every young person in Fiji. One church from Latoka that brought one bus with 70 this year has told John that next year they intend to bring FIVE BUSES of youth from the west! Again, HALLELUJAH!!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!! Ty Silva

"We gained a wealth of knowledge and have already implemented the principles learned in the conference." AND...
"Our son came back from the GlobYlnet Conference and wept for two days over the expanded vision and burden that the Lord has placed in his heart for the youth of our island."

These are just a sampling of the responses of over 60 delegates who attended the March GlobYlnet Conference held in Saipan for Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands. Together the youth pastors, adult volunteers and student leaders represented 12 churches coming from 3 islands. Their collective desire to their vision stretched and their skills strengthened helped to create an atmosphere for the Spirit of God to accomplish a mighty work.
The teaching team spoke out of their own experience and passion of the goal of seeing teens won discipled, who will in turn be mobilized in bringing their peers to Jesus. Together they were used to instruct and inspire(even entertain!?!) the delegates towards a dependency on the creativity of the Holy Spirit in effectively presenting the Gospel to this generation.

And who were these youth gurus?

Evan Courtney (Youth Pastor/ talk & walk champion - Illinois)
Herman Dionson (Youth pastor/ head banger - Philippines)
Bill Howell (Youth Pastor/ prince of the knicker-knees - Saipan)
Ron Heitman (District Youth Director/ heavy-weight thumb wrestler - Illinois)
Eileen Lang (Youth Pastor/ Micronesian Queen "B" - Tinian)
Christopher Long (National Youth Director/ stand-up comedian - Malaysia)
Ty Silva (APCC/ youth ministry diehard)

Over 250 young people attended the evening youth rallies held at Grace Christian Assembly and New Covenant Church. The last night 65 young people came forward to express their willingness to follow the Lord in full time Christian ministry anywhere He leads. With this, the conference was not an end in itself, but only the beginning of greater things to come.