Fiji Mission Trip

by Raymond and Tuggy Dunton - Wings of Freedom Ministries

Before I share some of the details of our recent Fijian ministry trip, I need to thank each of you for your faithful commitment to pray for us and those we ministered to. We are both deeply grateful for your intercession and are humbled by your willingness to remember us before the Throne. We were able to confidently share with the Fijians we ministered to, that there were people like you who were praying and fasting. Not only did our Abba Father honor your prayers we requested, but He also demonstrated His characteristic of being a God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think or imagine!

God granted favor and established a rapport between us and our Fijian brothers and sisters our first day together. Being Tribal people, they immediately identified with my Heritage. With tears in their eyes, many of them spoke to Tuggy and me of the honor and empowerment that they were now experiencing, realizing that God has chosen them as Fijian people before the creation of the world (Acts 17:26, Ephesians 1:4). They openly received the teaching concerning their identity in Christ and the power and authority they have as children of God in order to maintain their freedom in Christ.

Besides co-teaching the Fijian leaders, Tuggy spent the majority of her time ministering to the leadership of Homes of Hope. She was involved in one-on-one time with several of the single moms, she taught for two evenings on identity in Christ, forgiveness and having a Biblical worldview, and she had the opportunity to take several women individually through the Steps to Freedom. She also was involved in writing curriculum to help these women overcome abuse. The time in Fiji was just the beginning of the curriculum writing; she will be emailing back and forth with the leadership team over the next few months to solidify what was begun while she was there.

As a result of the strong soul connection between us, Ratu Osea Gavidi had requested that I facilitate a reconciliation between the various Fijian pastors and, ultimately, Tribal chiefs and political leaders. Although this was not part of "our" plan, it was certainly one of the steps that our Creator God had ordered (Proverbs 16:9). I had an initial meeting with Ratu and his pastoral staff, followed by a more in-depth meeting with several Fijian pastors of various denominations. They were so open to understanding their lack of unity due to some of their denominational distinctives that have been creating division. These two meetings are only the beginning of meetings to follow, as they spend time in prayer together, focusing on unity.

As a result of God continuing to deepen the relationships throughout our time in Suva (the capital city of Fiji), Ratu and the Fijian pastors wanted to express their appreciation and gratefulness to us. They hosted a Lovo (a traditional Fijian feast with foods cooked in the traditional under-ground oven) in our honor. They also had a Meke (traditional dances that are done to honor the Creator) and gave us gifts of appreciation. I was presented with a Tabua (pronounced Tambua). A Tabua is a sperm whale tooth, with braided coconut fibers attached on both ends. Historically, the Tabua was exchanged among Fijian village chiefs and later used in other ceremonies. Even today there is no other object that has greater value to the Fijian people than the Tabua. As you can imagine, I was humbled by this amazing gesture of honor. Whaling is no longer practiced by the Fijians; therefore there is only a limited number of Tabuas, and they are not permitted to leave the Fijian Islands. I was given a letter by Meli Bainimarama, Permanent Secretary for Indigenous Affairs, to allow me to bring this gift home. Tuggy was presented with a Katu, which is a traditional woven mat that only chiefs sit on. It is made from the Katu plant, which is only found in two provinces of the Fijian Islands. The lady who was commissioned to make the mat for Tuggy was at the Lovo as well, and Tuggy had opportunity to visit with her and thank her personally.

As you can tell, there was much accomplished while we were in Fiji, yet we feel that we have only begun the work that needs to be done. A good foundation was laid with the pastors and ministry leaders to help them teach their people to walk victoriously, and we look forward to the time when we can return to provide necessary on-going training. The pastors are continuing to pray together and work toward reconciliation among the denominations, and we will need to return to accomplish the desired reconciliation between the pastors, chiefs and political leaders. Tuggy desires to continue her work with the leadership at Homes of Hope, both in writing the curriculum and personal encouragement for the leaders (not all the women leaders had opportunity for personal freedom appointments during our time there). Please pray with us concerning the timing of our next trip, as well as provision of the resources needed.

Again, thank you so much for partnering with us on this significant and fruitful ministry opportunity with the Fijian people.

Blessings,

Raymond & Tuggy

WINGS of Freedom

PS: As we mentioned in our previous email, Ratu is principal chief over 1/3 of the Fijian Islands. Tavarua Island, where several championship surfing contests take place each year, is included in the area that Ratu oversees. When Ratu found out that I surf, he arranged for us to be able to go to Tavarua. I got to spend a couple of hours there at the famous Cloudbreak . . .until I wiped out real bad and got cut up by the coral. When the doctor was patching me up in the clinic back on Tavarua Island, the Fijian championship surfer Waqa (pronounced Wonga) exclaimed, "Now you have a Cloudbreak tattoo!" (sort of a rite of passage to surfers). I was stoked!