Divine Appointment in the Produce Aisle

"Do you have any books that could help me get closer to God?" My husband's face lit up as he answered, "I do!" We thought we were just grabbing some brown rice and beans, but God had something a little bit more important for us to do. Jone, an employee at grocery store was having a difficult time in his life, but he wanted to get closer to God, he just didn't know how. We chatted with brother Jone for a while, and Ryan promised he would send him a book that helped his relationship with God, the apocolyptic classic "The Great Controversy." After exchanging emails and praying we continued with our shopping. Koro is a remote island, the sixth largest in Fiji, without any roads, grocery stores, city water, or electricity. Life on Koro is like taking a trip back to the early 1900's. Luckily, we were able to stock up on food, household items, Bibles, and books for outreach before heading over.

After a few days on the main island, we were off to board the ferry from Suva to the island of Koro. Our cab driver Vimal asked Ryan if he was going to give sermons to the people. Ryan said he never had but he would if God wanted him to. As we arrived at the loading dock we were surrounded by busy workmen, families saying goodbye to loved ones, truck drivers preparing to drive onto the ferry for their weekly drop off of goods. We started walking onto the small ferry and found our room located three flights down a set of stairs. The Koro Sea is rocky and the ferry ride was rough but throughout our journey we knew that God was watching over us. After the long twelve hour ferry ride we arrived at our new home. We were picked up by our friend, Tukini, and started the 45 minute drive from the port to our home on the other side of the island. The drive was rough as the dirt road is muddy, rocky, and rugged but the view of the ocean along the way was comforting. The windows are down and we hear the loud chirping of the crickets, the howling sound of the birds, the trees rustling with wind through their leaves, and the sound of children yelling, "Bula, Bula, Bula!" We had finally arrived at our new home.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." God has led us safely to our new home on Koro Island. Not a moment has gone by that we haven't felt His presence with us. Friends, God is always with us and we must never forget to always put our trust in Him. We will never fail in our efforts if we always remember to trust in God.