Talofa! My name is Suivaaia and I went on Mission in the Year 2012 to Indonesia. I went with an awesome team including the guy who I dated and is now my husband. Grateful to our Pastors who have planted this vision.
One of the main reasons why I went on mission was because I wanted to capture the heart of mission and to see the heart of the unreached. Hearing the experience from previous goers including my eldest brother, Michael, I was very inspired and encouraged to go. Michael led our team that year and financially it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be. Due to a lot of faith and being pro-active in that area, everyone had a role in bringing together these finances. It was through prayer and seeking God that we were able to come through on a lot of things planned for this mission. Before I went on mission I didn’t expect a lot as I just wanted to go and experience it for myself. I guess my only expectation for myself was that there will be a shift in my thinking and in the way I show love towards others. My expectations were reached beyond that; my experience in Indonesia actually hit me hard thinking sometimes “am I a real Christian?” Seeing the heart of people that have little yet we have more. Yet the orphans worship and love God at a whole ‘nother level compared to how I worship! It’s INCREDIBLE!! I had to come to terms that actually here in New Zealand we have a lot to be grateful for and regardless of your situation you can love God just the same.
I caught so much by seeing faith in action there. There was unconditional love in nearly all the places we visited. I was very inspired by hearing and seeing the hearts of the Pastors and Leaders there too, the sacrifice and commitment to the kingdom of God was relentless. No matter where or what the environment they were in whether it was a shopping mall, a hall way, behind the graves even, they would fellowship and worship there. We heard testimonies of some of the orphanages that just broke us. It’s such a humbling experience knowing in the heart of the lost there is a lot of room for God.
I remember clearly one time when I said quietly “I just want to live here” and Pastor Lui saying “Suuuui make sure its God talking to you not your feelings.” I started thinking oh my gosh true that! It’s like an emotional roller-coaster when you’re on mission! You’re like a sponge taking in everything! There is a huge cultural difference but there is no barrier to Gods love no matter what it looks or sounds like. I’m a genuine believer in God’s mission and I recommend it for all especially our youth today. I would love to do global mission again not just because it’s a feeling or an experience but because it is genuinely God’s heart for us to reach the unreached by sharing the gospel and sharing the love of God.
