encounter with god
Psalm 8:4 came into mind, "..what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Read More
dolokoto joins brumbies rugby
My name is Mesulame Dolokoto and I just recently came to Canberra after receiving a scholarship from The University of Canberra (UC) and to enter the Brumbies Super Rugby team system. Read More
god's plan for soni
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Supporting the vision
When I first received an email from Teri Kempe last year, I felt blessed. As I was coordinating Scripture Union’s Finance recovery program, Teri’s email was definitely divine. From Australia, this special woman emailed to say, she was willing to partner with the work of Scripture Union and would send a Faith Seed. The transaction completed, we managed to have enough from the seed to pay our rent and meet our immediate needs. A few months later, I received the great news that this Australian saint, was convicted by the Lord to close shop in Australia and move to Fiji to support the Lord’s vision for her in our beautiful country. Teri’s story blessed my heart in so many ways. At a time when many her age would be considering retiring and enjoying the rewards of retirement, this special woman has moved to Fiji to support mission work here. Her main focus right now is assisting Council Member and Principal of Basden College Master Mika Mudreilagi with mission needs at the Anglican based school in Kinoya. Teri’s drive and passion is contagious, she is a woman of small statute and often one will not notice her around, however in her patience, wisdom and commitment, her presence is being felt by the many that have been touched by her life. Faith Seed, asked Teri for her testimony as it prepared this edition and her email response was , “ I am honoured that you asked for my testimony.”
Teri story is that she was born in London UK before her family emigrated to Australia when she was 16 and they lived in Melbourne. “I came from a strong anti-Christian family and my parents were disappointed when I gave my life to Jesus a few months after arriving in Australia. At 21 I married my first love, a strong Christian man and we studied and worked together in Melbourne. When we finished university my husband accepted a job in Fiji and we lived in Suva for four years between 1976-1980. While here we adopted twin daughters from St Christopher's Home and our first son was born. Two more sons were born when we returned to Australia. Sadly my husband lost his way and he ended up in prison and we divorced. I was ashamed and deeply saddened. I felt I could not return to Fiji.” “For ten years I devoted myself to supporting women who had a family member in prison. Through this work God began healing my heart. I felt he gave back the years the locusts had eaten [Joel 2:25]” she added. Teri’s journey can be likened to Abraham’s own journey when God called him to live his family and move into a land he was preparing for him and his descendants. Teri adds that, “In May 2013 I met Mst Mika in Sydney and he invited me to visit Basden College. I came for a week with a friend, Lenore, and God spoke to us both about returning to serve Him. I went back to Australia, quit my job and began collecting donations for Basden. I received enough to fill a container. Again and again God confirmed my call to serve Him in Fiji. On December 28 Lenore, Janetta and I arrived in Suva to begin the adventure of our lives! At Basden the work began to expand the college. We built a driveway so trucks carrying containers could come in. We watched in awe as the container classrooms took shape. I am assisting Mst Mika with administration, some teaching and the expansion of the school to teach Year 13 and technical and vocational subjects.” Her seed into SU is a result of her own experiences with SU Australia. “I was a supporter of Scripture Union in Australia from my university days. I soon became aware of the great work SUIS was doing in Fiji. Knowing Fiji's wonderful Christian heritage and the opportunities to share the love of God and his plan of salvation to students, I was keen to show my strong support. In many countries, including Australia, it is no longer possible for Christians to freely witness to their faith in schools. I encourage all people to support SUIS while the door is open” she adds. Faithful servants never retire. You can retire from your career, but you will never retire from serving God. – Rick Warren |