2022 has been incredibly eventful and much has happened over the past month! From joys to trials, the Lord is continually faithful and is working to bring about His perfect will in every aspect of our lives and ministry!

Volcanoes, Tsunamis, and Acid Rain
On Saturday afternoon, we were playing with Taj and Tori and we heard several consecutive booming noises. Our first thought was that someone was setting off some New Year’s fireworks a little bit late, but some friends sent a message informing us that a volcano in Tonga was erupting about 500 miles away. We are about the same distance from Tonga as San Diego is from San Francisco and we could feel the reverberation from the volcano. Please pray for those in Tonga! One of our students at the Bible college is from Tonga and he is unable to contact his family because the internet connection and phone lines are down (The underground cable running from Suva, Fiji to Tonga was likely damaged during the eruption). Last night, our family evacuated for a few hours due to tsunami warnings for those who live in low elevations in Fiji, but we are now back at home and safe for the time being. There are currently warnings of acid rain across Fiji, so we will be staying inside as rain is in the forecast for the next week.

Cyclones and Floods
About 1 week ago, we had a small cyclone pass through Fiji. Although the winds were not nearly as strong as other cyclones we have had in the past, the flooding in Fiji was significant. Our yard had about two feet of water and a neighbor made the comment that we could take our boat (a Fijian style fiberglass boat that was pulled out of the water and put on tires at the beginning of cyclone season) for a quick getaway if the flood waters continued to rise. The waters stopped inches away and did not enter our home, but many Fijian’s homes were flooded. We lost power and had a generator running part time up until a couple days ago just before the volcano erupted and tsunami warnings began. My trusty 7 year old laptop just happened to die the day the cyclone arrived, but I was able to get some help to revive it for the time being! The whole family is regularly prepared for the extreme weather of the South Pacific, but each event brings its own challenges. Some meteorologists have said that there may be another cyclone on its way toward Fiji. We are trusting the Lord, but we appreciate your prayers!

We Are Having a Baby Boy!
You may already know, but Jordan is due with our 3rd child that we are expecting to meet this May! We are praising the Lord and are so excited about this precious baby boy! Taj and Tori are thrilled to have a baby brother and we are grateful that all is going well so far. Jordan is such a trooper to handle homeschooling, cyclones, heat, and humidity in the midst of this pregnancy! Please pray for her as presses on through the next few months before the delivery.

A New School Year Begins at Fiji Bible College
Please pray as we are preparing to begin our next school year at Fiji Bible College next week, Lord willing! We are taking one day at a time and are regularly seeing the goodness of God in the midst of the joys and trials of life!

Every year, the leadership and faculty of The College of Theology and Evangelism Fiji (also known as Fiji Bible College) pray fervently for the students that the Lord will bring to receive pastoral training. Each of these student’s personal testimonies of how they came to the Bible college is extraordinary and demonstrates the wonderful providence of God.

I would like to introduce you to Philip (currently in his 3rd year) from the Solomon Islands. Philip is one of the few students that has come to the Bible college with his family. We are praying that as the Lord provides funds for additional married student housing, more pastors like Philip will be able to receive training at Fiji Bible College. I asked Philip several questions that will help you gain a better understanding of the nations among the South Pacific and how to pray for him and the people in the Solomon Islands.

Tell us a little bit about what life is like in the Solomon Islands? 

“Our society is easy going and there is not much to worry about. Most of the people in the Solomon Islands (approximately 80%) live on subsistence farming. They don’t need money because they have their own gardens. It affects how they live. It is a developing country. When it comes to Christianity, people are very passionate. The sad thing is that they have passion without knowledge. Because of their passion they consume anything, so when the false gospel comes in, they jump into it. Christianity came about 150 years ago and they have only grown (spiritually) a small amount. America has brought much of the prosperity gospel to the Solomon Islands. The truth of the gospel is lacking. I don’t think any church in the Solomon Islands has all of the truth of the whole counsel of God. There is a great opportunity among young people and they are receptive to biblical teaching, but many have been led astray.”

What is the background of Christianity in the Solomon Islands?

“Pagan, mysticism, and ancestor worship. The gospel came through Tahiti and these other nations and went right past the Solomon Islands. Many of the first missionaries went to Vanuatu first and were killed and eaten. The Roman Catholics came to the Solomon Islands and did not have the truth of the gospel. Back in 1568, there was an explorer and the Roman Catholics tried to baptize the people forcefully, but the explorer died. The bishop came later and was killed in the Solomon Islands. Years later, Australians stole many people from the Solomon Islands to work in their fields. One of the men who was stolen became the founder of the church in the Solomon Islands. He was brought to a plantation in Australia. There was a young women whose parents were from the puritan movement. She saw an opportunity to share the gospel with the laborers in Australia. Her name was Florence Young and she became a missionary in her brothers plantation. (This particular Solomon islander was saved through her efforts during his time on the plantation). When Australia banned slavery, he returned to the Solomon Islands and his life was threatened because his family rejected the gospel, but through this the foundation of the church was laid.”

Describe your church in the Solomon Islands:

“Our church holds Sunday services morning and evening. The youth ministry meets on Wednesday and other ministries have evening meetings. When they come for Sunday service, they can listen for an hour. When they come for biblical counseling they can sit for hours. Our church has a seating capacity of 500-1,000, but over a thousand show up so many people sit outside. We are an elder lead church with 12 elders and 10 deacons. We are currently trying to figure out membership.”

“The local church has (also) been engaging in its local mission to a pagan community within the interiors of one the provinces of Solomon Islands (Malaita). These pagan communities are a few that still don’t give in to the gospel message despite Christianity’s presence on the islands for 100 plus years. Even civilization do not have any impact on them, as they still live like their forefathers for thousands of years, placing only a single leaf to cover their fronts for married couples, whilst the rest with no covering at all. After about 5 years of engagement with this pagan communities, by God’s grace a small Christian community of 13 homes or 13 families have been established and people are still coming. Please remember Pastor Jethro Siofa’a who heeded God’s call 5 years ago and left the comfort of his home and family on the coastal areas and went inland by trekking 6-7 mountains and since have been living with them and pastoring these newly converts.” 

What type of ministry were you involved with there?

“I was a pastor and chaplain to three high schools and would do counseling for the students. I then became a full-time pastor and spent much of my time Monday through Saturday doing counseling, but I did not have all of the truth. I wish I would have known then what I know now.”

How did you find out about Fiji Bible College?

“I was praying to attend a raw Bible college where I would only learn the truth of the Bible. I did not want there to be a focus on secondary doctrines or a denominational Bible college. I had an opportunity to attend a few Bible colleges in the Solomon Islands, but there was limited guidance and mere interpretation. One day, a graduate of Fiji Bible College showed up at my office. He also lived in the Solomon Islands, but was a stranger at the time. I wanted to see the doctrinal statement of Fiji Bible College and after reading it, I was excited by how biblical the college was. My heart leaped with joy! I contacted the Bible college and applied just a few days later.”

How have you changed most since you began studying at Fiji Bible College?

“I have seen Scripture in a different way altogether. The dots have been connected and I still have one more year before graduation. I had been in the ministry for a while, but now I am able to see what was missing from ministry. I have a new perspective and I will be using these truths in these ministries going back. I am looking forward to helping put the right doctrines in the church.”

How can we be praying for those in the Solomon Islands?
1) Pray for future biblical counseling training and equipping.
2) Praise: There are some there who were deceived that are now coming to know the truth and power of the gospel.
3) Pray that God will raise up strong Christian leaders who desire to be biblical. 

How can we specifically be praying for you? 
1) That I would finish the training at the Bible college well. I want to get the knowledge and training I can, so I will have plenty to share when I return.
2) Praying for a solid Bible school, regardless of the size.
3) Pray for those involved in the prosperity gospel and the false gospel. People have been trapped for a long time. Pray that they would see and receive the truth to discern what is true and false. Pray that their passion would be directed well.
4) Please also pray for Philip’s health. At the start of his first term at Fiji Bible College, Philip spent 3 weeks in the ICU for sepsis and heart failure. The doctors here say his survival was an act of divine intervention. He was the only survivor from his ICU ward. Please pray that God would continue to heal his heart, grant him longevity to do His work, and would bless his ministry in the Solomon Islands greatly.

We hope that this will help you better understand the Solomon Islands and what the Lord is doing there! Please pray for Philip and the other students who are currently training with hopes to return and minister in their island nations.

-Michael, Jordan, Taj & Tori

The 2021 School Year Has Begun

By the grace of God, the Bible College has begun its 47th year of training men for pastoral ministry! We have a wonderful group of young men that are excited to prepare for a life of serving the Lord!

Please pray for 6 first year students (all from various islands within Fiji due to COVID-19 travel restrictions) and the other students who have remained in Fiji from Tonga, The Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and India. These young men have sacrificed much to pursue ministry training and have a rigorous semester ahead.

We praise the Lord for the rare opportunity to have two students from Tuvalu, which is the least visited country in the world and has a population of less than 12,000 people. Due to Tuvalu’s isolated nature, the community there is tight-knit and we pray for God to use these young men to have a mighty impact on that nation.

Summer Reading Program

Jordan and I co-led a “Summer Reading Program” during the Christmas Break. The students had an opportunity to improve their language, reading, and critical thinking skills while having an opportunity to read for fun and personal growth. The students read everything from Biblical Counseling and theology books to children’s books out loud to kids in their villages. It was a huge success and so popular even the first years joined in for the final two weeks! We celebrated their amazing achievements with an end of break pizza party and prizes for their hard work.

Prayer Requests and Praises:

· We are grateful that the Lord has been gracious in Fiji’s recovery from the two most recent cyclones. We are also praying for everyone in Texas as they recover from their winter storm. Many of our dear friends and family members live there and have experienced the effects of the severe freeze.

· We praise the Lord that Fiji is COVID-19 free and ministry opportunities are flourishing during this unique season around the globe.

· Pray for Jordan as she continues to homeschool and shepherd Taj and Tori and serve in Women’s ministry and biblical counseling ministry in the local church.

· Pray as we continue to make progress toward expanding pastoral training and biblical counseling to the outer islands of Fiji.

Teaching at Fiji Bible College

One of the most exciting moments of our time on the mission field so far was my first day of teaching!  We are serving in Fiji so that the South Pacific will have strong local churches equipped with pastors who are well-trained to preach the gospel and shepherd their flocks.  It was an immense joy to meet my first-year students who arrived from all across the Fijian Islands, Tuvalu, and India.  Many of the other returning students are from neighboring island nations Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and others in the South Pacific.  They are so eager to learn and many of them desire to pursue full-time pastoral ministry!  The students are studying everything from: Old and New Testament, Hermeneutics, Biblical Languages, Spiritual Life (Fundamentals of the Faith, Prayer, Worship), Preaching, and Discipleship & Biblical Counseling.  These young men are incredibly committed and have a rigorous schedule beginning at 5am with classes starting as early as 6am.  Please pray for these students as they pour their hearts into ministry preparation and many of them are very far from home!

Prayer Requests:

1. Praise: We recently celebrated our precious daughter Tori’s 2nd birthday and we do not take this for granted!  As many of you know, Tori had a significant health challenge after being bitten by a bug and had a major infection. We praise the Lord as she has fully recovered and has not shown any lingering issues following this trial!
2. Homeschooling: Jordan has recently begun homeschooling Taj.  She is an excellent teacher, but would love your prayers as she aims to educate him well.  Taj is 4 years old and is eager to learn and we are praying that God will direct his little heart!
3. Outer Island Ministry: The Lord has provided some wonderful opportunities to bring biblical training to the outer islands in Fiji!  These remote islands are a focal point of our ministry and we are thrilled that God is opening doors in this area!  Please pray for wisdom, discernment, and resources as we serve these islands!
4. Monthly Support: In our recent newsletter, we mentioned that we have settled in Fiji and our ministry opportunities are growing!  We have received some additional ministry parters and we are now praying that the Lord will bring $500 of monthly support as we prepare to reach out to the outer islands in Fiji.
5. Shipping Container:  We have been provided with an invaluable collection of books for the Fiji Bible College library from my former seminary professor, Dr. Greg Harris. Dr. Harris played a key role in our family ministering here and also was a good friend and mentor to Premend Choy.  As he now faces a terminal diagnosis he has graciously gifted his library to the ministry here.  We have over half of the shipping costs covered and are currently praying for the Lord to provide the remaining $6,000 for a shipping container to bring these additional ministry resources to Fiji.

We thank the Lord for your prayers and support!

Our Fiji Planning Trip:

We had an eventful November and December that included trips to Egypt, Uganda, Singapore, Malaysia, and our planning trip to Fiji!  It was a great opportunity to make preparations for our upcoming move as we evaluated housing, immigration procedures, travel plans, and every day life issues such as grocery shopping and medical care.  The Lord provided many helpful meetings and gave us a better understanding of what it will look like to live in Fiji!

Transition from Joni and Friends:

The last three years have been some of the sweetest and most wonderful of our lives!  A significant reason for this is the joy that it has been to be a part of the ministry of Joni and Friends.  God has taught me so much through this season and we are looking forward to continuing the friendships and partnerships formed as we head to the South Pacific!

Moving to Fiji:

On March 15, we will be taking our moving truck from California to Texas to be loaded onto a shipping container out of Houston.  Many of our dear ministry supporters have provided books and resources that will be a tremendous blessing to the ministry in Fiji.  We are progressing through the immigration process and will arrive in Fiji once they give us the official green light, which will likely be within the next several weeks!

Prayer Requests:

The Lord has been graciously providing for our ministry needs!  God has provided ministry partners that are giving financially so that we can move to and serve in Fiji.  A significant number of these are individuals, which means monthly support fluctuates as personal budgets and circumstances change.  If you have a desire to become a monthly supporter (or give a one-time gift), we would love for you to be a part of this ministry!

(Michael Seehusen, Rick Holland, Kim Holland, Kelli Ramey, Ken Ramey, Henry, and Rodney)

Thank you all for your prayers and support of the 2018 Fiji Pastor’s Conference.  This year’s theme was on The Christian Family and it was truly an amazing time seeing God’s hand clearly at work in Fiji and the South Pacific!  The conference was held in the capital city of Suva, Fiji and over 200 pastors, teachers, and church leaders attended to hear what the Bible has to say about the family.  Throughout the sessions we covered topics such as how the family is designed to function, God’s plan for each of us within our own family units, and what to do when the family is not functioning the way it was intended.  This topic is of critical importance to the Fijian people as they begin to address issues within the church such as adultery, abuse, depression, homosexuality, and other threats to the Christian home.

Dr. Nair opened the pastor’s conference with a strong message regarding the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God.  Fiji is currently facing intense social pressures from the outside world to tolerate sin and sinful lifestyles especially within the family unit.  Dr. Nair’s timely message set the stage for Rick and Ken’s teaching to be accepted not as man’s opinion, but as God’s holy and perfect standard clearly communicated in Scripture.

As you get to know Fijians, you will learn that they LOVE music!  One wonderfully memorable moment occurred when Ken Ramey used the illustration of the Christian family compared to a choir singing four-part harmony.  When each person (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) sings their assigned part well, the end result is absolutely beautiful!  However, if someone abandons their role and encroaches on another, the song becomes dissonant and full of discord.  In the same way, God has designed the Christian family in a specific way so that the end result would be a beautiful picture of unity that brings glory to God as husbands, wives, and children please the Lord in their God-given role. This truth resonated with those attending and it was such a joy to see the Lord bridging cultures through a shared passion. 

This year was also the first annual women’s conference where Kelli Ramey and Kim Holland spent time speaking directly to the Fijian women on their roles and responsibilities within the family.  The stories of the responsiveness and eagerness of the women – even from those living with extremely difficult circumstances – highlighted the need to continue having biblical teaching regularly available to these women who traditionally have fewer opportunities to participate in and learn from the truths of Scripture.

One woman who attended the conference wrote the following note to Lakeside Bible Church to thank them for allowing Ken and Kelli to teach at the conference.

Today was the last day of a 5 days seminar that I had been attending here in Suva, Fiji. I have been so incredibly BLESSED by the lessons imparted, with such real life illustrations by your Dr. Ken Ramey. His personal, and their joint experiences as a couple, that he shared as examples in how I can practically and realistically live out what God had instructed in the Bible has been so encouraging, inspirational. I know now how to put the biblical principles I had always know into action. It was such a huge relief to learn that I had not failed, and that it’s not too late, and just my being there to receive all that I did is proof that God has a purpose for me, and what I had learned have a usefulness. PRAISE the LORD. I am a widow, with 4 children, and a granddaughter. So yes, definitely so BLESSED to have been there

Perhaps, one of the conference highlights for me personally, was watching the Fiji Bible College students engage with Ken and Rick regarding life and ministry.  The students were able to have in depth conversations discussing the challenges and persecutions that comes from standing for sound theology and doctrine, how to communicate truth with love, and ways to maintain personal holiness as a minister of the gospel.  While the students will be returning to ministries that look far different from the American churches we are used to, the issues and hurdles that they face as shepherds of God’s flock remain the same. What a special time it was to see them learning from these seasoned and faithful pastors.

We thank the Lord for you and your prayers!  We are grateful for the generous support from those of you who made this possible!  It is truly a joy to serve the Lord together and we are thankful for God’s provision for the ministry in Fiji!

We praise God for what He is doing in Fiji and around the world!