When a Vision is Divinely Anointed, it Flourishes
Without hesitation, I am glad yet humbled and count it as a privilege to have been raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church. I am a third generation Adventist and a member of the Ma’ufanga Seventh-day Adventist church in the Friendly Islands of Tonga.
The history behind the establishment of this church is fascinating, for it was a dream of two mothers—Meleane Lolie and Sela Maka, whose strong bond and friendship still lives on in the lives of their children and grandchildren. These two mothers had no blood relation, but their commitment to the upbringing of their children and their dedication to their newfound faith led them to the establishment of the Ma’ufanga church.
Interestingly, their respective husbands were not members of the Adventist church, although later, Sela’s husband converted.
During the 1950s and 60s, there was only one Seventh-day Adventist church in the Nuku’alofa area, which means that all those from nearby villages would walk a couple or more kilometers to attend church. At this time, Meleane and Sela would walk from Ma’ufanga with their children. Sometimes, they would be the only ones walking as their children were not around or just too tired to walk to church.
After much prayer, they decided to approach the president of the Tonga Adventist Mission to ask if they could start a church in their village instead of walking all the way to Nuku’alofa. They were not tired or lazy, for they were evangelists within their families and prayer warriors, but their main aim was that their children and grandchildren were not left out and eventually drift away from the church because there was no place of worship close by. The women’s request was granted, and the church started in my grandmother Meleane’s home, which was also my home, in 1968, for about three years. It moved from there to Sela’s home and then on to its current location.
The Ma’ufanga Adventist church was organised in December 1995, when I was the pastor of the church. Today, the descendants of these two women are pastors, teachers and elders of our Adventist church in Tonga, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Rarotonga. Praise God for such godly women, whose commitment to the upbringing of their children was paramount and undeterred. Yes, when a vision is divinely anointed, it flourishes.
Verse of the day:
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” Proverbs 16:3 (NIV).
