Thirty-three students from Puget Sound Adventist Academy (PSAA) and 18 adults spent Thanksgiving vacation building a 30-by-60-foot concrete block church in Waimicia, Fiji. The project included doing the electrical wiring, making pews, and building the first indoor baptistry in Fiji. Dan Luce, a roofer, was also able to put a roof on an uncompleted Adventist church several miles away.
On the first day, just as the group got ready to work, they were met by heavy rain, preventing any work from being done. Even though it was the rainy season, it did not rain again until the roof was on the church. Villagers surrounding the area talked about how God had held the rain for the workers building the Adventist church.
Every day the Fijian women cooked meals for the group over an open fire, and the men came to do whatever was needed in the building of the church. With the help of those members and good weather, the group was able to finish the church in nine days.
On the last day at the new church, an opening ceremony was held. Many locals and academy students attended. In appreciation for their work, PSAA students and adults were presented sulus and beautiful leis. Towards the end of the ceremony, PSAA students presented Fijian hymnals, Bibles, and evangelical books as gifts.
As the students prepared to leave, the Fijians crowded around to say good-bye. “The Fiji mission trip was an awesome spiritual experience for me,” said Teresa MacDonald, PSAA senior. It was an unforgettable experience and a profound blessing to all who participated.
