Experiences in the South Pacific

When my family and I were going to take a vacation in early 2005, I thought of a place where we could go that had not heard the truth of Reformation, and the Lord led us to a small group of islands near the International Date Line, called Tonga.

We heard beforehand that the SDA church was in deep apostasy there, which was nothing new to us, but had no idea that they had gone so far as to keep Sunday, like all the rest of the churches in Tonga. They say it is due to their King saying back in the early 19th century that the Sabbath was officially Sunday, and perhaps due to some confusion about the International Date Line, the SDA church there has been keeping Sunday ever since the first SDA missionaries went there in the late 1800’s.

When we met a young SDA pastor there and heard his story about how he had been disfellowshipped due to his telling his church the truth about the true Sabbath and how they should be keeping it, our hearts went out to him and I determined to study with him as much as possible in the time that we had there on Tonga. There was also a leader of an independent SDA group with whom we studied and we solicit your prayers for him and his group of souls that are keeping the true Bible Sabbath. We are happy that the Lord has answered prayer for the SDA pastor, as he has been accepted into fellowship with God’s church in the South Pacific Field.

A few months ago, Br. John Thiel and I were at my house in Sydney, when suddenly the phone rang. It was my friend, Peter Dakire calling from Papua New Guinea, with a Macedonian call for true Reformation. Br. John and I determined that I should go for a visit (mind you, we have been praying for the work to begin in Papua New Guinea for years, so this was nothing sudden for us).

Br. Ebby Graf and I went first to visit the believers most of whom were with the 1951 movement. They were very interested to hear that there actually was another Reform, the International Missionary Society. We studied very deeply about the historical, spiritual, and doctrinal differences between these two movements. I then was called to go back to New Guinea just last November and we had a seminar for ten days with interested people from the SDA church, the 1951 movement and the world. Please pray with us for those who are drawing closer to God’s people and rejoicing in the light as far as they have received it, that they may be able to stand with God’s people in truth.
AMEN

Jerry Eaton