Dear Friends of Mission,
The Resurrection of our Lord transforms everything. It changes and differentiates our perception of the world, our life, our soul and our purpose in life.
Experiential Gratitude for our existence and constant and infinite Doxology to our Creator is the fruit of our Lord’s Resurrection and the way of experiencing
Everything becomes enlightened, pure, joyful, hopeful, true, Heavenly, New.
It is this Resurrection of our Lord that gives new impetus to the ministry of our Church towards our newly enlightened brethren in the Pacific islands.
Difficulties do not disappear, problems are not eliminated, weaknesses are not decreased. However, our own strength, our own mood, our own perception, our own hope, our own enthusiasm, our own love, all these grow, increase enormously, become immense in the light and joy of the Resurrection.
And all this happens to the glory of God through the ministry and rest of our needy brethren.
Country borders have finally re-opened; as a result, our transition to the islands has become possible, fellowship with our brothers becomes possible.
The repair works in St. Tabitha Orphanage, in Sabeto Mission Center, in the Monastery of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady, in the Sacred Church of Sts. Nicholas and Athanasius in Labasa and in the Sacred Churches of St. George and of the Holy Apostles in Tonga have already started.
The support of the daily life of the orphanage children and of our needy brothers is continued and the purchase of three vans for the convenience of the missionary teams has already been carried out with the help and financial assistance of good Christians – Angels of God.
The arrival of Michael and his good wife Megan from America, two kind-hearted people eager to contribute personally to the Mission for the next two years, is a reality. They have settled in Fiji with their four children.
Four new novice nuns at the Monastery of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady in Lautoka are on their way to Greece to receive for a considerable time Monastic life experiences in a blessed monastery of Greece under the spiritual guidance of experienced Abesses to lay a solid foundation on God’s calling for their new life.
It is also time for Father Bartholomew and his presbytera (wife) to go to Tonga for the next year, where they will not only serve our already baptized brothers, but they will also call to Orthodox Baptism indigenous young people who seek and want to live the grace of God. The resurrection of our Lord makes everything brighter, happier, more optimistic, more beautiful, more loving.
Let us all take part in this festival of New Life and let us experience in our hearts the recognition of God as Thomas did, the joy of the Myrrh-bearers, the gratitude of the paralytic man and of the blind man , adopting the spirit of the Samaritan woman and Equal–to-the-Apostles, guided by the wisdom of the Holy Fathers, so that we may live the Resurrection of our Lord within His love.
Let us all become young and resurrected people, living with the sole purpose of Praising and Glorifying the Almighty God.
My brethren, CHRIST IS RISEN!
† Myron of New Zealand
