When God Transforms Paradise: Stories of God's transforming power in the island nation of Fiji

By Steve Loopstra

To many people, the island nation of Fiji
conjures up pictures of idyllic beaches and
plush resorts. A vacation paradise. But
behind the glamorous exterior are troubled
communities and people caught in poverty
and desperation.
This book was born out of a deep desire that
you, the reader might read and be

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781640881686

Book preview

WhenGodTransformsParadiseFrontCover.jpg

WHEN GOD

TRANSFORMS

PARADISE

STEVE LOOPSTRA

Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network 2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2018 by Steve Loopstra

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, Ca 92780.

First Trilogy Christian Publishing softcover edition December 2018

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

B-ISBN: P: 9781640881679 E-ISBN#:: 9781640881686

When God Transforms Paradise - Preface

Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever. Who can declare the Lord’s mighty acts or proclaim all the praise due him?

-Psalms 106:1-2 CSB

Of course the answer to the Psalmist’s question is no one. None of us, or all of us will ever be able to proclaim all the praise that is due His Name. But this book is an attempt to at least add a little bit to the proclamation of praise that is due His Name.

My first contact with the transformation that is happening in the island nation of Fiji was as the director of Prayer Transformation Ministries in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our ministry shared a heart for transformation, and was connected as a partner ministry with the Sentinel Group under the leadership of George Otis, Jr. We worked to share the vision that the Sentinel Group documented with the Transformations videos. I was privileged to attend the premier of the documentary, Let the Sea Resound in Fort Worth, Texas in 2004. I first met Pastor Vuniani Nakauyaca in 2005 while attending the Transform World Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. We were again together at the Fire Tour conference in 2008 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Over the years it has been a blessing and a challenge to hear of the continuing transformation that is happening in Fiji. After writing a book about the transformation in Algodão de Jandaira, Brazil, When God Transforms the Desert, the Lord laid on my heart to write some of the continuing story of transformation in Fiji. At the gracious invitation of Pastor Vuniani, I spent three amazing weeks in Fiji, in February and March of 2017, visiting seven different communities, and conducting interviews with those personally involved in the process of transformation.

My time with these dear people was an immense blessing and a tremendous challenge. It was a blessing to visit these different communities, each with their own unique story of how God touched their lives and their villages. It was a blessing to spend time in their homes, seeing the joy of the Lord in their lives, and making new friends. It was a challenge to me to learn the power of simple, sincere faith in the promises of God and hear of the many ways God has responded to that faith in many miraculous ways.

I offer this book to you with the prayer that through the stories you read, your faith would be strengthened, your sense of wonder and awe at the greatness of our God would be increased, and that you would be challenged to the core with the question of what you will do with what you will read here. My simple goal is that you might fall more deeply in love with our Wonderful God, and that you might ask the question, If God could do that there, why not here?

Steve Loopstra,

Your Servant in Christ Ministries,

2068 Barracuda Ave., Melbourne Beach, FL. 32951

www.yourservantinchristministries.org,

360-862-5646

Acknowledgments

A book such as this would not be possible without the help and cooperation of many, many people.

I am deeply indebted to my good friend, Pastor Vuniani Nakauyaca who shares the vision to have what God is doing in Fiji put into writing for the next generations to understand the mighty working of God in Fiji. Pastor Vuniani gave the permission and invitation to come to Fiji and conduct these interviews.

Sevenaca Nakauyaca, head of the Healing the Land Ministries, and pastor Vuniani’s son, was very gracious in putting together the villages for me to visit. Thank you, brother, for making those arrangements.

And none of this would have worked out so wonderfully if it had not been for my guide, translator, and now dear friend, Pastor Viliame Lacanivalu, or simply Pastor Bill. Together we braved the rain and mosquitos, and with each community we visited, we became closer friends. Thanks, Pastor Bill!

Many thanks as well to Pastor Sitiveni Ratu who joined us and added his own experiences as he was a part of the HTL process in many of these villages. Thanks, Pastor Stive!

And heart-felt thanks to each of those who consented to be interviewed and share their experiences and the experiences of their villages that were transformed by the power of God.

Pastor Viliame Uqeuqe in Tavua and his dear wife Taru for their hospitality the several days we were in Tavua and Votua. Thanks for driving us around and showing us your beautiful land.

Ratu Kuaiyasi Makauvari from Votua, who let pastor Bill and I stay in your beautiful Habitat home. I felt very blessed and welcomed there.

Paramount Chief, Ratu Nacaneieli Uqeuqe, who was such a delight to get to know. Thank you for your humble strength to lead your people into a new future of hope.

Verata Wailevu – Tui Seremia Cavuilati – Thank you, sir, for the time you took for our interview. It was an honor to meet with you, and thank you for your service for your country in the diplomatic corp.

In Nakama, Thanks to Ratu Nacaneieli Uqeuqe and Laisa Dilabe and her granddaughter Sai, who became my adopted granddaughter in Fiji! You made my stay in your house something very, very special!

In Namuavoivoi village, and all the ladies who cooked our meals for us while we were there. The table was a blessing, and you all were very loving and gracious women of God. To Pastor Bill, Pastor Stive, and Isimeli who hiked for five hours to bring me a bottle of the future, Virgin Water Fiji.

To Uluiyasi Navuaka, and all the people of Vuniqualutu village who provided an amazing lunch for us out on the porch. It was very special to be with you all

To Peni Daucina—for sharing the wonderful work of God in his family. Thanks for your dedication to tithe God’s blessings to the local churches and HTL ministry. A challenge to us all.

Dedication

In the first two chapters of this book you will read of the work of God in Pastor Ratu Vuniani Nakauyaca. Just a couple weeks before this book was published, the Lord called Pastor Vuniani to his heavenly reward. This book is dedicated to his life, ministry, influence and memory.

This dedication page is written to be simply a tribute the work that the Lord of Heavens Armies did in and through this humble servant. Because of his faithfulness to the call of God on his life, and his obedience even in the difficult times, his influence continues to be felt around the world in hearts and communities where the vision and the teaching of the healing of the land has been seen and heard.

From the beginning, God used Pastor Vuniani to be a voice of wisdom, insight and challenge to those whose hearts desired something more of God. Out of his work of teaching the principles of transformation, the Healing the Land teams were formed in Fiji that have traveled the globe to teach the power of repentance and obedience to the Word of God. From the Canadian Artic to the