God's love is like an umbrella

Saimoni (Sai) Gataurua and his wife Mere Gina moved to The Salvation Army’s Booth College of Mission in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, in January this year. More used to the warm temperatures of Suva, Fiji, they and their youngest two children, Simon (14) and Suzanne (9), are adjusting to the cooler, wetter and windier climate of winter in New Zealand. The couple’s eldest daughter Lima (22) is still living in Fiji.

Lessons learned

I grew up in Tavua, a very small rural area in North Western Fiji on the island of Viti Levu, about 20 km from Ba. It’s in the sugar cane belt, but there’s also a gold mine in nearby Vatukoula.

My father had left his family to look for employment, and because mining was a thriving industry, that’s where he found work. It’s also where he met and married Mum. Dad came from a Seventh Day Adventist background, with Mum growing up in the Methodist church. They taught me the values of being obedient and about the importance of God. I had a reverence for God, and I definitely saw God as someone to be feared and who might want to punish me.

One of the things I am most grateful for in my upbringing is that my parents gave me the opportunity to grow up in a multi-ethnic society. The mining industry was mainly indigenous Fijians, with Indo-Fijians largely working in the sugarcane industry. Although accommodation was provided for those working in mining, Dad didn’t want us to live in such a closed culture, so he and Mum settled in Tavua, where there was more of a mixed communal culture. People shared items and freely moved in and out of each other’s homes.

I went to a multi-cultural school where I learnt English and Hindi. At home, we spoke Fijian— my mother tongue. Now that I’m older, I see how important language is to a society. Learning a language is far more important than just learning some words spoken in another tongue. Once a person knows a language, they understand the culture better, and from that, sharing and understanding grows. Hence, there is harmony within the coexistence of different cultures in a society such as Fiji’s.

My father was a very practical person. He taught me and my three younger brothers the importance of being hard workers, so that later on in life we would be able to provide for our families and not be a burden on anyone else. Dad used to say, ‘God has provided you with two legs and two arms so you can fend for yourself.’ But he was also a generous man who shared with others out of the little we had when they were in need. In our home, Mum was a stable influence, but it was from my father that I learnt about life and work. I learnt there are positive and negative aspects to life, and that it’s important to harness the positive but to see the negative as an opportunity as well. Most of all, my father wanted me to become an ‘agent of change’.

My parents died a couple of years apart when I was in my mid to late twenties. After this, it was my responsibility to take care of my brothers and their education.

Working to bring change

Until recently, I was working for the Fijian government and had set myself on a career path of rising through the ranks. My job involved looking after economic development strategies in the rural sector, while identifying the accompanying infrastructure needs for schools, hospitals and roads.

Going into a village setting, we would often ask, ‘How do we change the mind-set of the people to have a balanced approach toward subsistence farming (growing food for their consumption), moving to a commercial approach whereby they are able to sell their produce for a better income.’ This was one of the main challenges we had, as the Government wanted to elevate the lives of our rural dwellers to have a better living standard. Subsistence farming doesn’t provide enough money for a good education for our children or for health needs—a cycle develops where people become reliant on outside support. We have so many resources in Fiji, but we are also cash poor, so it is very important to motivate our people to change.

When I thought about this strategically and holistically, it occurred to me that if we could help someone to change inwardly and to believe in themselves, that would bring change outwardly as well. I started to realise that change would come if we could help people to see how the physical (practical) and spiritual aspects of life are meant to work hand in hand.

In a way, this is like Salvation Army founder William Booth’s thinking: that what is inside a man can transform his outer world. Some would say, ‘What has development got to do with spirituality? But it has everything to do with it!’ If you can transform someone from within, it transforms their mind-set—heart and soul—which then replicates into other good practices. Helping people change on the inside can start a chain reaction that can improve everything else in their lives.

What does my faith mean?

Because of my job, my family had all the necessities of life. And Mere Gina was working as well. I had started to attend The Salvation Army at Suva Central Corps in 2005 because my wife and children were involved. I was glad they were going to church because I knew that nothing bad would come from that. But as for myself, I was only really going along to make my wife and children happy. I revered God, but my spiritual connection to him was very shallow.

My children were learning things at church that they would want to talk with me about, which did challenge me. And Mere Gina was also trying to encourage me to think about my spiritual walk, but I was still mainly focused on my work and providing for my family. I had watched other people at church step up, but I would just sit back and observe. I was comfortable in my corner.

Gradually, though, I started to really wrestle with the idea of my faith and what it meant for me to be a Christian. I started to ask God, ‘What’s my part in your kingdom? What do you want me to do?’ It took five years and lots of questions before I finally put my hand up to God. One of the things that made the biggest impression on me during this time was seeing The Salvation Army put its hand out to help others—helping children through sponsorship and through projects funded by the Self Denial Appeal. It was clear to me that people in The Salvation Army believed it was important to hear God’s words and then extend their hands to somebody. That, I believe, is doing God’s will in the world.

In January 2010, on the fi rst day of the New Year, I fi nally took that walk from the back of the hall to the mercy seat at the front to pray. I was coming to church as a husband and father before then, but now I publically received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. For me, becoming a Christian meant shifting from a secular focus to focusing on God first. I realised that I needed that vertical relationship with God to get the horizontal relationships in my life right. I needed God’s divine intervention.

It wasn’t all easy after that. When you’re outside the boundary, Satan doesn’t have to bother about you, but after you’ve ruffl ed his feathers by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, he gets very ‘interested’. But I have learnt that God is a loving and a caring God. I have gone through severe challenges in life that have taken me to the edge of the graveyard, but I am well and I am here today. So God’s grace is with me in abundance. In fact, God’s love has been like an umbrella over my life.

Taking the Army forward

Coming to New Zealand to train to become Salvation Army offi cers created something of a vacuum within my family in Fiji. Our oldest daughter is studying commerce at university, so our leaving Fiji has meant she had to move out of her comfort zone and stand on her own two feet. But she has found part-time work and I know God is in charge of her life. I have assured all of our family in Fiji that God has called us to this life, and he will defi nitely see us through.

The Salvation Army is 150 years old next year. From our humble beginnings, I can see that we are needed more today than before. Th ere are many challenges coming, so we have to think about how we, as part of this Christian movement, can meet these challenges head on.

First and foremost, I think we have to take a step back and ask ourselves: ‘Have we kept the main thing, the main thing?’ Because the main thing is our relationship with God. We also need to have a more inclusive and holistic approach to various cultures and generations that present their own diff erent dynamics. And we will need to agree to disagree about some things before we can agree. That’s important. We need to have the right attitude and be prepared for democratic discussion when we come together on some issues, so that rather than going in with a fixed view, we can adopt and adapt the best solutions.

As I prepare myself to become an officer in Th e Salvation Army, I am focused on Philippians 4:13, which says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I want to keep the main thing, the main thing! 

As told to Christina Tyson.

Following the Call

An officer is a senior soldier who has responded to a calling from God to devote all their time and energies to the service of God. The road can be hard, but it brings incredible joy and immense fulfilment. Catherine Booth said, ‘If God is calling you to become a Salvation Army officer, you will never find any peace or power till you become one. Never! “Oh but,” you say, “we don’t know what he will want next.” No, we none of us know that, but we know that we shall be safe in his hands.’ 

God will confirm if he is calling you to officership in a number ways. He may speak to you through Scripture, through the Holy Spirit, or through people and circumstances. Register your interest Speak to your local Divisional Candidates Secretary or talk to your Corps Officer. The application process that follows gives time and space for God’s will to be tested and confirmed. 

Go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz/officership for more information.