Singing of God's faithful love

Asenaca was a semi-finalist in the 2013 Sallies Gotta Lotta Talent competition at The Salvation Army’s congress in Auckland this year, representing the Fiji Division.

Standing in front of the crowd brought back to mind a prayer she made to God a long time ago. ‘When I was a little girl, I climbed the sand dunes at Sigatoka [a town outside of Nadi], and when I reached the top, I looked down and was amazed at the different types of trees that I saw at the bottom. There were coconut trees, mango trees, platine trees and many others, and I said to God, “Lord, one day I want to stand in front of people of different races, like I am standing today looking at your different trees, and I want to sing of your love for me!”

‘When I received the call from my corps officer, Captain Vilikesa Bogi, that I was to go to New Zealand to sing, this incident all those years ago flashed into my mind and I cried before God,’ Asenaca says. ‘Even though it has taken so many years to happen, even though I didn’t make it through to the finals, God answered my prayer that day when I stood in front of the crowd and sang of God’s amazing and wonderful love for me.’

Asenaca came to The Salvation Army in the late 1980s when her parents joined former officers Captains Iliesa (deceased) and Pauline Molia to begin the work in Nadi, Fiji’s international gateway. ‘I was 10 when Dad and Mum took us along to the Army meeting,’ remembers Asenaca. ‘It was new and exciting for us—and it is still the same today.’

Musically gifted, the family became an integral part of the work in Nadi. ‘We all sang in the music team, and because Dad was a keyboard player, we all got to learn how to play musical instruments and learn worship dances. This was passed on to the other children and young people at the corps.’

As a young adult, Asenaca says she had plans to further her studies and follow her calling from God. ‘Somehow, things didn’t go as planned, and I got married and started having children. Even though things didn’t eventuate the way I had hoped, I never lost hope that God would sustain and help me through.’

Today, Asenaca calls herself ‘blessed’ to have six wonderful children. She is a very proud mum. ‘Anasa is 15 and he is already playing in the music team at the corps,’ says Asenaca. ‘He loves being there and doesn’t hesitate to testify about God’s goodness to our family. Next are the triplets—Joshua, Jeremiah and Jacob—who are 11. Patricia is nine and Soro is six.’

Escaping harm

When asked about her marriage, tears flow freely as Asenaca tells how, earlier this year, she and the children escaped their home after an incident of domestic violence. Asenaca says her husband is influenced by drugs and binge drinking, but she is hopeful that he will one day change.

‘I pray for him constantly,’ she says. ‘I love him [yet] I know that right now he is a dark and twisted world where Satan has him under his control. But I have and never will lose hope, for his sake. I believe in my heart that he will change—that one day he will be the one to urge us to go to Sunday worship, that one day he will be the one leading family devotions, I believe and I know that day will come without a doubt!’ Asenaca smiles confidently.

Asenaca draws strength and encouragement from a dear friend, Mareta Hiagi, and the Word of God. ‘Sometimes I don’t have the privilege of being able to talk to Mareta, and it’s in those times that I have felt God’s presence in and around me. When I am broken and my spirit is crushed, I have felt God’s presence. I have felt his Holy Spirit lifting my spirit,’ she says. ‘My God has never ever failed me!’

As a mother, Asenaca has hopes and dreams for her children. ‘Above all, I want my children to grow up to be people that love God, that fear him and who obediently walk in his counsel,’ she says.

Depending on God

Asenaca is aware that the journey ahead will not be easy, but she is relying on the never-changing love of God to bring her through. She encourages those who are facing struggles in their lives to remain faithful to God. ‘It may be tough, it may seem that no one cares, that no one understands and that no will actually come and help, but please hold on! God cares, he has always been caring and he will always care for you—even when you yourself don’t.

‘True, there have been days when we have been in need for shelter, for clothing, for food, but God has always come through for us, using people to bless us. I have been blessed even through the struggle. If this is what God has done for me, then what reason is there for me to let go of him? To turn my back on him? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!’

A song Asenaca used to sing as a child and still sings today echoes her sentiments. ‘Only Jesus can satisfy your soul, only he can change your life and make it whole. He’ll give you peace you never knew, sweet love and joy and Heaven too. Only Jesus can satisfy your soul.’

By Lusi Leqa