During my recent trip to the Shark Bay area of Espiritu Santo Island, Steven confessed his faith in Christ and was baptized. He is the 20 year old son of Toara and Hannah, and is currently working a short term job harvesting timber for a special order to be exported. We spent a lot of time together on Saturday and Sunday (his days off), and he’s also studied in the past with his parents and our former teammate, Mike.
There was great rejoicing Sunday morning as we walked back from the Nanda Blue Hole following his baptism. His parents, in particular, were glowing. The air of excitement affected our entire assembly time that morning. After we dismissed, everyone walked back to the house to visit and eat lunch. Steven came up and called me aside. As I followed him away from the crowd, he turned to show tears streaming down his face. His uncle had heard of his decision, and rebuked him for doing so. His uncle holds some sway over him because he is his namesake and has gifted him some ground there on the plantation (basically making him an heir). He chided him that such a decision was going to ruin his life … specifically that he would no longer be able to “drink, smoke or get married” (not sure where that last one came from?). Steven wasn’t so concerned about the prohibitions, but just wasn’t prepared for the persecution to come so quickly, especially since it was coming from such a dear source.
We prayed for strength, and visited a bit about how he might handle the situation going forward. Not only will Steven face this familial difficulty, he will no doubt struggle as he lives for Christ among his friends and coworkers. Please be praying for this young Christian as he pursues this new course, that he might be a light in a dark place.
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