Pathfinder Plants a Church in Solomon Islands

Neighborhood boys eagerly listened to his stories from the camporee in Australia.

By Andrew McChesney

Ten-year-old Joe Samani and his three older brothers watched movies and played video games with friends at their home in the Solomon Islands, but they weren’t happy.

Joe’s family was poor, and life was rough in their neighborhood in the South Pacific country’s capital, Honiara. Several neighbors sold illegal drugs, and children stole and got into trouble with the police.

Joe’s house was a popular place for neighborhood boys to hang out every evening.

Joe noticed that one friend didn’t talk like the other boys, and he participated in a Pathfinders club every Sabbath. Joe decided to follow him to the Seventh-day Adventist church to learn more. Soon he began to go church every Sabbath.

Mother saw that Joe was happier than ever before, so she went when he invited her to attend a special Pathfinder program. Although she belonged to another religion, she grew interested in Pathfinders.

At the end of the year, the Pathfinders were invited to fly to Australia to attend a camporee for Pathfinders from all over South Pacific Division. Joe really wanted to go, and Mother worked hard to save the money for the plane ticket and other expenses. Joe loved the camporee.

Back at home, he couldn’t wait to tell his friends about what he had seen and learned in Australia. When the neighborhood boys came over that evening, he told stories from the camporee. The boys loved the stories, and they asked to hear more the next evening.

Then Joe thought to himself, “These boys like to hear about Pathfinders. Why not also tell them about Jesus?” He kept telling Pathfinder stories but began to include Bible stories, too.

The number of boys coming to Joe’s home grew that month as one told another about the stories. Soon 30 to 40 boys were meeting every evening. When Joe’s older brother Mikey visited home from an Adventist boarding school, he was shocked to see so many boys gathered around his little brother, listening to stories about Pathfinders and Jesus.

Although Mother didn’t have much money, she began to cook food for the children to eat after story time. She somehow always had enough food for everyone.

Some of the boys began to ask Joe if they could join Pathfinders, and four went with Joe to church the first Sabbath. More boys went the following week.

The Pathfinder leader couldn’t understand where all the boys were coming from.

“Joe, why are so many kids from your neighborhood coming to Pathfinder club?” he asked. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Joe replied. “I just tell stories about what we did in Australia, and we have evening devotions. That’s all.”

The leader asked to visit Joe’s home to see the evening meetings for himself.

Joe excitedly ran home to tell Mikey that afternoon.

“Teacher will come to see what happens at home this evening!” he said.

The Pathfinder leader was amazed at what he saw. Afterward, he said to Mother, “This neighborhood would be a good place to open a church.”

He noticed that Joe’s house had a large unfinished living room that no one used and asked whether it could be used for Sabbath worship services. Mother agreed.

Several dozen neighborhood children came to Joe’s house for church the next Sabbath. All the Pathfinder leaders and their families came as well, and they brought food for everyone.

Then something happened that made Joe very happy. Mother decided to be baptized. Then a 20-year-old cousin was baptized, and three neighborhood boys who Joe led to Pathfinders were baptized.

Today Joe’s living room is packed every Sabbath with about 70 people, mostly children. The parents of the children also want to come to church but can’t because of a lack of space.

Joe and other church members are looking and praying for a place to build a permanent church in the neighborhood.

Today Joe is 13 years old. He is short and humble in appearance and speech. But no one doubts that God is using him in a powerful way.

“I may be small, but in God’s hands I can grow a church,” Joe said.