This year my fellow officers and I have spent more time away from home than we usually do. We enjoy meeting the various people in the places in which we travel all over the Pacific and the world, and rejoice at the amazing harvest God is bringing. This year we grew as a Division the most we have every grown—there are hundreds of thousands who have given their lives to Jesus. The ratio for Adventists per head of population in the 46 million people of the South Pacific Division went from 1:82 to 1:55. We thank God for what He has done. Much of this growth has occurred in Papua New Guinea and we thank God for the generous and faithful disciples of Jesus there who prayed and worked to make PNG for Christ and what has followed a blessing to many people. Our Church has brought people back home to be with God—but have clothed and fed people, trained and developed them with trade and gardening skills and given people a new family—the church.
PNG was only one of the places I visited several times this year and although it is like a second home because of the five years of childhood I spent there and the great visits I have, the saying is true “there is no place like home”. Home is where you can relax from the pressures of work and life and just be.
At this time of year many of us want to go home and be with family and friends. We also remember that Jesus, God’s Son, came to this earth as a baby and spent about 33 years away from home—that is a long time and an incredible sacrifice.
Four weeks in one stint was the longest period away from home this year and I was dreaming about my garden, bed, bike riding, favourite chair, my wife, the places where I pray . . . But Jesus stayed away from home until His purpose was complete. While on earth He had no home. Jesus’ purpose was to make it possible that all humans could choose to go to His home where there is complete peace, justice and holiness eternally. Please take time to remember this year-end that because of Jesus, we have a better home awaiting (John 1:12, 14:1-3) if we choose.
