Forty-five missionaries from across the South Pacific have returned after serving for a year in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, gathering at Fulton Adventist University in Fiji for a re-entry program to reflect on their experiences and prepare for the transition home.
The missionaries were commissioned in March 2025 after completing two weeks of training at Fulton Adventist University through the Catalyst Discipleship program. Serving alongside some of their families, they worked as chaplains, Bible workers and English teachers in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD).
The initiative grew out of a challenge issued during the Trans Pacific Union Mission (TPUM) Youth Congress in Samoa in 2024, when then-TPUM president Pastor Maveni Kaufononga asked, “Who will go?”
Representing Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and the Solomon Islands, the missionaries served in communities where they had opportunities to share the gospel and minister in previously unreached areas.
The re-entry program, organised by the South Pacific Division Adventist Mission department, helps returning missionaries process their experiences, share stories, debrief with one another and prepare to reconnect with life and ministry in their home countries.
According to Adventist Mission leaders, the missionaries return with a renewed sense of purpose, valuable skills, lifelong friendships and a deeper commitment to serve God in their local churches and communities.
The program recognised their service while giving thanks for God’s leading throughout their year of mission.
The Adventist Church continues to encourage members to explore volunteer opportunities through the Adventist Volunteer Service program. Click on this link for more information.
