Past Outreach
Fiji
The time is NOW!
Those are the Words of God, spoken to Cindy Mandrell's heart when she was at a YWAM Staff Conference listening to a presentation about a sister ministry, Marine Reach.
"Now that I know this Jesus, what can you do for my people? I want them to know Jesus too."
Those are the Words of God, spoken to Cindy Mandrell's heart when she was at a YWAM Staff Conference listening to a presentation about a sister ministry, Marine Reach.
"Now that I know this Jesus, what can you do for my people? I want them to know Jesus too."
These are the words of Ratu Iri, Paramount Chief of the village of Nakasaleka on the island of Kadavu in Fiji.
Those sentences spoken turned out to be very powerful words that led to the spiritual climate of an entire island to change.
While spying out the land for future ministry, Marine Reach New Zealand Director Captain Jesse Misa met Chief Ratu Iri, Paramount Chief of Kadavu in Fiji. Jesse led Chief Iri to the Lord. The Chief, sensing responsibility for his islanders said, "Now that I know this Jesus, what can you do for my people? I want them to know Jesus too."
A short time later, Jesse was in the United States attending a YWAM staff conference where Cindy was as well. She had been introduced to Marine Reach years earlier and knew someday she would lead a team supporting this powerful ministry. When Marine Reach founder and former Director David Cowie was sharing his presentation from the front about the new ship Pacific Link, God clearly interrupted Cindy's listening and said, The time is NOW!
Cindy immediately shared what God had spoken, and in 2005 a team of 25 Mission Bridge trained nurses, doctors, dentists, hygienists, construction workers, support staff - all people in love with Jesus - answered the heart request of a Chief who takes the fatherly responsibility of his people seriously.
God seems to have developed a pattern with the Mission Bridge Ministries International outreaches. Year one we go in and develop relationships by serving and discipling. Year two we return and challenge the nationals to go and do likewise. It’s working!
Fiji 2005
Construction
Built 50 meter Jetty
In the main village of Nakaseleka there is a public health clinic that was very difficult for the villagers to go to because there was no place to tie or dock their small boats. The men from surrounding villages (and feuding denominational churches) were asked by the chief to work together-- before our team arrived, to stack coral 1 1/2 meters high and 50 meters long (3 feet by 165 feet). When our team arrived, the men from the village churches and our team worked side by side continuing the tons and tons of coral stacking and then reinforcing the jetty. They also made cement steps at one end to assist people getting out of the boat with greater ease, and the other end that leads them to the clinic.
Wooden Bridge
The old wooden bridge had rotted away and had little or no wooden floor, barriers or rails to walk across. It was very dangerous for children as well as adults to walk across. Our construction team replaced all of the rotted wood and virtually rebuilt the entire bridge.
School repair
Floors in several of the school buildings had holes in them and our guys replaced them.
Bunk Beds
Twenty Bunk beds were built to replace the rotted beds in the local school. (Children go to school for 6 weeks and are off a week due to traveling from far off villages by boat.)
Dental
On some dental outreaches, if the patient doesn’t need a tooth extracted they never even reach the dentist’s chair. On Mission Bridge Outreaches we make every effort to do the highest good and show them they are valued and loved.
Two dentists and one hygienist served hundreds of village adults and children all day- everyday by providing whatever was needed to God’s valued children of Kadavu. Two Cavitrons (sonic teeth cleaning machine) were donated to our team to give to Marine Reach and for the first time the Fijians had their teeth cleaned by a trained hygienist! She then handed them over to the dentists and if they needed a filling, root canal, extraction, or even a new tooth—our dentists showed them the love of God by not cutting any corners and providing the absolute best medical care.
Medical
Construction
Built 50 meter Jetty
In the main village of Nakaseleka there is a public health clinic that was very difficult for the villagers to go to because there was no place to tie or dock their small boats. The men from surrounding villages (and feuding denominational churches) were asked by the chief to work together-- before our team arrived, to stack coral 1 1/2 meters high and 50 meters long (3 feet by 165 feet). When our team arrived, the men from the village churches and our team worked side by side continuing the tons and tons of coral stacking and then reinforcing the jetty. They also made cement steps at one end to assist people getting out of the boat with greater ease, and the other end that leads them to the clinic.
Wooden Bridge
The old wooden bridge had rotted away and had little or no wooden floor, barriers or rails to walk across. It was very dangerous for children as well as adults to walk across. Our construction team replaced all of the rotted wood and virtually rebuilt the entire bridge.
School repair
Floors in several of the school buildings had holes in them and our guys replaced them.
Bunk Beds
Twenty Bunk beds were built to replace the rotted beds in the local school. (Children go to school for 6 weeks and are off a week due to traveling from far off villages by boat.)
Dental
On some dental outreaches, if the patient doesn’t need a tooth extracted they never even reach the dentist’s chair. On Mission Bridge Outreaches we make every effort to do the highest good and show them they are valued and loved.
Two dentists and one hygienist served hundreds of village adults and children all day- everyday by providing whatever was needed to God’s valued children of Kadavu. Two Cavitrons (sonic teeth cleaning machine) were donated to our team to give to Marine Reach and for the first time the Fijians had their teeth cleaned by a trained hygienist! She then handed them over to the dentists and if they needed a filling, root canal, extraction, or even a new tooth—our dentists showed them the love of God by not cutting any corners and providing the absolute best medical care.
Medical
Public Health Seminar
The government of Fiji provides a Public Health Worker for each island. Our team of professional nurses and their team leader Dr. Jennifer Krusemark invited all of the PHW’s to the ship and held a two day seminar dealing with such topics as… Balanced Nutrition, Hand Cleaning, Diabetes, Prenatal Care...
Teaching as led
We have a fun phrase that we use on all of our outreaches, “Be as flexible as Gumbies!”. We put that phrase into action when we were asked—with very little notice-- by the local pastors to teach the lay leaders of the island.
We do what we teach… we went to God to hear His voice and asked Him who should teach and what they should teach.
God led us to ask a 21 year old college student, and 50 something engineer who has never taught before, a wife- mother- grandmother- and community volunteer, and the man who led Chief Iri to Jesus to go listen to God’s voice and hear what He wanted them to share with the island lay leaders.
The 21 year old college student started out by having us wash their feet. The engineer and wife, mother, grandmother challenged them to live lovingly. The night ended with the Fijian lay leaders repenting of their pride and the whole team praying for them one-on-one.
That night resulted in our team being invited back in 2007 to challenge them to GO…
The government of Fiji provides a Public Health Worker for each island. Our team of professional nurses and their team leader Dr. Jennifer Krusemark invited all of the PHW’s to the ship and held a two day seminar dealing with such topics as… Balanced Nutrition, Hand Cleaning, Diabetes, Prenatal Care...
Teaching as led
We have a fun phrase that we use on all of our outreaches, “Be as flexible as Gumbies!”. We put that phrase into action when we were asked—with very little notice-- by the local pastors to teach the lay leaders of the island.
We do what we teach… we went to God to hear His voice and asked Him who should teach and what they should teach.
God led us to ask a 21 year old college student, and 50 something engineer who has never taught before, a wife- mother- grandmother- and community volunteer, and the man who led Chief Iri to Jesus to go listen to God’s voice and hear what He wanted them to share with the island lay leaders.
The 21 year old college student started out by having us wash their feet. The engineer and wife, mother, grandmother challenged them to live lovingly. The night ended with the Fijian lay leaders repenting of their pride and the whole team praying for them one-on-one.
That night resulted in our team being invited back in 2007 to challenge them to GO…
We returned July 27th – August 9th of 2007. The results of that outreach will be posted soon.
