Prayers answered!!

For many years, we have been praying, and trying to acquire land to build a new hostel for our students. Renting three homes over the years has been costly!

​One of our rentals, located on Belo Street, is owned by the Gospel Trust. It borders the campus of Gospel High School, and is adjacent to the athletic fields. (A perfect location!) The house is old, small, and needs work. We presently house 5 Junior boys, an adult couple, and 2 staff members there.

Belo Street house from back yard

Front view from Belo Street

Back yard bordering athletic fields and high school

It was a dream of Vivienne Harland (ministry founder), about 14 years ago, to purchase this property and build a new hostel. The Belo Street house has been used by the Gospel Trust for a variety of ministry needs over the years. When it became empty a few years ago, we acquired permission to rent it for a hostel. Meanwhile, we have been looking to purchase land, to build a new, larger hostel. But nothing seemed to be working out. Another option we considered was renovating and enlarging the Main Hostel, but that lot, being small, had more limited building options.

Our Board Chairman, Howard Politini, and Secretary Taitusi, along with “The New Zealand Three” (Ruth Harland, John Wood, and Russell Neate), also Board Members, worked hard to move things along, to get permission for us to build on the Belo Street property.

This past weekend, all the Gospel churches in Fiji came together for a meeting. Jim was asked by Vivian Nainoca, Council Secretary, and also member of the Harland Trust Board, to give a presentation on the Deaf Ministry at the meeting. The Council unanimously agreed to allow the land to be used for a new hostel building, and the go ahead was given.

The new building will provide housing for all the young children and Senior girls, and the Main Hostel will house the Junior and Senior boys----and we will be rent free.
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We praise God for this wonderful answer to prayer! ​