First Seventh-day Adventists Are Baptized on Futuna Island

Three family members on Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna Territory, were baptized in October, becoming the first Seventh-day Adventists on the island.

Kalisito Tuihamouga, one of the newly baptized members, was first introduced to the Adventist Church while visiting his daughter in New Caledonia. She invited him to church, but he initially refused. The next time she asked, he accepted and heard a message from local pastor Eric Morohi about Nicodemus. The message touched his heart, according to Eddie Tupa’i, president of the Adventist Church’s New Zealand Pacific Union Conference. Tuihamouga then began attending church with his daughter and her family.

When Tuihamouga returned to Futuna, he took with him a Bible, a Sabbath School lesson book, and Listen to the Bible, a book on the biblical teachings of the Adventist Church that he had received as a gift. He began sharing what he’d learned with his family, gaining the interest of his wife, Malia, and granddaughter Epifania. He also invited New Caledonia Mission president Felix Wadrobert to conduct Bible studies for his family in their home. Wadrobert also baptized them recently.

“The witness of the children, the church members, and pastors all played a part in bringing Kalisito, his wife, and granddaughter to a fuller faith in God and acceptance of the invitation to join the Adventist family,” Tupa’i said.

Developing the Adventist Church’s presence on the island has been very challenging, Tupa’i explained.

“It is a Catholic island with two districts. One district, Alo, could open because the king has passed away and there is an evangelical church there,” Tupa’i said.

“However, they cannot go there until a new king is appointed. Sigave, the other district where Kalisito lives, is closed to churches other than Catholic.”

In March, Wadrobert visited Futuna along with Tuihamouga’s son to seek permission from the king of the Sigave region to share Adventist teachings publicly. However, the request was denied.

 “When God’s light is allowed to shine, no one is able to put it out,” Wadrobert said.

While they cannot share the Adventist message publicly, the family will meet to worship and study together at home. “They will witness personally with anyone who is open to the prompting of God’s Spirit. Hopefully, a time will open soon when they can share publicly,” Tupa’i said.

Tupa’i explained that the future for ministry and outreach on the island will be reliant on personal witness and praying for permission to publicly witness. The Adventist Church has also been working toward getting Hope Radio on the island. Tupa’i said it will be developed soon in Wallis and is hopeful that Futuna will follow.

The island of Futuna is part of Wallis and Futuna, a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, located between Tuvalu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Tokelau. Futuna occupies an area of 80 square kilometers (30 square miles), and as of 2018 it has a population of 10,912.

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist Record.