After my team returned from the Hilary Trail back to civilization we went to a YWAM base in Auckland, New Zealand. At this base I received a little taste of heaven.
Revelation 7 says:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
The Pacific Island people had gathered to worship God. Vanuatu, Tonga, Maori people from New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Aboriginal people from Australia, French Polynesia, Papa New Guinea; there were people there from Korea, Canada, various countries in Europe, the USA . . . all gathered to worship the Lord. YWAM was hosting a conference- a revival for the Pacific Island Nations. Each country presented in their native dress with song and dance an illustration of how the Gospel of Christ had come to their islands. Then their brother nations challenged them, interceded for their nations and it was a time of great redemption for the cultures of those nations.
I have never seen anything more vibrant, rich and saturated with the Holy Spirit. God reminded me that he is the Creator God, mastermind and genius of the world. He created these cultures, these languages and each one is created in his image and each one treasured.
One of the coolest aspects of the whole conference was seeing the Maori traditional Haka. This is a tribal chant that the men do. It is done in order to challenge and strengthen a weaker brother towards greatness. A powerful time- the boys from Vanuatu had just finished their dance/skit illustrating how the Gospel entered their country. But there was more that needed to be done. A curse had been placed on the island and on the peoples long ago. It was a curse placed by another island nation and Vanuatu had been living and dying underneath this curse for years and years. At this conference, the brothers from the other island nation offered Vanuatu freedom and Vanuatu offered forgiveness and redemption was brought to the island of Vanuatu in Jesus’ name. As a result the men of the other nation all gathered in front of the men from Vanuatu and performed a Haka. It was sweet az! (as the Kiwis say).
