Redeemer supports various missions in New Zealand and around the World. Our latest support is for Maliwan, from Vanuatu. He is the son of a chief.

Here is some information behind Maliwan:

Back in the late 90's the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu had their assembly on Tanna. They invited the John Frum people to send a representative as a guest to their assembly. The JF people sent some of their people to the assembly. The Assembly then offered a schlorship to anyone they choose to study at their Bible College...Talue Presbyterian on Santo.

The JF people sent Maliwan to study at Talua and he was soundly converted. After a year and half of study he returned to Tanna and asked his father if he could start a church. At first his father refused, but later agreed to it. They built a small thatched church and hung a cylinder on a tree as their church bell which they would ring on Sunday mornings. Few people came.. In mid 2000 Tanna experienced heavy rains and the Siwi lake at the top of Mt. Yasur Volcano, gave way from all the rain. The entire lake emptied flowing down the mountain to Sulphur Bay. In the meantime...the people of the village heard the bell ringing like an alarm and all ran up the mountain to the church. No one was there...no one knows to this day who rang the bell. But the people were up at the church when the flood waters of Lake Siwi came through their village and washed out over half of their homes. After that the church started to grow.

On Jan 1, 2001 = over 4000 JF people gathered at their headquarters at Sulphur Ba y. Maliwan got up and started preaching to them. While he was preaching a geyser of water started bubbling out of the ground about a metre high. He changed his message to Jesus the Water of Life. After he finished he invited all those who wanted to know more about Jesus to follow him up to the village. He had over 2000 people follow him up there. THis was the real beginning of the movement toward Christ. Today there is a cinderblock church building in Sulphur Bay which Maliwan pastors. He is married and has four children. He is an evangelist and has gone out into the neighbouring villages leading people to CHrist and starting churches. He is thinking of returning to Talua to actually do a three year course of study. He is highly respected by all.