by Peter Schultz

Just this last week, the number of men actively engaged in various OF programs was over a hundred. From Taveni to Labasa - from Lautoka to Naboro - from Levuka to Suva - the Operation Foundation team undertake an outstanding task, and in need of some inspiring, I sat in the back of one of our classes on Thursday morning.

Twenty-two men were being led by our team member, Savenaca, through our program called True Identity. There was the usual discussion and application as they moved through the session, but what I was looking for was the emerging pathways of honesty, repentance, and humility.

The conversation flowed between a mix of Fijian (i-Taukei), English and Hindi and as I sat quietly at the back I was mindful of the sheer diversity of the men in front of me. Murder, theft, robbery, rape, all markers of brokenness; all giving witness to a victim or victims; all revealing yet again the truth of the fallen nature of man. Could, and should, hope exist within such a group?

One man stood to share on a discussion point. “I’ve never controlled my anger…” Here was a point of honesty, and so I leaned in to listen. During the break, I pulled him aside to hear his story. “I’ve been in denial of my problems my entire life,” he shared, “and now in prison of all places, I have found my Saviour and I have begun to find peace.”

Our ministry theme for 2021 and 2022 has been ‘To Make Him Known!’ I’m in a quandary, do I change our theme for 2023, or is this our ground zero, the essential of what we really are all about? Making Him Known to a community of outsiders and outcasts.

One of the things shared about Operation Foundation has been that, regardless of which prison the program is being run, the outcome is the same. That is both a testimony to the team and their passion, but also a testimony to the Spirit of God, who desires to make Jesus Christ known among all peoples, and in our community.