MICRONESIA 2014 - Kultivate Kolonia

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Saturday, January 11, 2014

.

Kultivate Kolonia

Earlier last year I was praying to the LORD as to what my role was as a missionary here in Pohnpei. In a vision two words appeared: Kultivate (I know that it is correctly spelled with a "C") and Kolonia. I felt in my spirit that my focus was to be here in Kolonia town and would have to do with both worship and youth ministry. The way in which this vision is coming to pass is completely different than what I had originally thought. I was thinking that it would have to do with the House of Prayer and a future youth center in Kolonia. Now I see that God is using our interaction at Paradise Radio 89.5 as a fulfillment of this vision.

.

Last night my dad and I were able to go on air and literally sing over Pohnpei. We did a live worship set singing in both English and Pohnpeian and after receiving words of knowledge about our listening audience we prayed for them and for Pohnpei. Paradise Radio is not a Christian radio station, and before the New Year played all secular music. This past week I put together a playlist of all modern and relevant Christian music in genres such as Christian rock, Christian reggae, Christian rap, Christian hip-hop and worship music. We had had originally thought that the Christian music would be played on Paradise Radio for only one day a week, as Saturday evenings has been when we have been on air. Yet Ryan has introduced the Christian music into the rotation of what is played on air every day. Now when we we listen in to 89.5, every other song glorifies God. Even our original worship that my dad and I have written and recorded is being aired every day.

.

God has given us a much broader audience than I could ever have imagined here in Pohnpei. And I am so glad to be a part of cultivating a harvest of souls here in Kolonia.

.

Jonas Young

MICRONESIA 2014 - Laid en Epiep

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Thursday, January 9, 2014

.

Laid en Epiep

Our Pohnpeian family ran out of store bought meat the other day and didn't have the budget to but more chicken, so David, Jonas, Edward and I decided to "laid en epiep" or go line fishing at night from Misko Beach and caught over twenty fish which fed our family for another couple of days. As missionaries in Micronesia, we live off both the land and sea. We are working on a vegetable farming project here in Komwonlaid as well. We will put up a blog post on it very soon.

.

Christian Young

MICRONESIA 2014 - Paradise Radio 89.5

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Saturday, January 4, 2014

.

Paradise Radio 89.5

The amount of doors that Papa God is opening for us here in the Federated States of Micronesia this New Year are mind-blowing! Last night my Micronesian brother-in-laws; Ryan, David, Tommy, along with my son and I embarked on a new adventure in the world of radio DJ. Ryan, originally from an outer island of Yap helped to spearhead Paradise Radio in Pohnpei many year ago. Paradise Radio is NOT a Christian radio station, but plays a mix of mostly reggae, hip-hop and rap from artists in the Pacific islands and from around the world and is one of the most popular radio stations in Pohnpei. Yet Jesus has been doing amazing things in Ryan's life lately, and now we have all partnered together to introduce relevant Christian music and talk shows on Paradise Radio.

.

Last night we imported modern Christian rap, reggae, rock and worship music into the radio DJ computer program and aired these songs for many hours. Ryan started out by introducing us on air using our studio names. We had so much fun clowning around in between sets of songs. One time David put on a Puerto Rican accent and I did a British accent, while we all exchanged in friendly banter with one another. Other times, Ryan and I hosted a time of prayer for the lost, broken, sick and hurting people of Pohnpei and shared stories of redemption through Jesus Christ in relevant ways. We were all in tears at times as we poured our hearts out about our own lives and how the love of God through Jesus is changing us all as we follow him. We will be weekly hosting programs like this on Paradise Radio and are so excited to see Jesus change the lives of our listeners as many Micronesians listen in to Paradise Radio 89.5.

.

Christian Young

MICRONESIA 2014 - New Year, New Chapter, New Season

Kolonia, Pohnpei

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

.

New Year, New Chapter, New Season

This New Year has marked a new chapter and new season in our lives. There is a saying that my Messianic Jewish friend uses often, "Happenstance is not a kosher word." It wasn't by happenstance that on January 1st of this new year, my Pohnpeian promise brother, David Epina arrived in Pohnpei after being away from his home island for thirteen years. I have been communicating with David through Skype this past year and we have been dreaming about him coming back from the U.S. to live in Pohnpei so that we can together carry the love and the glory of God here in Pohnpei and to the ends of the earth. Those dreams accelerated into our current living reality. David was able to spend seven days with my parents in the San Francisco Bay Area during Christmas, which was another unexpected blessing. Soon David's wife and child will also move here to Pohnpei.

David arriving at Pohnpei State Airport

David and I reunited in Pohnpei

.

I had the privilege of leading David to Christ back in 1999 when I was a pastor with The Salvation Army. Ever since then, we have not only been close friends, but promise brothers. It is his mother and siblings that we currently live with in Komwonlaid. My family and I left Pohnpei in late 2000 and came back in summer of 2012, while David left Pohnpei in summer of 2000 and has now returned in early 2014. Altogether, David has been away from Pohnpei for longer than I have, yet our reunion together here on this beautiful island that we call home and where we first met has been a wonderful one. The dreams, visions and plans that Papa God has given us together for this island and beyond are already coming to pass.

Mikvah at Lidakika Beach

Mikvah at Lidakika Beach

Mikvah at Lidakika Beach

.

After David arrived at the airport, we all headed to Lidakika Beach where my son, David, Nionoh Dio, our Messianic Jewish friends and I all performed "mikvah," which is what Jews do every Shabbat to symbolize the washing away of the filth picked up from living in this sinful world of the past, and having a fresh start. As our first act of the New Year and David's arrival in Pohnpei, we all experienced "mikvah" together, as we are leaving the past behind us and pressing on to what Yeshua has for us in this new season, new chapter, New Year.

.

Christian Young

David and I in Pohnpei - late 1999

 Me, my son and David in Pohnpei - early 2014