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Missionary notices, relating principally to the foreign missions carried on under the direction of the Methodist Conference : missions in the Friendly Islands

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PETHpam 2459
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MISSIONARY NOTICES  

MISSIONS IN THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS.  

Relating principally to the Foreign Missions carried on under the  

direction of the Methodist Conference.  

The heathen temples and the idol gods of Vavou are no more The  

Chief of the Vavou Islands, and about one thousand of his people, have  

embraced the faith of Christ, and, setting fire to their temples, have burned  

them to the ground, and their gods in them. Some particulars of this  

glorious triumph of the Gospel will be found in the following letter from  

Mr. Thomas, dated Lifuka, Haabai Islands, June 9th, 1831. It will be seen  

that the Mission recently established in Lifuka has made encouraging pro-  

gress. The new converts, both Chief and people, have manifested the value  

they attach to the Gospel by their zeal for conveying to others the same  

blessed boon. The visit paid by the Chief of Lifuka to his friend the Chief  

of the Vavou Islands, his persevering importunity to prevail on him to  

renounce his false gods, and embrace the worship of Jehovah; the success-  

ful result, and the joyful readiness with which their desire for instruction  

was met by the Lifuka Chief and people, are particulars calculated to excite  

deep interest and lively gratitude. The call for additional Missionaries to  

take charge of this willing people ought to find response in our earnest  

prayers to the Lord of the harvest, and in correspondent vigorous exertions,  

to enable the Society to hear the expense. Mr. Thomas’s journal, which  

follows the letter, gives view of the gradual advance of the work in Lifuka,  

and the means used for its farther promotion. Both the letter and journal  

were retarded on their way to this country, by the wreck of the vessel to  

which they were first committed.  

You have well done in that you have  

sent us three Missionaries. They are  

very much needed. We that can speak  

the language are almost worn out in the  

work of the Lord and yet it is not done  

as we wish to see it. We pray and be  

seech you to send three more Mission-  

aries as soon as possible. The fields are  

open and ripening before us but we  

have none to enter to gather the harvest.  

very much wish to visit the different  

islands in the Haabai group, but my time  

is so taken up by the people of Lifuka,  

and those who are brought here from the  

other islands, that have not been able  

to go out.  

By copy of the Stations brought by  

our brethren, we find that brother Cross  

is appointed to Vavou and if brother N.  

Turner had been able to continue at Ton-  

ga,! suppose brother Cross ere this would  

have been at Vavou, that is, if an oppor-  

tunity had offered. But it did not ap-  

pear to me that our way was sufficiently  

open, to justify us in leaving Tonga,  

where we had full employment, to try  

whether or not Finau, the King of Vavou,  

would accept of us. However, the dif-  

ficulty is now all removed, as few days  

ago onr King and his people returned  

from Vavou, where they have been on  

visit; and they bring us the pleasing and  

delightful tidings, that the King of Vavou  

and his people, to about thousand, have  

turned to the Lord our God. Glory be  

to God, who doeth whatsoever pleaseth  

him in heaven and in earth  

It is now little more than three  

years since the King of Vavou appeared  

very anxious for Missionary but his  

goodness was as the morning cloud or  

early dew he has been cruel perse-  

cutor since that time, and mad upon his  

idols. We have had several opportuni-  

ties of conversing with him since we  

settled at Lifuka, and have been en-  

couraged to hope our way would be open;  

and the event has proved that our hope  

was not unfounded. The following were  

the steps which led to this glorious  

event  

April 27th, 1831, our King and some  

of his people left this island on visit to  

Vavou, with twenty-four sail of canoes.  

Their visit was on temporal business  

but it had long been our prayer to God  

to make it blessing to Vavou. By this  

opportunity brother P. Turner and  

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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2649651732

APA citation

Thomas, John. (). Missionary notices, relating principally to the foreign missions carried on under the direction of the Methodist Conference : missions in the Friendly Islands Retrieved March 18, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2649651732

MLA citation

Thomas, John. Missionary notices, relating principally to the foreign missions carried on under the direction of the Methodist Conference : missions in the Friendly Islands : , . Web. 18 March 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2649651732>

Harvard/Australian citation

Thomas, John. , Missionary notices, relating principally to the foreign missions carried on under the direction of the Methodist Conference : missions in the Friendly Islands , viewed 18 March 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2649651732

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=Thomas, John.
  | title=Missionary notices, relating principally to the foreign missions carried on under the direction of the Methodist Conference : missions in the Friendly Islands.
  | year=
  | section=p. [578]-588 ; 23 cm.
  | publisher=
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2649651732
  | id=nla.obj-2649651732
  | access-date=18 March 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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Since 1951 [Creator Date of Death + 70 Years]

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