Now and then someone will say to me — often with an undertone of disapproval or condescension — “I see you’re on FaceBook a lot. I just don’t have time for all that, myself.” The implication is, of course, that they are more focused, more serious, and more productive than I am and that I should feel guilty for wasting time on social media. I try to just smile and ignore them. Now and then I respond, “Well, if Rick Warren, Tim Cook (Apple CEO), and Ravi Zacharias can carve out time from their busy schedules to post on social media, I am pretty sure I can make enough time to post myself.” Those three examples are highly visible, very successful leaders who understand the power of social media. Far from seeing it as a distraction or interruption, they see it as an important way to connect with those who look to them for inspiration, information and leadership.
I am a prolific user of social media. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and a few others are on my list. The things I post? They are a mixed bag… my interests in Apple technology and devices, target shooting with a handgun, Alabama football trash talk, the occasional conservative political rant, and lots of stuff about what God is doing in my area of responsibility: Hawaii, Kiribati and Tuvalu. I have only 708 followers on Twitter (@kahugary) and 3,521 FaceBook friends. I think of it as building a platform of influence.
On October 5 of 2014 my District Overseer in Kiribati/Tuvalu sent me an email. He was very excited that he had located a building for lease in Funafuti, the capitol of Tuvalu. Empty buildings for lease are hard to find in such places, especially with long-term leases, and the price was right: A total of $460 Australian Dollars each month.
It is always difficult when I receive requests for assistance and lack the funds to meet the need. That happens a lot. The needs are great and the resources are meager. This one was particularly sad for me. I was involved in the initiation of the Church of God of Prophecy in Tuvalu and the congregation is growing fast with no permanent home in which to meet. The owner of the Waimasiri Lodge is one of our charter members, and has been most gracious to allow the church to meet in her building, but she need her rooms open for rental to travelers. A permanent home for Tuvalu COGOP is the next step in the development of the church there. We already have seven members starting their process of education and training to become pastors.
I posted this photo on Facebook on October 8, expressing my frustration that I was unable to tell the local pastor to sign that lease, because I didn’t have access to a consistent source of funds to guarantee the monthly lease payment. Luke Chapter 14, verses 28-30 says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Almost as soon as I posted that photo on Facebook people began to respond. Good people. God’s people.
Just a couple of days ago I received the signed lease agreement giving the Tuvalu COGOP a real home, and we have enough solid commitments from people pledging to cover the monthly lease payment that we will take possession of the property on November 1, 2014, one-hundred and twenty-nine days after the organizational meeting, the seventeen-week-old church will have a home!
But wait, there’s more! The family residing at the Waimasiri Lodge were in need of a new water pump. Water is provided by use of large rain catchment tanks at each home. Without a proper pump, the water can become polluted and cause sickness. Another generous donor provided funds to purchase a new pump for the lodge. The faithfulness of God continues to bless me.