Around 900 AD, fearless Polynesians sailed the seas for thousands of miles until they discovered a volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There they started a civilization known today as Rapa Nui. In the 1860s they gave this name to the island, which is also the name of the language spoken in that place. Rapa Nui means “Big Rapa” and comes from the island’s similarity to the island of Rapa in the Austral Islands.
The island is one of the most isolated on the planet. It is 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) west of the Chilean coast and more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) southeast of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Rapa Nui is also known as “The Navel of the World.”
Eight centuries later, on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722, explorer Jacob Roggeveen docked on the island with three large European ships. That’s the reason he called this the most isolated place in the world: Easter Island.
There are many unanswered questions about the mysteries of Rapa Nui: How and exactly when did the first inhabitants arrive? How did they bring edible plants, chickens, and other animals? How did they manufacture the 1,000 or so moai, large statues carved into volcanic rock? And for what purpose did they transport the large sculptures, weighing many tons, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) or more, to all corners of the island?
What is certain is that these fearless natives were able to survive for more than a thousand years with little drinking water and few natural resources. Today, 9,000 people live on the island, and receive more than 100,000 tourists a year.
Preaching the Gospel on Easter Island
About 870 years before the first Polynesians inhabited Rapa Nui, some disciples in Jerusalem heard the last words of Jesus before He ascended to heaven, as recorded in Acts 1:8. He said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (NKJV).
Notice that Jesus’ last words were, “to the ends of the earth.” The mission was given to those fearful and timid disciples. Thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit, they became courageous preachers in all parts of the known world in the early centuries of the Christian era.
How would the gospel reach Easter Island, which is now part of Chile? What method could be used to break a natural prejudice against the church? Where do we find the fearless and courageous ones who will accept the challenge of building an Adventist church on the most remote island on the planet?
In 2007, more than 100 Pathfinder leaders from all parts of Chile went to Rapa Nui and, with fearlessness and courage, built a Seventh-day Adventist church. The beginning of preaching the gospel is always challenging and, little by little, more people came to know the eternal gospel.
Pathfinders: Ministry and Evangelism
The ministry of Pathfinders has been a powerful instrument to share the love of Jesus with adolescents and their families in this region and in many others. It breaks down prejudices and saves families. There is an increasingly strong movement of planting churches in new places, and new territories, starting with the Pathfinder club.
Throughout the territory of the South American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (SAD), serving eight South American countries, Pathfinders seek to open a club in each church. In all Adventist congregations, ministry leaders say, they want strong Pathfinder and Adventurer clubs fulfilling the church’s mission. And we cannot forget that, on each island, a club has also become our challenge.
“We currently have Pathfinder clubs in the Galapagos Islands [Ecuador], Fernando de Noronha Island [Brazil], a project starting in the Falkland Islands [U.K.], and many others,” Udolcy Zukowski, director of Pathfinders for SAD, said.
Zukowski points out that Pathfinders on Easter Island has grown in number and achievements, and they received a donation of a full marching band for the club. “Now Pathfinders will have the only band on Easter Island!” Zukowski said.
He also shared that at a celebration on September 11, he had the privilege of bringing together a group of Adventurers, Pathfinders, and their parents for a photo with more than 60 Rapa Nui natives, only five of whom are Adventists.
“Through Pathfinders clubs, our fearless and courageous leaders are doing their best to reach Rapa Nui with the everlasting gospel,” Zukowski said, “and through the power of the Holy Spirit, fulfill the promise of Acts 1:8.”
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.
