The principal of a Seventh-day Adventist secondary school in Kiribati and two other Adventists have survived a month-long ordeal at sea.

Tekemau Ribabati and his friends departed from the capital, Tarawa, on Jan. 7. They were to visit several islands to promote the benefits of studying at Kauma Adventist High School on Abemama Island, but began drifting after the engine on their boat broke.

“Tekemau is an experienced seaman,” says John Horvath, the president of the Adventist Church in Kiribati, “but when he hadn’t returned after 10 days, we became concerned.”

Horvath contacted members of the local search and rescue service, but they could not immediately find the Adventists. Crew members from a container ship, the Reunion, eventually rescued the three more than 300 kilometres from Arorae, the southernmost island in Kiribati. Ribabati and his friends had been drifting for 28 days.

Ribabati called the church’s head office from the ship. “We were all so relieved to hear from him,” says Horvath. “God does answer prayer.”

Horvath says the three were in good health, despite eating only coconuts floating in the sea and raw fish.

Ribabati shared his story at a feast the church organized to celebrate his return and that of the other Adventists. “Tekemau told me the captain of the ship had not wanted to rescue them fearing they were pirates,” says Horvath.

As of 2001, some 1,360 Seventh-day Adventists worship in 21 congregations in Kiribati, which was formerly known as the Gilbert Islands before its independence in 1979.