In 2016, Cyclone Winston devastated communities across Fiji, leaving tens of thousands homeless and a trail of destruction and trauma in its wake. In the chaos and heartache that ensued, the Bible Society South Pacific (BSSP) saw an urgent need for emotional and spiritual healing in communities across the islands.
Ledua, Operations Manager of BSSP in Fiji, shares that “straight after Winston hit Fiji, Bible Society started thinking of how we could help.” As BSSP prayed and asked God how they could serve their hurting communities, the opportunity to facilitate trauma-healing groups in the Islands arose. “Trauma healing was a tool that was used to bring about change in the communities in Fiji,” says Ledua. She shares, “In 2015, the Bible Society team had started training on Trauma Healing. Little did we know that we were going to need this in 2016 when cyclone Winston devasted Fiji! We began equipping facilitators to run the program, training the first few leaders, and then sending them out into the communities.”
Initially, the focus was on areas severely affected by the cyclone. Over time, however, BSSP saw the need to support more people who had experienced trauma through a wide range of circumstances. “We found that trauma wasn’t only part of the community after a disaster. It’s a part of life all throughout,” Ledua explains.
Recognising the pervasive nature of trauma in society, BSSP expanded its efforts, adapting the training to address the numerous emotional and psychological wounds that many people carry. Healing groups and training sessions were conducted in more communities, including those untouched by natural disasters.
Today, the Trauma Healing program in the Pacific Islands addresses the diverse needs of vulnerable people. As well as natural disaster-affected communities, the project now supports victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and child abuse, prisoners, soldiers, the elderly, first responders and more.
In 2020, during the World Day of Prayer event hosted in Vanuatu, BSSP proposed a project to tackle domestic abuse, which is a pervasive issue throughout the Pacific. With support from Bible Society Australia (BSA), domestic abuse training commenced in Vanuatu communities, adapted from a lesson from the Trauma Healing program.
While the Trauma Healing program has strong practical applications, the teaching is built on the word of God, which the team believe is the key to finding true healing. The five core lessons of the program address fundamental questions about grief and suffering and provide a path to emotional and spiritual healing. A focus on trusting in God and forgiving others lays a solid foundation for hurting people to find the fullness of life again after difficult times.
Those who have gone through the program attest to finding peace and comfort in God and moving toward personal and community healing. One such person is Teupola, who now works as a Project Officer with BSSP, facilitating Trauma Healing training throughout Fiji. “I’ve experienced healing through the program myself before I got to teach it. I found healing in it during my grieving period,” says Teupola. “That motivates me to deliver the same to those who need healing in the different challenges that they’re going through,” she shares.
The Trauma Healing program has been both effective and highly regarded in the Pacific, primarily because it shares truths from the Bible. Fijian leaders and communities trust and respect the Bible Society, which has opened many doors for the program. “Seeing that it’s from Bible Society and it has the word of God in it, the leaders are more open to receiving us into their churches, into their communities,” Ledua says. This trust has been crucial in expanding the impact of training, allowing the healing message of God’s word to reach more lives and bring about real transformation.
This project helps people interact with God’s word in all situations, strengthens church relations and resources churches to reach people in times of suffering. As Ledua observes, “Translation isn’t just about words on a page, but it’s how we interact with, interpret, and understand the word of God. This is all part of the work that we do beyond translating Bible text.”.
Whether in a prison or a church, people’s lives are being touched by God’s love through faithful Christians facilitating the healing groups. With ongoing support from BSA donors, BSSP continues to bring healing to more communities across the Pacific, expanding its impact through the training of trainers and local leaders. They aim to equip 200 church leaders as Healing the Wounds of Trauma (HWT) program facilitators in the South Pacific, ensuring the program’s sustainability and far-reaching impact.
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