Seeing The "Real" Samoa, Christian?

We are now in our third week here in Samoa our team is beginning to understand the culture, as well as see deeper into the beliefs that the people hold to here. Statistics say that Samoa is 99% Christian and over 60% Westernized Christian. From what we are experiencing and seeing in the culture our team would guess that less than 30% of the people on this island have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! I would say maybe even as low as 10%.

This last week our team shared several testimonies and songs at the closest Congregational Christian Church for a youth event. After our sharing the paster got up and said that he appreciated our talking about our relationships with Christ but wasn't sure how much the youth ranging from 10-20 really understood about what a personal relationship meant and were probably confused by the terms like; "saved", "changed life", "following Christ". He went on to say that the Congregational Church focused more on the community aspect of Christianity and not the personal relationship with Christ. Our team was in shock as the paster stood in front of us, in the place he called Gods house, on an island that calls themselves Christian. This is the state of Samoa! Our host and former paster Fa'atui said that he doesn't believe the current paster has a saving relationship with Christ. Most citizens believe they are saved, but very few actually are! Our team almost feels a sense of dispare at how deceived this island is!!! Satan holds this island in a fake religion!!!

We came on this trip not knowing how much we would be needed in a country with a 99% Christian statistic, but now we feel that we are so short on both time and ability to help this island sinking in self deception that is coming straight from the church.

Please Please pray for Samoa and the few "real" believers that are fighting for this island to wake up and come to a relationship with Christ.

In Him, in Samoa,

Jesse