Taniela Railala

I am Brother Taniela Railala and am originally from the village of Naceva, Cicia Island in the province of Lau, Fiji Islands. I received the Holy Spirit on the 27 of March, 2011 with biblical evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4) and was baptized by full immersion in water on the 3 of April to fulfill the word of God in my life as stated in John 3: 3 – 5. I now am a true believer in Jesus Christ due to my obedience to the process described above. (Mark 16:16).

I remember the days of growing up in my village as tough for many reasons. I was told that my family was cursed. I watched as my family went through lots of mysterious and unexplained problems and was exposed to so many dangers. Sickness, unexplained deaths within the family and dropping out from school were some of the incidents that confirmed my fears that my family was indeed cursed.

After I left school, I was diagnosed with a very unusual disease which caused severe head ache, loss of appetite and sleeping disorder. This lasted for a whole week and all hope was lost.

At around the same time, a Revival Fellowship Youth rally was held in my village. My two younger siblings who attended both received the Holy Spirit when the church leaders laid their hands and prayed for them. I was intrigued by the amazing experience my younger siblings encountered and decided to give it a try.

Despite my new experience with the Holy Spirit, I continued to face obstacles due to the cultural environment that I was in. It is common in traditional villages for elders to discourage and prevent relatives from attending new churches. There was great disappointment in my family because we had joined a new church. Even when my grandfather died, my father continued to object to my new found salvation.

It took five years for my ordeal to be finally over. Opposition from my father just stopped because he allowed me to continue my spiritual journey. My mother had convinced him that I was capable of deciding for myself. I knew it was the Holy Spirit working to my favour that resulted in the changes in my situation.

Everything has changed for me. The sickness and unexplained problems that tormented me disappeared and I am free. Unfortunately, some of my family members continue to suffer from these terrible sicknesses and trauma. But I am glad that God had released me from the bondage of curses that enslaved me and I am indebted to God for the peace and joy I now enjoy.

Friends, my situation is not unique because you may be in a similar situation right now. You do not have to suffer because you could choose to live just as I did. Acts 2:38 states,” Repent and be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit as a gift”.

God Bless!