𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 P𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 C𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴

Praise the Lord! Warm greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. My name is Tevita Qomate Ritova, hailing from Labasa in the northern reaches of Vanua Levu Island in Fiji. In my early years, I wandered through life without direction, getting lost in the fog of substance abuse from the tender age of 9 to 12 sniffing benzene and smoking marijuana by the age of 15. This was my reality until the age of 29, in 2012, when I heard the transformative teaching about the requirement of being born of water and the Spirit as specified in John 3:3-5.
Despite my initial doubts and struggles with addiction, a spark had been ignited within me. My faith in the existence of heaven and hell was firm, yet I had not recognized the strict and solitary path to heaven’s gates. That realization began to take hold, and the allure of my addictions dwindled as I felt God’s persistent calling. It led to nights filled with reflection on the profound truths shared to me.
Back then, I faced a grim reality: a father of twins without my own roof, staying with my in-laws, devoid of hope. But on October 29, 2012, I resolved to seek a transformation. Led to church by a fellow brother who is a believer, I received prayer and, subsequently, the gift of the Holy Spirit—I spoke in tongues as bear witness in Acts 2:4—a moment that delivered the profound peace I desperately sought.
Following that pivotal day, my life took a turn for the miraculous. God blessed me with a place to call home and employment to sustain my growing family. That same blessed day, my wife received baptism. With the addition of two more children, my family was complete. Twelve years on, I remain in communion with the saints. Even as I’ve seen many faces come and go, my prayer remains constant for new saints to go through the Born Again experience of water baptism and be spirit-filled in these challenging times.