Jesus Christ is perfect love, and perfect love casts out all fear. He that fear is not made perfect, fear is torment but God is love. Be faith-driven, not fear-driven, writes Bishop Tutai Pere of the Apostolic Church of the Cook Islands.

Hebrews/Ebera 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is (exists, real), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him … Kare ra e akarongo ra kare rava Aia e mareka: ko te akamori I te Atua ra, kia akarongo aia e, e Atua e tika’I, e koia tei tutaki mai I te aronga I kimi tikai Iaia”.

We are in an age and time of advanced automobiles, airlines, shippings – never before have we seen our roads here on Rarotonga so full of vehicles of all sorts – small, mini and big cars, mini trucks and big ones like T&M Heather’s, single and double cabs, mini and big vans, mini and big buses, motorcycles, manual and motored bicycles; whether petrol, diesel, battery or electric driven vehicles. Thanks to all major or small business companies and agencies for the supply of all the above forms and means of transportations; whereby many utilises to the extent of reaping the benefit be they in small or big ways of earning and generating economic revenues by tapping and sourcing from our most thriving and major Cook Islands tourism industry.

Is this pure luck, coincidence, hard work, personal ambition or faith driven? But lest we forget, every big fruit tree begin from a tiny seed, big success stories spring up from a tiny dream, hope and vision, often for some with drops of sweat, blood and tears. Just as the Good Book in Proverbs 23:7 reminds us, “For as a man/woman thinketh in his/her heart, so is he/she”. Either they seek to do well or do bad, stay sickly or live healthy, strive to prosper or stay poor, be useful or useless, achieve or fail, complain or capitalise, swim or sink, fear-driven or faith-driven. Personal acknowledgement is due unto few business people, the like of Kevin Cook of Cook's Island Bus Passenger Transport Ltd for providing safe and affordable bus services for children to schools and adults alike all-around Rarotonga at almost all day, and rental agencies for cars, vans, motorbikes and bicycles, whatever other forms or means of transport services for locals, tourists, visitors, returning or vacationing Cook Islanders.

Whether we realise it or not, believe it or not, the Good Book, the Bible, declares in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”. Many things in our life we never saw coming, yet it came and left, we continue to build and improve on what our predecessors or ancestors have laid as foundations or stepping stones into a better, bigger and brighter future for ourselves and our children and generations to follow. Faith is not hollow thinking but progressive, constructive and evidential. Just as God’s Word in Proverbs 28:18 also says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he”.  

Our Rarotonga International Airport is just as busy as any other overseas airports: 1) We have currently around 36 weekly flights to and from Aitutaki, 2) 15 weekly flights from Auckland and with 3 more newly added Air NZ flights, 3) 4 weekly Jetstar return flights from Sydney, Australia, 4) 2 weekly return Air Tahiti from Papeete, Tahiti, 5) and 1 weekly return Hawaiian Airline from Honolulu, Hawaii, 6) there is still talk that there might be an open opportunity to connect with Fiji Airlines in the near future, 7) and let alone our numerous weekly and daily Air Raro flights to our outer islands of Aitutaki, Mangaia, Ngaputoru (Atiu, Mauke and Mitiaro), Manihiki, Pukapuka and Penrhyn. Personal acknowledgement goes to our long serving chairman for our Tourism Board, Papa Ewan Smith of Air Raro and Company in particular, not forgetting at one time of course Cook Islands and Avaiki Air with humble beginnings, a once locally operated interisland airlines which all contributed to our Cook Islands aviation history in the making. Further back down memory lane, the world-renowned TEAL’s Coral Route inaugurated in November 1951 encompassing Fiji, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Tahiti, a route that promoted the South Pacific as a rival to the Caribbean for exclusive island holidays, which reminded me of my dad as one of the members of the Aitutaki Airport Airline petrol refill team on Motu Akaiami. So followed a number of international airlines which at one time or another served the Cook Islands since 1973. They include the Polynesian Airlines, Air Pacific, Air Nauru, South Pacific Island Airways, Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines, Canada 3000, Ansett Australia operated Cook Islands International, Royal Tongan Airlines and I remember my first flight out of Rarotonga in 1972 on Upolu Airline to Pagopago, Nadi and to Auckland, New Zealand. We give big high-fives thank you acknowledgement to both former and current CEOs, Executive and Board members of all branches of our Airport Authority for adding to our 50 years birthday milestone celebration, a most remarkable, outstanding and historic safety record of operation as one busiest Rarotonga International Airport. Our Cook Islands Tourism Industry would not have reached the height of their many success stories as the current major driving economic industry of the Cook Islands had it not been for the safe landing and first class delivery services that our Airport and Aviation Authority carried out with passion, dedication and commitment. What an amazing gradual but sure and steady buildup from the grand royal opening of our Rarotonga International Airport by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England on 29 January, 1974; to the opening in 1977 of a first more luxurious with multiple guest rooms, the present day ‘Rarotongan Hotel Resort and Spa’, certainly a huge step up from  few rooms only in the very first ever ‘Otera Rarotonga, Are Manuiri’ (Rarotonga Hotel) built in 1905 and located in central Avarua which later became the ever popular Banana Court. This faith-driven vision, while undoubtedly taking precautionary measures against the social and environmental risks of the time, offered significant employment opportunities and revenue-generating privileges to many local families, even to this day. It joined other operating hotels, motels, private accommodations, and apartments in contributing to the local economy.

Due credit and honour must also be accorded to all in our shipping industry from past to the present. Most especially the slow, diesel-powered cargo ships that helped both our outer northern and southern group islanders ship their copra, pearl, fish, weaving and craftworks, agricultural produce to the markets in Rarotonga and to New Zealand. We have two international shipping lines currently operating through the Cook Islands running on a three-weekly cycle – Matson and Transam Ltd. National shipping lines are Taio Shipping Ltd and Cook Islands Towage Ltd. Stevedores for offloading and loading, storage and stacking up for delivery are – Cook Islands General Transport and HPM De-Vanning. There are five local shipping agents: 1, Cruise Cook Islands – Stuart Henry, 2, Hawaii Pacific Maritime Ltd – Agnes Armstrong, 3, Excil Shipping Ltd – Maru Apera, 4, Transam Cook Islands – Tekau Anguna, 5, Matina Travel Ltd – Christine (Vina) Manuel. Three licenced seabed mineral scientific research and exploration companies carry out their own research works independently with ‘Anuanua Moana’ of Ocean Minerals a common sight in Avatiu wharf or out at sea, so is our Australian built CIPPB Te Kukupa II, a Pacific-class patrol boat operated by our Police Force.

Our lesson on faith once more in James 2:18 and 26 adds, “Yes, a man may say, you have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead”. Great heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews 11 all justified their faith by the works and actions they did: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarai (Sarah), Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jochebed and husband, Moses’ parents, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David and Samuel. All, in every way were ordinary human beings, had their own weaknesses and failures like us, but obtained good reports through faith in God. But even greater blessings are promised to us in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is perfect love, and perfect love casts out all fear. He that fear is not made perfect, fear is torment but God is love. Be faith-driven, not fear-driven. Have a safe and blessed Jesus weekend! Kia Orana e kia Manuia rava!