{"id":50810,"date":"2026-02-17T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/?post_type=prayerline&#038;p=50810"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:17:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:17:35","slug":"planting-in-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"prayerline","link":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Planting in the Ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block block-core-html\">\n<iframe title=\"Planting in the Ocean\" allowtransparency=\"true\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?i=9n7k6-1a4c0e5-pb&#038;from=pb6admin&#038;share=1&#038;download=1&#038;rtl=0&#038;fonts=Arial&#038;skin=2baf9e&#038;font-color=ffffff&#038;logo_link=episode_page&#038;btn-skin=1b1b1b\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of thousands of islands, with at least 30 nations sprinkled in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the&nbsp;vast&nbsp;\u201csoil\u201d&nbsp;for&nbsp;student ministry&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/region\/southpacific\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the&nbsp;South Pacific&nbsp;region.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside well-established work on familiar islands (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji), are campus groups more recently planted. Beyond the horizon, lie more islands with promising conditions for IFES seeds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-heading wp-elements-ff85473093a6a703ff2c238f48a9a4a3\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-south-pacific-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ff85473093a6a703ff2c238f48a9a4a3\"><strong>Planting Seeds<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To explore openings for ministry, David Walter (IFES Regional Secretary for the South Pacific) visited the Northern Mariana Islands and French Polynesia last year. He reflects: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201c<\/em><em>Our visit to&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em>Saipan<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;revealed a campus ripe for a ministry plant, with supportive churches and lots of potential.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>And in&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em>Tahiti<\/em><\/strong><em>, it was even more ripe!&nbsp;The campus size and form,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;positivity of&nbsp;churches, students<\/em><em>,<\/em><em>&nbsp;and graduates&nbsp;was amazing.<\/em><em>\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-heading wp-elements-839f26a27454401c58fb4a9361af6a34\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-south-pacific-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-839f26a27454401c58fb4a9361af6a34\"><strong>Growing&nbsp;Shoots<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David continues: \u201cIn <strong>Guam<\/strong>, ministry is growing in student numbers, involvement, and initiative. It was wonderful to have seven from there attend our regional conference last September.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/god-ruins-a-perfect-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">God unexpectedly used Sam to plant ministry&nbsp;in Guam&nbsp;during&nbsp;the pandemic<\/a>,&nbsp;and two&nbsp;other&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/intervarsity.org\/missions\/link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">InterVarsity Link<\/a>&nbsp;staff (Alex and Danielle)&nbsp;followed on to support the growth. (Meet students from the University of Guam&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DUUmLdPEd0n\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>!)&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sam has since followed his calling to replant ministry in <strong>Tonga<\/strong>. After a year of language learning and relationship building with churches and students, he\u2019s now meeting weekly with students for Bible study and prayer. Sam says, &#8220;May trust continue to build so they can speak freely, pose their questions, and fully engage with the gospel.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/when-dreams-become-reality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The&nbsp;seed planted&nbsp;by Elodie and Ali<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<strong>New Caledonia<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>in 2018-2019&nbsp;has&nbsp;faced difficult conditions.&nbsp;Although it was revived&nbsp;after the&nbsp;pandemic, civil unrest in 2024&nbsp;has&nbsp;left&nbsp;a&nbsp;need for more sustained support. To this end, Joel&nbsp;Atwood, former director of GNYF Vanuatu,&nbsp;will&nbsp;move&nbsp;to the French territory this&nbsp;year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-heading wp-elements-9ed57ded3d41d0be5e89bc5534169dce\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-south-pacific-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9ed57ded3d41d0be5e89bc5534169dce\"><strong>Feeling&nbsp;the&nbsp;Climate<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite this vast and varied expanse, a common spiritual climate prevails: most of these scattered islands are predominantly \u201cChristian\u201d, a legacy of missionary efforts in the early 19th century. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet indigenous beliefs are also mixed in to what is, for many, a nominal faith, with <a href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/stories-in-the-sand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">students frequently unaware of the gospel of grace<\/a>. This is why the founding vision of IFES still matters: \u201ca clear witness to Jesus Christ established in <em>every<\/em> university in the world\u201d. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared&nbsp;with&nbsp;other regions,&nbsp;the number&nbsp;of students and universities&nbsp;in this vast ocean&nbsp;may seem insignificant.&nbsp;But it&nbsp;is&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;far away&nbsp;islands that God offers hope&nbsp;in the form of his Servant&nbsp;(Isaiah 42:4, 49:1).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picture it:&nbsp;the knowledge of&nbsp;this Servant King \u2013&nbsp;the glory of God&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;filling this region&nbsp;just like&nbsp;the&nbsp;60 million square miles of water&nbsp;fills the sea&nbsp;(Habakuk 2:14).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-heading wp-elements-67cf239a337fe8f89c86f4af6a92f63f\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-south-pacific-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-67cf239a337fe8f89c86f4af6a92f63f\"><strong>Pray<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"wp-block block-core-list-item\">\n<li>Praise God for&nbsp;his work in this region \u2013 for the ripe conditions for planting in Saipan and Tahiti, for good growth in Guam, for&nbsp;healthy beginnings in Tonga, and&nbsp;for&nbsp;faithful service in New Caledonia.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"wp-block block-core-list-item\">\n<li>Ask the Lord to provide&nbsp;the right&nbsp;workers for student ministry in Saipan and Tahiti.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block block-core-list\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><div class=\"wp-block block-core-list-item\">\n<li>Pray for Sam, Alex and Danielle, and Joel as they minister amid cultural Christianity \u2013 that they will see many students rooted in Jesus, thriving in radical grace, bearing fruit by the Spirit. <\/li>\n<\/div><\/ul>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":50811,"template":"","area":[464],"theme":[],"class_list":["post-50810","prayerline","type-prayerline","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","area-south-pacific"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IFES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T09:17:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"980\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/\",\"name\":\"Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-17T01:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T09:17:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":980},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Prayerline\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Planting in the Ocean\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/\",\"name\":\"IFES\",\"description\":\"A movement of students sharing and living out the good news of Jesus Christ. Locally. Nationally. Globally.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#organization\",\"name\":\"IFES \u00b7 International Fellowship of Evangelical Students\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ifeslogo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ifeslogo.png\",\"width\":262,\"height\":262,\"caption\":\"IFES \u00b7 International Fellowship of Evangelical Students\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline","description":"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline","og_description":"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of","og_url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/","og_site_name":"IFES","article_modified_time":"2026-02-25T09:17:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":980,"url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/","url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/","name":"Planting in the Ocean &#183; IFES Prayerline","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-17T01:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-25T09:17:35+00:00","description":"Picture it: an area the breadth of Russia and the length of Africa. Add in 60 million square miles of water. Then, scatter across it&amp; tens of","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Guam-1-rotated.jpg","width":1280,"height":980},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/planting-in-the-ocean\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Prayerline","item":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/prayerline\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Planting in the Ocean"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/","name":"IFES","description":"A movement of students sharing and living out the good news of Jesus Christ. Locally. Nationally. Globally.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#organization","name":"IFES \u00b7 International Fellowship of Evangelical Students","url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ifeslogo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ifeslogo.png","width":262,"height":262,"caption":"IFES \u00b7 International Fellowship of Evangelical Students"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prayerline\/50810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/prayerline"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/prayerline"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/area?post=50810"},{"taxonomy":"theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ifesworld.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/theme?post=50810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}