RON KWAN
“I was born in Middlemore hospital, Auckland, the second in the line of 4 boys. My identity deeply rooted in my Samoan culture. In our world, your family name is everything. It carries weight, history and promise. To belong to a certain household commanded respect, and in return respect was given. Honour and shame were not individual matters but family matters. The way one person acted affected the family as a whole. Either a burden or the pride of the family.
“We lived in a strict religious setting following the doctrine and rules of the Jehovah Witness faith. There were many regulations to live by, and as a child I began to question what I was told. When my grandmother, a smoker, was cut off from fellowship, it felt like a contradiction. The message of Jesus I had heard spoke of truth and love, but what I saw seemed so different.
“When I was six we moved to Hawaii and lived with my other grandmother. We did not live the dream of island life, in a tropical paradise, In reality nan was so abusive towards me and my brothers, that mum in desperation, moved with us boys into a homeless shelter for a year. It broke my mum. I could see how dad honoured his traditions and his own mother, but his coping mechanism was in drugs. As a family we moved on to Australia to try and start a new life but my father was hooked on drugs and couldn’t break the cycle.
“It was there at the age of 8 I began to witness changes in my parents’ relationship, due to my father’s drugs and violence. I watched my mum being beaten up a lot and my father acting out his frustrations on us kids also.
“Back in primary school I began playing drums and progressed to guitar, singing and writing music, all self-taught. My mum was a worship leader in the church although none of the rest of our family were musical. I think my mum prayed this gifting on me! Music was a get away for me.
“Growing up in Melbourne I was a shy kid. Although I shone in sports, I preferred to keep to myself. I was never one to get drunk or do drugs, my focus was on my music and sport particularly tennis and rugby. My father had once been one of the top 3 tennis players in the South Pacific and later became a coach. When I showed promise he wanted me to follow his dream. At 15, I played 1st 15 Nationals at rugby and although I excelled in both sports, the relentless pressure became too much, and I quit.
“My life shaped me in the way I love others. The love I have for people. I have never felt I was more, I simply wonder what their journey has been and can usually see through a mask. I caught the struggle unlike my brothers who also got into drugs. Through the strength of my faith, I can open my heart and see the value inside someone else. God’s hand of grace has always been on me. It has been easy for me to say no after I saw what it did to my dad. It destroyed him and he still has not recovered.
“I wanted to be an architect and planned to go to university. It was either architecture or Bible College, so I prayed about it. Straight after I finished high school I felt the Lord wanted me to go to Bible college in Melbourne. I did 6 years, then at the age of 21 when I graduated, I felt the Lord call me into missions. On my heart was the South Pacific, Fiji, Vanuatu or even Samoa. I had a meeting with the Senior Pastor and told him I felt the Lord was calling me out to the mission field, but I just wasn’t sure where. He suggested New Zealand to a new church they were to open in Tauranga, but I had to tell him it was the last place I wanted to go to. He told me to pray about it.
“That same night I heard God audibly say “go to New Zealand”. I woke up about 3am and thought my brothers were playing a prank on me. It was so clear! I knew it was the Lord, and I was fighting against it. I spoke to my Mum and Dad about what I heard. I remember Mum just breaking down and weeping as in Samoan culture keeping family together is so important. She asked me if I really needed to go. I replied, ‘mum I need to listen to the voice of God’.
“The following day at another meeting with the Senior Pastor he asked if the Lord had spoken to me. I started laughing and asked him how he knew. He told me, that at the exact same time I had been spoken to, the Lord woke him and said, ‘Ron is to go to New Zealand’.
“I kept making excuses as I did not want to go but 2 months later, I arrived in Tauranga to begin work in a small church group. I was to be there for a year and then return to my girlfriend in Melbourne who promised to wait for me. I loved this girl. She waited for me but when the Lord speaks, He speaks. As it came to the end of the year, I reminded the Lord I had done my time and was keen to return to Melbourne and to my girlfriend. The Lord said, “you’re not done here and you need to be here for another 5 years”. I had to tell my waiting family and girlfriend. She was broken and I struggled to accept our breakup.
“I have been in Tauranga for 13 years and have had the privilege of serving in a growing church in leadership, within youth ministry and as a worship Pastor. While working full time, by God’s grace I was able to carry both roles.
“Two years ago, the Lord called me into a new season. I was reluctant to leave all I had been a part of, and I saw the consequences of that disobedience as my life crumbled around me. I realised I had been operating in my own strength, and not in alignment with where God was leading me. I have found when the Lord calls me and I resist, He will still move me and sometimes in ways that are difficult but necessary.
“ I knew the Lord was asking me to move, but I didn’t know where. I know He has placed in me a heart for community, for listening to people who are struggling with addiction and life issues. I want to get back to the heart of Jesus and be His hands and feet reaching those who feel lost.
“In the middle of this uncertainty, I was reminded of something significant. Over time, I received four separate prophecies from four different people, on four different continents. Each time I was called out from the crowd and not even involved in worship. Every time the message was the same. God would use my voice to sing and when I sing, the Holy Spirit would fall like a dove, and many would be touched. One person even described a vision of me singing under a large oak tree, where many people with brown skin would be touched by the Holy Spirit. These words had stayed with me confirming God is calling me, not just to sing, but to minister, to see lives changed through worship and the presence of the Hoy Spirit.
“I can see God’s hand in every part of my journey, even in the uncertainty. He has been shaping my heart and opening my eyes to the need around me. There are people across the globe searching for truth and hope. I believe God has called me into what’s next. He opened my heart and stirred something deeper in me for those who are struggling and seeking the truth. I trust that in His timing, He will use what He has given me to bring His presence and His truth to them.
“This was never just about me, it has always been about the people the Lord wants to reach and touch. Through all the pressures in life, I’ve tried to remain passionate and unwavering, holding fast to honour and love. I carry a deep reverence for worship because this honours Him. It is something sacred and set apart. Worship reminds me that He alone is greater, and everything I have comes from Him. So, I stand on His word”.
Phillipians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”