Repercussions in Tonga
p. 139 · Read in the full issue
Prayer As A Weapon
Against Rhino Beetles
But it May Have Serious Repercussions in Tonga
IT could be that the power of prayer, as demonstrated in Tonga, is a two-edged sword.
In September, Tonga observed a week of prayer in which they asked that they be delivered from the scourge of the rhinoceros beetle which was discovered in Vav’au a couple of years ago and against which vigorous battle has been waged ever since.
In the month following the
prayers, very few beetles were found and the Tongans attributed it to Divine intervention.
However, Mr. Micky Miller, who has been in charge of the beetle war, has been worried because beetle hunting has been very much less intensive since the week of prayer —and he remembers that much the same sort of thing happened on Niuatoputapu, another Tongan Island, where he led an anti-beetle crusade some years ago.
Following a week of prayer there, the people were very indifferent about hunting the beetles, assum ing the matter was being taken care of Higher Up. Consequently the beetle got a fresh hold.
He fears that something of the same sort may happen in Vava’u.