Peter Ambuofa was an early convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

among Solomon Islanders who established a Christian community on

Malaita Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...

, and a key figure in the history of the

South Seas Evangelical Mission The South Sea Evangelical Church (SSEC) is an evangelical, Pentecostal church in Solomon Islands. In total, 17% of the population of Solomon Islands adheres to the church, making it the third most common religious affiliation in the country behind ...

(now South Seas Evangelical Church, SSEC). Peter Ambuofa was from north Malaita and worked in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

as a kanaka labourer. He converted to Christianity and was baptised at

Bundaberg, Queensland Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the List of places in Queensland by population, tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's Bundaberg Regional Council, regional area has a population of 70,921, and is ...

in 1892.Leslie Fugui (with Simeon Butu). "Religion." In ''Ples Blong Iumi: The Solomon Islands, the Past Four Thousand Years''. Institute of Pacific Studies of the University of the South Pacific, 1989. Page 89. When he returned to the Solomon Islands in 1894, he established a Christian community at Malu'u. At first he was shunned by his relatives, who thought he had brought a strange devil (''akalo'') with him. He was left to die of hunger, not allowed to move freely; but an old woman, taking pity on him, offered him roast

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

on market days, and he was also able to take fruit from a ''wawao'' tree nearby and take water from a well he dug nearby. A traditional story also counts that he had a hen which laid an egg for him whenever he prayed. In another story, some relatives of his tried to shoot him while he was praying, but as they attempted to shoot a thick smoke came up and ruined their aim. Later, when the smoke cleared, they tried again, but the triggers did not work. They went off to shoot a fruit, and the guns worked fine, so they came to believe that Ambuofa's spirit was more powerful than their own, and accepted Christianity as a result. Peter Ambuofa was uneducated and had some confusions regarding Christian teaching, so he solicited help from the Queensland Kanaka Mission to help teach his flock, and in response, in 1904,

Florence Young Florence Selina Harriet Young (10 October 1856 – 28 May 1940) was a New Zealand-born missionary who established the Queensland Kanaka Mission in order to convert Kanaka labourers in Queensland, Australia. In addition, she conducted missionary ...

led the first party of missionaries to the Solomon Islands in 1904. Eventually this led to the creation of the South Seas Evangelical Mission. In March 1994 a special celebratory service was held at Bundaberg in honor of the centennial of Ambuofa's return to the Solomon Islands, which 1300 members of the SSEC attended.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambuofa, Peter Solomon Islands Protestant missionaries Protestant missionaries in the Solomon Islands Year of death missing People from Malaita Province Year of birth unknown Converts to Protestantism from pagan religions Solomon Islands Pentecostals Solomon Islands evangelicals Solomon Islands expatriates in Australia Pentecostal missionaries