By Jose Reader
Seventeen-year-old Presbyterian Ta’ase Kelente captains her rugby team and is head girl at Porirua College but still finds time to teach Sunday school.
Keeping the faith at school can be hard, she acknowledges, but hanging out with other like-minded students in a fellowship group helps. The group meets at lunch time most days for fellowship and sharing stories, thanks to the efforts of a pastor from a local church, Ta’ase says.
Described by her minister, the Rev Perema Leasi, as a well-presented and articulate young woman who is sensitive to the needs of others, Ta’ase is active in her local church – Porirua’s Pacific Island Church – including attending a Bible class called Youth Ignition.
Before Ta’ase was allowed to take up the role as head girl at Porirua College this year, there was a mandatory Outward Bound course to attend.
She says the course, which is all about inspiring personal and social development through learning in an outdoor environment, was challenging. When the going got tough and she felt like giving up, her faith helped get her through, she says.
According to Ta’ase, the hardest part of the course was the survival test, where participants had to live in the bush on limited rations for three days. While most people weren’t keen on this aspect of the course, Ta’ase says it gave her a chance to reflect.
The course was supposed to be about developing leadership and fitness skills, she explains, but was surprised to find that for her, it was a spiritual experience as well. “I couldn’t rely on family. God was the only person I had. I really got to know Him. He helped me through a lot of it.”
Ta’ase counts her minister, the Rev Perema Leasi, as one of the people she has been inspired by, “because of the way he connects with the young people of the congregation”. For instance, members of Youth Ignition do readings during Sunday services, as do the other youth groups that are part of the Pacific Island Church Porirua family.
She also counts her grandad and the pastor of her school fellowship group among her influences.
When asked what the future holds for her, Ta’ase says that she is interested in a career in ministry and is considering becoming a minister of religion. Listening to a sermon about goals was the trigger for this potential career path “because I realised how you could touch people through this work” she says.