My name is Jimmy Garae, and I grew up on the small island of Ambae as the second of seven siblings: four brothers and two sisters. Life was simple yet challenging. From a young age, my parents instilled the importance of starting and ending each day with family devotion, making faith the foundation of our home. 

Our village was eight kilometers from the nearest church, yet every Sabbath, regardless of weather or difficulty, we walked there and stayed until evening. From Monday to Friday, I walked nine kilometers daily to attend primary school, taking seven long years to complete kindergarten through grade six. 

I still remember a moment in grade four that changed the course of my life. I felt a deep desire in my heart to become a pastor. That desire never faded; it only grew stronger with time. But the road was never easy. There were countless times I had to drop out of school because we couldn’t afford the fees. I remember spending one or even two weeks at home helping my parents make copra, just to afford to return to class. 

On our island, transportation is very difficult. We had to carry heavy sacks of copra down the mountains to the sea. Sometimes the burden was so great it made us sick. But still, we pressed on.  

From grade seven to ten, I attended Penama Adventist College. Even then, I had to go back and forth from school to home just to help earn my school fees. I didn’t always get to focus fully on my studies, because my heart was also with my family, helping support my brothers and sisters. I faced failure. I didn’t pass my Year 10 or Year 12 government exams. I felt broken. Discouraged.

 I thought maybe my dream was over. But God wasn’t finished with me. Even when I failed academically, I never stopped going to church. I never stopped reading my Bible. I may have missed assignments, but I never missed devotion. During my youth at Topua Adventist Church, I gave my all to serve faithfully in whatever role I was given. 

In 2018, a door opened: I was accepted into Fulton Adventist University College in Fiji. I studied there until 2020. The challenges continued, especially financially. But when I look back, I can only say: God made a way. When no one else could help me pay my fees, God paid them all. 

And today, by His grace, I’m finishing my Master's degree in Church Ministry at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in Philippines. As I look back on this journey from a boy walking nine kilometres to school, carrying copra on the mountains, failing exams, and nearly giving up, I see the hand of God in every step. He wrote my story. To anyone reading this, I want to say: never give up on your dream. 

Challenges will come. You will face failure. You may feel like giving up. But keep trusting God. Stay faithful. Think positively, even when things seem impossible. Because the God who wrote my story is still writing yours too.