Sigatoka boy puts Fiji on the map dancing for God

THE Sigatoka boy that put Fiji on the map dancing for God in the city of God.

                     By Elia Vesikula: (Photos courtesy of ICEJ Jerusalem)

Little Keni Baro started learning to dance at the young age of 7. Those dance steps got him across the 7 seas to dance at the world famous stage of the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel.

Keni, a shy humble boy from Sigatoka, in the Fiji islands with a population of only 800,000 people, was to dance in a nation of more than six million people

From a small town of Sigatoka of barely 3,000 people, Keni was about to walk the pavements of Jerusalem, the city of God with a population of more than 856,700 p and considered one of the oldest city in the world and is revered holy by three major religion of the world, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.   

Keni Baro a fomer Queen Victoria School student was part of the approximately 3.5 million people that visit Jerusalem each year.

For the past 39 years, Christians from all over the world travel to Jerusalem in October to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. They travel to Jerusalem to take part in a dynamic worship experience and to taste the joy of the Lord.

Keni Baro was to be part of the important dance team that will lead the dynamic worship of God at the Feast of the Tabernacle. He has flown a long way to be there.

I have church going parents and I was raised in a Christian family. I was young and being young I had a lot of temptation and challenges. As young people we always want to do something so that you could be famous for. I tried some worldly things also.

“I started to dance at the Sigatoka Methodist College. I was a member of the  a youth group since I was in class seven. We performed in our church and in other churches in Sigatoka”. the medical student said.

Keni sees the dances as more than just a performance to audiences.

“For us that teach dances we listen to the songs. The songs contain the stories and we pick the action that tells the stories. I see the dances as a way of sharing the Lord Jesus’s words. Especially to the youths who are touched by the dances and the word of God” the university graduate says.

 “It is God who works in you to obey his will and to do his purpose (Philippians 2:13.

Traveling to Jerusalem requires a lot of money and Keni has to foot his own bills and he did not come from a wealthy family.

“I thank God Almighty for allowing and preparing and bringing me over to perform at the Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem. I thank the Lord who took me away from my church and my country so I can dance in a faraway land. I also want to thank my family who paid for my trip and living expenses in Israel during the Feast of the Tabernacle

     Keni Baro (second from left with Fiji soldiers at Mt Caramel in Jerusalem.

Despite his family meager resources Keni was blessed with the experience.

 “It was special performing with other dancers from other parts of the world and also dancing in front of millions of people on stage and across television screens around the world.”

Keni not only delighted in stepping up on stage at this grand worship event but also the divine doors that opened for him.

“God opens doors and also helped in my spiritual growth to experience dancing at the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel. As a family we saw the hand of God opening doors in our preparation and trip to Israel.”

God is always faithful, when he calls us for the task. He also prepares the way for us to carry out the task. As in Psalm 5:12 “You bless those who obey you. Your love protects them like a shield”

Keni was only used  to dancing in front of only small church crowd in Fiji. This time it was in front of millions of people in the stands and across global television.

 “When I arrived I was a little nervous, a little scared because it was my first trip to such a global Christian event. But when I went to the church that we were to stay in, I felt at home. I could not even feel that I was a first timer Other dancers made me feel at home. The dance leaders were so caring that I did not feel lonely. We were one big family.” Keni said.

As in Isaiah“So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my right hand. Isaiah 41:10.

To dance at the Feast of the Tabernacle dancers from all over the world have to join the Tabernacle Dance Company.

Dancers must have at least four years dancing experience in various types of dances. A fusion of various dance movement styles are utilized in choreography, so experience in partnering, acrobatics, gymnastics and or theatre is required from dancers. Young Keni Baro, being from Fiji, did not have the experience that international dancers have but he was in Gods dance company.

“On the first day I was a bit shocked because of the various types of dances we had to learn. All activities were planned to the minute for our rehearsals. We had moves to learn. We had our warm up dancing to different styles like ballet and other types of dances so the body could respond to the different dancing styles”.

Keni from the tourist town of Sigatoka also did his part for tourism in Fiji

“I shared room with dancers from Brazil. They were all speaking Portugeese. I met friends from Puertorico, Germany, Africa and America. While we were from different nations God brought us together and that binded us”the medical student said.

Then came the big day and Keni was still shaken by the overwhelming experience.

“On the day of our dance, I must admit that when I was in Fiji I had lost touch with dancing. I was asking the Holy Spirit to renew my passion for dancing, On our first dance I could feel the Lords presence and the urge to dance”

Kenis performance with the Tabernacle dance company for three days was watched by almost 100 thousand people that gather at the Feast of the Tabernacle and beamed across in Israel to an estimated 6 million TV viewers and streamed live on internet to unlimited global audience. Unfortunately his home land of Fiji missed out on the spectacular event, accept those that traveled from Fiji to attend the biggest global event on the Christian calendar.

Keni’s did not only wore his dancing shoes on stage but also visited the Holy sites in  the land so many only dream about visiting.

“I am thanking the Lord so much that I able to step on the land that is written in the bible. Places like Jerusalem, Nazareth, Galilee. I can look back and witness these stories in the bible by actually setting foot on these places mentioned in the bible. I am ever thankful to the Lord Jesus for the amazing opportunity of a life time.

Keni’s huge achievement on the global stage did not get any publicity at all in Fiji but he has a message.“I want to encourage my peers to be strong in our spiritual life and in our faith in God and the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Our journey with God will be sweet if we are rightly connected to God. I want to urge you to worship God in truth and one day you will visit this land where you will see places written in the bible. So you can share the word of God and plant the seeds of the word of God in other people” said Keni.

Keni’s performance was not only for Almighty God and family but also for Fiji and the Pacific nations as he not only put Fiji and the region on the global stage but also in heaven