Charles and Anna Woolwine

Serving in Tonga

Zack and Anna Woolwine, together with their son Charlie, have moved to the island of Vava’u, in the Kingdom of Tonga to serve the Lord.

Zack and Anna previously served with YFC in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. There, they served for 2 ½ years helping to pioneer a youth center. The Lord is now clearly leading them to this remote island in the Pacific to pioneer a similar work.

Vava’u is very poor; with little to fill its youth’s time, they are inevitably turning to hopeless things. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy are all growing problems on this island where over 50% of the population is under the age of 25. The youth of Vava’u are in crisis. Jobs are almost non-existent and real hope for something better is just as rare. On the surface, Vava’u is a beautiful island, but you don’t need to scratch very deep to understand the dire situation.

Tonga has a rich Christian heritage, but the last couple centuries have seen a steep decline in true dedication to the Lord. Relationship has been replaced by religion. False teachings and a spreading cult have taken root and today a very small percentage of the country is truly serving the Lord. Tonga has a spiritual foundation and the Lord wants to bring this nation back to himself. Zack and Anna want to live and share the Gospel with the youth of Vava’u and provide them with the tools they need to be the leaders of tomorrow.