By Cindy
A small group of us made a third and final trip to Yatekun Village this past weekend. We left on Wednesday morning and stayed until Monday morning. Those on the trip included: Aaron, Kaela, Melia and I, Miswel, Martha and Stephanie (age 2), and Abu Iata.
In case you don’t remember, the Christians in Yatekun are: Tom and Margaret, and Tom’s sister-in-law, Meriam. All were baptized in August of this year.
Shortly after arriving I was thrilled and delighted to find that they had built a new outdoor toilet! Yea! The horrid stench of the previous one is a thing of the past and I was most grateful for it! And – as a bonus – the dried coconut leaves were placed in such a way that they made three very good walls (no more gaps!) and I at last felt that I had some bit of privacy when visiting the outhouse. There was not a forth wall, as the three-foot wide fourth side was open to the bush. Thankfully, it opened to a part of the bush that was not penetrable by human traffic…just a few chickens and the occasional dog or two!
Aaron ran studies on the book of Revelation in the morning and after lunch each day. Then, in the evening, after a short video for the “kids” (young and old) he showed a video on the book of Matthew, taking the time to answer several Bible questions that had been asked previously. On Saturday afternoon a group of about 10 Seventh Day Adventists came to ask questions. It would not seem that much was accomplished. They brought forth their typical verses in an effort to show that Christians today should still hold to the Sabbath Day. Aaron explained each verse clearly and calmly refuted their arguments. No one got upset, but after about an hour, seeing that they were not able to uphold their beliefs against New Testament scripture, they thanked Aaron for the opportunity to come and left. More often than not, these “debates” seem to be fruitless, as the people are so burdened by false teaching that they cannot see the truth no matter how clearly it is presented. However, as always, we are hopeful that at least a seed has been planted in one or two hearts that might one day lead someone to the Lord’s church.
It rained off and on all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but thankfully the rain was not so heavy that it hindered our activities. It was light rain for the most part and would just come and go all day. I was thankful for the rain for the simple fact that it was helping to fill up Tom and Margaret’s rainwater tank, as I knew we had to be using quite a bit of water with so many more mouths to feed, dishes and clothes to wash.
The local children managed to catch a small bird on Friday, and Melia and Kaela both were delighted by it and eager to hold it. However, as most often happens in the village, these birds are passed off to the smaller children who want so much to hold them, but have no idea how to be gentle. Eventually, the poor thing was just loved to death. Literally. Which brings me to my story about Melia. I had been resting in our little room when I heard Melia and Stephanie outside at the water tank. The water tank sat directly against the side wall of our room, so I could easily hear them. I wasn’t paying them much attention until I heard Melia chattering to Stephanie about how they were giving the birdie a bath! With dread, I ran out to check on them and sure enough they had filled a large dish about halfway and were “bathing” the bird, dunking it under the water over and over. Of course I was horrified! However, being as how I detest birds so very much (to the point that I refuse to touch them) and when you add that to the fact that it was dead, all I could to was stand there declaring that Melia stop bathing the bird at once, but could not bring myself to go over and take it from her. I just could not do it! Thankfully, Tom’s daughter, Estelle, was playing a short distance away and I called her over to come take the bird. Then, I made Melia wash and sanitize her hands and we had a talk about how we don’t give birds a bath no matter how dirty they are or how much fun it might be. Ugh. I still am unsure as to whether the bird was dead before the bath or after. If it wasn’t dead before the bath…the repeated dunking was sure to have finished it off!
Well, if that wasn’t bad enough. The next morning I got up, dressed, and start off for the toilet. However, I felt myself step on something kind of firm, but soft. Thinking it was a piece of mud on the ground, I looked back to find that even more decrepit-looking bird lying on the ground…featherless. Ugh. Thinking that I would psyche myself up, find a shovel, and take the initiative to go dump the thing in the bush, I went ahead and went to the toilet, then stopped off at the kitchen on my way back to say good morning to my friends. When I was approaching our house again, I noticed that the bird was gone. Upon entering the house I found Aaron kneeling down in front of Kaela giving her a good talking-to about why we don’t touch dead animals. Ugh. What is it with kids and dead animals?! First Melia and then Kaela. Well, thankfully, Aaron took care of the problem and we didn’t see that bird again the rest of the weekend.
Each day, either in the morning or afternoon, I got some water and washed a few of our clothes in a bucket. It wasn’t the easiest method of washing clothes, but it got the job done. Kaela and Melia’s clothes (and mine too, for that matter!) get so much dirtier in the village, so it is nice to be able to just fill a bucket, add some soap and set to scrubbing whenever we have need.
We had several visitors during our studies. And we are happy to say that two were baptized on Sunday after lunch. Antwan, who is Tom’s brother and Meriam’s husband (both whom are already Christians) had been thinking of being baptized for some time so we were pleased that he was ready to become a Christian. Also, Margaret’s sister, Ruth, was baptized, as well. There are a few others who came to the studies who expressed an interest in knowing more about the Lord’s church and we are praying that in the coming months the church in Yatekun will continue to grow.
You never know what it is going happen when you are living in the bush. On Sunday afternoon I went to the outhouse only to find a crab sitting by the hole. He was a rather good size and since I couldn’t pick him up for fear of getting pinched I used a stick and rolled him out of the toilet, up the hill to some waiting children. I thought they might throw him in a pan of boiling water and I’d get some fresh crab meat, but once again, the local children played with him until he was in pieces. Fabulous. Not to worry though, Martha found one of the legs sitting on a table, cracked it open and ate the meat…raw.
It was again a wonderful five days in Yatekun. We enjoyed our time with Tom and Margaret, Anwan and Meriam, for one last time. Margaret, Meriam, Martha and I had an especially nice time and we bonded well together, laughing and talking as we cooked meals (which we spent about 60% of our time doing) and got ready for Bible studies. Aaron thoroughly enjoyed his time with Tom and Miswel who are two men whom he counts as friends.
All in all it was an emotional visit because the whole time we were counting the days until Monday. We all knew that Monday would mean good-bye for Aaron and I. We are not certain when we will see these young Christians in Yatekun again. We hope and pray that we can make it back to check on them again next year. But, that is in the Lord’s timing.
At the sound of the transport truck coming to pick us up, the tears began to flow. I could not hold them back and neither could Meriam or Margaret. In reality we have spent little time together, but the bond we share in Christ, is solid and strong, joining our hearts even when our cultures separate us. I am now beginning to understand Paul’s anguish in leaving the people with whom he worked and studied with. I ache to think that these people who we have grown to love might lose hope and fall away because there is no one here to help them in their spiritual growth. And yet we cannot stay.
I am not exaggerating when I say that several times Meriam and Margaret thanked us for coming and teaching them the truth and about how to live the Christian life. I have passed on Bible studies and materials to them in hopes that it will aid them in their growth. But, each time as they are thanking me, I know in my heart and I tell them, it is not me. It is not Aaron. We aren’t special. We are not great. We just brought a message. And that message is what is special. And that message is what is great. We might have had a small part in their receiving it. But, we aren’t the ones who have changed their lives. On Saturday, as Meriam was telling me how much their lives have changed since they learned the truth and obeyed the gospel, I couldn’t help but feel awe. How perfect is the plan of God. To save souls and change lives. Its power works the same way in America as it does in Italy, as it does in Africa, as it does in Vanuatu. I am humbled that I have been able to be a small part of that.
As our tears were falling Monday morning and each of us was sobbing on the shoulder of the other, I prayed for them, my sisters in Christ. I prayed for them to be strong in the faith, for God to be with them until I can be with them again. How do you say good-bye when it feels like you have barely said hello? Riding home in the back of the truck sandwiched in between people and bags, I realized that this is all part of marching on. My heart was breaking, but the time has come to march on. God be with my brothers and sisters in Yatekun. I love them so.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Life in Crazytown
By Cindy
We are well aware that our blog has been sadly neglected in recent weeks. And for that we are sorry. This is due to the simple fact that time seems to be speeding by and Aaron and I are scrambling along behind, doing our best to keep up! The blog just happens to be one thing that gets pushed to the end of the list more often than not, with more pressing matters taking precedence over it. However, in the attempt to make up for lost time and update you on the goings on here in Tanna…here goes. Hang on to your hat.
The main reason I have found myself with extra time to write this is because some of our friends from Etas called us this morning at A QUARTER TO 5:00! They wanted to pass what I felt like was a not-so-urgent message to Abu Iata. And I guess they figured that since they were up before 5:00, we would be too! Why they couldn’t have waited a couple hours, I do not know. But, I’m not at all bitter about it…Ha!
Aaron’s teaching (Bible and Computers) at the RTC has been stepped up from four mornings a week from 7:30-9:00 to five mornings a week from 7:30-11:30. These are the last two weeks of school so we are now in cram-mode as the RTC is working to cram everything in before the school closing on November 30th. We are continuing our Sunday night small group study with Harry and Tess and also the mid-week Bible studies in Loun village. Only now, instead of studying on Thursday evenings, the study has moved to Wednesday during the day. We leave as soon as Aaron is finished teaching one of his RTC classes and walk 45 minutes to Loun, study for about an hour or so, then eat lunch and fellowship with the Christians. We try to head for home about 1:00pm because it takes about an hour to walk back, being as how it is slightly uphill on the way back and a much more tiring walk in the mid-day sun. By the time we reach home we are all four ready for a bit of rest!
In addition to all that, Aaron is also carrying the heavy weight of making our plans to move back to the USA. It is a stress on us trying to figure out how to make our Vanuatu work mesh together with a Stateside work, how much salary we will need to live on (which is bound to be different as a family of four than when we left seven years ago as a young couple with a small baby). We also have to figure out how much work fund we need to accomplish the work we want to do for the Vanuatu church and are fervently seeking congregations and individuals who will continue to stand with us in the Vanuatu work despite our change of address. If we wanted our lives to be easier, we would just chuck the Vanuatu plan and seek a local work that can provide our full income. However, we fully believe that we are in a position to fill a need for the church here and so we are willingly subjecting ourselves to the additional stress which comes with working out all of those details.
This week on Thursday the women from the Lorakau/Loun congregation (myself included) are taking a truck to town and having a picnic on the beach. This will be our first ever “planned” women’s fellowship and we are all looking forward to it! All the women are pitching in to pay the transport fee and we will take our food along, and swim in the ocean. Tess wants me to help her organize some games, so we will see what we come up with in the next two days! It will be a fun time though, and it is being held as kind of a special gathering because I am leaving soon.
After that, our family plus a few other Christians leave for Yatekun village in south Tanna next Wednesday. We will be there until Monday, holding Bible studies and working to encourage the three Christians that live in that village. If you recall, the church was started in that village in August. We will return on Monday the 28th.
As I said, the closing of the school is on November 30th (Wednesday) and there will also be a goodbye kakae meal for our family. It is sure to be an emotional time! Then, December 3rd (the Saturday following) is the goodbye kakae for our family given by the Lorakau/Loun congregation (more crying for me, I am sure!). And since I just won’t have cried enough…the very next day, December 4th, is the girl’s and my last Sunday in Tanna. Then, Monday morning we leave. Wow. I think I’m going to need a whole box of Kleenex or a giant handkerchief just to get through that last week!
We are well aware that our blog has been sadly neglected in recent weeks. And for that we are sorry. This is due to the simple fact that time seems to be speeding by and Aaron and I are scrambling along behind, doing our best to keep up! The blog just happens to be one thing that gets pushed to the end of the list more often than not, with more pressing matters taking precedence over it. However, in the attempt to make up for lost time and update you on the goings on here in Tanna…here goes. Hang on to your hat.
The main reason I have found myself with extra time to write this is because some of our friends from Etas called us this morning at A QUARTER TO 5:00! They wanted to pass what I felt like was a not-so-urgent message to Abu Iata. And I guess they figured that since they were up before 5:00, we would be too! Why they couldn’t have waited a couple hours, I do not know. But, I’m not at all bitter about it…Ha!
Aaron’s teaching (Bible and Computers) at the RTC has been stepped up from four mornings a week from 7:30-9:00 to five mornings a week from 7:30-11:30. These are the last two weeks of school so we are now in cram-mode as the RTC is working to cram everything in before the school closing on November 30th. We are continuing our Sunday night small group study with Harry and Tess and also the mid-week Bible studies in Loun village. Only now, instead of studying on Thursday evenings, the study has moved to Wednesday during the day. We leave as soon as Aaron is finished teaching one of his RTC classes and walk 45 minutes to Loun, study for about an hour or so, then eat lunch and fellowship with the Christians. We try to head for home about 1:00pm because it takes about an hour to walk back, being as how it is slightly uphill on the way back and a much more tiring walk in the mid-day sun. By the time we reach home we are all four ready for a bit of rest!
In addition to all that, Aaron is also carrying the heavy weight of making our plans to move back to the USA. It is a stress on us trying to figure out how to make our Vanuatu work mesh together with a Stateside work, how much salary we will need to live on (which is bound to be different as a family of four than when we left seven years ago as a young couple with a small baby). We also have to figure out how much work fund we need to accomplish the work we want to do for the Vanuatu church and are fervently seeking congregations and individuals who will continue to stand with us in the Vanuatu work despite our change of address. If we wanted our lives to be easier, we would just chuck the Vanuatu plan and seek a local work that can provide our full income. However, we fully believe that we are in a position to fill a need for the church here and so we are willingly subjecting ourselves to the additional stress which comes with working out all of those details.
This week on Thursday the women from the Lorakau/Loun congregation (myself included) are taking a truck to town and having a picnic on the beach. This will be our first ever “planned” women’s fellowship and we are all looking forward to it! All the women are pitching in to pay the transport fee and we will take our food along, and swim in the ocean. Tess wants me to help her organize some games, so we will see what we come up with in the next two days! It will be a fun time though, and it is being held as kind of a special gathering because I am leaving soon.
After that, our family plus a few other Christians leave for Yatekun village in south Tanna next Wednesday. We will be there until Monday, holding Bible studies and working to encourage the three Christians that live in that village. If you recall, the church was started in that village in August. We will return on Monday the 28th.
As I said, the closing of the school is on November 30th (Wednesday) and there will also be a goodbye kakae meal for our family. It is sure to be an emotional time! Then, December 3rd (the Saturday following) is the goodbye kakae for our family given by the Lorakau/Loun congregation (more crying for me, I am sure!). And since I just won’t have cried enough…the very next day, December 4th, is the girl’s and my last Sunday in Tanna. Then, Monday morning we leave. Wow. I think I’m going to need a whole box of Kleenex or a giant handkerchief just to get through that last week!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Back in the saddle…though a bit rough ridin’!
By: Cindy
We arrived back in Tanna to gray skies and heavy rains on Monday, October 5th at 11:30 am. Unfortunately, one of our bags didn’t make it on the flight. We were faced with a decision to make. Now that we don’t have a truck (we’ve sold it already), getting around is a bit more complicated. Because of the heavy weight of our bags plus three boxes, we really needed to charter the truck to our village. The downside of the chartered truck is twofold. 1) The hill up to Lorakau is bound to be a muddy mess. We have nicknamed that hill “Will Hill”, as in you’d better write your will before going on it (don’t tell my Mom!). 2) The bed of the chartered truck has no protection from the rain. The truck is a single-cab and while the girls and I are blessed to ride in front, our bags and boxes are sure to get soaked in the back. The airport promised that our bag would be on the flight the next morning. So, we considered staying the night in town at Pbles and Ruth’s house, get the bag the next morning, and then head home. But, all of us are anxious to get home. Plus, staying the night with the locals is something I like to prepare for beforehand (as my overwhelming need-to-plan quirk kicks in!), not something I want to do on the spur of the moment, if it can be helped. What to do? Aaron and I talked and debated our options and finally decided it would be best to just brave the rain and “Will Hill” in order to get home in the shortest amount of time.
After a short stop in town to refill our gas bottle, buy eggs, bread and noodles, we hit the road with Sasen, the man who drives the charter transport truck that makes the trip to our village. Sasen, apparently, has no qualms about the muddy hill (or he has a death wish!) and basically barreled his way up the hill, down the slippery roads all the way to our front door. I sat in front with Kaela and Melia, shut my eyes on the hill, praying fervently that we wouldn’t slide off the side. Thankfully, we didn’t. God granted us yet another safe journey home.
Despite the downpour, it was good to be home and back to the familiar faces of our village. Tess and Harry and their kids were glad to see us, all except Baby Ron-Jon, who cried at the sight of us. I guess it will take time (again) to win him over. Our boxes and bags were thoroughly soaked! While the girls re-acquainted themselves with our house, Aaron and I set to work drying off some of our belongings and hanging others from the rafters to dry. We weren’t able to dry things properly until the rain stopped and the sun came out, which wasn’t for two days.
It has been nice to be back, see the people, and get started again on our life here. However, we’ve had frustrations too. It is now Thursday and our bag still hasn’t made it here to Tanna – in fact no one seems to know where it is. And honestly, the possible loss of it is making me feel sick with sadness. It was my bag and I had some invaluable things in it: my two most frequently used Bibles (the one I use for studying and the smaller one that I cart with me everywhere), my Bible studies that I developed specifically for women with hand-drawn pictures to aid those that I study with who are illiterate. I do not have a copy of those studies and they will be a great loss. It also contained the hard copy of the current book I’m working on complete with my notes on corrections that I want to make, and also the packets of Bible class songs and lessons that I copied and put together for the women here. Not to mention, a handful of home school materials and books for Kaela. There were other things too – all replaceable - and their loss is of no great sorrow to me. However, the Bibles and study materials I have wept over – that may seem silly to some, but I put hours of work into those study materials and painstakingly made notes in my study Bible. And I just ache to have them lost. Not to mention the sentimental value – there was something comforting and nostalgic about opening my Bible to 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 13 and seeing the smudge of dirt on the page where I accidently dropped my Bible on the ground during a Wednesday evening Bible study in Etas way back in 2006.
I should probably stop writing about this. I’m depressing myself and maybe you, as well! I just wanted to share my sorrow over this loss.
The frustration of it all comes in that our efforts at locating this bag have been fruitless, thus far, as the airport employees would rather waste our time and phone credit passing us from one person to the next than deliver the bad news that my bag is indeed and officially lost! Customer service is a foreign concept here. In addition to that frustration, last week we put 10 boxes of Bible study materials, home school and household supplies, and food supply stock for the next two months on the ship to come to Tanna. We received word on Monday that the ship left Port Vila on time, got about halfway to Tanna, but had engine trouble so it turned around and went back to Vila. Apparently, they moved all the cargo for Tanna onto another ship that arrived on Wednesday. However, when Aaron checked on our cargo, it wasn’t there and is “supposedly” coming on the next trip. Responsibility taken for property on the ship is as sketchy and inept as the airport and we fear that these supplies will be lost, as well. They will also be a great loss to us and while most of it is replaceable in theory – it is only replaceable in Port Vila or the USA and most definitely not in Tanna! If the food supplies, particularly, don’t make it – that will cause us other problems, as any food we purchase in town has to be carried home on our backs each week.
I told Aaron this morning that “each day has enough trouble of its own” – and since this week each day seems to have about twice the amount that it should, then next week we ought to be smooth sailing!
Although we are enduring hardship right now, life will go on and we are putting forth the effort to make the best of it, so we can continue our work here in Tanna unhindered. In the meantime, we are fervently praying that we will see that bag and those boxes again soon!
We arrived back in Tanna to gray skies and heavy rains on Monday, October 5th at 11:30 am. Unfortunately, one of our bags didn’t make it on the flight. We were faced with a decision to make. Now that we don’t have a truck (we’ve sold it already), getting around is a bit more complicated. Because of the heavy weight of our bags plus three boxes, we really needed to charter the truck to our village. The downside of the chartered truck is twofold. 1) The hill up to Lorakau is bound to be a muddy mess. We have nicknamed that hill “Will Hill”, as in you’d better write your will before going on it (don’t tell my Mom!). 2) The bed of the chartered truck has no protection from the rain. The truck is a single-cab and while the girls and I are blessed to ride in front, our bags and boxes are sure to get soaked in the back. The airport promised that our bag would be on the flight the next morning. So, we considered staying the night in town at Pbles and Ruth’s house, get the bag the next morning, and then head home. But, all of us are anxious to get home. Plus, staying the night with the locals is something I like to prepare for beforehand (as my overwhelming need-to-plan quirk kicks in!), not something I want to do on the spur of the moment, if it can be helped. What to do? Aaron and I talked and debated our options and finally decided it would be best to just brave the rain and “Will Hill” in order to get home in the shortest amount of time.
After a short stop in town to refill our gas bottle, buy eggs, bread and noodles, we hit the road with Sasen, the man who drives the charter transport truck that makes the trip to our village. Sasen, apparently, has no qualms about the muddy hill (or he has a death wish!) and basically barreled his way up the hill, down the slippery roads all the way to our front door. I sat in front with Kaela and Melia, shut my eyes on the hill, praying fervently that we wouldn’t slide off the side. Thankfully, we didn’t. God granted us yet another safe journey home.
Despite the downpour, it was good to be home and back to the familiar faces of our village. Tess and Harry and their kids were glad to see us, all except Baby Ron-Jon, who cried at the sight of us. I guess it will take time (again) to win him over. Our boxes and bags were thoroughly soaked! While the girls re-acquainted themselves with our house, Aaron and I set to work drying off some of our belongings and hanging others from the rafters to dry. We weren’t able to dry things properly until the rain stopped and the sun came out, which wasn’t for two days.
It has been nice to be back, see the people, and get started again on our life here. However, we’ve had frustrations too. It is now Thursday and our bag still hasn’t made it here to Tanna – in fact no one seems to know where it is. And honestly, the possible loss of it is making me feel sick with sadness. It was my bag and I had some invaluable things in it: my two most frequently used Bibles (the one I use for studying and the smaller one that I cart with me everywhere), my Bible studies that I developed specifically for women with hand-drawn pictures to aid those that I study with who are illiterate. I do not have a copy of those studies and they will be a great loss. It also contained the hard copy of the current book I’m working on complete with my notes on corrections that I want to make, and also the packets of Bible class songs and lessons that I copied and put together for the women here. Not to mention, a handful of home school materials and books for Kaela. There were other things too – all replaceable - and their loss is of no great sorrow to me. However, the Bibles and study materials I have wept over – that may seem silly to some, but I put hours of work into those study materials and painstakingly made notes in my study Bible. And I just ache to have them lost. Not to mention the sentimental value – there was something comforting and nostalgic about opening my Bible to 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 13 and seeing the smudge of dirt on the page where I accidently dropped my Bible on the ground during a Wednesday evening Bible study in Etas way back in 2006.
I should probably stop writing about this. I’m depressing myself and maybe you, as well! I just wanted to share my sorrow over this loss.
The frustration of it all comes in that our efforts at locating this bag have been fruitless, thus far, as the airport employees would rather waste our time and phone credit passing us from one person to the next than deliver the bad news that my bag is indeed and officially lost! Customer service is a foreign concept here. In addition to that frustration, last week we put 10 boxes of Bible study materials, home school and household supplies, and food supply stock for the next two months on the ship to come to Tanna. We received word on Monday that the ship left Port Vila on time, got about halfway to Tanna, but had engine trouble so it turned around and went back to Vila. Apparently, they moved all the cargo for Tanna onto another ship that arrived on Wednesday. However, when Aaron checked on our cargo, it wasn’t there and is “supposedly” coming on the next trip. Responsibility taken for property on the ship is as sketchy and inept as the airport and we fear that these supplies will be lost, as well. They will also be a great loss to us and while most of it is replaceable in theory – it is only replaceable in Port Vila or the USA and most definitely not in Tanna! If the food supplies, particularly, don’t make it – that will cause us other problems, as any food we purchase in town has to be carried home on our backs each week.
I told Aaron this morning that “each day has enough trouble of its own” – and since this week each day seems to have about twice the amount that it should, then next week we ought to be smooth sailing!
Although we are enduring hardship right now, life will go on and we are putting forth the effort to make the best of it, so we can continue our work here in Tanna unhindered. In the meantime, we are fervently praying that we will see that bag and those boxes again soon!
Monday, August 29, 2011
15 Captivating (I am sure!) Blurbs about our Trip to Yatekun Village
General Blurbs
• We thought we would be taking a small campaign group (maybe 10 or 12 of us?) to Yatekun. There ended up being 30 of us all together! 10 from the Etas congregation came on the ship, 16 from the Lorokau/Loun congregation, plus our family of 4. What started out as a campaign trip took on more the feel of a family encampment. Good thing that in Vanuatu it is “the more the merrier”!
• The classes Aaron held each morning were excellent. And I was amazed again at how reasonable the Bible is when you study it. Heavy topics that are often confusing such as the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit today versus the 1st Century, are so easily understood when you apply basic logic as you study them from Scripture. I can see why the book of Acts puts a lot of emphasis on how Paul “reasoned” with people to bring them to an understanding of the truth.
• Our diet was basically the same for five days straight. Tea and crackers for breakfast, Rice and cabbage soup for lunch and dinner with either simboro (like laplap cabbage rolls) or a boiled root crop on the side.
• We were blessed with beautiful weather the whole 5 days of our trip! And every afternoon we were able to walk to the river to bathe (that water was COLD!) and to wash our clothes from the day before.
Wednesday Blurbs – Day 1
• For me, the best surprise was finding out that three of the women from the Etas congregation came on the ship to join us on our trip to Yatekun. I was absolutely thrilled (to tears) to see Leimawa, Nipina, and Iagan again!
• Back to Yatekun village means back to the “short” drop outhouse (I SO wish it were a long drop!) which was, again, a most unpleasant aspect of our visit due to its overpowering odor. As Aaron says, “The stench is like a punch in the face!”
Thursday Blurbs – Day 2
• After the Jule Miller DVD video one night, Aaron showed some pictures of our families back home in the USA. One of them was of my sister, Jill, and me. It happened to be a pic that made us look very much alike, enough that the people had a hard time telling us apart. I was touched when they finally figured it out and said, “The one on the left is ‘blong yumi’ (ours) and the one on the right is ‘blong olgeta’ (theirs).” There was something touching about my local friends taking ownership of me in that way, saying that I belong to them. I’m not sure if that makes sense to you all back home, but it put a lump in my throat just the same.
• On this night Kaela woke me up with the most urgent need to go to the toilet. I’m not a big fan of trips to the outhouse at night, but since she was nearly squirming with need, I had to go. However, in our haste, I forgot to grab the toilet paper. Now, on the cement floor of the outhouse there are coconut husks that have been broken open. Here’s an education for you…the locals use them as TP. Here Kaela was asking me what we were to do about TP and for some reason I thought picking up that coconut husk was a good idea. Only I had no clue how to use it as toilet paper! Which got me giggling to the point that I was laughing so hard I was crying. Kaela didn’t find it very funny, but as I tried to explain to her…I didn’t have the slightest idea how to use a coconut husk for TP on myself, let alone on her! Oh, the situations we find ourselves in sometimes! Hahahahaha!!!
Friday Blurbs – Day 3
• Great news! Tom (who Aaron has been studying with for several months) and his wife, Margaret were baptized this afternoon! The beginning of the church in Yatekun village!
• Sam (from the Etas congregation) impressed both Aaron and I in how much he has grown in the last year (and in the last 6 years). He did an excellent job of encouraging the people in Yatekun to listen to the message of the Word and obey it. He was a great evangelist!
Saturday Blurbs – Day 4
• This afternoon we had a wonderful and encouraging women’s program with devotional talks given by Mariana (Loun), Leimawa (Etas), and myself. I was most impressed with Mariana as this was her first time ever to speak to a group of women. She has only been a Christian about a month and she not only volunteered to give the talk, but also took the lead in giving the welcome talk – a responsibility that I was certain that would fall to my shoulders. I was delighted at how well she presented the material that she and I had worked on together (about the various - and many! - works of women in the church) and her willingness to step up and try something new!
Sunday Blurbs – Day 5
• Another great Lord’s Day! Miriam (who is married to Tom’s brother) was baptized after worship today. She has impressed me with her interest in studying the Bible and her desire to follow Christ since the time that I met her on our last trip in June. We are praying that it won’t be much longer before her husband, Antwan, decides to give his life to Christ, as well.
• Tess (Lorokau) took on the task of teaching the Children’s Bible class this morning. She and I had several talks as she was planning what she was going to teach. She hadn’t taught a children’s class for several years and was feeling a bit nervous about it all, but still willing to take on the job. She ended up doing a marvelous job and was very inventive in her visual aids – using a coconut with a face drawn on it as Goliath - because you can’t break the skin of coconut with a knife (similar to Golaith’s armor) and she used a susut (or gourd) as David because the skin was soft and easily damaged (like the young David). Very creative!
Monday Blurbs – Time to leave!
• We only had one particularly bad thing happen on the whole trip and that was that Sunday night Melia got sick (in our bed!) in the middle of the night and continued to vomit and have diarrhea through the night. Kaela came down with it Monday night after we were home. I got a touch (thankfully, just a touch!) of it on Monday night, as well. But, the girls have been battling the stomach flu for the last three days. Finally, things are beginning to dwindle down and hopefully we are on the road to recovery!
• We are praising God for the three souls who were saved in baptism during this trip to Yatekun. And almost as wonderful was the impact this trip has had on the members of the church in Lorokau/Loun and in Etas. It has drawn them closer together as a family and to the new members in Yatekun. It has pushed several of these young Christians to step up and teach and lead for the first time. This trip was an encouragement to all – making the stinky outhouse, the stomach flu, and the monotonous diet, well worth the time we spent there! We are thanking God for the increase!
• We thought we would be taking a small campaign group (maybe 10 or 12 of us?) to Yatekun. There ended up being 30 of us all together! 10 from the Etas congregation came on the ship, 16 from the Lorokau/Loun congregation, plus our family of 4. What started out as a campaign trip took on more the feel of a family encampment. Good thing that in Vanuatu it is “the more the merrier”!
• The classes Aaron held each morning were excellent. And I was amazed again at how reasonable the Bible is when you study it. Heavy topics that are often confusing such as the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit today versus the 1st Century, are so easily understood when you apply basic logic as you study them from Scripture. I can see why the book of Acts puts a lot of emphasis on how Paul “reasoned” with people to bring them to an understanding of the truth.
• Our diet was basically the same for five days straight. Tea and crackers for breakfast, Rice and cabbage soup for lunch and dinner with either simboro (like laplap cabbage rolls) or a boiled root crop on the side.
• We were blessed with beautiful weather the whole 5 days of our trip! And every afternoon we were able to walk to the river to bathe (that water was COLD!) and to wash our clothes from the day before.
Wednesday Blurbs – Day 1
• For me, the best surprise was finding out that three of the women from the Etas congregation came on the ship to join us on our trip to Yatekun. I was absolutely thrilled (to tears) to see Leimawa, Nipina, and Iagan again!
• Back to Yatekun village means back to the “short” drop outhouse (I SO wish it were a long drop!) which was, again, a most unpleasant aspect of our visit due to its overpowering odor. As Aaron says, “The stench is like a punch in the face!”
Thursday Blurbs – Day 2
• After the Jule Miller DVD video one night, Aaron showed some pictures of our families back home in the USA. One of them was of my sister, Jill, and me. It happened to be a pic that made us look very much alike, enough that the people had a hard time telling us apart. I was touched when they finally figured it out and said, “The one on the left is ‘blong yumi’ (ours) and the one on the right is ‘blong olgeta’ (theirs).” There was something touching about my local friends taking ownership of me in that way, saying that I belong to them. I’m not sure if that makes sense to you all back home, but it put a lump in my throat just the same.
• On this night Kaela woke me up with the most urgent need to go to the toilet. I’m not a big fan of trips to the outhouse at night, but since she was nearly squirming with need, I had to go. However, in our haste, I forgot to grab the toilet paper. Now, on the cement floor of the outhouse there are coconut husks that have been broken open. Here’s an education for you…the locals use them as TP. Here Kaela was asking me what we were to do about TP and for some reason I thought picking up that coconut husk was a good idea. Only I had no clue how to use it as toilet paper! Which got me giggling to the point that I was laughing so hard I was crying. Kaela didn’t find it very funny, but as I tried to explain to her…I didn’t have the slightest idea how to use a coconut husk for TP on myself, let alone on her! Oh, the situations we find ourselves in sometimes! Hahahahaha!!!
Friday Blurbs – Day 3
• Great news! Tom (who Aaron has been studying with for several months) and his wife, Margaret were baptized this afternoon! The beginning of the church in Yatekun village!
• Sam (from the Etas congregation) impressed both Aaron and I in how much he has grown in the last year (and in the last 6 years). He did an excellent job of encouraging the people in Yatekun to listen to the message of the Word and obey it. He was a great evangelist!
Saturday Blurbs – Day 4
• This afternoon we had a wonderful and encouraging women’s program with devotional talks given by Mariana (Loun), Leimawa (Etas), and myself. I was most impressed with Mariana as this was her first time ever to speak to a group of women. She has only been a Christian about a month and she not only volunteered to give the talk, but also took the lead in giving the welcome talk – a responsibility that I was certain that would fall to my shoulders. I was delighted at how well she presented the material that she and I had worked on together (about the various - and many! - works of women in the church) and her willingness to step up and try something new!
Sunday Blurbs – Day 5
• Another great Lord’s Day! Miriam (who is married to Tom’s brother) was baptized after worship today. She has impressed me with her interest in studying the Bible and her desire to follow Christ since the time that I met her on our last trip in June. We are praying that it won’t be much longer before her husband, Antwan, decides to give his life to Christ, as well.
• Tess (Lorokau) took on the task of teaching the Children’s Bible class this morning. She and I had several talks as she was planning what she was going to teach. She hadn’t taught a children’s class for several years and was feeling a bit nervous about it all, but still willing to take on the job. She ended up doing a marvelous job and was very inventive in her visual aids – using a coconut with a face drawn on it as Goliath - because you can’t break the skin of coconut with a knife (similar to Golaith’s armor) and she used a susut (or gourd) as David because the skin was soft and easily damaged (like the young David). Very creative!
Monday Blurbs – Time to leave!
• We only had one particularly bad thing happen on the whole trip and that was that Sunday night Melia got sick (in our bed!) in the middle of the night and continued to vomit and have diarrhea through the night. Kaela came down with it Monday night after we were home. I got a touch (thankfully, just a touch!) of it on Monday night, as well. But, the girls have been battling the stomach flu for the last three days. Finally, things are beginning to dwindle down and hopefully we are on the road to recovery!
• We are praising God for the three souls who were saved in baptism during this trip to Yatekun. And almost as wonderful was the impact this trip has had on the members of the church in Lorokau/Loun and in Etas. It has drawn them closer together as a family and to the new members in Yatekun. It has pushed several of these young Christians to step up and teach and lead for the first time. This trip was an encouragement to all – making the stinky outhouse, the stomach flu, and the monotonous diet, well worth the time we spent there! We are thanking God for the increase!
Notes from the Week
By: Cindy
• There has been a lot of wind this week. Things have cooled off again after a warm-ish week last week. However, with the wind comes the volcanic ash, and there is a layer of ash covering every available surface of our house. If I leave a paper sitting out, 5 minutes later it has a light sprinkling of little “gritties” all over it. My duster is really getting a workout!
• My morning cup of coffee is oh-so-satisfying now that we are enjoying cool temperatures! A nice change from the drink-sweat-drink-sweat routine in the hot season!
• The RTC school has been out for the entire month of July and we have been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with all the students being gone. Now I know how the town of York, NE felt when York College classes let out for the summer and we students left town!
• We found out this week that one of the first men Aaron studied with in Port Vila recently died from a heart attack. This sad news was compounded by the fact that this man saw the Truth, but was unwilling to go against his family in order to follow Christ. A tragedy in so many ways…
• I bought a dozen eggs last week only to find out that every single one was rotten. 600vatu ($6) down the tubes. What a waste! At the risk of looking like “the crazy white lady”, this week I took a cup with me when I went to buy eggs, filling it with water, and methodically testing each and every egg to see if it was good or bad. (Bad eggs float, good eggs sink) Thankfully, the man who owned the store was intrigued by what I was doing rather than offended! And I got me 12 good eggs for my effort!
On the way home Aaron and I were talking about the trick of putting eggs in water to tell if they are good or bad. He made the comment that it would make an interesting lesson to see how water is often used to separate the good from the bad. It was water that separated (and saved) Noah and his family from the evil people in the world, and water that is used to tell good eggs from bad, and water that is used to tell good seeds from bad seeds (the bad seeds float and the good seeds sink). And to take it one step further – it is water that God uses to wash away our sins as we touch the blood of Jesus in baptism. It is no wonder 1 Peter 3:21 says we have to “sink” to become Christians!
• There has been a lot of wind this week. Things have cooled off again after a warm-ish week last week. However, with the wind comes the volcanic ash, and there is a layer of ash covering every available surface of our house. If I leave a paper sitting out, 5 minutes later it has a light sprinkling of little “gritties” all over it. My duster is really getting a workout!
• My morning cup of coffee is oh-so-satisfying now that we are enjoying cool temperatures! A nice change from the drink-sweat-drink-sweat routine in the hot season!
• The RTC school has been out for the entire month of July and we have been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with all the students being gone. Now I know how the town of York, NE felt when York College classes let out for the summer and we students left town!
• We found out this week that one of the first men Aaron studied with in Port Vila recently died from a heart attack. This sad news was compounded by the fact that this man saw the Truth, but was unwilling to go against his family in order to follow Christ. A tragedy in so many ways…
• I bought a dozen eggs last week only to find out that every single one was rotten. 600vatu ($6) down the tubes. What a waste! At the risk of looking like “the crazy white lady”, this week I took a cup with me when I went to buy eggs, filling it with water, and methodically testing each and every egg to see if it was good or bad. (Bad eggs float, good eggs sink) Thankfully, the man who owned the store was intrigued by what I was doing rather than offended! And I got me 12 good eggs for my effort!
On the way home Aaron and I were talking about the trick of putting eggs in water to tell if they are good or bad. He made the comment that it would make an interesting lesson to see how water is often used to separate the good from the bad. It was water that separated (and saved) Noah and his family from the evil people in the world, and water that is used to tell good eggs from bad, and water that is used to tell good seeds from bad seeds (the bad seeds float and the good seeds sink). And to take it one step further – it is water that God uses to wash away our sins as we touch the blood of Jesus in baptism. It is no wonder 1 Peter 3:21 says we have to “sink” to become Christians!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Notes from the Week
By: Cindy
• There has been a lot of wind this week. Things have cooled off again after a warm-ish week last week. However, with the wind comes the volcanic ash, and there is a layer of ash covering every available surface of our house. If I leave a paper sitting out, 5 minutes later it has a light sprinkling of little “gritties” all over it. My duster is really getting a workout!
• My morning cup of coffee is oh-so-satisfying now that we are enjoying cool temperatures! A nice change from the drink-sweat-drink-sweat routine in the hot season!
• The RTC school has been out for the entire month of July and we have been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with all the students being gone. Now I know how the town of York, NE felt when York College classes let out for the summer and we students left town!
• We found out this week that one of the first men Aaron studied with in Port Vila recently died from a heart attack. This sad news was compounded by the fact that this man saw the Truth, but was unwilling to go against his family in order to follow Christ. A tragedy in so many ways…
• I bought a dozen eggs last week only to find out that every single one was rotten. 600vatu ($6) down the tubes. What a waste! At the risk of looking like “the crazy white lady”, this week I took a cup with me when I went to buy eggs, filling it with water, and methodically testing each and every egg to see if it was good or bad. (Bad eggs float, good eggs sink) Thankfully, the man who owned the store was intrigued by what I was doing rather than offended! And I got me 12 good eggs for my effort!
On the way home Aaron and I were talking about the trick of putting eggs in water to tell if they are good or bad. He made the comment that it would make an interesting lesson to see how water is often used to separate the good from the bad. It was water that separated (and saved) Noah and his family from the evil people in the world, and water that is used to tell good eggs from bad, and water that is used to tell good seeds from bad seeds (the bad seeds float and the good seeds sink). And to take it one step further – it is water that God uses to wash away our sins as we touch the blood of Jesus in baptism. It is no wonder 1 Peter 3:21 says we have to “sink” to become Christians!
• There has been a lot of wind this week. Things have cooled off again after a warm-ish week last week. However, with the wind comes the volcanic ash, and there is a layer of ash covering every available surface of our house. If I leave a paper sitting out, 5 minutes later it has a light sprinkling of little “gritties” all over it. My duster is really getting a workout!
• My morning cup of coffee is oh-so-satisfying now that we are enjoying cool temperatures! A nice change from the drink-sweat-drink-sweat routine in the hot season!
• The RTC school has been out for the entire month of July and we have been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with all the students being gone. Now I know how the town of York, NE felt when York College classes let out for the summer and we students left town!
• We found out this week that one of the first men Aaron studied with in Port Vila recently died from a heart attack. This sad news was compounded by the fact that this man saw the Truth, but was unwilling to go against his family in order to follow Christ. A tragedy in so many ways…
• I bought a dozen eggs last week only to find out that every single one was rotten. 600vatu ($6) down the tubes. What a waste! At the risk of looking like “the crazy white lady”, this week I took a cup with me when I went to buy eggs, filling it with water, and methodically testing each and every egg to see if it was good or bad. (Bad eggs float, good eggs sink) Thankfully, the man who owned the store was intrigued by what I was doing rather than offended! And I got me 12 good eggs for my effort!
On the way home Aaron and I were talking about the trick of putting eggs in water to tell if they are good or bad. He made the comment that it would make an interesting lesson to see how water is often used to separate the good from the bad. It was water that separated (and saved) Noah and his family from the evil people in the world, and water that is used to tell good eggs from bad, and water that is used to tell good seeds from bad seeds (the bad seeds float and the good seeds sink). And to take it one step further – it is water that God uses to wash away our sins as we touch the blood of Jesus in baptism. It is no wonder 1 Peter 3:21 says we have to “sink” to become Christians!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Some days are looonng….
By Cindy
On the mission field, as with most people’s lives, some days seem very short (most of them, actually) and some days are long. And some days are very, very long. Like today.
Our truck is sick and in need of a visit from Dr. Mechanic, so as Monday arrived and our need for supplies was evident, Aaron and I decided that we would make our first try for going to town without the convenience of a truck and with the girls in tow. We were up bright and early, ate our breakfast, packed our backpacks (I made both girls wear a backpack so they could be of help in carrying back our food stuffs), and headed off to town at 8:00. The weather was nice, breezy and cool so it made our bushwalk somewhat pleasant. The path was mostly cleared of brush so that was nice. And our only obstacles were a large hill to climb (Aaron carried Melia up it) and a log bridge that left much to be desired by way of a “safety rail”. But, we made it to the main road (at Tuhu Secondary School) 45 minutes later with no injuries and cheerful dispositions all around. We couldn’t ask for much more than that. We had hoped that finding a truck to take us the rest of the way to town would be a quick occurrence…but an hour later we were still waiting. So, we said a prayer and decided that if we didn’t find a truck by 10:30, we would head for home. By that time there would be no point in going to town. To clarify, it wasn’t that there were no trucks to be found. It was just that all the trucks that passed were packed full with people and not willing to add four more to the pile! At one point while we were waiting we were able to provide free entertainment to about 20 boys who were on break from their classes at the school. They literally stood about 5 feet from us and stared at us, chatting amongst themselves, until we left on the truck. We said friendly hellos to them when they first walked up, but they were too afraid to talk to us, so they just stared. It was like we were a sitcom! Thankfully, at 10:20 a truck came by with just enough room for the four of us, so we piled on and were headed to town.
One reason that we were so anxious to get to town today was because we were to meet Mariana at the market. She has been studying with us in Loun village on Thursday nights, along with several others. She told us she wanted to be baptized, so we agreed to meet in town and go to the ocean to baptize her. When we arrived at the market she and two other women from Loun were waiting, as they had decided to be baptized also. So, we are pleased to share that we have three new sisters in Christ: Mariana, Kumei, and Martha (who happens to be Miswel’s wife). The beginning of growth for the church in Loun village and a new life for these three women!
After the baptisms, Aaron and I and the girls headed off to find some lunch at a nearby “restaurant”. After lunch we completed our supply shopping and then Aaron and Kaela went to TVL to do emails, while Melia and I walked to the roundabout to wait for them. By this time it was about 1:15pm. Melia and I sat down on the grass and made ourselves comfortable for our wait, doing our best to ignore the stares from the people around us. “White people” sitting on the ground is such a foreign thing to the locals here that they looked at us like they just couldn’t believe their eyes. Melia and I waited and waited and waited and finally Aaron and Kaela showed up about 2:30pm.
I figured we would soon find a truck to take us back to Lorakau, but there just wasn’t one! Many trucks were passing by, but they weren’t going our direction. So, we continued waiting. While we were waiting some men who knew Aaron wanted him to “story” with them about Osama Bin Laden. People here are very intrigued to hear about him and it is Aaron’s least favorite topic to talk to them about. I told him last night that he ought to say, “I will tell you about Bin Laden for 10 minutes, if you will let me tell you about Jesus after that.” Anyway, we continued waiting and FINALLY a truck arrived at 3:45 that was going our direction and had room to spare. We hopped on and rode back to Tuhu School where we got off and began our bushwalk back home. Thankfully, the sun was beginning to set, so it wasn’t hot. However, we were all laden down with our supplies and the bags got very heavy after not too long. But, we had to keep trekking! We finally made it back home at almost 5:00pm. It had been a looonng day. It was a good day, though, and we were both pleased that the girls did so well walking and not complaining. As for Aaron and I, after carrying the majority of the weight and all, we were thoroughly exhausted. We came home, took our baths before the sun set completely, ate a quick dinner of fried eggs and bread with butter, and fell into bed at 7:00. Good night, sleep tight and don’t let the earwigs bite!
On the mission field, as with most people’s lives, some days seem very short (most of them, actually) and some days are long. And some days are very, very long. Like today.
Our truck is sick and in need of a visit from Dr. Mechanic, so as Monday arrived and our need for supplies was evident, Aaron and I decided that we would make our first try for going to town without the convenience of a truck and with the girls in tow. We were up bright and early, ate our breakfast, packed our backpacks (I made both girls wear a backpack so they could be of help in carrying back our food stuffs), and headed off to town at 8:00. The weather was nice, breezy and cool so it made our bushwalk somewhat pleasant. The path was mostly cleared of brush so that was nice. And our only obstacles were a large hill to climb (Aaron carried Melia up it) and a log bridge that left much to be desired by way of a “safety rail”. But, we made it to the main road (at Tuhu Secondary School) 45 minutes later with no injuries and cheerful dispositions all around. We couldn’t ask for much more than that. We had hoped that finding a truck to take us the rest of the way to town would be a quick occurrence…but an hour later we were still waiting. So, we said a prayer and decided that if we didn’t find a truck by 10:30, we would head for home. By that time there would be no point in going to town. To clarify, it wasn’t that there were no trucks to be found. It was just that all the trucks that passed were packed full with people and not willing to add four more to the pile! At one point while we were waiting we were able to provide free entertainment to about 20 boys who were on break from their classes at the school. They literally stood about 5 feet from us and stared at us, chatting amongst themselves, until we left on the truck. We said friendly hellos to them when they first walked up, but they were too afraid to talk to us, so they just stared. It was like we were a sitcom! Thankfully, at 10:20 a truck came by with just enough room for the four of us, so we piled on and were headed to town.
One reason that we were so anxious to get to town today was because we were to meet Mariana at the market. She has been studying with us in Loun village on Thursday nights, along with several others. She told us she wanted to be baptized, so we agreed to meet in town and go to the ocean to baptize her. When we arrived at the market she and two other women from Loun were waiting, as they had decided to be baptized also. So, we are pleased to share that we have three new sisters in Christ: Mariana, Kumei, and Martha (who happens to be Miswel’s wife). The beginning of growth for the church in Loun village and a new life for these three women!
After the baptisms, Aaron and I and the girls headed off to find some lunch at a nearby “restaurant”. After lunch we completed our supply shopping and then Aaron and Kaela went to TVL to do emails, while Melia and I walked to the roundabout to wait for them. By this time it was about 1:15pm. Melia and I sat down on the grass and made ourselves comfortable for our wait, doing our best to ignore the stares from the people around us. “White people” sitting on the ground is such a foreign thing to the locals here that they looked at us like they just couldn’t believe their eyes. Melia and I waited and waited and waited and finally Aaron and Kaela showed up about 2:30pm.
I figured we would soon find a truck to take us back to Lorakau, but there just wasn’t one! Many trucks were passing by, but they weren’t going our direction. So, we continued waiting. While we were waiting some men who knew Aaron wanted him to “story” with them about Osama Bin Laden. People here are very intrigued to hear about him and it is Aaron’s least favorite topic to talk to them about. I told him last night that he ought to say, “I will tell you about Bin Laden for 10 minutes, if you will let me tell you about Jesus after that.” Anyway, we continued waiting and FINALLY a truck arrived at 3:45 that was going our direction and had room to spare. We hopped on and rode back to Tuhu School where we got off and began our bushwalk back home. Thankfully, the sun was beginning to set, so it wasn’t hot. However, we were all laden down with our supplies and the bags got very heavy after not too long. But, we had to keep trekking! We finally made it back home at almost 5:00pm. It had been a looonng day. It was a good day, though, and we were both pleased that the girls did so well walking and not complaining. As for Aaron and I, after carrying the majority of the weight and all, we were thoroughly exhausted. We came home, took our baths before the sun set completely, ate a quick dinner of fried eggs and bread with butter, and fell into bed at 7:00. Good night, sleep tight and don’t let the earwigs bite!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Kaela’s Birthday
By Cindy
We celebrated Kaela’s 7th birthday this past Tuesday. Aaron and I knew that, compared to her fancy birthday party in the US last year, this year’s celebration might not seem as spectacular. We tried to “gently” prepare her for that ahead of time. At the same time, we wanted to try and make it a special day for her. So, Monday night after she and Melia had fallen asleep, Aaron and I hung some balloons and decorations to surprise her when she woke up in the morning. This was no easy feat to do quietly since she sleeps on the top bunk and her bed is about the same height as the dividing wall in our house. Kaela can basically peer over the wall at any time and see what is going on in the other room. And since we were hanging decorations about three feet from her, we wondered if she might wake up and catch us at our decorating. But, she didn’t!
Sure enough, she woke up on Tuesday morning surprised and excited over the decorations we had put up, especially the High School Musical napkins that were sitting out on the breakfast table. We let her open one of her presents at breakfast, some clothes and a little activity book from the Brandells. One of the dresses looks very much like a ballet dancing dress. Kaela loved it immediately and has worn it every day since her birthday. Soon I will have to confiscate it for washing!
On Monday, Abu Philip “Security”, had informed us that he and his wife wanted to come eat lunch with us and celebrate. I knew I could expect anywhere from 2-5 guests for lunch. Fortunately, I knew they would bring food with them, so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking for an unknown number of people. With the knowledge that Abu Security and family were coming for lunch, Aaron and I had to forewarn Kaela that they would likely make her a laplap and bring it as a gift. To say she was dismayed by the prospect is an understatement. Kaela tolerates laplap, but doesn’t love it the same way Melia does. Unfortunately, we had to tell her that she ought to expect a laplap or similar gift from anyone she had told that her birthday was on Tuesday. It is a difficult concept for her to understand. The idea that if she tells someone that her birthday is coming in the USA or in Port Vila she might be blessed to get a toy or some clothes for a present. However, in Tanna, things are different. People don’t have the money to run out and buy a little gift at a store and a trip to town is more complicated than simply hopping on a bus for 10 minutes to get to the store in which you want to go. So, people give food for gifts, more often than not. Therefore, we had to prepare Kaela for what to expect and remind her that even if you receive a gift that isn’t something you particularly like, you still have to receive it with a thankful heart and a smile for the person giving it to you.
Well, lunch time came. I prepared our lunch and not long after, Abu Security and his wife, Abu Yesweh, arrived with two of their small grandchildren. They brought some susut and noodle soup and a taro laplap. I dished up the plates for us all and we had just began to eat when another Abu woman (I can’t recall her name) arrived with her granddaughter and another taro laplap. So, I dished up their plates, as well. About 10 minutes later Tess arrived with Kowia, baby Ron-Jon, Sandy, and Patu…and some goopy-looking banana laplap. Needless to say, we had a lot of laplap! So, I dished up plates for all of them. Lina, our housegirl, and I kept having to run outside and wash plates and silverware because there wasn’t enough go around. Finally, the people had finished arriving. You recall that I was expecting 2-5 guests and we ended up with 11! Ah, such is life in Vanuatu! Even though I had shared some of the laplaps with our guests, there was still more left than I knew what to do with…and I really didn’t want get stuck with it (not that I wanted them to know that)! So, I quietly enquired of Lina what I ought to do with all of the extra laplap, since there was so much of it. She suggested that we divide it up and share it with those who had come to eat with us. So, I did and I am happy…no thrilled!...to tell you that I managed to give away every bit of that laplap! Aaron and I agreed that we really dodged the bullet on that one!
When lunch was finished, I brought out Kaela’s birthday cake. I had baked it down at Harry and Tess’ kitchen on their fire. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate-peanut butter frosting and it turned out quite tasty! It was only a 9x9 inch cake and I had to cut it in 20 pieces to make enough for all of us present (there were 16 of us), plus for several who were unable to make it to the party. So, you can imagine the size of the pieces! They were all quite small, but at least we each got a taste and I let Tess clean up the cake pan and all the crumbs. She was as delighted as a child over that prospect. Chocolate cake is a rarity in the bush and Tess loves chocolate cake, so I knew she would be very happy to clean up the pan!
We waited until after rest time (long after our guests had gone home) to open presents. Kaela was thrilled over all of her gifts. She most loved a small backpack she got that is black and white with butterfly designs all over it (all in white). The bag came with a set of 5 permanent fabric markers so she could color it any color she wanted. She loved that and set to work on it immediately. She also was happy to get her very first Bible. She loves to sit and read her Bible while we are holding Bible studies and such. She most loves the stories about Ehud and Aichan (for some reason) and has read the books of Esther and Ruth all the way through.
It was a good birthday for her and a nice day all together. It might not have been the most “conventional” birthday party for a 7-year-old, but she didn’t seem to be the least bit disappointed. Aaron and I were very proud of how well she just took it all in stride and ended up with a lovely birthday. As for Melia, she is already letting us know that her birthday is coming very soon, even though it is still 3 months away. She is just sure her turn for presents is right around the corner!
We celebrated Kaela’s 7th birthday this past Tuesday. Aaron and I knew that, compared to her fancy birthday party in the US last year, this year’s celebration might not seem as spectacular. We tried to “gently” prepare her for that ahead of time. At the same time, we wanted to try and make it a special day for her. So, Monday night after she and Melia had fallen asleep, Aaron and I hung some balloons and decorations to surprise her when she woke up in the morning. This was no easy feat to do quietly since she sleeps on the top bunk and her bed is about the same height as the dividing wall in our house. Kaela can basically peer over the wall at any time and see what is going on in the other room. And since we were hanging decorations about three feet from her, we wondered if she might wake up and catch us at our decorating. But, she didn’t!
Sure enough, she woke up on Tuesday morning surprised and excited over the decorations we had put up, especially the High School Musical napkins that were sitting out on the breakfast table. We let her open one of her presents at breakfast, some clothes and a little activity book from the Brandells. One of the dresses looks very much like a ballet dancing dress. Kaela loved it immediately and has worn it every day since her birthday. Soon I will have to confiscate it for washing!
On Monday, Abu Philip “Security”, had informed us that he and his wife wanted to come eat lunch with us and celebrate. I knew I could expect anywhere from 2-5 guests for lunch. Fortunately, I knew they would bring food with them, so I wouldn’t have to worry about cooking for an unknown number of people. With the knowledge that Abu Security and family were coming for lunch, Aaron and I had to forewarn Kaela that they would likely make her a laplap and bring it as a gift. To say she was dismayed by the prospect is an understatement. Kaela tolerates laplap, but doesn’t love it the same way Melia does. Unfortunately, we had to tell her that she ought to expect a laplap or similar gift from anyone she had told that her birthday was on Tuesday. It is a difficult concept for her to understand. The idea that if she tells someone that her birthday is coming in the USA or in Port Vila she might be blessed to get a toy or some clothes for a present. However, in Tanna, things are different. People don’t have the money to run out and buy a little gift at a store and a trip to town is more complicated than simply hopping on a bus for 10 minutes to get to the store in which you want to go. So, people give food for gifts, more often than not. Therefore, we had to prepare Kaela for what to expect and remind her that even if you receive a gift that isn’t something you particularly like, you still have to receive it with a thankful heart and a smile for the person giving it to you.
Well, lunch time came. I prepared our lunch and not long after, Abu Security and his wife, Abu Yesweh, arrived with two of their small grandchildren. They brought some susut and noodle soup and a taro laplap. I dished up the plates for us all and we had just began to eat when another Abu woman (I can’t recall her name) arrived with her granddaughter and another taro laplap. So, I dished up their plates, as well. About 10 minutes later Tess arrived with Kowia, baby Ron-Jon, Sandy, and Patu…and some goopy-looking banana laplap. Needless to say, we had a lot of laplap! So, I dished up plates for all of them. Lina, our housegirl, and I kept having to run outside and wash plates and silverware because there wasn’t enough go around. Finally, the people had finished arriving. You recall that I was expecting 2-5 guests and we ended up with 11! Ah, such is life in Vanuatu! Even though I had shared some of the laplaps with our guests, there was still more left than I knew what to do with…and I really didn’t want get stuck with it (not that I wanted them to know that)! So, I quietly enquired of Lina what I ought to do with all of the extra laplap, since there was so much of it. She suggested that we divide it up and share it with those who had come to eat with us. So, I did and I am happy…no thrilled!...to tell you that I managed to give away every bit of that laplap! Aaron and I agreed that we really dodged the bullet on that one!
When lunch was finished, I brought out Kaela’s birthday cake. I had baked it down at Harry and Tess’ kitchen on their fire. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate-peanut butter frosting and it turned out quite tasty! It was only a 9x9 inch cake and I had to cut it in 20 pieces to make enough for all of us present (there were 16 of us), plus for several who were unable to make it to the party. So, you can imagine the size of the pieces! They were all quite small, but at least we each got a taste and I let Tess clean up the cake pan and all the crumbs. She was as delighted as a child over that prospect. Chocolate cake is a rarity in the bush and Tess loves chocolate cake, so I knew she would be very happy to clean up the pan!
We waited until after rest time (long after our guests had gone home) to open presents. Kaela was thrilled over all of her gifts. She most loved a small backpack she got that is black and white with butterfly designs all over it (all in white). The bag came with a set of 5 permanent fabric markers so she could color it any color she wanted. She loved that and set to work on it immediately. She also was happy to get her very first Bible. She loves to sit and read her Bible while we are holding Bible studies and such. She most loves the stories about Ehud and Aichan (for some reason) and has read the books of Esther and Ruth all the way through.
It was a good birthday for her and a nice day all together. It might not have been the most “conventional” birthday party for a 7-year-old, but she didn’t seem to be the least bit disappointed. Aaron and I were very proud of how well she just took it all in stride and ended up with a lovely birthday. As for Melia, she is already letting us know that her birthday is coming very soon, even though it is still 3 months away. She is just sure her turn for presents is right around the corner!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Pics from So. Tanna Trip
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| Our family at the beautiful black sand beach in SW Tanna |
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| Kaela and Melia enjoying the waves crashing on the beach |
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| Kaela and Ron Jon during a ceremony to celebrate Ron Jon's ability to sit up on his own. |
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| Our envoy to SW Tanna to preach in Yatekun village: L to R - Sam, Miswel and Iata |
Never Wish for Exercise…
By: Cindy
You just might get it! Yesterday I taught the girls in homeschool in the morning, ate lunch, and then taught my Women’s Bible Study after lunch in our front yard. I had been sitting for most of the day and was starting to feel like I needed to get out and get some exercise. It was 3:30 when I told Aaron that I was headed to deliver some seed corn to Yawilum. I knew I would pass by Elizabeth and Rachel’s houses on the way, so I took a few capsicum (peppers) to share with them. I also knew that at 4:00 I needed to be back to cook dinner for Aaron and Kaela to take with them to Loun village for the video Bible study. So, I figured that gave me 5 minutes to get to their house plus 25 minutes extra because nothing in Vanuatu takes 5 minutes! As I started out on my walk I thought to myself, “I feel like I need some exercise. Maybe I will walk there and run back, just for exercise sake.”
When I arrived at Yawilum’s house I found that she wasn’t there, but Elizabeth and Rachel were just a short distance away so I walked over to say hello and give them the capsicum. I hadn’t seen either of them for a couple of weeks. Rachel apologized to me for not bringing me any food lately (which she seems to feel obligated to do, even though I’ve told her countless times that it isn’t necessary. I think I need a sign on my front door that says, “Gifts of food are not a prerequisite for coming to this house”). But, that is just the way it is in Vanuatu, so when Rachel wanted to take me to her garden and dig some kumala (sweet potatoes) for me, I didn’t argue, even though I doubted that her garden was as, “Close-up! Close-up!” as she said it was.
As I figured, it wasn’t close at all. She grabbed her bush knife (machete) and set off at a brisk pace through the bush with me stumbling along over tree roots, muddy patches, sticks and vines, doing my best to keep up. 10 minutes and 2 log bridges later we arrived at her kumala garden where she dug me several kumala. Then, she insisted that I needed some white bone cabbage too. So, we set off uphill for her cabbage garden. I was almost jogging to keep up with her! After cutting the cabbage she was certain that I needed some lettuce as well, so we headed up the hill again where she cut me some lettuce. By this time I had told her I needed to get back because I knew if I didn’t say something she’d want to race over to some other far off part of her garden. So, we headed back down the hill where she stopped to pick up a 4 ft. log for firewood while I carried two arm loads of vegetables. Rachel was fairly skipping down the hill with this huge chunk of wood on her shoulders, picking up speed as she went, while I was huffing and puffing behind her, trying my best not to slip and fall all the way down.
To make a long story short…er - I finally reached home at exactly 4:02pm, my legs shaking from the unexpected exertion and working to catch my breath. I said I wanted some exercise – well I got it!
You just might get it! Yesterday I taught the girls in homeschool in the morning, ate lunch, and then taught my Women’s Bible Study after lunch in our front yard. I had been sitting for most of the day and was starting to feel like I needed to get out and get some exercise. It was 3:30 when I told Aaron that I was headed to deliver some seed corn to Yawilum. I knew I would pass by Elizabeth and Rachel’s houses on the way, so I took a few capsicum (peppers) to share with them. I also knew that at 4:00 I needed to be back to cook dinner for Aaron and Kaela to take with them to Loun village for the video Bible study. So, I figured that gave me 5 minutes to get to their house plus 25 minutes extra because nothing in Vanuatu takes 5 minutes! As I started out on my walk I thought to myself, “I feel like I need some exercise. Maybe I will walk there and run back, just for exercise sake.”
When I arrived at Yawilum’s house I found that she wasn’t there, but Elizabeth and Rachel were just a short distance away so I walked over to say hello and give them the capsicum. I hadn’t seen either of them for a couple of weeks. Rachel apologized to me for not bringing me any food lately (which she seems to feel obligated to do, even though I’ve told her countless times that it isn’t necessary. I think I need a sign on my front door that says, “Gifts of food are not a prerequisite for coming to this house”). But, that is just the way it is in Vanuatu, so when Rachel wanted to take me to her garden and dig some kumala (sweet potatoes) for me, I didn’t argue, even though I doubted that her garden was as, “Close-up! Close-up!” as she said it was.
As I figured, it wasn’t close at all. She grabbed her bush knife (machete) and set off at a brisk pace through the bush with me stumbling along over tree roots, muddy patches, sticks and vines, doing my best to keep up. 10 minutes and 2 log bridges later we arrived at her kumala garden where she dug me several kumala. Then, she insisted that I needed some white bone cabbage too. So, we set off uphill for her cabbage garden. I was almost jogging to keep up with her! After cutting the cabbage she was certain that I needed some lettuce as well, so we headed up the hill again where she cut me some lettuce. By this time I had told her I needed to get back because I knew if I didn’t say something she’d want to race over to some other far off part of her garden. So, we headed back down the hill where she stopped to pick up a 4 ft. log for firewood while I carried two arm loads of vegetables. Rachel was fairly skipping down the hill with this huge chunk of wood on her shoulders, picking up speed as she went, while I was huffing and puffing behind her, trying my best not to slip and fall all the way down.
To make a long story short…er - I finally reached home at exactly 4:02pm, my legs shaking from the unexpected exertion and working to catch my breath. I said I wanted some exercise – well I got it!
Friday, July 1, 2011
How Shall the Young Secure their Hearts?
By: Cindy
Well, after several weeks of unforeseen delay (“Island time” strikes again), I FINALLY had my first Sunday morning Bible class for young girls ages 13 on up. I think I’ve had my lesson prepared for about two months! So, needless to say, I was happy that I was finally able to present it.
I’ve decided to take the girls on a study of the Proverbs and focus on some practical things they can do in their everyday life. This introductory class focused on the importance of thinking about what they really want out of life and how their decisions now will directly impact those goals.
We read from Proverbs 3:1-8 and then I made a lesson application about the life of a young girl. I talked about how every day we are presented with decisions and we have two choices – to follow our own wants and desires or to think about what God would have us do. In my application of this fictional girl I touched on what her choices are regarding attending church with her parents, what she might do if a friend offered her a beer, what she might do if she meets a boy she really likes and how she ought to conduct herself within that relationship before they are married. It really hit home when I showed how she finds herself pregnant and, as is all to common in Vanuatu, the daddy “runs away”, leaving her with a baby and no help or support…and then he goes and finds himself another girl. It was amazing (and sad) how the girls in my class reacted to this…they have all seen this within their own family and friends, probably more than once. Once I brought up the subject they all started whispering names to each other. (In Port Vila hospital, statistics show that 3 out of 4 babies are born to young women with no “man”.) Anyway, I tried to just show them how their decisions now can affect their lives in the future. I urged them to think about how long they want to go to school (in Vanuatu it is up to the individual student), what work they might want to do as an adult, and what kind of man they want to marry. I hope it made an impact and I look forward to my class this coming Sunday on choosing your friends wisely.
Side Notes
We are FREEZING here in Tanna…okay, it may not be sub-zero weather, but 60 degrees with high humidity feels pretty chilly on our skin. In the day we are wearing long pants, jackets and socks. And at night we pile on the clothes and burrow under our wool blankets and quilts for warmth! It’s the last week of June and the locals are saying, “If you think this is cold, just wait until July”!
If there is any congregation looking for a benevolence project, the women here could really use some used undergarments. Two years ago a congregation in the States gathered up and donated three boxes of used women’s bras and underwear and it was a major hit with the locals. Most people’s undergarments are threadbare and filled with holes, but as long as they will hold together, they keep wearing them. People wear things here LONG after you and I would toss them in the trash. If anyone is interested in donating undergarments they no longer wear, this is a real need. FYI - Married women in Tanna do not wear bras, only teenage girls do (they really like sports bras). Tank tops, however, are popular with many women. And underwear is needed by women of all ages and sizes. So, that is the need. Do with it what you will. :o) Have a great week!
Well, after several weeks of unforeseen delay (“Island time” strikes again), I FINALLY had my first Sunday morning Bible class for young girls ages 13 on up. I think I’ve had my lesson prepared for about two months! So, needless to say, I was happy that I was finally able to present it.
I’ve decided to take the girls on a study of the Proverbs and focus on some practical things they can do in their everyday life. This introductory class focused on the importance of thinking about what they really want out of life and how their decisions now will directly impact those goals.
We read from Proverbs 3:1-8 and then I made a lesson application about the life of a young girl. I talked about how every day we are presented with decisions and we have two choices – to follow our own wants and desires or to think about what God would have us do. In my application of this fictional girl I touched on what her choices are regarding attending church with her parents, what she might do if a friend offered her a beer, what she might do if she meets a boy she really likes and how she ought to conduct herself within that relationship before they are married. It really hit home when I showed how she finds herself pregnant and, as is all to common in Vanuatu, the daddy “runs away”, leaving her with a baby and no help or support…and then he goes and finds himself another girl. It was amazing (and sad) how the girls in my class reacted to this…they have all seen this within their own family and friends, probably more than once. Once I brought up the subject they all started whispering names to each other. (In Port Vila hospital, statistics show that 3 out of 4 babies are born to young women with no “man”.) Anyway, I tried to just show them how their decisions now can affect their lives in the future. I urged them to think about how long they want to go to school (in Vanuatu it is up to the individual student), what work they might want to do as an adult, and what kind of man they want to marry. I hope it made an impact and I look forward to my class this coming Sunday on choosing your friends wisely.
Side Notes
We are FREEZING here in Tanna…okay, it may not be sub-zero weather, but 60 degrees with high humidity feels pretty chilly on our skin. In the day we are wearing long pants, jackets and socks. And at night we pile on the clothes and burrow under our wool blankets and quilts for warmth! It’s the last week of June and the locals are saying, “If you think this is cold, just wait until July”!
If there is any congregation looking for a benevolence project, the women here could really use some used undergarments. Two years ago a congregation in the States gathered up and donated three boxes of used women’s bras and underwear and it was a major hit with the locals. Most people’s undergarments are threadbare and filled with holes, but as long as they will hold together, they keep wearing them. People wear things here LONG after you and I would toss them in the trash. If anyone is interested in donating undergarments they no longer wear, this is a real need. FYI - Married women in Tanna do not wear bras, only teenage girls do (they really like sports bras). Tank tops, however, are popular with many women. And underwear is needed by women of all ages and sizes. So, that is the need. Do with it what you will. :o) Have a great week!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Weekend in Yatekun (Yah-te-koon)
By: Cindy
This is a long blog entry…but, worth the time in reading it. Give it 10 minutes and I promise you will be encouraged by the story of our weekend with this amazing group of people. You might even laugh some too!
Wow. What a weekend. Unlike any other we have ever experienced in our lives. Aaron described it as a “jaw-dropping” weekend. Jaw-dropping on the part of the local people as they received a message of Christ and His church that they had never heard before. Jaw-dropping for us as we witnessed a hunger and thirst for the truth of the Word like we have never seen before.
On Sunday of last week Aaron sent a text to Tom, who he has been studying with for some time. You might recognize him as “Thomas” who walks four hours each Friday to Lenakel town to study with Aaron. Come to find out that “Thomas” is really named Tom and in true Vanuatu style just never bothered to correct Aaron regarding his name. I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to us – and we might bother to feel stupid for calling someone by the wrong name for so long, however, if they are too embarrassed to correct us then so be it. Oh my Vanuatu!
Anyway, Aaron sent the text to Tom on Sunday and Tom received it on Tuesday. How did he receive it? By turning on his phone? No...that would be too easy. Tom doesn’t get service at his home in Yaetukun so in order to get cell phone service he has to either walk two hours to get it or climb a large breadfruit tree right outside his house. You can guess which one is more convenient. Although, climbing a breadfruit tree is no easy task, I can imagine!
At any rate, we met Tom in town on Friday morning and he showed us the way to his village. In addition to our family of four, we also had Abu Yata and Miswel accompanying us on the trip (as they have the benefit of speaking the local language), and another man, Sam, who is not a Christian yet, but has been studying with us for several months. Along the way, we stopped to spend some time at the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen! The grains of sand were soft, fine, rich black in color and glittered in the sun like someone had cast thousands of tiny diamonds in among them. Breathtaking! The girls played in the ocean and the sand while the rest of us watched. Aaron and Tom went through their regular Friday Bible study. Then, we hit the road again for Yaetukun arriving in the afternoon. We spent the rest of Friday afternoon meeting various members of Tom’s family and just relaxing and getting to know them. Tom is married to a woman named Margaret and they have 3 girls with a baby on the way…hoping for a boy, of course!
On the “property” where Tom lives is his house, two outdoor kitchens (a large and small), an outhouse, a small bamboo-walled church building and a small open-air “dining” house (for lack of a better description). I’m pretty sure we are the only people that have ever “dined” there, though.
Tom and Margaret’s house is a good size with a hard-packed dirt floor in the entryway and then elevated bamboo flooring in the four small rooms and a tin roof. Aaron and I and the girls slept in one of the rooms (Aaron, Melia and I sharing our mattress with Kaela on a small pad next to us). Our beds took up the entirety of the space, if that helps to imagine the size of the room. Abu Iata slept in the smaller room next to us. Misuel and Sam slept in the room across from us, and the fourth room was an interesting conglomeration of wadded up clothing, bags, household goods and a guitar. Tom and his family slept in the smaller of the outdoor kitchens (which is not uncommon when people have family visiting – for people to sleep in the kitchen).
We ate our meals in the “dining” house each day and though I tried several times to get Margaret to serve the men first and then the rest of us, she insisted on serving our family first – at the table. I tried to get her to let me eat in the kitchen with a couple of the women, but she would have nothing of it. (Sigh). I dislike being set apart like that. But, it is the Vanuatu way and there isn’t much you can do about it. Next time, though (I’m already plotting and planning!), I will tell her that I am no longer a guest because I have been there before and hopefully, she will give in let me wait to eat with the women!
Each afternoon we walked about 20 minutes to a river for our baths. The water was an ice-cold shock to the system, especially since we never made it there until the sun was starting to go down. This time of year, once the sun starts setting the temperature drops – not that it is cold, but the cooler temps combined with the icy water….and brrrr!!!!! Melia bawled every time because she didn’t want to get washed with cold water. Kaela shivered along with all the other kids and had a grand time swimming in the shallow pool among the rocks. In case I forget to say it later, Kaela and Melia both did wonderfully on this trip! They played and explored right along with the local children only a couple hours after meeting them. We were very proud of how well they did adjusting to things being different.
I had a Bible study with the women on Saturday afternoon directly after lunch. I taught on Mary and Martha and the importance of taking time for what is truly important. I also took that opportunity to encourage the women to attend all of the studies over the weekend. One of the women asked for advice on raising children. I answered it, directing them to several scriptures that might give them some guidance. But, when I finished, I still felt like I had short-changed them! There is just no good way to cover that topic in a matter of ten minutes! My time was about up because Aaron really needed to get started on his next study. Afterwards, I kept thinking, “Oh! I should have said that!” And “Oh! I forgot to mention this”. Oh well. The funny thing about the little church building is that the pulpit is built up on this mound of dirt that looks exactly like a freshly filled grave. It struck me as kind of funny for some reason…
It wasn’t long after arriving that nature called and so I trekked my way to the outhouse. I’ve been in many an outhouse in Vanuatu, but I have to say this one ranks at the very bottom of the list. It may technically be a “long drop” toilet, but let me tell you the “drop” is NOT long enough! Not even two layers of clothing could stifle the stench coming up from that hole in the ground. Wow. Not only that, but the “walls” left much to be desired. Three of the walls were made of dried coconut branches lined up next to each other. Only they weren’t layered very well and there were large gaps between the leaves. The fourth wall was made of corrugated steel that was so rusted that there were 4-5 inch holes in it in places. The whole experience left me feeling as though someone was going to get the surprise of their life if ever they got close enough while I was in it. Gaps in the outhouse walls may not be a big problem if you are blessed to have the color of skin that blends in with the outdoor surroundings. However, it becomes a big problem when you feel like your snowy white backside is shining like a beacon for all to see! Those two problems combined and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
At Tom’s house there was also this pig that was always meandering around looking for food to eat. Only it had a problem, two problems, really. It didn’t oink normal. Its noise was more like a, “Grunt-grunt-grunt-squeak! Grunt-grunt-grunt-squeak!” It was the funniest thing to hear. And then, it often had breathing problems and chose the most inopportune moments to have an attack. This is the first time Aaron’s preaching has ever been interrupted by a hyperventilating pig!
The reason there is a church building on Tom’s property is because he is the preacher for a small congregation that is part of a church called “The Upper Room”. Essentially, a man from Vanuatu came and taught Tom and his extended family and persuaded them to join this church. And then left them with promises to send building supplies and come for more training. To no avail. So, for a couple of years now Tom has felt a dissatisfaction with this man and the church that he has been a part of. Last year in April when the campaign group came, Aaron and Mike Green (from the USA) both preached at the market in Lenakel. Margaret heard the preaching and told Tom to get Aaron’s number and get him to come teach him. To make a long story short, after going back to Port Vila, our furlough to the USA, coming back to Port Vila and moving to Tanna, Aaron was finally able to make good on his promise to teach Tom. So, they have been studying since our arrival in Tanna. Tom has proved to be a dedicated student of the Word and has taken the outlines that Aaron taught him each week and preached them each Sunday to the Upper Room congregation. And the congregation noticed. He told us that several people asked him about his sermons because they noticed a difference in what he was preaching – that there was meat to his sermons and not just the spiritual fluff that is so common here in Vanuatu. Now, after six months, at Tom’s invitation we made our first trip to Iaekutun.
Each day was amazing. The members of the congregation, all Tom’s extended family, were interested and excited about the things they were hearing. Aaron taught on Saturday morning and afternoon, and twice again on Sunday. Each time the study sessions lasted for 2-3 hours. What was jaw-dropping for us was to see how much these people were yearning to hear the truth. And they weren’t satisfied with just a little bit – they wanted it all! Several times Aaron tried to wrap up his studies after about an hour and a half, thinking that the people might need a break. And each time they continued to ask questions. Finally on Saturday afternoon, Tom’s brother, Antwan, said something that brought tears to my eyes. Aaron suggested, after two hours of studying, that they might want to take a break. But, Antwan spoke up and said, “No, we don’t want to stop. This is our chance. I don’t know about tomorrow, what will happen. But, you are here now. This is a good study. The answers are clear and we want to know more. This is our chance.” Never before have I heard someone request to continue on in their studying when they could have taken a break. And let me tell you those backless log benches were a FAR cry from padded pews! Those people saw something precious that they had never heard before. Most of them have been part of at least three different denominations in the past, but they saw something different in what Aaron was teaching them. They saw the truth in its purest form. It wasn’t just someone up there telling them what to believe and what to do. It was someone showing them from the Word what is right and true and giving them the choice to accept it or not. It is amazing when you see the Word doing its work right before your very eyes – what a powerful thing!
We left them Monday morning with a promise and plans to return in early August. The men of the congregation have made a decision to change their worship practices after seeing the pattern of worship that the New Testament church held to. They expressed a desire to leave behind the things they have done in the past and begin to take hold of what is before them. That will take some time. They weren’t ready to be baptized into Christ yet, although the invitation was extended to them. But, we are confident that in the very near future they will be ready to take that most important soul-saving step, as well.
Please pray for the people and our work in Yaetukun!
This is a long blog entry…but, worth the time in reading it. Give it 10 minutes and I promise you will be encouraged by the story of our weekend with this amazing group of people. You might even laugh some too!
Wow. What a weekend. Unlike any other we have ever experienced in our lives. Aaron described it as a “jaw-dropping” weekend. Jaw-dropping on the part of the local people as they received a message of Christ and His church that they had never heard before. Jaw-dropping for us as we witnessed a hunger and thirst for the truth of the Word like we have never seen before.
On Sunday of last week Aaron sent a text to Tom, who he has been studying with for some time. You might recognize him as “Thomas” who walks four hours each Friday to Lenakel town to study with Aaron. Come to find out that “Thomas” is really named Tom and in true Vanuatu style just never bothered to correct Aaron regarding his name. I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to us – and we might bother to feel stupid for calling someone by the wrong name for so long, however, if they are too embarrassed to correct us then so be it. Oh my Vanuatu!
Anyway, Aaron sent the text to Tom on Sunday and Tom received it on Tuesday. How did he receive it? By turning on his phone? No...that would be too easy. Tom doesn’t get service at his home in Yaetukun so in order to get cell phone service he has to either walk two hours to get it or climb a large breadfruit tree right outside his house. You can guess which one is more convenient. Although, climbing a breadfruit tree is no easy task, I can imagine!
At any rate, we met Tom in town on Friday morning and he showed us the way to his village. In addition to our family of four, we also had Abu Yata and Miswel accompanying us on the trip (as they have the benefit of speaking the local language), and another man, Sam, who is not a Christian yet, but has been studying with us for several months. Along the way, we stopped to spend some time at the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen! The grains of sand were soft, fine, rich black in color and glittered in the sun like someone had cast thousands of tiny diamonds in among them. Breathtaking! The girls played in the ocean and the sand while the rest of us watched. Aaron and Tom went through their regular Friday Bible study. Then, we hit the road again for Yaetukun arriving in the afternoon. We spent the rest of Friday afternoon meeting various members of Tom’s family and just relaxing and getting to know them. Tom is married to a woman named Margaret and they have 3 girls with a baby on the way…hoping for a boy, of course!
On the “property” where Tom lives is his house, two outdoor kitchens (a large and small), an outhouse, a small bamboo-walled church building and a small open-air “dining” house (for lack of a better description). I’m pretty sure we are the only people that have ever “dined” there, though.
Tom and Margaret’s house is a good size with a hard-packed dirt floor in the entryway and then elevated bamboo flooring in the four small rooms and a tin roof. Aaron and I and the girls slept in one of the rooms (Aaron, Melia and I sharing our mattress with Kaela on a small pad next to us). Our beds took up the entirety of the space, if that helps to imagine the size of the room. Abu Iata slept in the smaller room next to us. Misuel and Sam slept in the room across from us, and the fourth room was an interesting conglomeration of wadded up clothing, bags, household goods and a guitar. Tom and his family slept in the smaller of the outdoor kitchens (which is not uncommon when people have family visiting – for people to sleep in the kitchen).
We ate our meals in the “dining” house each day and though I tried several times to get Margaret to serve the men first and then the rest of us, she insisted on serving our family first – at the table. I tried to get her to let me eat in the kitchen with a couple of the women, but she would have nothing of it. (Sigh). I dislike being set apart like that. But, it is the Vanuatu way and there isn’t much you can do about it. Next time, though (I’m already plotting and planning!), I will tell her that I am no longer a guest because I have been there before and hopefully, she will give in let me wait to eat with the women!
Each afternoon we walked about 20 minutes to a river for our baths. The water was an ice-cold shock to the system, especially since we never made it there until the sun was starting to go down. This time of year, once the sun starts setting the temperature drops – not that it is cold, but the cooler temps combined with the icy water….and brrrr!!!!! Melia bawled every time because she didn’t want to get washed with cold water. Kaela shivered along with all the other kids and had a grand time swimming in the shallow pool among the rocks. In case I forget to say it later, Kaela and Melia both did wonderfully on this trip! They played and explored right along with the local children only a couple hours after meeting them. We were very proud of how well they did adjusting to things being different.
I had a Bible study with the women on Saturday afternoon directly after lunch. I taught on Mary and Martha and the importance of taking time for what is truly important. I also took that opportunity to encourage the women to attend all of the studies over the weekend. One of the women asked for advice on raising children. I answered it, directing them to several scriptures that might give them some guidance. But, when I finished, I still felt like I had short-changed them! There is just no good way to cover that topic in a matter of ten minutes! My time was about up because Aaron really needed to get started on his next study. Afterwards, I kept thinking, “Oh! I should have said that!” And “Oh! I forgot to mention this”. Oh well. The funny thing about the little church building is that the pulpit is built up on this mound of dirt that looks exactly like a freshly filled grave. It struck me as kind of funny for some reason…
It wasn’t long after arriving that nature called and so I trekked my way to the outhouse. I’ve been in many an outhouse in Vanuatu, but I have to say this one ranks at the very bottom of the list. It may technically be a “long drop” toilet, but let me tell you the “drop” is NOT long enough! Not even two layers of clothing could stifle the stench coming up from that hole in the ground. Wow. Not only that, but the “walls” left much to be desired. Three of the walls were made of dried coconut branches lined up next to each other. Only they weren’t layered very well and there were large gaps between the leaves. The fourth wall was made of corrugated steel that was so rusted that there were 4-5 inch holes in it in places. The whole experience left me feeling as though someone was going to get the surprise of their life if ever they got close enough while I was in it. Gaps in the outhouse walls may not be a big problem if you are blessed to have the color of skin that blends in with the outdoor surroundings. However, it becomes a big problem when you feel like your snowy white backside is shining like a beacon for all to see! Those two problems combined and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
At Tom’s house there was also this pig that was always meandering around looking for food to eat. Only it had a problem, two problems, really. It didn’t oink normal. Its noise was more like a, “Grunt-grunt-grunt-squeak! Grunt-grunt-grunt-squeak!” It was the funniest thing to hear. And then, it often had breathing problems and chose the most inopportune moments to have an attack. This is the first time Aaron’s preaching has ever been interrupted by a hyperventilating pig!
The reason there is a church building on Tom’s property is because he is the preacher for a small congregation that is part of a church called “The Upper Room”. Essentially, a man from Vanuatu came and taught Tom and his extended family and persuaded them to join this church. And then left them with promises to send building supplies and come for more training. To no avail. So, for a couple of years now Tom has felt a dissatisfaction with this man and the church that he has been a part of. Last year in April when the campaign group came, Aaron and Mike Green (from the USA) both preached at the market in Lenakel. Margaret heard the preaching and told Tom to get Aaron’s number and get him to come teach him. To make a long story short, after going back to Port Vila, our furlough to the USA, coming back to Port Vila and moving to Tanna, Aaron was finally able to make good on his promise to teach Tom. So, they have been studying since our arrival in Tanna. Tom has proved to be a dedicated student of the Word and has taken the outlines that Aaron taught him each week and preached them each Sunday to the Upper Room congregation. And the congregation noticed. He told us that several people asked him about his sermons because they noticed a difference in what he was preaching – that there was meat to his sermons and not just the spiritual fluff that is so common here in Vanuatu. Now, after six months, at Tom’s invitation we made our first trip to Iaekutun.
Each day was amazing. The members of the congregation, all Tom’s extended family, were interested and excited about the things they were hearing. Aaron taught on Saturday morning and afternoon, and twice again on Sunday. Each time the study sessions lasted for 2-3 hours. What was jaw-dropping for us was to see how much these people were yearning to hear the truth. And they weren’t satisfied with just a little bit – they wanted it all! Several times Aaron tried to wrap up his studies after about an hour and a half, thinking that the people might need a break. And each time they continued to ask questions. Finally on Saturday afternoon, Tom’s brother, Antwan, said something that brought tears to my eyes. Aaron suggested, after two hours of studying, that they might want to take a break. But, Antwan spoke up and said, “No, we don’t want to stop. This is our chance. I don’t know about tomorrow, what will happen. But, you are here now. This is a good study. The answers are clear and we want to know more. This is our chance.” Never before have I heard someone request to continue on in their studying when they could have taken a break. And let me tell you those backless log benches were a FAR cry from padded pews! Those people saw something precious that they had never heard before. Most of them have been part of at least three different denominations in the past, but they saw something different in what Aaron was teaching them. They saw the truth in its purest form. It wasn’t just someone up there telling them what to believe and what to do. It was someone showing them from the Word what is right and true and giving them the choice to accept it or not. It is amazing when you see the Word doing its work right before your very eyes – what a powerful thing!
We left them Monday morning with a promise and plans to return in early August. The men of the congregation have made a decision to change their worship practices after seeing the pattern of worship that the New Testament church held to. They expressed a desire to leave behind the things they have done in the past and begin to take hold of what is before them. That will take some time. They weren’t ready to be baptized into Christ yet, although the invitation was extended to them. But, we are confident that in the very near future they will be ready to take that most important soul-saving step, as well.
Please pray for the people and our work in Yaetukun!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Life has Suddenly Become Hectic
By: Cindy
After our initial first week of getting back into the swing of things, life has, in the last two weeks, become a whirlwind of activity! How did that happen? Well, the way it always does…one obligation at a time. But, we are happy with all of the busyness and know/hope it will result in growth of the Lord’s church on Tanna.
This is our weekly schedule as of now:
Sunday
Aaron: Kids a.m. Bible class
Cindy: Young Girls (13 and up) a.m. Bible class
Worship (alternating weeks in Lorakau and Loun villages)
PM – Book of James small group Bible study at our house with Harry, Tess, Iata and Mariana
Monday
Family town day – supplies, business, time together, etc.
PM - Cindy’s cooking class (1 student taking the Home Ec program)
Tuesday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - Bible
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Book of Matthew video/Bible study in Loun Village
Wednesday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - English
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Book of James small group Bible study at our house (same group as Sunday)
Thursday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - Bible
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Bible study (conversion studies) in Loun Village
Friday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - English
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
Aaron goes to town to take care of business and get supplies
Saturday
PM – Book of Matthew video/Bible study in Lorakau Village
Our mornings are filled with teaching school of various kinds (RTC, preschool, 2nd grade). Our afternoons are filled with household chores, bath times, cooking, lesson preparation and working on my next book. Our evenings are filled with Bible studies. The days are flying by and we aren’t quite sure where they are going. But, we are together, as a family for almost every one of our evening activities/studies. That is a blessing and makes all the difference – that we can do it all together. Aaron and I feel like we are working together in doing the Lord’s work and we are showing our girls what it means to take an active part in teaching the lost and strengthening our family in Christ. So, on we go!
After our initial first week of getting back into the swing of things, life has, in the last two weeks, become a whirlwind of activity! How did that happen? Well, the way it always does…one obligation at a time. But, we are happy with all of the busyness and know/hope it will result in growth of the Lord’s church on Tanna.
This is our weekly schedule as of now:
Sunday
Aaron: Kids a.m. Bible class
Cindy: Young Girls (13 and up) a.m. Bible class
Worship (alternating weeks in Lorakau and Loun villages)
PM – Book of James small group Bible study at our house with Harry, Tess, Iata and Mariana
Monday
Family town day – supplies, business, time together, etc.
PM - Cindy’s cooking class (1 student taking the Home Ec program)
Tuesday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - Bible
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Book of Matthew video/Bible study in Loun Village
Wednesday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - English
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Book of James small group Bible study at our house (same group as Sunday)
Thursday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - Bible
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
PM – Bible study (conversion studies) in Loun Village
Friday
Aaron: RTC Morning Devotional, RTC Teaching - English
Cindy: Homeschooling Kaela and Melia
Aaron goes to town to take care of business and get supplies
Saturday
PM – Book of Matthew video/Bible study in Lorakau Village
Our mornings are filled with teaching school of various kinds (RTC, preschool, 2nd grade). Our afternoons are filled with household chores, bath times, cooking, lesson preparation and working on my next book. Our evenings are filled with Bible studies. The days are flying by and we aren’t quite sure where they are going. But, we are together, as a family for almost every one of our evening activities/studies. That is a blessing and makes all the difference – that we can do it all together. Aaron and I feel like we are working together in doing the Lord’s work and we are showing our girls what it means to take an active part in teaching the lost and strengthening our family in Christ. So, on we go!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Impressions
By: Aaron
Our family returned to Tanna on May 30th, as I’m sure you’ve already gathered by reading Cindy’s posts. I would just like to offer one or two impressions I’ve gathered from our return.
Flowers on the Table
A lady, named Lina, from Loun village has been coming to our house each week while we were in Vila to dust, sweep and chase the spiders out of the house. Coming back to the house, we found a jar full of flowers freshly adorning our dinner table in the front room of our house. Though we didn’t even ask Lina to do this, she did it out of the kindness of her heart. What a wonderfully welcome sight for us to behold as we entered our door. Thank you, Lina!
Rain
Our month in Vila was fast paced and hectic as we raced around to visit Christians, run errands, buy supplies, etc. Each night we were wiped out and ready for bed. If it rained at night, we barely even noticed. In Tanna, however, you notice when it rains. I mean, with streams of water cascading INSIDE the house, it’s hard NOT to notice. I was rather impressed with the power and frequency of rain since our return to Tanna. In fact, at one point I counted 15 bowls we had strategically placed around the house to catch drips, drizzles and downpours when it rains.
Bible
I had packed away my Bislama Bible inside our ice chest to keep it from getting soggy if the roof happened to leak exactly over my Bible. While the Bible was dry, it was, however, moldy on all sides. After a fit of sneezing from the dust and mold, the Bible was cleaned and back to usable condition. What an experience! I mean, how often in the States do you get to de-mold your Bible when you leave for a month.
Packing
When we went to Vila for a month, we spent quite a while packing books and anything else that could be damaged by water or eaten by cockroaches or rats into boxes, bags and ice chests. The result was that upon our return, our stuff was safe. The only problem was that now all our stuff was a jumbled mess. In fact, it took longer to unpack all our stuff and remember where everything went, than it did to pack it all away in boxes. Not to worry, we now have all our stuff unpacked and in usable condition, even if we cannot yet remember where it is supposed to go. All in due time…
Our family returned to Tanna on May 30th, as I’m sure you’ve already gathered by reading Cindy’s posts. I would just like to offer one or two impressions I’ve gathered from our return.
Flowers on the Table
A lady, named Lina, from Loun village has been coming to our house each week while we were in Vila to dust, sweep and chase the spiders out of the house. Coming back to the house, we found a jar full of flowers freshly adorning our dinner table in the front room of our house. Though we didn’t even ask Lina to do this, she did it out of the kindness of her heart. What a wonderfully welcome sight for us to behold as we entered our door. Thank you, Lina!
Rain
Our month in Vila was fast paced and hectic as we raced around to visit Christians, run errands, buy supplies, etc. Each night we were wiped out and ready for bed. If it rained at night, we barely even noticed. In Tanna, however, you notice when it rains. I mean, with streams of water cascading INSIDE the house, it’s hard NOT to notice. I was rather impressed with the power and frequency of rain since our return to Tanna. In fact, at one point I counted 15 bowls we had strategically placed around the house to catch drips, drizzles and downpours when it rains.
Bible
I had packed away my Bislama Bible inside our ice chest to keep it from getting soggy if the roof happened to leak exactly over my Bible. While the Bible was dry, it was, however, moldy on all sides. After a fit of sneezing from the dust and mold, the Bible was cleaned and back to usable condition. What an experience! I mean, how often in the States do you get to de-mold your Bible when you leave for a month.
Packing
When we went to Vila for a month, we spent quite a while packing books and anything else that could be damaged by water or eaten by cockroaches or rats into boxes, bags and ice chests. The result was that upon our return, our stuff was safe. The only problem was that now all our stuff was a jumbled mess. In fact, it took longer to unpack all our stuff and remember where everything went, than it did to pack it all away in boxes. Not to worry, we now have all our stuff unpacked and in usable condition, even if we cannot yet remember where it is supposed to go. All in due time…
I found myself carrying a chicken…
By: Cindy
Anyone that knows me well knows that I abhore birds of all kinds. Big or small, colorful or ugly, chickens or parrots. There is just something about those feather-clad creatures that scares the bejeebers out of me. They are welcome to toodle around the yard or in the trees all they want. But, please, oh, please do not come close to me! Unfortunately, today was apparently the day that I was supposed to face my fears.
It all started out innocent enough. We were scheduled to have our first Lorakau women’s Bible study at about 1pm. However, Tess came by the house to say that they just found out that an Abu (older man of the village) was in Port Vila having emergency bladder surgery (to my understanding) and was at the hospital in poor condition. Due to that occurance, the village family gathered together to make laplap and other local foods for the afternoon meal together. Therefore, the women asked to postpone our study until next week. I was disappointed, but I understood. These family gatherings, especially at times like this, are important to the family of the sick. Instead of the women coming to our house to study, I decided to follow Tess to the house where they were meeting and offered to say a prayer on behalf of the sick Abu. I also took along with me Kaela, and a sack full of susut, rice, and taro root to offer for my “sorry”.
The beginning of this visit went as expected. The women all chattered back and forth in Tanna language (while I had no clue what they were saying) then, asked me to say the prayer. After offering the prayer for the Abu, it happened that word came from Vila saying that he had woke up from the anesthesia and was doing much better (to which we were all thankful)!
Not long after, the Abu-man’s wife came over. I do not know her actual name since they all just referred to her as Abu (which is also a term used for an older woman). Anyway, she brought me a chicken. Oh joy. Not that I wasn’t thankful for her “thank you for coming” gift – but, I KNEW I was going to have to somehow get the bird back home. And in the back of my mind I was hoping I could just pawn the task off onto my six-year-old. I secretly wanted Kaela to beg to carry the tied up chicken home, in which case I would “reluctantly” agree. But, no such luck. Kaela wanted no part of it and I was trying my best not to look like the wimpy white woman in front of all these no-nonsense Ni-Van women. So, I psyched myself up and gave the chicken a tentative touch on the back and for the first time ever dared to touch the feet. They weren’t as bad as I had imagined…kind of wrinkly and smooth, but still gross. Chicken feet are just gross.
It wasn’t much longer and Tess was ready to leave which meant I had to make my departure as well. And with Tess having a baby and toddler in tow I couldn’t exactly expect her to carry the chicken home for me…as it turns out she was only going part of the way back anyway. It was all up to me – heaven help me! And, so, much to my dismay I found myself carrying a chicken upside down by its legs and hoping against all hope that it would dangle there perfectly still until I could get home. Which it did. Thank goodness!!! However, once I got home, I neglected to take notice of the dog nearby. Woops. The dog saw the chicken dangling there and immediatley headed over to us for a sniff. It was at that point that the chicken was through with dangling there and started squawking and twisting this way and that, flapping its wings (my nightmare!). And what did I do? Did I lay the chicken down gently or pass it off to Aaron? No, of course not. I did the first thing that came to my mind once it started moving. I dropped the chicken on its head.
Fortunatly for it, its neck didn’t break. I would have felt bad killing off a thank-you gift five minutes after receiving it. Thankfully, Aaron took over from there and I am not any more a bird lover now than I was before. If I had to
Anyone that knows me well knows that I abhore birds of all kinds. Big or small, colorful or ugly, chickens or parrots. There is just something about those feather-clad creatures that scares the bejeebers out of me. They are welcome to toodle around the yard or in the trees all they want. But, please, oh, please do not come close to me! Unfortunately, today was apparently the day that I was supposed to face my fears.
It all started out innocent enough. We were scheduled to have our first Lorakau women’s Bible study at about 1pm. However, Tess came by the house to say that they just found out that an Abu (older man of the village) was in Port Vila having emergency bladder surgery (to my understanding) and was at the hospital in poor condition. Due to that occurance, the village family gathered together to make laplap and other local foods for the afternoon meal together. Therefore, the women asked to postpone our study until next week. I was disappointed, but I understood. These family gatherings, especially at times like this, are important to the family of the sick. Instead of the women coming to our house to study, I decided to follow Tess to the house where they were meeting and offered to say a prayer on behalf of the sick Abu. I also took along with me Kaela, and a sack full of susut, rice, and taro root to offer for my “sorry”.
The beginning of this visit went as expected. The women all chattered back and forth in Tanna language (while I had no clue what they were saying) then, asked me to say the prayer. After offering the prayer for the Abu, it happened that word came from Vila saying that he had woke up from the anesthesia and was doing much better (to which we were all thankful)!
Not long after, the Abu-man’s wife came over. I do not know her actual name since they all just referred to her as Abu (which is also a term used for an older woman). Anyway, she brought me a chicken. Oh joy. Not that I wasn’t thankful for her “thank you for coming” gift – but, I KNEW I was going to have to somehow get the bird back home. And in the back of my mind I was hoping I could just pawn the task off onto my six-year-old. I secretly wanted Kaela to beg to carry the tied up chicken home, in which case I would “reluctantly” agree. But, no such luck. Kaela wanted no part of it and I was trying my best not to look like the wimpy white woman in front of all these no-nonsense Ni-Van women. So, I psyched myself up and gave the chicken a tentative touch on the back and for the first time ever dared to touch the feet. They weren’t as bad as I had imagined…kind of wrinkly and smooth, but still gross. Chicken feet are just gross.
It wasn’t much longer and Tess was ready to leave which meant I had to make my departure as well. And with Tess having a baby and toddler in tow I couldn’t exactly expect her to carry the chicken home for me…as it turns out she was only going part of the way back anyway. It was all up to me – heaven help me! And, so, much to my dismay I found myself carrying a chicken upside down by its legs and hoping against all hope that it would dangle there perfectly still until I could get home. Which it did. Thank goodness!!! However, once I got home, I neglected to take notice of the dog nearby. Woops. The dog saw the chicken dangling there and immediatley headed over to us for a sniff. It was at that point that the chicken was through with dangling there and started squawking and twisting this way and that, flapping its wings (my nightmare!). And what did I do? Did I lay the chicken down gently or pass it off to Aaron? No, of course not. I did the first thing that came to my mind once it started moving. I dropped the chicken on its head.
Fortunatly for it, its neck didn’t break. I would have felt bad killing off a thank-you gift five minutes after receiving it. Thankfully, Aaron took over from there and I am not any more a bird lover now than I was before. If I had to
Monday, June 6, 2011
How to get kids to eat “greens”
By: Cindy
There are two things that everyone knows. #1 – It is important for kids to have a good intake of leafy green vegetables. #2 – That fact is only important to adults and most kids contort their faces into the most unappealing looks when a serving of such is is put before them.
Great news, though (at least for me)! I have found a solution! It comes in the form of “napalango” a tasty snack that the local people here love. It is also fairly easy to make – all you need is a dry coconut, some salt and a decent bush knife.
First off, you whack your bush knife on the impossibly thick shell of the coconut, breaking it open in hopefully three or four whacks. Once open, you slice the hard coconut inside into slivers about as long as your pinky finger. Next, you take said bush knife to the nearest napalango tree and proceed to cut off about 30 of its very green, thin, flexible leaves. Once you have all your ingredients, you place a slice of coconut in the leaf, spinkle it lightly wth salt, roll it up in the leaf, and enjoy!
Kaela and Melia (and I!) love this local favorite and what could be packed with more vitamins and minerals than fresh tree leaves? At least we assume so…
There are two things that everyone knows. #1 – It is important for kids to have a good intake of leafy green vegetables. #2 – That fact is only important to adults and most kids contort their faces into the most unappealing looks when a serving of such is is put before them.
Great news, though (at least for me)! I have found a solution! It comes in the form of “napalango” a tasty snack that the local people here love. It is also fairly easy to make – all you need is a dry coconut, some salt and a decent bush knife.
First off, you whack your bush knife on the impossibly thick shell of the coconut, breaking it open in hopefully three or four whacks. Once open, you slice the hard coconut inside into slivers about as long as your pinky finger. Next, you take said bush knife to the nearest napalango tree and proceed to cut off about 30 of its very green, thin, flexible leaves. Once you have all your ingredients, you place a slice of coconut in the leaf, spinkle it lightly wth salt, roll it up in the leaf, and enjoy!
Kaela and Melia (and I!) love this local favorite and what could be packed with more vitamins and minerals than fresh tree leaves? At least we assume so…
Arrival
By: Cindy
Monday, May 30th – We arrived in Lorakau at our house and were greeted in “hotel” fashion. Our house was clean and neat, well taken care of by our friend Lina during our absence. In addition to the neat apprearance, she and one of Tess and Harry’s daughters, Joslynn, had placed a large bouquet of fresh tropical flowers on our table and a red hybiscus on each of our beds. A lovely greeting that brought a smile to my face!
However, our “hotel” does have one problem that became quite apparent as the day went on. You see, it was raining in Tanna the day we arrived and what had been six leaks in our house when we left has now grown to about 15. These leaks range from an occasional drip-drip when the downpour comes to a near-constant stream of water in one place and puddles on the floor in others. The hardest leaks to control are the holes in the roof that are so close the wall that the water just dribbles down the wall onto the floor making it impossible to place a bowl to catch the rainwater. Needless to say, we are praying for an end to all this rain and several days of sunshine.
We have some Flash Tac to fix the holes in the tin roof, unfortunately it is coming on the ship and won’t arrive until Thursday. In the mean time we’ll keep mopping up the water and asking God for perserverance!
Tuesday morning – Due to the downpours during the night we collected approximately 2 gallons of rainwater. I hope the ship gets here soon!!!
Monday, May 30th – We arrived in Lorakau at our house and were greeted in “hotel” fashion. Our house was clean and neat, well taken care of by our friend Lina during our absence. In addition to the neat apprearance, she and one of Tess and Harry’s daughters, Joslynn, had placed a large bouquet of fresh tropical flowers on our table and a red hybiscus on each of our beds. A lovely greeting that brought a smile to my face!
However, our “hotel” does have one problem that became quite apparent as the day went on. You see, it was raining in Tanna the day we arrived and what had been six leaks in our house when we left has now grown to about 15. These leaks range from an occasional drip-drip when the downpour comes to a near-constant stream of water in one place and puddles on the floor in others. The hardest leaks to control are the holes in the roof that are so close the wall that the water just dribbles down the wall onto the floor making it impossible to place a bowl to catch the rainwater. Needless to say, we are praying for an end to all this rain and several days of sunshine.
We have some Flash Tac to fix the holes in the tin roof, unfortunately it is coming on the ship and won’t arrive until Thursday. In the mean time we’ll keep mopping up the water and asking God for perserverance!
Tuesday morning – Due to the downpours during the night we collected approximately 2 gallons of rainwater. I hope the ship gets here soon!!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Get Ready, Get Set
By: Cindy
Well, we leave for Tanna tomorrow. Our flight is out of Port Vila at 11am and we should arrive in Lenakel about 45 minutes later. Our bags are packed (very nearly, except for the “last-minutes”) and we are ready to GO!
This last month has been crazy with preparations for our next three month stint in Tanna. Along with our checked baggage for the airplane, we are also sending 25 boxes by ship to arrive, hopefully, a week after we do. Some of it is food supplies, some warm clothes and blankets that we will need during Tanna’s cool season, and naturally a few things to make our lives easier on the island. Necessities…like a coffee press!
Mostly, though, those boxes contain supplies and Bible materials to aid our work. Aaron finally received the generator he had ordered. So, now we can begin showing some Bible-based videos to help increase awareness of the church in the village. We are also equipped with speakers, a projector, Jewel Miller DVDs, DVDs of the books of Matthew and Acts, and a DVD player all for showing the videos. In Vanuatu, if there is a video being shown, people come in large numbers to watch it – young and old. Anything for a little entertainment! The beauty of our plan is – while it offers movie-style entertainment it also offers Biblical teaching and an opportunity to teach about the one, true church of the Bible, as well! Then, in addition to all that we have 45 Bislama Bibles to give to people who do not have Bibles. Aaron has also boxed up copies of his Bible study outlines to hand out during our study times. Needless to say, we have big plans for the work in Tanna in the coming three months and we pray that our work and preparation will pay off by way of new souls converted to Christ.
We would also like to mention that we would not have had the means and the opportunity to bring all of those materials to Tanna without the help of congregations and people back home who have so generously donated to the work here. Many thanks to those who sent care packages, donated money for Bibles, the generator, and other supplies. God will surely bless you for your support and work in His church. Please keep our family, the work, and the local Christians in Tanna in your prayers.
Well, we leave for Tanna tomorrow. Our flight is out of Port Vila at 11am and we should arrive in Lenakel about 45 minutes later. Our bags are packed (very nearly, except for the “last-minutes”) and we are ready to GO!
This last month has been crazy with preparations for our next three month stint in Tanna. Along with our checked baggage for the airplane, we are also sending 25 boxes by ship to arrive, hopefully, a week after we do. Some of it is food supplies, some warm clothes and blankets that we will need during Tanna’s cool season, and naturally a few things to make our lives easier on the island. Necessities…like a coffee press!
Mostly, though, those boxes contain supplies and Bible materials to aid our work. Aaron finally received the generator he had ordered. So, now we can begin showing some Bible-based videos to help increase awareness of the church in the village. We are also equipped with speakers, a projector, Jewel Miller DVDs, DVDs of the books of Matthew and Acts, and a DVD player all for showing the videos. In Vanuatu, if there is a video being shown, people come in large numbers to watch it – young and old. Anything for a little entertainment! The beauty of our plan is – while it offers movie-style entertainment it also offers Biblical teaching and an opportunity to teach about the one, true church of the Bible, as well! Then, in addition to all that we have 45 Bislama Bibles to give to people who do not have Bibles. Aaron has also boxed up copies of his Bible study outlines to hand out during our study times. Needless to say, we have big plans for the work in Tanna in the coming three months and we pray that our work and preparation will pay off by way of new souls converted to Christ.
We would also like to mention that we would not have had the means and the opportunity to bring all of those materials to Tanna without the help of congregations and people back home who have so generously donated to the work here. Many thanks to those who sent care packages, donated money for Bibles, the generator, and other supplies. God will surely bless you for your support and work in His church. Please keep our family, the work, and the local Christians in Tanna in your prayers.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Taking Time for Family
By: Cindy
This weekend (or rather, the last five days) Aaron and I, and the girls had the pleasure of visiting our teammates and Christian family who live in Malekula and Santo islands. We were up bright and early Friday morning to catch our flight out of Port Vila to Malekula to spend a few days with the Brandells and the Christians in Tulwei Village, where they live. We flew on a puddle jumper with a roaring engine and large windows, perfect for seeing the islands and water below us. It was my first time on such a small airplane (only about 10 seats) and I have to say I prefer the larger ones. At any rate, we landed safely at the snazzy-looking high-class Norsup airport…oh, wait…just kidding. Norsup airport looked exactly like I had seen in previous pictures – a decent size structure, but with no roof, no windows, and fire damaged walls. Off to the side there was a small tin structure that served as a ticketing and baggage counter. And that’s it. Apparently, there is a land dispute regarding the ground that the airport is built on. Since the two families can’t seem to come to an agreement on who it belongs to they feel it best to punish everyone coming in and out of the island. They just solve their disagreement by burning the building down every time someone tries to move forward. And thus, Norsup airport has been in a state of disrepair for about 10 years now with no obvious plans to resolve the situation. Oh, my Vanuatu…
Anyway, we were also greeted at the airport by Eric and a very excited Lexi, who was the immediate recipient of exuberant hugs from Kaela and Melia. We hopped a truck to town where we met Shawnda and Titus and from there set out to do some food shopping, eat lunch, buy meat, find a transport back to Tulwei village, etc. The four kids were especially happy to be back together and we were constantly having to remind them to lower their voices, calm down, pay attention to the trucks passing, and such. What great fun for them to be together again and so entertaining for the local people! There aren’t a great many expats that come through Malekula so it was natural for our group to draw attention. However, you would have thought the circus had come to town with all of the staring and pointing and whispering and exclaiming by the locals! And never have you heard such noise as the childlike happiness displayed by Kaela, Titus, Melia and Lexi! They were just so happy to be together again – it brought a smile to all of our faces, even as we tried to encourage them to not be quite so loud.
We finally made it to the Brandell’s house after an hour long bumpy ride in the back of a truck. By the time we arrived my backside was complaining and I had the beginning of a bruise on my lower back where a metal bar attached to the truck bed kept ramming into me every time we hit a bump. Good times! That is just part of the “Vanuatu experience” and you can’t experience Vanuatu to its fullest without the adventure that the roads themselves provide.
It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of our lives in the village – the Brandells in Malekula and we Bakers in Tanna. You would think that village life in Vanuatu would be pretty much the same where ever you go, but it is not. We find it interesting how much things differ from island to island as each island displays its own individual culture. Yes, there are some similarities in the way the people live life over all, but the details are often different, family relationships and housing are not the same from island to island. It is interesting and educational to observe.
As for our own individual families our lives on those islands are different. While Aaron and I are blessed to enjoy some of the opportunities and amenities that Tanna has to offer simply because it is more of an island for tourism, Eric and Shawnda have less available to them when they go to town to get supplies in Lakatoro. Lakatoro only has a handful of stores, while Lenakel (in Tanna) has quite a few. We have about 6 different places where we can buy fresh meat in Lenakel, where as the Brandells only have 2 options (from what I can tell). However, when it comes to our respective villages, the Brandells are blessed to have their “own” land and space in which to spread out in. They can store things outside their house and on their veranda. Where as, for Aaron and I, because we live in a borrowed house on school property, we have no room to spread out. And due to the amount of students and traffic that comes and goes near the RTC, we cannot leave anything outside overnight and everything – clothes and dishpans and all – must be brought into our house for the night (which can be a bit of pain). So, it was interesting to see their home and have a better understanding of what their life entails in Malekula.
The highlight of our visit was two-fold. 1) It was great to be able to be together again, talking and spending time together and most of all watching our kids just soak up the fun that comes from playing with “cousins”. 2) It was an incredible blessing to be able to meet our Christian family in Malekula. The people there were amazingly dedicated and it was wonderful to finally be able to meet them.
On Saturday afternoon Shawnda and I went to her “adopted” parents house (the next group of houses down the trail). Their names are Jean Claude and Leisandei – truly wonderful people. We were helping Leisandei to make a laplap for our dinner that night and a thought just hit me. I thought, this is it. This is very likely my only chance to see and meet with the Christians here in Malekula. We know that we won’t be back to Malekula this year (due to lack of time and cost of travel) and next year we go back to the USA. Yes, we will come back to Vanuatu in the future to help with the work here (Lord willing, many times), but island hopping is costly. Will we ever come back to Malekula? I do not know. I realized at that moment that I may not see Jean Claude and Leisandei again this side of heaven. And that thought brought tears to my eyes. Here were two people who in the matter of two days time, I had grown to love and appreciate. While I would love to be with them more, I cannot. I may never see them again. But, they are my family. How precious is the bond we share in Christ! That knowledge made our time together with the Christians in Tulwei even more special.
And I know it was special for them too. It isn’t often that visitors from other countries make it to Malekula and worship with the church. I can tell you from our experience of working in Vanuatu, that it is a shot in the arm for the Christians here when someone from a different country comes and takes the time to worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. I think sometimes too often we, as Americans, feel that when we go on vacation or on a business trip that we are “on a break” from having to go to worship. We convince ourselves that it doesn’t really matter, that it is too much effort, and that it won’t make a difference to the local people wherever we happen to be visiting. But, it does matter (because our loyalty doesn’t simply lie with our local congregation, but our loyalty lies with Christ who calls for us to gather with His church and worship Him wherever we might be). It might take some effort, but that effort is worth it because it makes an incredible impression on the local people! In America we are blessed to have many mid-size to large congregations. Come Sunday the pews will more than likely be full. But, for smaller congregations it is harder. In other countries where the church struggles, it is harder. And I can promise you that whenever those local Christians in whatever country have the blessing of meeting their brothers and sisters that live in a different place, it makes a difference in their spiritual lives. It gives them encouragement to stay faithful. Christians here in Vanuatu and worldwide struggle when their numbers are down (for whatever reason) and too often Satan is working to convince them that they are fighting a losing battle. It becomes easy to forget that the battle belongs to the Lord. They need that encouragement that comes from seeing that the church is thriving and carrying on all over the world. They need the encouragement that comes from seeing that they are not the only faithful ones. And you and I, as Americans, have the opportunity to give them that encouragement in person! If we will realize that it does matter, if we will make the extra effort to find the Lord’s church wherever we are visiting, then it can and will help our Christian brothers and sisters to stay faithful until death so that they, too, can receive the crown of life (Rev 2:10).
So, that is the short (?) version of our time in Malekula from Friday until Monday morning. On Monday bright and early we made our way to the fabulous Norsup airport again and caught a flight to Santo island where we visited Mike. It was great to see him again and the girls were overjoyed to spend time with their Uncle Mike, effectively wrapping him around their little fingers. He did all the right “uncle” things: played ball with them, carried them if they asked, bought them juice boxes and ice cream, and all that fun stuff. Our time with Mike was short – we spent the rest of Monday, stayed the night, stayed most of Tuesday and caught our flight back to Vila at 5:30pm on Tuesday evening. It was a good two days, though. First order of business once we arrived in Santo was to get something to eat and some COFFEE! The Brandells don’t drink coffee (crazy people!) and I didn’t think to take any with me so we went 3 days without it. Which was very sad for me. Ha! We had only had bread for breakfast that morning so by the time we got into Santo we were in need of some “real” food and a cup of coffee. We had a good time chatting with Mike about his work in Santo and were even able to meet a few of the Christians and some of the people who have been visiting worship services. That was very good – to put names with faces. We were even able to see one of the local Christian women named Primrose. We had met Primrose back in 2003 when we first came to Vanuatu and had not seen her since (as she lives in Santo). So, it was very nice to see her again. My heart goes out to her as she has endured some hardships in her life in the last few years and is just now beginning to get her life back together. I encouraged her to stay faithful so that the next time I come to Santo (Lord willing) I will see her again and know she has been standing strong in the faith for all these years. We also got to see Leimawa’s sister, Martha. She is married to a man from Santo and I only met her for the first time about six months ago. But, it was a delight to see her again – she and Leimawa are so much alike – so cute! She brought me two island dresses right before we left that she had made – one for me, one for Leimawa. Her thoughtfulness touched my heart. I tried to encourage her to visit worship sometime (as she knows Mike too) and I hope that one day she will do that. I know it would bring Leimawa untold joy if one of her family was baptized – as of now none of them are Christians.
We caught a flight back to Vila on Tuesday afternoon and were home and in bed by 8pm. We were beat, but very thankful to be sleeping in our own bed! Aaron and I got the girls to bed and then we didn’t last much longer. It was a long weekend, but it was fruitful, fun and encouraging in so many ways. Now, it is on to the next endeavor! We leave for Tanna in five days! We have five days to finish up buying any supplies we need, pack up, and get going on phase 2 of our work in Tanna. And not to mention five days to eat some good “American” food before it is back to island kakae most every day! But, we are ready! It has been a good month here in Vila, although very busy. Aaron and I are ready to get back to Tanna – there is much work to do. On top of that we can’t wait to see our Tanna Christian family again!
This weekend (or rather, the last five days) Aaron and I, and the girls had the pleasure of visiting our teammates and Christian family who live in Malekula and Santo islands. We were up bright and early Friday morning to catch our flight out of Port Vila to Malekula to spend a few days with the Brandells and the Christians in Tulwei Village, where they live. We flew on a puddle jumper with a roaring engine and large windows, perfect for seeing the islands and water below us. It was my first time on such a small airplane (only about 10 seats) and I have to say I prefer the larger ones. At any rate, we landed safely at the snazzy-looking high-class Norsup airport…oh, wait…just kidding. Norsup airport looked exactly like I had seen in previous pictures – a decent size structure, but with no roof, no windows, and fire damaged walls. Off to the side there was a small tin structure that served as a ticketing and baggage counter. And that’s it. Apparently, there is a land dispute regarding the ground that the airport is built on. Since the two families can’t seem to come to an agreement on who it belongs to they feel it best to punish everyone coming in and out of the island. They just solve their disagreement by burning the building down every time someone tries to move forward. And thus, Norsup airport has been in a state of disrepair for about 10 years now with no obvious plans to resolve the situation. Oh, my Vanuatu…
Anyway, we were also greeted at the airport by Eric and a very excited Lexi, who was the immediate recipient of exuberant hugs from Kaela and Melia. We hopped a truck to town where we met Shawnda and Titus and from there set out to do some food shopping, eat lunch, buy meat, find a transport back to Tulwei village, etc. The four kids were especially happy to be back together and we were constantly having to remind them to lower their voices, calm down, pay attention to the trucks passing, and such. What great fun for them to be together again and so entertaining for the local people! There aren’t a great many expats that come through Malekula so it was natural for our group to draw attention. However, you would have thought the circus had come to town with all of the staring and pointing and whispering and exclaiming by the locals! And never have you heard such noise as the childlike happiness displayed by Kaela, Titus, Melia and Lexi! They were just so happy to be together again – it brought a smile to all of our faces, even as we tried to encourage them to not be quite so loud.
We finally made it to the Brandell’s house after an hour long bumpy ride in the back of a truck. By the time we arrived my backside was complaining and I had the beginning of a bruise on my lower back where a metal bar attached to the truck bed kept ramming into me every time we hit a bump. Good times! That is just part of the “Vanuatu experience” and you can’t experience Vanuatu to its fullest without the adventure that the roads themselves provide.
It was interesting to see the similarities and differences of our lives in the village – the Brandells in Malekula and we Bakers in Tanna. You would think that village life in Vanuatu would be pretty much the same where ever you go, but it is not. We find it interesting how much things differ from island to island as each island displays its own individual culture. Yes, there are some similarities in the way the people live life over all, but the details are often different, family relationships and housing are not the same from island to island. It is interesting and educational to observe.
As for our own individual families our lives on those islands are different. While Aaron and I are blessed to enjoy some of the opportunities and amenities that Tanna has to offer simply because it is more of an island for tourism, Eric and Shawnda have less available to them when they go to town to get supplies in Lakatoro. Lakatoro only has a handful of stores, while Lenakel (in Tanna) has quite a few. We have about 6 different places where we can buy fresh meat in Lenakel, where as the Brandells only have 2 options (from what I can tell). However, when it comes to our respective villages, the Brandells are blessed to have their “own” land and space in which to spread out in. They can store things outside their house and on their veranda. Where as, for Aaron and I, because we live in a borrowed house on school property, we have no room to spread out. And due to the amount of students and traffic that comes and goes near the RTC, we cannot leave anything outside overnight and everything – clothes and dishpans and all – must be brought into our house for the night (which can be a bit of pain). So, it was interesting to see their home and have a better understanding of what their life entails in Malekula.
The highlight of our visit was two-fold. 1) It was great to be able to be together again, talking and spending time together and most of all watching our kids just soak up the fun that comes from playing with “cousins”. 2) It was an incredible blessing to be able to meet our Christian family in Malekula. The people there were amazingly dedicated and it was wonderful to finally be able to meet them.
On Saturday afternoon Shawnda and I went to her “adopted” parents house (the next group of houses down the trail). Their names are Jean Claude and Leisandei – truly wonderful people. We were helping Leisandei to make a laplap for our dinner that night and a thought just hit me. I thought, this is it. This is very likely my only chance to see and meet with the Christians here in Malekula. We know that we won’t be back to Malekula this year (due to lack of time and cost of travel) and next year we go back to the USA. Yes, we will come back to Vanuatu in the future to help with the work here (Lord willing, many times), but island hopping is costly. Will we ever come back to Malekula? I do not know. I realized at that moment that I may not see Jean Claude and Leisandei again this side of heaven. And that thought brought tears to my eyes. Here were two people who in the matter of two days time, I had grown to love and appreciate. While I would love to be with them more, I cannot. I may never see them again. But, they are my family. How precious is the bond we share in Christ! That knowledge made our time together with the Christians in Tulwei even more special.
And I know it was special for them too. It isn’t often that visitors from other countries make it to Malekula and worship with the church. I can tell you from our experience of working in Vanuatu, that it is a shot in the arm for the Christians here when someone from a different country comes and takes the time to worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. I think sometimes too often we, as Americans, feel that when we go on vacation or on a business trip that we are “on a break” from having to go to worship. We convince ourselves that it doesn’t really matter, that it is too much effort, and that it won’t make a difference to the local people wherever we happen to be visiting. But, it does matter (because our loyalty doesn’t simply lie with our local congregation, but our loyalty lies with Christ who calls for us to gather with His church and worship Him wherever we might be). It might take some effort, but that effort is worth it because it makes an incredible impression on the local people! In America we are blessed to have many mid-size to large congregations. Come Sunday the pews will more than likely be full. But, for smaller congregations it is harder. In other countries where the church struggles, it is harder. And I can promise you that whenever those local Christians in whatever country have the blessing of meeting their brothers and sisters that live in a different place, it makes a difference in their spiritual lives. It gives them encouragement to stay faithful. Christians here in Vanuatu and worldwide struggle when their numbers are down (for whatever reason) and too often Satan is working to convince them that they are fighting a losing battle. It becomes easy to forget that the battle belongs to the Lord. They need that encouragement that comes from seeing that the church is thriving and carrying on all over the world. They need the encouragement that comes from seeing that they are not the only faithful ones. And you and I, as Americans, have the opportunity to give them that encouragement in person! If we will realize that it does matter, if we will make the extra effort to find the Lord’s church wherever we are visiting, then it can and will help our Christian brothers and sisters to stay faithful until death so that they, too, can receive the crown of life (Rev 2:10).
So, that is the short (?) version of our time in Malekula from Friday until Monday morning. On Monday bright and early we made our way to the fabulous Norsup airport again and caught a flight to Santo island where we visited Mike. It was great to see him again and the girls were overjoyed to spend time with their Uncle Mike, effectively wrapping him around their little fingers. He did all the right “uncle” things: played ball with them, carried them if they asked, bought them juice boxes and ice cream, and all that fun stuff. Our time with Mike was short – we spent the rest of Monday, stayed the night, stayed most of Tuesday and caught our flight back to Vila at 5:30pm on Tuesday evening. It was a good two days, though. First order of business once we arrived in Santo was to get something to eat and some COFFEE! The Brandells don’t drink coffee (crazy people!) and I didn’t think to take any with me so we went 3 days without it. Which was very sad for me. Ha! We had only had bread for breakfast that morning so by the time we got into Santo we were in need of some “real” food and a cup of coffee. We had a good time chatting with Mike about his work in Santo and were even able to meet a few of the Christians and some of the people who have been visiting worship services. That was very good – to put names with faces. We were even able to see one of the local Christian women named Primrose. We had met Primrose back in 2003 when we first came to Vanuatu and had not seen her since (as she lives in Santo). So, it was very nice to see her again. My heart goes out to her as she has endured some hardships in her life in the last few years and is just now beginning to get her life back together. I encouraged her to stay faithful so that the next time I come to Santo (Lord willing) I will see her again and know she has been standing strong in the faith for all these years. We also got to see Leimawa’s sister, Martha. She is married to a man from Santo and I only met her for the first time about six months ago. But, it was a delight to see her again – she and Leimawa are so much alike – so cute! She brought me two island dresses right before we left that she had made – one for me, one for Leimawa. Her thoughtfulness touched my heart. I tried to encourage her to visit worship sometime (as she knows Mike too) and I hope that one day she will do that. I know it would bring Leimawa untold joy if one of her family was baptized – as of now none of them are Christians.
We caught a flight back to Vila on Tuesday afternoon and were home and in bed by 8pm. We were beat, but very thankful to be sleeping in our own bed! Aaron and I got the girls to bed and then we didn’t last much longer. It was a long weekend, but it was fruitful, fun and encouraging in so many ways. Now, it is on to the next endeavor! We leave for Tanna in five days! We have five days to finish up buying any supplies we need, pack up, and get going on phase 2 of our work in Tanna. And not to mention five days to eat some good “American” food before it is back to island kakae most every day! But, we are ready! It has been a good month here in Vila, although very busy. Aaron and I are ready to get back to Tanna – there is much work to do. On top of that we can’t wait to see our Tanna Christian family again!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Team Pic while in Vila
Anyway, we hope you enjoy the most updated picture of our team.
Aaron
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Celebrating Six Years
By: Cindy
We are back in Port Vila now and our time is flying by at break-neck speed! It is amazing how quickly it is going. We’ve been enjoying it all – the variety at the grocery store, eating some of our favorite “American” foods, running water, indoor toilet, washing machine...the list goes on. It is a delicate balance, though. Enjoying the conveniences, but not becoming so mentally attached to them that we won’t want to leave come the end of May. For the first week, being back was almost surreal. Now that we’ve had some time to rest from the physical and mental labors of working in Tanna, the preparations that we need to make before heading back out to Tanna are at the forefront of our minds. And it is back to work for the Bakers!
Our teammates, the Brandells are still in town with plans to leave for Malekula Island next week. The four kids have had a marvelous time playing everyday and spend most of the day running back and forth between the houses playing, laughing, fighting over toys, and just having some great “cousin-type” fun! Our other teammate, Mike, arrived on Tuesday evening and will be here until Saturday. He is officially moved and settled in to his work on Santo Island, but decided to come back to Port Vila so we could all be together. This will be our only opportunity for our entire mission team to be together until Christmas (at least the way the schedule looks right now).
April 14 marked our team’s six year anniversary for living and working in Vanuatu. And for us it is a big milestone. Often we think of milestone years as being the ones that we count by “5’s”. However, for us, this year marks the end of our time as a team, all working in one place together. Now that we have moved out to the outer islands, our work is undergoing great change. On top of that, Aaron and I know that we will be moving back to the USA in 2012 and so this year marks the beginning of our last year here in Vanuatu. The beginning of the end, so to speak.
As a result of our awareness of how short our time together as a team is, we have found ourselves doing a lot of reminiscing about the past. In essense, the five of us adults have been a daily part of each others lives for the last nine years (furloughs and traveling, not included). We had two years at Bear Valley, almost one solid year of raising funds (living in the same house!), and six years together in Vanuatu. No wonder we feel like family. We’ve had many good times and some bad times. We’ve been annoyed and frustrated with each other. We have spent hours upon hours together, have had countless “Fajita nights”, and have laughed…a lot. It has been a great six years.
To celebrate this milestone we all (4 kids included) took a day trip out to one of small islands that surround Efate. We rode on a “pirate” ship (as Titus called it), snorkeled in some clear blue water at a beautiful reef, ate lunch and just spent some good time together. The four kids had a blast swimming and playing all day long – what is better than that?! We took the time to appreciate all God has done for us in the last 9 years, knowing that come this time next year things will not be as they are now.
Thanks be to God for the last six years of our work here in Vanuatu. For Aaron and I, we know that no matter what country we call home, the continued growth of the Lord’s church in Vanuatu will always be our “mission”.
We are back in Port Vila now and our time is flying by at break-neck speed! It is amazing how quickly it is going. We’ve been enjoying it all – the variety at the grocery store, eating some of our favorite “American” foods, running water, indoor toilet, washing machine...the list goes on. It is a delicate balance, though. Enjoying the conveniences, but not becoming so mentally attached to them that we won’t want to leave come the end of May. For the first week, being back was almost surreal. Now that we’ve had some time to rest from the physical and mental labors of working in Tanna, the preparations that we need to make before heading back out to Tanna are at the forefront of our minds. And it is back to work for the Bakers!
Our teammates, the Brandells are still in town with plans to leave for Malekula Island next week. The four kids have had a marvelous time playing everyday and spend most of the day running back and forth between the houses playing, laughing, fighting over toys, and just having some great “cousin-type” fun! Our other teammate, Mike, arrived on Tuesday evening and will be here until Saturday. He is officially moved and settled in to his work on Santo Island, but decided to come back to Port Vila so we could all be together. This will be our only opportunity for our entire mission team to be together until Christmas (at least the way the schedule looks right now).
April 14 marked our team’s six year anniversary for living and working in Vanuatu. And for us it is a big milestone. Often we think of milestone years as being the ones that we count by “5’s”. However, for us, this year marks the end of our time as a team, all working in one place together. Now that we have moved out to the outer islands, our work is undergoing great change. On top of that, Aaron and I know that we will be moving back to the USA in 2012 and so this year marks the beginning of our last year here in Vanuatu. The beginning of the end, so to speak.
As a result of our awareness of how short our time together as a team is, we have found ourselves doing a lot of reminiscing about the past. In essense, the five of us adults have been a daily part of each others lives for the last nine years (furloughs and traveling, not included). We had two years at Bear Valley, almost one solid year of raising funds (living in the same house!), and six years together in Vanuatu. No wonder we feel like family. We’ve had many good times and some bad times. We’ve been annoyed and frustrated with each other. We have spent hours upon hours together, have had countless “Fajita nights”, and have laughed…a lot. It has been a great six years.
To celebrate this milestone we all (4 kids included) took a day trip out to one of small islands that surround Efate. We rode on a “pirate” ship (as Titus called it), snorkeled in some clear blue water at a beautiful reef, ate lunch and just spent some good time together. The four kids had a blast swimming and playing all day long – what is better than that?! We took the time to appreciate all God has done for us in the last 9 years, knowing that come this time next year things will not be as they are now.
Thanks be to God for the last six years of our work here in Vanuatu. For Aaron and I, we know that no matter what country we call home, the continued growth of the Lord’s church in Vanuatu will always be our “mission”.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Our Month in Vila
Hello all:
Beginning on Thursday, April 21st, our family will be in Port Vila for one month. We have work to catch up on in Vila, and need to spend some time with our teammates Eric and Shawnda as well as Mike Olson. For our family, it is a needed break from the everyday routine, yet our hearts and thoughts will be for the church in Tanna.
In the meantime, this is a great opportunity for the church in Tanna to practice standing on its own. More to come soon....
Beginning on Thursday, April 21st, our family will be in Port Vila for one month. We have work to catch up on in Vila, and need to spend some time with our teammates Eric and Shawnda as well as Mike Olson. For our family, it is a needed break from the everyday routine, yet our hearts and thoughts will be for the church in Tanna.
In the meantime, this is a great opportunity for the church in Tanna to practice standing on its own. More to come soon....
Friday, April 15, 2011
Our Week in a Nutshell
by Cindy
Why a nutshell? Because some weeks things are so crazy with all of our coming and going here in Tanna that it is just NUTS!
This is what our basic weekly schedule is like – these are our “scheduled” events, not including “un-scheduled” occurances such as, but not limited to: visitors, household work, maintenancing children, visiting Christians and non-Christians alike, preparations for Bible studies, sermon preparation, prep for RTC classes, etc. (most of which fall on Aaron’s plate, with the exception of a few).
Sunday
We worship in Loun Village and Lorakau Village (about 30min. apart) on alternating weeks.
8:30am Kids Bible class (Taught by Aaron and Cindy)
Worship at 9:00-ish (Last week we had 7 Christians, 14 visitors, and about 15 kids)
Fellowship meal after worship each week
Sometime between 3-5pm we have a small group discussion/Bible study with Tess and Harry.
We start a movie for the kids in the RTC classroom. Then after our study, they come over and we eat together and visit until bedtime
Monday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (English)
9:30ish – family trip to Lenakel town to get supplies, attend to business, etc. If dry roads – takes
40 min., If rain, we must take a different route which takes one hour driving time. Roads are such that it is kind of like riding a horse or being on a boat in really choppy water! :o)
Arrive home between 3-4pm. Makes for a l-o-n-g and tiring day
Tuesday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (Bible)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school (Melia has shorter schedule)
Cindy: Lorakau Women’s Bible study. Time???? It varies. Can be anyhere between 10am and
3pm…it’s like waiting on a repairman. I’ve held studies at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 1:30pm and 3pm. We study about an hour. Usually I have about 5-7 non-Christians coming to study.
Wednesday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00 (English), 9:30-11:30 (Bible)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
3-5pm Small group discussion/Bible study with Tess and Harry again, kids watch movie,
eat together afterwards. True to Island Time we never know when the study will start exactly....
Thursday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (Bible)
Cindy: 8-9:30am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
Cindy: RTC class 9:30-11:30am (Stitching)
Cindy: 12:30pm Bible study with Rachel
12:30pm Aaron leaves and walks down to Loun village right after lunch where he meets and
studies with Miswel and Harry (if Harry is free to accompany him on the walk and study)
Harry and Miswel are only two of three Christian older men on the island and thus looked to as leaders. It is imparative for the future growth of the church that Aaron studies with them frequently and works to train them well. They study until about 4pm.
Cindy: Holds down the fort while Aaron is in Loun. At 3:30pm I round up people and drive our
kids, Tess and her kids, plus assorted visitors to Loun for evening Bible study
4pm-6pm or as the sunlight holds out…we sing together (practicing hymns from our new Bislama
songbook) and Aaron is holding a series of conversion studies. We have about 6-8 visitors each week.
Friday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (English)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
9:30am Aaron heads to Lenakel town. When he goes by himself he doesn’t drive the truck (saves
on fuel and headache). Takes a 30 minute walk to “the other side” near Tuhu Secondary
School on the main road where he can catch a transport into town (another 30 minutes) for 200vatu ($2). In town he attends to some basic business: bank, internet, Post Office, pick up a few supplies. Then meets Thomas and studies with him for an hour or so. Eats lunch, catches the transport back to Tuhu School (all the way to Lorakau IF he is lucky!) and walks the 30 minutes back through the bush. Usually arrives home about 2:30pm
Saturday
Your basic Saturday events. SLEEP IN…until 7:00! Woohoo! Ha! :o) Household tasks and
projects that have been put off all week. Some Saturdays are busy, some are not. It just depends on if, when and why people might come and call us to go do something. Go to the garden with the family. Spend family time together.
Cindy: 12:30pm Rachel comes and we study the Bible
Aaron: Last minute prep to ensure he is ready for Sunday
Why a nutshell? Because some weeks things are so crazy with all of our coming and going here in Tanna that it is just NUTS!
This is what our basic weekly schedule is like – these are our “scheduled” events, not including “un-scheduled” occurances such as, but not limited to: visitors, household work, maintenancing children, visiting Christians and non-Christians alike, preparations for Bible studies, sermon preparation, prep for RTC classes, etc. (most of which fall on Aaron’s plate, with the exception of a few).
Sunday
We worship in Loun Village and Lorakau Village (about 30min. apart) on alternating weeks.
8:30am Kids Bible class (Taught by Aaron and Cindy)
Worship at 9:00-ish (Last week we had 7 Christians, 14 visitors, and about 15 kids)
Fellowship meal after worship each week
Sometime between 3-5pm we have a small group discussion/Bible study with Tess and Harry.
We start a movie for the kids in the RTC classroom. Then after our study, they come over and we eat together and visit until bedtime
Monday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (English)
9:30ish – family trip to Lenakel town to get supplies, attend to business, etc. If dry roads – takes
40 min., If rain, we must take a different route which takes one hour driving time. Roads are such that it is kind of like riding a horse or being on a boat in really choppy water! :o)
Arrive home between 3-4pm. Makes for a l-o-n-g and tiring day
Tuesday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (Bible)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school (Melia has shorter schedule)
Cindy: Lorakau Women’s Bible study. Time???? It varies. Can be anyhere between 10am and
3pm…it’s like waiting on a repairman. I’ve held studies at 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 1:30pm and 3pm. We study about an hour. Usually I have about 5-7 non-Christians coming to study.
Wednesday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00 (English), 9:30-11:30 (Bible)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
3-5pm Small group discussion/Bible study with Tess and Harry again, kids watch movie,
eat together afterwards. True to Island Time we never know when the study will start exactly....
Thursday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (Bible)
Cindy: 8-9:30am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
Cindy: RTC class 9:30-11:30am (Stitching)
Cindy: 12:30pm Bible study with Rachel
12:30pm Aaron leaves and walks down to Loun village right after lunch where he meets and
studies with Miswel and Harry (if Harry is free to accompany him on the walk and study)
Harry and Miswel are only two of three Christian older men on the island and thus looked to as leaders. It is imparative for the future growth of the church that Aaron studies with them frequently and works to train them well. They study until about 4pm.
Cindy: Holds down the fort while Aaron is in Loun. At 3:30pm I round up people and drive our
kids, Tess and her kids, plus assorted visitors to Loun for evening Bible study
4pm-6pm or as the sunlight holds out…we sing together (practicing hymns from our new Bislama
songbook) and Aaron is holding a series of conversion studies. We have about 6-8 visitors each week.
Friday
Aaron: RTC class 7:30-9:00am (English)
Cindy: 8-11am, 1-2pm Kaela and Melia school
9:30am Aaron heads to Lenakel town. When he goes by himself he doesn’t drive the truck (saves
on fuel and headache). Takes a 30 minute walk to “the other side” near Tuhu Secondary
School on the main road where he can catch a transport into town (another 30 minutes) for 200vatu ($2). In town he attends to some basic business: bank, internet, Post Office, pick up a few supplies. Then meets Thomas and studies with him for an hour or so. Eats lunch, catches the transport back to Tuhu School (all the way to Lorakau IF he is lucky!) and walks the 30 minutes back through the bush. Usually arrives home about 2:30pm
Saturday
Your basic Saturday events. SLEEP IN…until 7:00! Woohoo! Ha! :o) Household tasks and
projects that have been put off all week. Some Saturdays are busy, some are not. It just depends on if, when and why people might come and call us to go do something. Go to the garden with the family. Spend family time together.
Cindy: 12:30pm Rachel comes and we study the Bible
Aaron: Last minute prep to ensure he is ready for Sunday
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