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