It all started when...

Eric, Flexon and Fiona in Tulwei Village - June 2009

It’s difficult to determine a starting point when talking about the providence of God, especially in regard to our work in Malekula as we feel as though God has been working this out since we were born (and beyond).  But, so that this blog entry isn’t 20 pages long, let’s start back in April 2005 when our team first arrived in Vanuatu on a mission to preach the gospel to this island nation.

We needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks while we secured housing.  We had a positive experience with the Coral Motel back in 2004, and since they had a house that we could all stay in for a reasonable rate, we took it.  It “just so happened” that the owner of the motel was selling his truck, and we were in need of some transportation.  We purchased that truck, knowing that the bed was in severe need of repair.  A few days later, as I was on my way to get some quotations for the work, I drove past a local Christian, Eddie (who lives in Eton but was in town for the day).  I pulled over and told him what I was looking for.  He insisted that we head straight for Ken Garage, as he knew Ken well and trusted his work.  Their estimate was reasonable, and so they began working right away.  When I went back a few days later to see how things were going, I visited for several minutes with the mechanic, Flexon.  He inquired as to what I was doing in Vanuatu, and before I left I had set up a Bible study with him and one of his co-workers.  A few weeks later Flexon was baptized into Christ, and a few months later he met and married Fiona.  Fiona was then baptized into Christ in August 2005, after studies with Flexon, Shawnda, and myself.  It was then that Flexon started asking me to accompany him to his home island of Malekula to teach his family the gospel.

For various reasons, we were not able to make that trip until June 2009, when Flexon, Fiona and I first traveled to Tulwei Village in NW Malekula.  We taught every night for a week, but did not have any conversions that trip.  Flexon and I returned in October, at which time his brother, Alsen, was baptized into Christ.  Before hearing and obeying the truth, Alsen was the youth leader for the Presbyterian Church in the village.  He and I both faced a lot of grief over his departure.

In subsequent trips, 8 more were baptized in Tulwei Village, as was Alsen’s niece in Wiaru Village (a two hour walk).   We have many more interested in Tulwei and have received invitations to come and teach in three other villages.  Our team has also made contact with 48 others through our Bible correspondence courses.

If you want to learn more about our work in Malekula up to this point, you can read our family’s e-Scrapbook from June 2009, October 2009, December 2009, March 2010, as well as my Malekula journals at www.missionvanuatu.com/archivesOTHER.