World Champ

During our most recent trip to Southwest Bay, I got to meet a Vanuatu celebrity - Kali Jacobus, a.k.a. “The Malekula Kid.”  He is the current WBO super middle-weight title holder (I saw one of his defense fights in Port Vila a couple of years ago).  He lives in Lembinwen Village, and recently built a market house in the village with some of his winnings.  Locals from the surrounding area bring their produce every Friday to sell.  While the ladies were perusing the produce inside, I visited with the champ.  He is a super nice guy, and though he is one of the richest people in Vanuatu, he remains very humble and quite generous.

We tentatively scheduled a “lobster outing” for the next time I am in the village, which basically means we’ll go out in his outrigger canoe after dark and he will dive for lobsters.  I am looking forward to it and hope that I can forge a friendship with him that will produce spiritual fruit.

Return to SWB

Ten days after returning from my first trip to Lembinwen Village, we took another team to encourage and teach.  This time I was joined by my entire family, as well as Jean Claude’s family (wife Leisande, and teenage sons Wesly and Bronsly).  We boarded the truck about 6:45am, and the boat we had arranged was already at the wharf waiting on us when we arrived (MUCH better than last time - although this time we had to charter the boat and it cost double the price of our last trip - guess you get what you pay for?).  

The seas again fooled us in the beginning into thinking that we would have smooth sailing, but before long we were riding the waves.  The trip took less time (3hrs) than our prior trip (4hrs), mostly because we had a more experienced captain handling the 40-horsepower outboard motor and we made no extra stops.

There was some confusion as to whether we were going to go on Thursday (as originally scheduled) or Friday (the day the regular service boat was scheduled).  Aiel and Nancy were therefore somewhat surprised when we came ashore just before lunch on Thursday.  The ladies quickly got things settled in the house and put together some food for our lunch.  It was immediately obvious how much Nancy appreciated having Shawnda and Leisande there.  They were all good friends within moments of meeting each other.

Following lunch, Shawnda and Leisande studied with Nancy for about an hour, mainly answering her questions and discussing the cost she was counting.  As a result of that time together, Nancy made the decision to be baptized into Christ.  We all walked down to the ocean where she made the good confession and Jean Claude immersed her.  It was wonderful to see this couple now complete in Christ.  I am not sure who was more excited - Aiel or Nancy.  Though they have been ridiculed by many in the village for their decision to break free of denominationalism and embrace true Christianity, they seem solidly committed to leading a faithful life for Jesus.

We spent time singing, studying and visiting together over the long weekend, and enjoyed another simple worship service together on the first day of the week.  It is truly amazing how strong the bonds of friendship are inside Christ - what a blessing!

I am planning to visit them once a month for the foreseeable future, and the congregation here in Tulwei is planning to conduct a weeklong Gospel Meeting there the second week of November.  Please be praying for this couple, as they let their lights shine in their community.  Pray that we will be led to more truth-seekers in the area.

Mission Team 2 - Brandells with Jean Claude, Leisande, Wesly and Bronsly

New sister in Christ - Nancy (far right)

New brother in Christ

We returned from Southwest Bay (SWB) with great news: we have a new brother in Christ (Aiel Massing) and thus the church has now been planted in a new location (Lembinwen Village). We have had correspondence with Aiel for almost five years, after he responded to our newspaper ad offering Bible courses. 

Mike has had the most direct contact with Aiel, so he flew in from Santo to take part in this trip. We were also joined by local Christians Alsen and Williamson. The five of us (including Titus) jumped on a truck early Monday morning and headed for Lampupu Wharf. That trip took about 45 minutes. We were told that a boat coming up from the south would arrive about 9am and be ready to head back about 10am. As "Vanuatu time" would have it, we finally left the wharf about 1:15pm. It was a long wait (over 5 hours), but it was somewhat expected. I was just glad to have transportation. There were three others on our 7m fiberglass boat, besides the captain and his assistant. The boat had come up to Lampupu to sell an ice chest full of fresh fish. 

The voyage started out great, but the seas soon became quite rough. Occasionally the swells were so large that all you could see were waves higher than our heads totally surrounding the boat. I was comforted by the fact that the shoreline was only a few hundred meters away, and that Titus had a lifejacket. Plus, the captain didn't seem a bit nervous. Due to the sea spray and waves, we were all soaked to the bone by the time we arrived in Lembinwen 4 hours later (the trip can take as little as 2 hours in good conditions). 

Aiel excitedly greeted us and showed us our house. We all changed out of our wet clothes. It was a 4m x 8m local house with bamboo walls and a concrete floor. It was an old house, but they had put on a new thatch roof for our stay. During dinner, we discussed our plan of action for the week. We would study with Aiel and his family (wife Nancy and 24-yr-old son Sansen) in the morning at the house, and conduct public studies at 2pm. After a cup of hot tea, we all went to bed (four of us were supplied with a 2" foam mattress, and Titus slept on my Therm-a-rest). 

We all woke up with the sun and the chickens. Nancy made some pancake-like bread and tea for breakfast. We studied with Aiel and family for over 3 hours, mostly about what it means to be committed to Christ and answering their questions. After lunch, we all headed to another part of the village for our public study. When Aiel mentioned the week before that we were coming to study the Bible, several friends of his from the Revival Fellowship Church (where Aiel had been serving as an "elder") expressed an interest in studying, including their "pastor." The main reason Aiel wanted us to come teach was that he read things in the New Testament that were not being done by this group. We were happy to accept their invitation to conduct studies in their building. Tuesday thru Friday Mike and I rotated teaching for about 45 minutes, and then answered questions from the floor for 1-2 hours. We had 8-20 local adults present each afternoon. There are some good prospects from that group with whom I look forward to further study.  

After our second morning study, Aiel decided that he was ready to put on Christ in baptism, making the good confession that he wanted make Jesus the Master of his life. Alsen baptized him out in the Pacific Ocean. The remainder of our daily family studies focused on things Aiel needed to do in the coming weeks as a new Christian, especially as it relates to New Testament worship. We also spent time on the role of the Holy Spirit. It was wonderful to have Alsen and Williamson with us, as they provided him with a lot encouragement and practical advice. Nancy and Sansen both decided that they were not ready to make the commitment just yet, but we anticipate their obeying the gospel soon. 

Sunday morning was one of the most uplifting worship services I have ever been a part of. The five of us joined Aiel and family, Katrina (a Christian from Tulwei Village who is in boarding school in a nearby village) brought two friends, and one of Aiel's neighbors joined us with her two young children. We all sat in a circle on the floor of our house and worshiped God together. In those settings, I am always reminded of God's wisdom as manifested in the simplicity of true worship. Alsen shared a great lesson on the faithfulness of Stephen in Acts 7, and Williamson led our thoughts as we partook of the Lord's supper. Aiel was practically glowing after the experience, because he was so glad to have obeyed the gospel and to be a part of the Lord's body. 

Our return trip saw smooth seas, and even a large group of dolphins. I am planning to return to SWB in a few days, accompanied this time by the entire family and Jean Claude and Leisande. It will be really beneficial to have Shawnda and these older Christians to teach and encourage the folks there. Please be praying for Aiel, his family, and his community. 

*For those who are interested, I will begin working on a more detailed report of this trip to Lembinwen, since it was our first. It will be many pages and more of a play-by-play of the entire week, and will thus contain many more details of the village and our experiences. 

Mission trip to SWB

Malekula is Vanuatu’s second largest island, and is basically divided into three areas - north, central and south.  We are located in the northern part of the island.  Back in 2006, we received a request for a Bible Correspondence Course from Aiel Massing in Southwest Bay, Malekula (he had seen our ad for courses in the Daily Post newspaper, which technically doesn’t even circulate in SWB).  Back then there was no cellular phone coverage at all in the area, and even getting mail was quite a chore.  We would hear something from Aiel every 4-6 months or so, but he was sort of lost amongst our hundreds of BCC students.  A couple of years ago, when we rewrote our English courses, we sent several of our former students a copy, and he began contacting us again (this time with cell phone reception near his village).  Alsen and I were scheduled to go and visit him back in 2010, but had to cancel at the last minute because the airport was closed (and, in a very-Vanuatu way, still is!). 

Aiel and Mike happened to both be in Vila at the same time for about a week later in 2010, but Aiel’s commitments made it difficult for them to cover much ground in Bible study.  Aiel completed our BCCs late in 2011, and recently called announcing his desire to be baptized as a result of his studies (along with some other family members).  So, Mike, Titus and I are going to SWB next Monday.  We will be accompanied by two local Christians from Tulwei, Williamson and Alsen.  Mike is scheduled to fly into Malekula this afternoon and spend the weekend with us.  We will ride a truck about 45 minutes on Monday morning to the central part of the island, and then board a small boat (outboard motor) for the 3-4 hour voyage down to the southern part of the island.

Aiel seems quite excited about our coming, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to go and study with them.  We will be there for a week, and hope that we will witness the church being planted in this new region of the country.  Please be praying for our safety as we travel, and for receptive hearts in SWB.  It sounds like we could have a good number of souls who are interested in studying the Bible.

And be sure to check back for an update on the trip!

Welcome Home

We had a minor hiccup this trip - both ships were unable to make the trip to Malekula the week of our departure.  Thankfully, one of the local brethren in Vila graciously agreed to get all of things on the ship.  Claude called yesterday to let me know that everything was loaded on the ship, and I am in Lakatoro today to retrieve it.  Unfortunately, there has been a dispute about wharf payments, so the ship is no longer able to dock at the main wharf in Malekula to unload cargo.  Instead, they pull just offshore and “tender” all the passengers and cargo to and from land in two small boats.  Word is that it take 3-4 hours to completely unload (used to take less than 1 hour at the wharf), and you have to be there from the beginning because you never know if your cargo will be on the first boat or the last.  Should be an adventure, or as we like to say, “Oh, my Vanuatu!”

I had so much to do on our last day in Vila that I ended up renting a truck for the day.  I needed to make some last-minute purchases just outside of town, get our 21 pieces of cargo to Claude’s house, take the last of our “Vila stuff” to John and Cathy’s (who graciously let us use their laundry room as our storage facility), and have one last lunch date with Shawnda.  A bonus was the fact that the rental car company has a key-drop at the airport, so we could drive ourselves instead of having to rely on a taxi or bus to get us to the airport on time.  Thus, it was definitely worth the added expense, and we just might end up planning to do that before every trip to the island (though I have vowed to never again wait until the last week to send our shipment!).

Our travel to Malekula was uneventful.  We got to the airport and checked in with no problem and had a smooth flight (though my air conditioning vent wasn’t working and thus my air-sickness acted up a bit because of the heat).  We found a truck right away that took us into Lakatoro.  We ate lunch, bought meat, sugar and flour, and found a truck to take us back to the village.

We received a warm welcome in the village.  With all the confusion regarding the ship, some assumed we had delayed our trip, and were thus surprised to see us.  It was wonderful to see everyone again after being away for almost 5 months.  Perhaps the most encouraging thing was being together with the church on Sunday morning.  The children’s and youth Bible classes seem to be going very well, and I was very impressed with the memorization work all the kids have accomplished in our absence.  The locals are really stepping up and taking on responsibility, which is refreshing!

We have some exciting things upcoming, and request your prayers as we continue to work here in Malekula.  

Storage in Vila

Malekula coastline

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

Our family worshiped in Epau Village this past Sunday, and it was once again great to be with these brethren.  I wish every American Christian could spend at least one Sunday of their lives worshiping with Christians in the village - it’s such a neat experience.

One of the things that particularly “struck me” this visit was the tireless work of one of the Epau Christians - Kolin.  He is one of the quietest people you’ll ever meet, and is totally petrified by the idea of speaking (in any capacity) before a crowd.  Thus, he is not a leader in the traditional sense of the word.  I can remember one occasion where I asked him to lead a song during a training session - even the expression “deer-in-the-headlights” falls short of describing his reaction.

Does this fact mean that Kolin doesn’t have anything to offer the body?  Absolutely not.  Every Sunday (and I mean every Sunday), Kolin is the one who unlocks the door to the building, sets out the mats for people to sit on, prepares the Lord’s supper and distributes the songbooks.  Then, at the appropriate time, he rings the bell to let everyone know that it is nearing the time to assemble [see photo below].  During worship Kolin is usually selected to pass the plates for the Lord’s supper or the collection.  Following worship, Kolin and another Christian count the collection and Kolin then writes the total on the blackboard.  Last but not least, he cleans up the items used in the Lord’s supper.  Additionally, he is well-known throughout the village as being a hard worker and a big help to his family.

I just thought that was an excellent example of using your talents for the Lord.  Of course, it doesn’t have to be something associated with the assembly time, but it’s important that we Christians ask ourselves on a regular basis, “how am I using my talents and resources to bless God’s kingdom?”  Think about it, and look for opportunities to serve!

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?  But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired (1 Corinthians 12:17-18)

Don't worry, be happy

The primary purpose of this blog is to keep a record of the work in Malekula, but as we visit other parts of Vanuatu we will take the opportunity to make updates regarding the work in those areas. 

Our family enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the worship assembly at Etas Village yesterday morning.  That congregation was established back in 2006, following a series of studies the Bakers conducted in the village.  It was such a pleasure to be back with these brethren after several months away.

I usually try not to dwell on the relative poverty of the local people, but the fact struck me so strongly yesterday that I can’t keep from sharing my thoughts.  The church has been meeting in a temporary shelter made of local materials for several years, and had been in the process of constructing a more permanent meeting place until a major storm hit the area and blew it over.  Their temporary meeting place has subsequently fallen apart, and they are now meeting in Sam’s home until something else can be arranged.  Sam and Leimawa were two of the first Christians in Etas. 

We rented a car this week so that we could get all of our shopping and errands done, and timed it so that we had the car for two Sundays - thus allowing us to worship with two village congregations.  We drove our little car as far as we dared on the pot hole-ridden dirt road, parked at a house that agreed to host it, and then walked 10 minutes the rest of the way to their house.  I have seen every type of living condition in Vanuatu over the past 7+ years, but having been away for some months I was reminded of just how little the locals have.  These dirt-floor “shacks” are made of every material imaginable - rusted out corrugated iron, old shutters, cardboard, fence planks, wire mesh, black plastic, etc.  Basically, it’s anything they can find at the nearby dump.

Speaking of the dump, every time we see Leimawa, she excitedly shares with us about her most recent find.  She once found golf-club covers that she turned into puppets for the Children’s Bible Club.  She found a calendar which she turned into a flip chart for Bible class.  On Sunday she showed her most recent treasure - a package of post-it notes (still in the cellophane wrapping!), which she is saving to use as name tags for the next Children’s Bible Club meeting.  Along with them she found some metal clips and cardboard folders which she is planning to use similarly.  It would seem that she is the very definition of resourcefulness.

Martino and Meriam, Sam and Leimawa’s teenage children, give up their one-room house every Sunday morning (shoving all their worldly possessions over the side) so that the church has a place to meet out of the elements.  And rather than complain about it, it would seem they are proud to have something to share with the church.  I would guess that, by “common standards” the house would seat (on the floor) 6-8 adults comfortably.  Sunday morning saw 14 adults, 5 teenagers and 18 children cram into the small space.  Just passing the bread and cup around the room was a logistical problem.  But the singing was amazing, and the sense of spiritual closeness was unavoidable.

The Etas congregation shares a meal together following their worship every Sunday.  Everyone brought their dish(es) and placed them in the kitchen - an open-air space filled with firewood and stones (used for cooking laplap).  The thatch roof is charred from the constant smoke it receives (all cooking is done over an open fire).  There is no running water in Etas, and thus it must be fetched by hand on a daily basis.  In fact, I overheard one of the moms teaching Bible class use “go fetch the water” as an example of a command that the kids should consider as an application to Ephesians 6:1.  They carry all of their dirty clothes to the river to wash, and are very conservative with the water they use at the house to wash dishes and to drink or cook with.  Several of the children were late coming to their Bible class because they lingered at the river that morning for some extra splashing, having been sent there for their regular Sunday morning bath.

As I sat there before our time of worship started, thoughts flooded my mind... “I want to build these people a proper house, get them a huge water tank to collect rain water, buy them a gas stove to cook on, give them some extra spending money, etc., etc.”  But then in dawned on me that these are the happiest people I know, and to change their life in such a way would, in all likelihood, change their happiness as well.  Isn’t it weird how that logic somehow makes sense?

I mentioned earlier that I don’t usually write or talk about these types of things, because it is not my intention to make (us) Americans feel guilty about what we have, or to entice you to want to make a difference in the locals’ material lives.  Rather, I just want to encourage us all to take a look around and thank God for our blessings - be happy and content.  Then, consider how we can best use them to God’s glory.  Seek out opportunities in our everyday life to help someone along in their journey.  We’ve certainly been well equipped to do so.  More than anything, this entry is for myself - but if you can benefit from it as well, to God be the glory.  Thanks for reading!

From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more (Luke 12:48)

Sam, Leimawa, Meriam, Martino and Barbara back in 2006