Washing dishes

Having been in Vanuatu for 8 years now, there are lots of things that have become a part of our "normal" that might not be considered quite so normal to most of our blog-followers.

During a recent trip to SWB, Malekula with Shawnda's parents, I realized that some might be interested in knowing about how dishes are washed in the outer islands. First, items like dish soap are luxuries (available for those who have the extra funds, but most choose to use their discretionary income on other things like rice, tea, sugar, tinned meat, or toilet paper - also "luxuries" for outer island locals). So, most people simply have two large dishpans of room-temp water sitting outside their kitchen - one for washing (the goop off) and one for rinsing (the goopy water off). They might have a sponge or small dishrag, but usually just give it a good rub with their hands. Once washed and rinsed, they set the dishes to the side to dry, where they sit until they are needed again (no cupboards or cabinets for storage).

Cooking pots are another story, as hand-rubbing and water don't get the cooked-on goop off. Something abrasive is need for scouring, and when you live on an island the best available (and totally free) option is sand. In Lembinwen Village, every evening you will see locals down by the shoreline scrubbing their pots with handfuls of sand, and rinsing them in the ocean. For those villages that are not oceanside, locals will sometimes even carry bags of sand up to their house for this purpose.

Now you know why they prefer to eat with their hands (instead of utensils) and off of leaves (instead of plates). Not normal to some, but it's been working around here for years!

Note 1: The photo of Shawnda's parents washing dishes does have sudsy water, as we always try to bring "luxury items" to the local Christians we stay with when visiting, such as those listed in this post, as a thank you for hosting us.

Note 2: One of the things that we are most "proud" of is the way most ni-Vanuatu Christian men help their wives with children, cooking and cleaning. To see Aiel helping his wife with the sandbeach-scouring of the pots is unusual in Vanuatu.

BCCs

Last year, one of our supporting congregations (29th and Yale - Tulsa, OK) provided funds to begin placing a classified ad in the Daily Post here in Vanuatu offering Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC). To date, 27 direct responses have been received. Several of them include a letter with their request. Here are some excerpts:

“I believe that this Free Bible Correspondence Courses will give me lots of answers to my questions that my church Pastor can’t give me and he always says that my questions or arguments about his Bible studies are disturbing.”

“My home, family, community, island and country will be blessed too, through these courses. Praise the Lord.”

“I have been longing to learn more about God’s word and I wish I would gain a place in the courses you are now offering in Vanuatu.”

“I am a 34 year old mother of 3. My husband just died [earlier this year]...I believe this is going to help me out with my family.”

“I really appreciate your offer, and I would like to have more knowledge of God’s word. Thank you, and God bless.”

“Thank you for the love of Christ in you all in helping many to know about Him more - and understand His word written in the Holy Bible.”

Many of these BCC students have included their friends and family as referrals, which means many more courses have been distributed. This month, I established an email address to which potential students can send their requests. The first day the new ad ran, we had three requests via email. In addition, I am compiling a mailing list that will be utilized in promoting various outreach events. For example, the Vila congregation will use the mailing list to invite all the Vila BCC students to the upcoming PIBC courses that will be conducted in June.

Please be praying for these BCC students, and that the ads will continue to promote interest.

Leadership training

Beginning this year, I decided to add a new element to our youth group meetings in Tulwei Village (N/W Malekula) - leadership training. We studied principles from the book of James for two months. Each week, we talked about some practical things they could do with the book of James to better understand the book, apply it to their lives, and assist others as well. I gave the youth seven options from which to choose (they each chose three items): Private reading, Public reading, Song leading, Lesson delivery, Exam, Drawing, and Memory verse.

Lolit and Lolin exhibited their skills during a Wednesday morning Ladies devo. Rensly, Bronsly, LinJon, and Nika exhibited the skills they had learned following a Sunday assembly. I was especially pleased that two of them chose Lesson delivery (as public speaking is very difficult in this traditionally-shy culture). I supplied them with a text from James and a short outline for the lesson. Several of the boys chose drawing, wherein they drew a picture of a verse from James, thus making it “come alive” very effectively (their drawings will be hung in the church building). For those who chose private reading, they were to read through the entire book in one sitting (three times total), marking the verses where they read the words faith or work. Two of them chose to study for and take an exam on the book (both got a 100%). Those who lead songs or read publicly showed how their song/reading fit within the context of James.

I think the process proved to be very effective, as the youth and the congregation were encouraged by the progress that was manifested. I was ecstatic! We are going to continue to follow this format, and hope that it will be a blessing to all involved.

Toilet Remodel: Village Edition

*See photos below for reference*

1.Note that the palm-tree-plank floor of your current "outhouse" is severely rotten (i.e. a wrong step could mean you take the "poo-plunge"
2. Note that your in-laws arrive in just under a month, (and you do not want them taking said poo-plunge!)
3. Dig a deep hole (enlist help as needed - will be a full day's work)
4. Call Mike in Santo to send you rebar, PVC, and roofing iron
5. If you don't have timber for boxing, dig out a rectangular form to size for concrete slab
6. Once you receive order from Santo (may take the ship 3 weeks to make the 12 hour voyage), lay plastic vapor shield and place rebar
7. Place round plastic dish (hole for toilet) and PVC (exhaust) in correct locations
8. Hand mix concrete in wheelbarrow (need five mixes for 7x150x200cm slab) and pour into ground form
9. Rinse slab 2-3 times per day for a few days while concrete sets
10. Early the next morning, round up all the helpers you can to move the slab over the hole (helpful hint: use coconuts as rollers if too heavy to carry - it works!)
11. Go coconut fishing: use a small-diameter piece of rebar to spear coconuts out of the hole that may have fallen in during rolling (this step is necessary because you'll need as much room in that hole as you can get)
12. Fill in gaps between slab and ground with crushed coral
13. Hunt around your house and your neighbors' houses for random pieces of timber (ask before taking neighbor's timber)
14. Cut and install posts, rafters, battens and roofing iron - duct tape seams ;)
15. Install treated plywood walls, hinged door
16. Install fiberglass toilet seat (cross your fingers that it fits the hole)
17. Celebrate your successful completion with a Coke

Off to school

In Vanuatu these days, most children leave home at around the age of 13 to further their education. The majority of village schools offer classes through 6th grade, but students must attend a boarding school beyond that. Of course, most of us can't imagine sending our kids away at such a tender age, but it has become quite commonplace here (and in many other parts of the world).

Our youth group was sad to see two of our best Bible students depart for boarding school this year (the school year here follows a calendar year schedule) in February. We are fortunate that the village school here in Tulwei goes through 8th grade, so kids are able to stay home two years longer than normal.

We had Wesley and Alsen over to our house a few nights before they were scheduled to depart, for a fajita dinner (Alsen's first such experience, Wesley's third). Kids don't traditionally talk much to adults when other adults are around, so it was great to get to visit with them some in that atmosphere. We encouraged them to always make decisions based on what God would have them do, rather than based on what their peers might have them do. We are proud of these two young men, and solicit your prayers on their behalf.

(Photos show Alsen and Wesley, and then family and friends putting Wesley on the ship bound for Southwest Bay, Malekula. Alsen is at Rensarie, Malekula.)

Olfala i ded

That’s Bislama for, “the elderly person died.”  Unfortunately, that’s the text message I received from Alsen the day before we were to travel on to Malekula.  His mother had been diagnosed with kidney cancer late last year, and she had really taken a turn for the worse in the first few weeks of the new year.  We were glad to be able to be in the village during the funeral events.  Deaths are a communal event in Vanuatu, and we were glad to be able to provide some support to the family.

Of course, there are no funeral homes in Vanuatu, which means that the body has to be prepared by the family.  The first order of business to cut down a tree, mill it into planks with a chainsaw, and build a casket (traditionally, they just wrapped the body in woven mats).  With no preservative agents, the body has to be buried as soon as possible.  The “grave-side” service is the main similarity Vanuatu shares with western cultures.  You may recall that Flexon and Alsen’s dad is buried beside our house (we live on Flexon’s land), and now their mother has also been laid to rest beside him.

Beginning on the first night, friends and family members begin coming to visit the family carrying a kilo of rice. The women begin wailing as soon as they see one of the immediate family members on their initial visit to the house.  It’s eerily emotional to be surrounded by 20-30 people wailing.

To express gratitude and facilitate continued togetherness, the family prepares lunch and dinner every day for 10 days (traditionally, 30), culminating in the largest meal on the 10th day.  During those 10 (30) days, the male members of the family do not shave their faces to show that they are in mourning.  At the 10-day meal, the men all shave, drink a shell of kava, and then eat a plate of food.  The family killed two cows (one on the first day and another on the tenth), and cooked at least 20 bags of rice (50lbs each) during the 10 days.  Extended family members donated vegetables from their gardens, as the immediate family is not allowed to work in the garden while in mourning.

I was continually amazed at how everything worked together so flawlessly.  No one in particular was given a specific job to do, but everyone knew what needed to be done and when to do it, especially as it pertained to cooking (which was the main activity).  

Sadly, “Abu Davit” (grandmother) went to her grave without ever obeying the gospel, but two of her sons have changed the tide in their family - living godly lives and training their young children to do the same.  Please keep the family in your prayers as they continue to grieve their loss.

The men visiting before the next meal

Butchering the cow, island-style

The women "scratching" bananas and yams for laplap

One of many wheelbarrows full of rice

Huge pot of soup

10 days of growth before shaving (as they included me as a son in the family)

Hand-carved spoon for stirring huge pots of rice and soup

Cooking over the open fire

Etas Christmas Youth Camp

Upon our return to Vila after Christmas, we were very pleased to hear news of an activity that the congregation in Etas Village had participated in over the school holiday.  Sam came up with the idea to have all the youth come to his land to “camp out” for a week.  The main purpose of being together was leadership training.  He and his brother, Andrew, worked with the youth in regard to Scripture reading, song leading, lesson preparation, and visitation.  Their wives, Leimawa and Iagan, cooked and cleaned for the students while they were in their homes.  The students also worked together on a service project - preparing natangora leaf panels to be used as thatch roofing for the church building.

Isn’t it awesome that brethren are actively thinking of ways to encourage and promote leadership amongst the younger generation?  And best of all, the week was purposed, planned, performed, and paid for entirely by local brethren - we only even heard about it after-the-fact.  Please keep the brethren in Etas in your prayers, as they continue to strive to serve the Lord and His church.

The Etas congregation with the Bakers at the end of 2011