Training to teach

The “back story”: This story actually begins many years ago in Vila. Kaela (our teammate’s daughter who was just under a year at the time) and her mommy, Cindy, were at the market. A lady approached her and asked all about Kaela, what they were doing in Vanuatu, etc. When Cindy told her that we were here to teach the Bible, she was overjoyed. She said, “Oh, we’ve been wanting to study the Bible more. Would you come teach my family?” Of course Cindy said she and Aaron would be thrilled. So, after several months of weekly Bible studies with this woman’s family, they were baptized into Christ and the church began in Etas village. The family was Sam Tebawa and his wife, Leimawa. Eric, Mike and I have all worked with the congregation in Etas at various times and in various way through years. We truly love the brethren there. Aaron and Cindy have worked tirelessly with them throughout the last 6 years. They have poured their heart and soul into them. And because of the teaching and training that has taken place throughout the years, there have been many, many souls added to the Lord’s body in that village. While some have fallen away, there are many who are faithful and maturing in the Lord. We are encouraged by the growth we’ve seen in their lives.

Two of these Christians, Leimawa and Salome, are precious. Cindy and I have been close to both of these ladies through the years. They are true friends and sisters in Christ. We have spent countless hours together in conversations, Bible studies, outreach, teaching, and working side by side for the kingdom.  They are true servants of God who love and care about the future of the church in Vanuatu. This is why they have taken on the task of teaching the kids in Etas every Sunday morning. In Etas, there have been times when just 3 or 4 women and 2-3 men are present on a Sunday morning...but the kids are ALWAYS there. They come with or without their parents. Leimawa and Salome (along with two men who teach the teenagers) see the large number of children as a huge blessing. They see them as the future of the church in Vanuatu. They are diligently teaching and training them now so that when they get older they will be the leaders, the evangelists, the preachers, the teachers, the servants in the church in Etas. They can look at themselves and see how much the gospel has changed their lives - and they just learned it as an adult! So, think how much these children who are taught the gospel from childhood will be able to do in the Lord’s kingdom. There’s no telling what the future holds for the church in Vanuatu!

Now on to the present story:  So this year in Malekula we have not pressed doing a children’s Bible class on Sunday mornings. We knew the idea would be overwhelming because it would be something new and different. So, we didn’t rush it. We focused on teaching and training the adults & youth. We did start a Bible club for the kids on Sunday morning after worship where they learned some basics (books of the Bible, overview of the Bible, where to find key stories, etc). I think Eric has talked about this in previous blogs...

Anyway, so we thought that as the new year approached, the adults might just be ready to begin working toward a Bible class for the kids (Sunday School type program). We wanted to make it as simple as possible, but still special and still “do-able” by the Christians here. So, after lots of brainstorming on Eric’s and my part, we decided to ask Leimawa and Salome to come to Malekula and do a “teacher’s workshop.” I knew I could teach the women here how to teach the kids...but it would mean so much more coming from another ni-Vanuatu woman than from me. As much as I love these women and as much as they love me, there will always be a “barrier.” I am not a ni-Vanuatu woman. I live here. I love it here. I have adjusted in the best way I know how. But no matter what, I will never be “one of them.” It’s just a fact of life and something you really have to come to terms with if you ever want to be effective on the mission field. I just knew that whatever I taught them, they’d look at me and think, “Yeah, but you’re a white woman, you’ve been to Bible college. It’s all fine and good for you....but I’m not capable of what you’re asking me to do.” BUT, I knew that if Leimawa and Salome taught them, there would be no excuses. The women here would see that if other women, just like them, who have just been Christians for a short time, have little education, and little experience can do it, so can they! And you know what? It worked!

Leimawa and Salome followed us back to Malekula (from Vila) on Friday, Jan 6th and stayed through Monday, Jan 16th. In just 10 days, these two ladies were able to teach, train, and encourage the local women here to have the confidence to teach the children’s Bible class. I was amazed as I watched it all play out. I was so proud to see these two women, whom Cindy and I had spent many, many hours teaching and training through the years, turn around and teach others! It was true discipleship in action. What a blessing to be able to see it with my own eyes!

Before we left Vila, Leimawa, Salome and I planned out three training sessions for the week. That first Sunday Salome and Leimawa taught the Bible class. Then on Monday, the teacher’s workshop began. The first was merely an introduction of Salome and Leimawa, what they do in Etas (have a story, a memory verse, some songs, and prayer), and why it’s important to teach the kids in preparation for the future. They also introduced a few songs. We didn’t want the first session to overwhelm them.

Second session, Salome and Leimawa dove right in and volunteered the ladies to “practice” various parts of the class for the coming Sunday. Asking for volunteers does NOT work...you have to “assign” jobs. :o) Salome took one aside and worked with her on teaching the lesson (story), Leimawa took a few aside and worked with them on leading the songs, I took another aside and worked with her on teaching a memory verse. The ones who didn’t lead one of those three parts either did the welcome or said a prayer. After about 15-20 minutes of practicing, we came back together and did a “practice class” - each leading their respective part and the rest of us acting like we were the students.

Third session, they “dropped the bomb” - Salome said, “Okay, now that you’ve practiced, I want you to teach this exact lesson on Sunday. Let’s practice one more time so we’ll be ready. Then we’ll move on to the next lesson and practice it.” They all shyly  agreed. And to my amazement...that’s exactly what happened. Those beautiful, timid ladies of Tulwei village on Malekula island in Vanuatu boldly taught their kids the following Sunday morning. What a joy! And I’ll tell you what...the next Sunday after Leimawa and Salome left, they did it all on their own again. It’s going to “stick!” :o)

Now to most who read this, you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just teaching kids. What’s so scary about that?! ” Well, I’ll tell you, it is a big deal! One of the ladies who taught the lesson last Sunday was so nervous that her hand was shaking as she held up the picture for the kids to see...but she just braved on through it. She did a fantastic job, nerves and all, and you know what? Next time she does it, it won’t be so hard. Even though they might be nervous, even though they might not be comfortable, they do it because they know it is right. They just make me so proud. They all have a genuine desire to be all that they can be for Christ. Please pray for these ladies as they strive to teach and train the next generation.

Missionary imprisoned

Pardon the sensationalized title, but I couldn’t resist.  We read about Paul’s Philippian imprisonment in Acts 16, and recent events have caused me to consider that incident.

A few months ago, I was surprised when a man (whom I had never seen before) approached me at the wharf in Vila, knowing my name and that I worked with the church in Malekula.  I soon learned that he was Ken from Australia, and that he had actually grown up in Malekula, near Tulwei Village.  His parents had translated the New Testament into the Northwest Malekula “Big Nambas” language back in the 80’s. 
We exchanged the usual small talk, and then he requested permission to “ask me a question.”  To preface, he has recently returned to Vanuatu as a missionary for the Presbyterian Reformed Church (his parents were among those who brought that church to Malekula).  Jean Claude, who was baptized in March 2010 in Tulwei, was formerly an elder in that denomination, and Ken knew of his departure from them.  His question was, “So, what do you teach about baptism?”  My answer was perhaps more simple than he expected - I quoted Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38 and 1 Peter 3:21.  I found his response interesting: “we obviously see things differently”, he said.  We talked about the topic for several more minutes, and agreed that we should get together sometime with open Bibles and visit more.

That opportunity came a couple of months later, and once we got into our discussion, I asked him what he would tell someone they needed to do if they said they wanted to be saved.  He said that the only requirement would be to believe and repent (purposefully making baptism a glaring omission).  I asked him if he knew of an instance in the New Testament where such a formula had resulted in salvation, and he suggested Acts 16 - the Philippian jailer.  He conceded that the jailer and his household were subsequently baptized, but denied that the act played any part in their salvation.  Is such an accurate understanding of the record?

I would like to make two points from the text.  First, consider the “book-end” principle that we often see employed in the New Testament.  That is, when a phrase is used twice in a context, we are safe to conclude that everything between those two occurrences (book-ends) is part of a complete thought, and should somehow relate back to the book-ends themselves.  On the front end, notice the phrase with which Paul and Silas answered the jailer’s question: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will saved, you and your household” (16:31).  On the back end, we read of the jailer “having believed in God with his whole household” (16:34).  Logic would thus tell us that v.31 is the beginning of the story, and that v.34 is the end - thus functioning as book-ends.  The question is: what did the jailer and his family do in the verses between, in order to believe in the Lord Jesus so as to be saved?  In v.32 we read that they heard the word of the Lord.  In v.33 we read that following the teaching, the jailer washed Paul and Silas’ wounds.  Immediately following this penitent act, the jailer and his household were baptized.  Only after hearing the word of the Lord, repenting of sins, and being baptized did he rejoice greatly, “having believed in God with his whole household.”  To stop short of the culminating act of his belief is to do a great disservice to the text, and leaves the story half-told.  Luke herein makes it clear exactly what “believing” entailed in this instance.

Second, let us consider the modern practice of “baptismal Sundays” and such like, in light of this occurrence.  Those who diminish the importance and necessity of baptism often set aside certain days yet future on which they conduct mass baptisms.  After all, they reason, the people have already been saved, and thus it would be appropriate to baptize all the recent converts at the same time (e.g. once per quarter).  If ever there were an appropriate time to delay baptism, surely the Philippian jailer’s instance was it!  After all, this Roman employee had determined that committing suicide would be less painful than dealing with the authorities (16:27), as the punishment to a prison officer who lost prisoners was no doubt catastrophic.  What would have happened to him had these authorities found out that he had not only allowed the prisoners to leave the prison, but had humbled himself to the point of washing their wounds, and then allowed them to immerse him in water?  It was certainly possible that a group of people walking around at that late hour would have made at least some level of disturbance.  Modern denominational logic would say to wait until a more convenient time.  Why was the jailer willing to risk so much in order to act immediately?  Because his spiritual wellness had become paramount to his physical wellness.  He had obviously been taught of the importance of baptism, and was disinclined to allow even the threat of physical punishment to prevent him from being spiritually saved.

The Philippian jailer’s story is a beautiful one, and it serves as yet another strong proof of the emphasis placed on biblical baptism within Jesus’ plan of salvation for the lost.  Dare we cut short that plan?

Cool beans

Do "the kids" even use that phrase any more?!?

We love our life in the village, and one reason is the food we eat.  I recently watched the documentary "Food, Inc." and realized how fortunate we are to live where we do.  For example, in our own little yard we have green beans, papaya, pumpkins, mangoes and soursop growing (I am anxiously awaiting our first crop of lemons - probably a few more years away).  I find it so cool that we literally walk out of the house, pick the ripe produce, bring it in the house, and cook/eat it.

Besides those items, we have very generous neighbors who share with us from their gardens.  We enjoy fresh pineapple, yams, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, coconuts, corn, peanuts, peppercorns, and watermelons.  Free-range eggs and grass-fed beef are the norm in Vanuatu.  Wanna come visit and try some?

Green beans on the vine

Recently planted peppers (protected from the cat and chickens)

Papaya almost ready

Soursop ready to be picked

Pumpkin - tastes great sauteed or in a cake

Oh, what a night

You may have read about Titus’ first sleepover - Rensly spent the night with us to celebrate Titus’ 5th birthday.  It was an unusual night for us, but it was as we like to say, “very Vanuatu.”

To set things up, you need to know that a week or so before, I had killed a centipede in the house.  Centipedes are probably Vanuatu’s most dangerous pest, except for maybe malaria and dengue fever carrying mosquitos.  There are two varieties - unscientifically known as “big” and “small” .... haha.  We had seen a few small ones in the house over the past year, but this was the first big one.  And let me just tell you, they are intimidating suckers.  This one was about 6 inches long, and you can actually hear their legs hitting the ground as they slither along - gives me the willies just thinking about it!  I am not sure whether they bite or sting, and don’t really want to find out.  If they do get you on the leg (most common), you will swell up and limp for a few days - very painful.

Anyway, all that to say that we were especially vigilant that night since Titus and Rensly were sleeping on the floor.  Maybe this stuff goes on every night and we just don’t realize it?  Either way, we did realize it on November 24.

First was the sound of the cat chasing something, then eventually catching it, and then crunching the bones ... it was a mouse (the cat has caught no less than five in the house in the last month - she is definitely earning her keep).  A few hours later we woke up to a good-sized mud crab walking along the floor.  In a bit of a daze, I hopped up and grabbed a stool and corralled it out the door.  Once outside, I scooped it up and flung it as far as I could into the bush.  Trying to get settled back into bed, I heard an odd scratching sound coming from “the kitchen.”  Shawnda said she’d been hearing it all night, but didn’t know what it was (I am not sure she slept at all the entire night).  I got back up to investigate (the cat was very interested as well). 

It soon became evident that the noise was coming from underneath our gas-powered refrigerator (about the size of a “bar-fridge”).  The open space underneath is only accessible from the back side, so I maneuvered it around as quietly as possible, as the boys were asleep only a few feet away.  I finally got it turned around, pushed the cat out of the way, and hesitantly shined my light inside.  As soon as my light came on, the sound stopped.   At first I couldn’t make out anything underneath, so I turned my light off to wait for the sound to return.  It did, and I quickly turned on my flashlight.  The noise stopped, but I finally noticed a shell in a jumble of wires at the very back of the cavity.  Now that I knew where to look, I again extinguished my light and waited for the noise.  When the scratching resumed, I quickly shined the same location in time to see legs and antennae sticking out - a hermit crab had crawled back in there and gotten stuck.  He was a pretty good sized crab, with his shell halfway between the size of a golfball and a tennis ball. There was no way to get him out without taking the fridge apart, so I resigned myself to the fact that we were just going to have to endure the scratching for the rest of the night.  At least we knew what it was, and that it wasn’t going to do any harm.

After what seemed like only a few precious minutes of sleep, I heard the sound of something creeping along our bamboo wall.  My first assumption was that the crab had gotten loose and was attempting to leave the house, but upon looking with my flashlight, I couldn’t see a thing along the entire wall.  That meant that it was on the outside, and since there is a gap between our walls and our roof, it meant that it could be something on its way inside.  So, I mustered up the will to get out of bed yet again to see what it was and attempt to keep it outside.  It turned out to be another mud crab.  I assume it could have been the same one as before, but this one seemed to be a bit bigger (8 or 9 inch wingspan).  They are really fast, and very timid, so as soon as he realized I was there, he came scampering down the wall.  I was able to pin him between a cardboard box and the wall before he made it behind our 50 gallon drum of rain water.  Problem was, what was I going to do now, as I sure wasn’t going to grab him with my hands - his pinchers were clicking frantically.  I really didn’t want to kill him, but I DID want to make sure he was going to leave us alone.  I must have loosened my grip as I was trying to decide what to do, as he came free and fell to the floor behind the drum.  He must have felt safe down there, because he didn’t move for several minutes.  He was boxed in on three sides (two walls and the drum), and I was growing impatient.  I grabbed a lead pipe and skewered that dude, and flung him out into the bush.  I accomplished my goal: he wouldn’t be bothering us again that night (or any other night).

A few hours later, at the slightest hint of a sunrise, the boys were awake - talking and giggling not-so-quietly.  Oh, what a night!  But, we’d do it all over again because Titus thought his first slumber party was way-cool.

Happy 5th Bday, Titus

by: Shawnda

I truly can’t believe our “little” Titus-boy is 5 years old! But he is, and we have the cake to prove it. :o) This is really the first year that Titus has been “into” his birthday. He’s been planning and talking about his birthday for the entire month (b/c he knows his birthday is in November). His number one request was to have a friend spend the night.

On Wednesday night, we got one last 4 year old cuddle from him and put him to bed. Then we went to work on the verandah putting up a few decorations for the morning. On Thursday (24th) morning, as soon as the first rays of sunshine shone through the woven bamboo walls (at half past 5, mind you), he was awake and asking, “Am I 5 now?” :o) We delayed him for a few minutes while I snuck out to put his presents on the table. He was all smiles and excitement as he opened his presents of some new matchbox cars and a little flashlight.  After a round of “Happy Birthday to You,” the kids were off to school and I started on the icing for his cake. Having no powdered sugar, I made an icing that starts with a flour base. Don’t laugh, it’s actually really good. But....it is supposed to be mixed with an electric mixer, on high for 7-8 minutes! Yeah, I did it by hand and MAN was my arm tired. I even had to have Eric relieve me a couple of times during those 7-8 minutes. :o) After tasting it to make sure it was edible (ha) I put it aside to wait for the afternoon (that’s another good thing about this recipe - it’s to be kept at room temp - don’t have to worry about it melting). Anyway, so I quickly mixed up some dough for the cheese-less pizzas I planned to make for lunch and then headed up to volunteer at the kindy. Titus gave all of his classmates a little lollipop to celebrate (which they loved) and we headed home for lunch.

As is their usual after-school custom, Titus and Lexi came home, deposited their backpacks, grabbed a quick drink, and then headed off to play with a couple of friends. I got the cheese-less pizzas ready and went outside to call them. I found out that while I was cooking the pizzas, they had been eating laplap at one of their friends’ houses :o) Well, so much for a “special” birthday lunch from mom...they already got what they wanted! Haha. They would much rather have laplap than “American food” any day - crazy kids! So Eric and I enjoyed the little pizzas and the kids each had a piece when they came home 30 minutes later. :o)

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to make Titus’ cake. Now just a few months ago this would have been no problem, but due to a sad turn of events, our “dutch oven” (a big aluminum pot with sand in the bottom that we used on the stovetop), is out of commission - I burnt a hole in the bottom. So, I asked Abu Mommy (literally translated, “Grandma Mommy” - the name our kids made up for the woman Eric and I call “Mama” here in the village) if I could make the cake in her outdoor kitchen. I mixed up the batter and Titus and I headed down there while Lexi was napping. When we got there, we had several ladies giving us advice on how to cook it. We ended up cooking it like they sometimes cook laplap in a saucepan. We put a laplap leaf (like a banana leaf) inside of a saucepan, spread oil on it, and then poured the batter in. Abu Mommy made a fire on top of some stones, waited till it burned down and then we placed the saucepan on top of the hot stones (with several more of them on top of the saucepan lid). It turned out perfectly! I was so excited (and relieved) that it worked! Titus was just beside himself with excitement...he kept wanting to sneak tastes. I took the cake home, stuck it in our fridge to cool it off, and got to work on dinner preparations. Titus helped me “decorate” the cake with the icing (cut out a “5” from plastic, stuck it on the cake, sprinkled some cocoa over it, took the plastic “5” off, and “VOILA” - we had a great 5th birthday cake in the village!)

For Titus’ big celebration, we had our village family and Titus’ best buddy, Rensly (he’s his “brother” in our village family) over for dinner. We had rice, chicken wings, soup, pineapple and cake. It was a good dinner and we all had a nice time visiting and laughing together. I had Eric show a few videos of Titus from the last 5 years on his laptop. We enjoyed walking down memory lane and they all enjoyed seeing Titus when he was a baby. After goodbye handshakes and “Happy Birthday” wishes, the rest of the family went home, but Rensly stayed to spend the night. Titus and Rensly read some books while we set up their beds (slept on the floor in the “other room”) and then watched a short video before they were off to bed. No giggling or talking that night. All three of the kids were “plumb tuckered out” after all of the excitement of the day. Definitely different than any birthday experience we’ve had thus far...but fun none-the-less. A special day for a special boy.

Happy 5th birthday, little man. We thank God daily for the blessing He gave us in you.

Paid in full

I have begun to realize that Northwest Malekula is one of the wealthier parts of Vanuatu.  Of course, it doesn’t begin to compare with the wealth generated by the “upper class” in Vila who have access to regular paychecks, but for a rural community I doubt there is a region with more wealth.  This is primarily due to three cash crops which are in abundance in our region: copra (roasted meat of a coconut), cacao (raw beans from the cacao plant), and kava (a root that is ground up and added to water, the product of which has an intoxicating effect).  Almost 100% of the copra and cacao are exported (copra used in anything that smells like coconut, such as soaps and lotions; cacao is the main ingredient in cocoa and chocolate), while almost 100% of the kava is consumed locally (in kava bars and nakamals).

The wealth manifests itself in gas-powered generators, TV screens, DVD players, MP3 players, mobile phones, cement-floor houses, processed foods (rice and tinned meat from the store to supplement garden produce), trucks (for public transportation as opposed to private use), and boats (for commercial fishing and inner-island transportation).  Most recently, we’ve seen an increase in the use of solar power in our area (used primarily for lights, movies, music, and charging mobile phones).

Since I “installed” my own solar panel system at the house (which involved little more than connecting the red wire to the red wire and the black wire to the black wire), it is common knowledge (i.e. assumption) in the village that I am the one to call on to install your new solar panel.  This was magnified by my installing the system at the area’s Medical Clinic in Unmet Village a few months ago.

So, a few days after we arrived in Malekula this trip, a man from a neighboring village came by the house and asked if I could help him with the installation of his system.  I am glad to help out, as it’s the neighborly thing to do.  After dropping the kids off at kindy, I walked to Livit Village and found the man’s house.  Come to find out, everything was still wrapped and boxed up - he had purchased the system several weeks prior, but was afraid he would “spoil” it if he opened it up (and certainly wasn’t about to try and install it himself).  We opened everything up and got it connected.  And true to fashion, new electronic device + white man working = a big crowd.  They were all very excited, giddy even, to try it out.  They plugged in their TV and DVD player, and started up a movie.  They were all amazed that the sun was providing power, and quickly realized that they wouldn’t need to purchase fuel for their generator any longer. 

A neighbor heard about my presence, and asked if I would stop by his house on the way  home to install his too.  The installation process itself only takes about 10 minutes, and I was already there, so I agreed.  Different house, different system, same size crowd gathered to watch.

Both of these men tried to pay me, but I refused their money.  They were very appreciative.  I told them I was just helping them out, and for them to “pass it on.”  Frankly, this society exists on such a “pass it on” philosophy - they just aren’t used to expatriates following suit.  We’ve certainly reaped the benefits of the philosophy, and are glad to share in it both physically (installing solar panels) and spiritually (teaching the Bible).

However, in true Vanuatu form, Jile came to our house that afternoon carrying a chicken and a giant yam to show his gratitude.  When I saw him coming, I told Shawnda to grab the camera.  I wanted  proof that I had officially been “paid in full.”  Just another reason I love living here.

Putting our payment to work, we enjoyed a customarily prepared “laplap sorsor” (yam laplap cooked with chicken) with Abu Mommy and Abu Daddy early the next week.  Well worth my effort, and hopefully we also opened a door for the gospel in Livit Village.

An "after" view of the chicken

It's laplap time

by: Shawnda

After being given a HUGE yam and a chicken as a thank you gift (Eric helped a guy install his solar panel system) - I decided I’d much rather eat that chicken than keep it around and have to feed it and deal with another animal around (our high-maintenance cat is more than enough animal trouble for one family!). :o) Now if our kids were sentimental at all about animals, we wouldn’t have considered this so soon after receiving a chicken...but they are NOT. The first thing Titus asked after the man left was, “When are we gonna get to eat that chicken?! How ‘bout tonight?!”

So...I asked Abu Mommy and Abu Daddy if they wanted to eat laplap with us. (Of course, that means I would have to cook it at their house b/c I do not have a place for cooking laplap at my house.) We set a date later in the week that suited us all and planned for it. So the morning of the big laplap making day, the four of us headed down to their house. Eric and the guys did some work on their house while Lexi, Abu Mommy and I got to work on the laplap. We cut, skinned and washed the yam, grated it, and put it aside. We cut up lots and lots of vegetables (some for laplap and some for the soup we’d eat for lunch). Then we got to work on the chicken. Someone killed it (I had run home for the camera I think so I didn’t see how they killed it), but when I got back, the deed was already done. We then poured boiling water over the feathers. let it cool down, and got to plucking. Now I’ve seen a chicken being prepared many times, but have never actually plucked one. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it till I got in there and tried it. I actually enjoyed it. Crazy, I know. I’m not saying I’d want to raise and kill my own chickens all the time, but once in a while “ain’t” too bad. Lexi even got in on the chicken action when she begged Abu Mommy to let her hold the chicken once it was plucked. She held it up proudly and said, “Look at me, mom!” I couldn’t help but think of those funny rubber chickens that comedians sometimes use. Ha! That Lexi is one funny little girl!  And she definitely feels comfortable in the village.

In short...we had a lovely day. The kids played with all their favorite buddies, we had a nice lunch and laplap dinner, and the best part of all was just being able to fellowship with some people we love dearly.