February - June 1999

Dear Friends and Brethren

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who brings us into each new day for opportunities to share His great and wonderful news of salvation.

The rain doesn't only fall in Spain

Where has the time gone! Since our last newsletter in March we have had over 44 inches of rain and May is the start of dryer weather, NOT! Everything smells musty and mouldy.

Teaching duties

In March I finally finished up on my Denominational Doctrine class and started a new one on the book of Romans. I also finished my Old Testament History class and have started on "The Plan of God". Both of these classes are being taught in Bislama so I have had to work hard at changing over the English and Pidgin notes to Bislama. Hiccups with computers have caused more then a few delays.

We had a Workshop at Eton village with all the Christians over the Easter weekend on Christian Marriage. All of the material was new to the brethren. We had a good number of teenagers, who really needed to hear what commitments come with marriage. Over 75% of babies born here in Vanuatu are out of wedlock. Many of these children will be raised by their grandparents. We had 47 Friday night, 46 Saturday morning, 48 Saturday night and 52 Sunday morning. We set up the tent in the village and sleep there. Other Christians who came from town sleep at the building or stayed with other families in the village. I took the generator out so we had electric lights (which meant we were ducking bugs all night which had been attracted to the light).

Kathy and I still travel out to Eton village every Tuesday where she holds a Ladies class. I sit around and chat up with Morris and help him look after all the kids and grandkids while the mothers are in class. We have put up two swings in the large tree behind their house for the kids to swing on. One for the littlies and one for the midlies. The road out to the village is not tar sealed and with all the rain is really in bad shape. A couple of times coming back to town we have crossed at least 8 places where the water was across the road and once the water came up over the hood of the truck. (Its not so much RUNNING across the road as just BEING across the road.) Keep in mind we do not have a four-wheel drive and the Nissan 1200 pick-up has a low clearance.

We also still try to have everyone on the island meet at Eton village for combined worship every first of the month. In May I taught the Bible class as well as preached. The brethren from Ebao (15 miles further up the road) had the village truck bringing them lose its steering on the way to Eton. Thankfully they were not on one of the many one lane bridges when it happened. When the steering broke the truck just drove off into the ditch on the side of the road. Steve Felix went up and picked them up and brought them on down. After services Morris took them back home while we came on back to Port Vila.

With the change of weather many people are down with respiratory illnesses. Sombo and Gane have had their share of illness and for a couple weeks I taught his classes as well. (Some brethren say that I am too ornery to get sick! The reality is, I don't have time.) I have been taking allergy medicine due to the increase in pollen count though.

Bible Translation Blues

Over the past months I have continued my work on the Bislama translation of the Bible. I am scanning it into the computer so that we can incorporate it into existing Bible software. The translators used the Good News Bible and French Bible in their translation to Bislama. They did a very poor job in practical translation. Too many places are a reflection of their own personal denominational interpretations. For instance, every place where the Bible talks about "the kingdom of God" the translators say it is 'a futuristic physical state where God will be king'. So in my teaching I bring out the places where the translators blew the translation and try to show the true meaning from the Greek. I am in communication with the South Pacific Bible Society about these concerns.

Need for more workers in the local vineyard

As a result of our trip to Santo in February we are seeking to secure additional workers for the need there of building up and growing the new babes in Christ into mature Christians. It is just not possible for Sombo and me to be at all places at all times. We are trying to secure two year support to bring another full-time worker from Papua New Guinea who would be able to relate culturally to these brethren and would, in a minimum of time, be able to communicate in the local language of Bislama. We have a family in mind and hope that they can come before the end of this year. We need support for two years at $800 per month (min, $1000 better). [Two years will allow them time to teach and train the local brethren to take over and run their own work.] We also need a travel fund of $2,500 to move them from PNG to Vanuatu. This would include their initial work permit of $400. The Vanuatu government requires a bond of $1,500 for their return ticket home. So in all, we need $4,000 one time and $800 monthly for two years to make this plan a reality. The Eton village brethren have endorsed this plan and are willing to have this family for a period of three months to get to know them and help them convert their Pidgin language to Bislama before they move to the work in Santo. This is a very important need and we need your prayers (and if possible support) for this!

Visiting Professor of Missions at Harding University

As many of you might know by now, I was invited to serve at Harding University as the "Visiting Professor of Missions" for the 1999-2000 school year. With the approval of our sponsoring congregation I have accepted the invitation and that means we will be returning to the USA this July. The position includes a furnished house but we will have to provide our own support while there. In addition we will have to still provide some support to the work here in Vanuatu for the storage of our household goods we will be leaving here. Our plans call for our return to Vanuatu after school is out in May 2000. We prayfully ask for your continued support of our labors while at Harding and upon our return to Vanuatu in 2000.

We are looking forward to this for several reasons. 1) Kathy's health needs a break from the high humidity. She is still suffering from fatigue as a direct result of her having malaria so many times. Her immune system is struggling to stay up. Nine months should be a good break for her; 2) It will be a great time to try and persuade young people to choose to make missions a life's work instead of just a summer jaunt; 3) Our daughter, Terasa is expecting our third grandchild in August. We are also looking forward to this time in the States to spend more time with family and especially grandchildren. It will also be good to have more time to spend with our supporters than the past experiences of "hello - goodbye", one weekend every two years. I hope to be available for preaching on the weekends and seminars of specific studies during university break weeks (for those congregations who so desire).

Need for local island simple English Speaking Bible Training School

We hope to also work on another project which is beginning to take front stage here in the island work. There has been shown a very urgent need for a simple English Speaking Bible Training School located in the islands. The need is for a location which will allow for training of local island family units which at present are not catered for. This can be a result of their English level not being high enough or more likely too many families members to make it unaffordable to travel and live in another country for Bible Training. The need is for a local Bible Training school where students are not subject to interrupted schooling for the children or to the many hardships caused by moving and living in another country with its different climate and cultural differences. We will be looking for a congregation to serve as the sponsor for such a school. We will need $100,000 for start up costs and $3,000-4,000 for monthly operating costs. The sponsor for the school doesn't necessarily have to come up with the total amount, just be willing to help raise the needed funds and provide assistance as needed. This could include perhaps sending builders to help build initial facilities and teachers to teach from time to time. At present Vanuatu and Fiji are two possible stable locations. Both countries relate to common cultural and climactic conditions as most of the other island nations in Melanesian. Vanuatu has a very strict immigration policy which might make it too difficult to host it here with other overseas students. Fiji has a larger pool of population to draw from and a good number of qualified teachers who trained at South Pacific Bible College in New Zealand who could staff the Bible Training school. If Fiji was chosen it might necessitate a move on our part. In no way are we looking at this Training facility in competition with PNG or New Zealand but as a companion facility for the grass roots population in the many island nations who would not able to attend existing out of country schools. Please put this on your prayer list! And if you know of any congregation looking for a personal project such as this Bible Training School, please put them in contact with us.

Additional worker arrives

We were blessed with the arrival of Goman Mesa from PNG in June. He has come to work with a local company in the installation and repair of satellite TV systems. He will be here for four months initially and possibly be offered permanent employment. The Lord answers prayers for additional workers in different ways. Goman will be able to help in the teaching and preaching while we are on teaching leave. Thank you Lord!

Row, Row, Row your boat

On a lighter side: earlier this year one of the local stores brought in some food items from the USA. I am a great lover of raisins and Cream of Wheat so I bought some. When I opened the Cream of Wheat it was like one of those ant farms I had as a boy where you put them in between glass. It was a moving farm of teenie tiny ants. Another something I didn't know but found out is that weevils like raisins. I didn't notice the weevils until they were swimming out of my bowl of cereal. Both the raisins and Cream of Wheat have been put in the freezer and when I use them I pick out the dead varmints first. The stuff cost too much to just throw away!

Last newsletter for a while

We are in the pains of packing again. We will pack what we can in our 20 foot container and the other boxes will be stored at a warehouse here. I was able to put two of the printing machines in the local government high school for their personal use. I have been training a local ni-Vanuatu man to run them until I can get back for more in-depth training next year. This has opened up more doors for sharing the faith that we have in Jesus Christ.

I am in need of a monitor for my Apple Performa computer. A multi scan 14" is a minimum a 17-20" would be very welcome. My current monitor is dying a slow death and not worth bringing back. We also need a good used Apple Laserwriter printer. You can contact us thru our sponsor (615) 449-0283/444-9502 or (417) 624-4016 in Joplin Mo.

Until we talk again or see each other, thank you so much for your support and prayers that enable us to be here and labor in this section of the Lord's vineyard.

Your servants because of the Cross of Jesus Christ.