October 26, 2012

Dear Friends, Brethren and Family

On the way home..............
As many of you will know Joe Cannon, long-term missionary to the world and my father in the faith has been fighting dementia and recently a fall which resulted in him being in the hospital in Memphis.

This morning October 25th (your time) at 6:30 am he received his wings and left this world to receive his inheritance in heaven. I know there are a lot of sad hearts on earth today but I can imagine the angelic band singing him to that heavenly abode.

I am so glad that Kathy and I were able to go by and see Joe and Betty before we returned to Vanuatu.

My story - Adventures of an New Guinea piglet
When I joined the Air Force in 1966 and left home I left "my" faith at home as well. I blended very well with the world during my tours of military duty in Texas, Vietnam and early Okinawa. Kathy joined me in Okinawa after about 3 months. I honored her desire to worship with the church by taking her and picking her up from services. I had no thoughts of re-establishing my faith even though my mother encouraged me in that direction in her letters. Kathy didn't push me into attending with her but I finally attended a get-together at one of the Christian's homes and met this champion missionary of their's, Joe Cannon. I was not a member of the Lord's body at the time but was in attendance because my wife Kathy was a member and had made a number of new friendships and met up with former friends from back in Missouri, Jerry and Pat Carpenter.

Many of you have been in Joe's presence when he regaled audiences with his 'hold the nose, beat the throat and bleat noise' bagpipe routine. I was embarrassed because I thought this missionary representing the churches of Christ had imbibed a bit much in party juice.

There were others in the group who didn't really know what to think either as they had not had much association with Joe because he worked primarily with the Japanese people and this was a gathering of mostly English speaking military personnel. I finally met the man, Joe, and he got to know me like I got to know him. I had questions and he patiently gave answers. He accepted me for who I was (a baptized Baptist), where I was (in my understanding) and did not push. After my initial embarrassment and proper introduction to this wild Canadian, I thought, "If this man can be a missionary in God's service then there is hope for me."

The Ojana church of Christ on Okinawa was the English speaking group, primarily made up of us military types. I soon found out that they were not a bunch of religious fanatics but loving, serving people of God. In May 1970 over a few short days, Kathy had a miscarriage and I was admitted to the hospital after blinding myself while welding. During those days the church looked after us and even stocked up our pantry when we arrived back home. Ojana was having a gospel meeting with Maurice Tisdale, a man who had recently baptized several Baptist missionaries on Taiwan. Joe's wife, Rosa Belle, wanted me to be exposed to Maurice so she gave Kathy $5 so we could have Maurice over for hamburgers before the evening meeting time. We did, he did and I did! Maurice came over for dinner, he answered my questions in regard to my prior religious convictions and I decided that my relationship with God was not correct. That night I made that relationship right, I asked Joe to assist. That night I became a son in the kingdom!

Cannon Clan: 1971 (?)
(Back:Greg, Joey, Leonard, Debbie
Front: Joe, Rosa-Belle, Robin)

Kathy and I (and little Terasa) stayed with the younger Cannon children while Joe and Rosa Belle returned to the USA to place two of their children in Harding Academy prior to going to PNG in August 1971. When Joe, Rosa Belle and family left for Papua New Guinea in 1971 my desire was to go with them when we were discharged that year in July from the USAF. I was heartbroken when that was not the case. But the Lord worked in our lives so that trip to PNG went through Sunset School of Preaching/Missions before we finally landed in Papua New Guinea in February 25th 1975. Our daughter Terasa had just just turned 4 years old and our son Jason was not quite 2 years old. Many brethren in the US were surprised that we would take our children to such distant lands.

Being met by Joe and Rosa-Belle Cannon when we arrived in Lae, Papua New Guinea, 1975
Initially we had thought of working closely with Joe in Lae, Papua New Guinea but ended up working in the Highlands, because of the greater need and it seemed that Joe was always up there anyway patroling. Besides it was hot, humid and malaria infested in Lae, on the coast (and full of Canadians), while it was Springlike (no malaria) in the highlands. Joe and I walked and drove many, many miles on patrol - Saruwaged Mountains, Chimbu, Rockamunda, Waipi, etc. The first years we spent in PNG it was Joe who helped keep us there when our support dropped from time to time. He always had something that needed being fixed and I was always willing to help.

Excerpt of November 1983 Report:
"THERE WERE GIANTS IN THE LAND IN THOSE DAYS"
There are also giants in the land today. Very few but we do have them. Very few of our brethren can be said to have spent over 30 years in foreign mission work. Of this small number are counted Joe and Rosabelle Cannon. The Cannons were the pioneer missionaries for the church of Christ here in Papua New Guinea in 1971. They stayed with us for a few days while on their way back to Mt. Hagen to pack up their household goods to ship back to Memphis. The Cannons were missionaries on Okinawa when I was converted while serving with the USAF. It was through their influence and love that Kathy and I decided to come and work here in PNG.

A shot of Joe with a PNG highlands hut in the background.
If ever I have been in the presence of a person with the mind of Christ, it is Joe Cannon, my "true father in the faith". Joe Cannon put together a book of his early New Guinea reports called, "The Experiences of a New Guinea Pig". Without Joe's direction and leading the stories and reports we filed in the over 37 years we have been pursuing this vocation would never have happened. My compilation of reports I called "Adventures of a New Guinea Piglet". (http://oceania-outreach.com/Backissues.html)

Did I ever tell you the time we drove to the Southern Highlands and the stop off point for the vehicles before we started walking for three days into Rockamunda? It seems that Joe had a pair of pliers in his back pocket when he went into a outhouse there to avail himself of the long-drop facilities. When he came out they were no longer on his person. Getting a flashlight he finally found them 10 foot down in the hole. He shared that with everyone and the next morning someone (none of us) had gone down and gotten them. Being in the bush it was too good of a prize not to go get - better them than me! Someone got the prize!

Joe's books are available on our web sight at http://www.oceania-outreach.com/JoeCannonsbooks.htm

Thank you God for such men as Joe Cannon. Thank you for letting us have him for the time we did. Indeed welcome him home to the rest you have promised. He desires it and so do we, he flat wears us out.

In Jesus name.

Tobey & Kathy Huff
Port Vila, Vanuatu