Dear Friends
It hardly seems that we have been back here in Vanuatu over a month, but rent coming due for the flat tells me so. It has been challanging at times trying to get things set back up.
We had to shift from the motel because tourists are coming here instead of Fiji and the Solomon Is (which are still being affected by the coups they had). We located an apartment and moved right after the last e.mail (June 16th). It is so much fun moving. All the things in storage had to be cleaned and the container stuff (some of which was infested with ants and water damage) has to be cleaned and fumigated before getting put in the apartment. The apartment does not have a workshop or enclosed car park like our last house. But then it only costs less than half what the house did. (We are only paying $450 per month.) It is a 3 bdrm unit which has great views over the city and the seafront. (ref: attachment) We are on the third floor. (When we told expat people where we were living they were shocked that we would live in the building which has mostly ni-Vanuatu people. Other than drunks in two of the units the rest are families.) We shifted on a Friday and as no one works on the weekend, it was 6 days before we had phone service. We have been able to park the container just across the street on some land where a Chinese shopkeeper has his containers stored. Getting a company to move it was another story. Just suffice it to say that after 4 days and many trips to the company it was finally moved. When they moved it out of Steve's property the container truck got stuck and they had to get their forklift up to help pull it out. The next day I went there to fix a leaking water pipe for them and got our truck stuck on the wet grass. Even though it is dry season here we have been getting rainy season weather. With the truck stuck I had Kathy get in to drive and I was out with a couple of other people trying to push it out. I put a piece of wood in front of one of the rear tires to give it traction. Well..........when we pushed it unto the wood and Kathy hit the gas that piece of wood came scuttin' out and I just happened to be standing right behind it. Yep, that 2x6 hit me right in the middle of my left thigh. That took me down, I thought I had broken the bone. It took three weeks for the knot and the bruise to finally go away. (Yeh, yeh I knew better and I know better now!)
We have gotten a pickup truck that used to belong to a former Prime Minister. New trucks have climbed in price to over $30,000. So we opted for a good used one. It is (sit down) a 1994 Ford Ranger club cab with a back cover. (I've always said that Ford makes a good pick up. I just don't prefer their cars. Beggers can't be choosers.) It has power everything and air conditioning. The truck was bought new in California and shipped over. It has only 46,000 miles and it really is in good condition. The Prime Minister traded it in for a new 4 wheel drive and the car dealer has given us a 90 days warranty. We took it to the village and it travels very well on the road.
I am slowly getting my office into shape. It is amazing how much electrical stuff doesn't work right anymore. The answer phone tapes refuse to rewind (the rubber belts were melted). One of the laser printers refuses to even blink. At least I can go out on the verandah and watch the boats come into Port Vila harbor. We have yachts arriving from all over the world, container ships weekly and cruise ships come in every week or so for a day stay (1100+ passangers).
I have been putting the shelves back together, putting lugs in the walls (they are concrete) for Kathy to hang pictures and I put up clotheslines over the verandah (otherwise it is 3 flights of stairs down to the lines). Kathy is getting everything shaped up in the kitchen and the books and knick-knacks out.
On July 2nd we had combined worship services at Eton village. We had 134 there. The week before the group which had refused to move when the new building was built there in Eton got together with Morris' group and decided to come back together to the new building. So that Sunday was the first time in over 18 months the Christians from Eton, Port Vila and Ebau have really been together. It was a great time of renewal and rejoicing. One of Morris Felix's brothers, Alex, was baptised that week as well.
Yusi Miopa preached for us. Yusi Miopa is a recent arrival from Papua New Guinea where he served the church in Lae for over 20 years as an evangelist. He and his family (wife Marika, children Anita and Jeremiah) are Papua New Guineanian. The brethren at Blue Hole in Santo have asked for them to come and work with them.
The Port Vila brethren have moved from the rented denominational church building because we needed space for youth classes and other rooms for a World Bible School office, daytime Bible School courses and such. I am renting a large open room which I have divided for our needs. The congregation will be using over half of the building. This moved us from the kava bar (drinking) which was located right next to the former building. This also gives me space to set up the printing presses so we can print tracts and such as well as storage of materials.
Sombo, Yusi, Kathy and myself took a trip to Blue Hole, Santo on July 17th. (Blue Hole is located about 25 miles outside Luganvile on Santo Island, a 45 minute flight from Port Vila.) Over 2 years ago, the brethren there asked for us to find someone to come and help them. The Lord raised up a congregation there in the States who are supporting the Miopa family from PNG. We needed to make this trip to assess when would be the best time to send the Miopas and to make things ready for their arrival.
Kathy and I only spent a day there but Sombo and Yusi spent 3 days. Wow! The Lord has been preparing the ground. Joel and his family at Blue Hole are excited of the prospect of the Miopa's coming. Sombo and Yusi also made contact with a Peter Ngwele who is a member of the Associated church of Christ (out of Australia). They are affiliated with the Disciples of Christ. Peter talked with the guys and asked if they were sailors from the Solomon Island ship in port. When he found out they were evangelists with the church he was overjoyed as their group has recently had a major split. Many members are wanting to get back to more Biblical teaching and he had been praying for helpers. Well, Sombo and Yusi took a side trip up island and visited the village where Peter's mother lives. They spent the night there and talked long into the night. The village (Billion Village) used to be all members of the church of Christ but recently because of the take over of the Associated coc, one family left and joined the Seventh Day Aventists and a couple of other families started their own Assembly of God church. What has happened is that the Associated coc have taken over the original coc but there are a lot of brethren who do not agree with the new fangled teaching and have quit attending. (The Associated coc is trying to stay up with the rock'n'roll style of the Pentecostal groups who are having an impact on the youth.) The brethren have completed a new concrete building there in Billion Village but have no preacher or full time worker.
On their way back to Luganville to catch the flight back to Port Vila, Sombo and Yusi visited Matthew Ngwele who lives at Big Bay. He told the same story and has invited us up for a full scale gospel meeting. He said he will make sure that everyone in his area attends. He said he and many others want to get back to Biblical preaching and teaching. They are tired of the Associated coc headquarters telling them who they have to accept as a preacher and what they have to believe. They are looking for a revival and we can't wait to get the Miopa's up there. Before leaving Santo, Sombo and Yusi met up with Joel in Luganvile and visited the many scattered Christians there. Please pray for this effort.
I have begun teaching my "Spiritual Gifts" class on Sunday nights here in Port Vila and the brethren have asked me to hold a three day intensive "Biblical Leadership" seminar sometime in August for a combined islandwide men's get-together. Kathy has re-started her Ladies' Class on Wednesday mornings.
It is great to be back where one can expect free meat in all the flour products. We are still waiting for our expired (June 16th) work permits to be renewed. We are talking about "island time" here.
In the service of the Master.
Tobey & Kathy