June 2010

Dear Friends, Brethren and Family

Ni Sa Bula from Fiji land.

That Being Home Feeling

On June 1st 2007 Kathy and I landed back in Fiji after being gone from the South Pacific since September 2001 when we left Vanuatu. We have been in Fiji now for three years. And what has happened and what have we accomplished?

What happened: (what hasn't happened) we have lived in 2 different rent houses; 2007: arrived to a new mission work, trip to Vanuatu; 2008 - Cyclone Funa, Cyclone Gene, most of my library was water logged in the container, attempted mugging of myself, broke my little toe; allergic to mango sap; 2009 - 100 year flood, our house floods bigtime, trip to New Zealand, Fiji constitution abrogated - Military rule, almost flooded again, teaching trip to Vanuatu, tsunami alert, helped Joshua & Anna build a house, Cyclone Mick; 2010 - Cyclone Tomas, house almost flooded again, tsunami alert, teaching trip to Papua New Guinea, Australia and Vanuatu.

What have we accomplished: we are three years older, I have taught a weekly Bible study with the Sabeto group, we have learned more of the Fijian culture and languages so that we can better understand them and they better accept us and our work, we have put into place an external study curriculum for The Christian Institute of Biblical Studies which now has over 100 students from all over Fiji, we have presented the school to the government for registration at such time we have the funds available to establish a full-time boarding school site, I have had over 70 letters to the Editor published in the two daily papers, we have made too-numerous-to-count contacts with people.

One of the things we have learned in the different foreign places we have lived since 1969 is that it takes a couple of years to live in a culture or community before people trust you enough to accept what you are teaching as well as getting to understand the differences of culture. We feel that even though we have not been able to establish a full-time boarding school of the Bible Institute we have been laying the ground work which will expedite such a move when the funds become available. Even if the funds don't come we have taught and continue to teach and plant the seed of the Gospel here in Fiji as well as the teaching trips we have made to PNG and Vanuatu.

Greetings from a Dry Fiji. 
We are going into our dry months and the sugar cane cutting season with the cane trains coming and going by our house many times day and night. However prior to this our wet season was barely damp and so we are in a drought here on the west side of the main island. The east side with Suva has had flooding, go figure!

I am later than usual writing this because I wanted to see if we would be here after June 22 at 2:30pm. There was a local pastor who was predicting that we would have a tsunami here in Fiji after a very large earthquake offshore. He was saying that it would rip the very reefs out and that the whole of Fiji would be inundated by water.

He and another man sent emails and put up a web blog to warn everybody not to come to Fiji during this time. Many people did not go to work yesterday and many school children did not go to school. Needless to say the government was not happy about this and today both men are in jail being questioned and charged with public endangerment. The sorry lot of those who see themselves as modern day prophets of doom when the Bible has already told us no one know's the time or day of the Second coming of Jesus. We are told to be prepared and to be faithful!

American Samoa Teaching Trip

Kathy and I are gearing up for our teaching trip to American Samoa where we have been asked to share at their Annual Lectureship. We both teach lessons each day.

I am teaching "Lessons for Today from Daniel:

Lesson 1: Intro - Why study the prophet Daniel?
Lesson 2: An Eternal Kingdom, Ch 2
Lesson 3: Learning Humility the Hard Way, Ch 4
Lesson 4: Looking into the Spiritual Realm, Ch 10
Lesson 5: The Time of the End, Ch 12

Kathy will be teaching a ladies class on: What Does The Bible Teach Us About .......

Monday - Human Relationships? (Matthew 18:15-35)
Tuesday - About Honesty? (John 3:20-21)
Wednesday - About Reconciliation? (Matthew 5:21-26)
Thursday - About Responsibility? (Luke 16:10-12)
Friday - Wisdom? (Matthew 7:24-27)

Because of the flight schedules (limited flights a week from Fiji to Samoa from wince we take a flight to American Samoa) we are departing Fiji, Friday, July 2nd at 20:50 and land in Samoa July 1st at 23:40 (we gain a day crossing the International Dateline). We take a flight to American Samoa the following morning at 11:35. The Lectureship is July 5th - 9th. When we come back on Tuesday July 13th we take off from Samoa (after coming from American Samoa that morning) at 00:40 and get into Nadi Fiji July 14th at 01:40 (we lose a day crossing back over the International Dateline).

We are then scheduled to depart Nadi, Fiji for LAX (USA) at 22:20 that night (July 14th). So we have 18 hours or so to get back to the house, get a bit of sleep, wash dirty clothes, pack up things we are not taking and get back to the airport. We will be gone for a little over three months but we are keeping the house because of the hassle of packing everything, storing everything and finding a new place once we get back. We are only paying US$175 (Fj$350) a month for rent. We have people to take care of the grass cutting, coconut pick-up and dog feeding while we are gone. We also have someone coming in every once in a while to open up the house and air it out. We are looking forward to coming back but would prefer a "nose twitch" rather than the long trans-pacific flight of 10 hours and twenty minutes. Then we have the trip from LAX to Tulsa when we land around midnight. Over 16 hours airtime - overall over 24 hours Fiji to Tulsa.

Fiji Style

The registration for the car and my Fiji driver's license both expire in July when we are to be gone. So yesterday and today I spent time at the Land Transport Authority getting them renewed. Here you have to make an appointment ahead of time to have your car inspected and then you go through the registration process. Only the LTA can do the inspections. So yesterday I went into town and paid for the Third Party Insurance (about 45 minutes) and then went by the LTA to set an appointment for the inspection and to get my Driver's license renewed. I took a number for the license renewal and after waiting two hours (my number was 50 and they were only up to 28 after two hours) I went home. There was only one window out of four working yesterday because some of the staff had not come to work due to the tsunami fear. The inspection appointment was for 8:45 this morning. I completed it by 9:15 (they did not even try the wipers or the horn). I took a number and waited to complete the registration and renew the license. It only took 2 1/2 hours. I feel blessed! Something else completed for another year.

-------------

At Sabeto this month I finished my series "The Road to Maturity" and the remaining two weeks I have before leaving I am teaching on Biblical Principles of Marriage.

I also finished a course for CIBS called "Islam and Christianity". It is 166 pages. This now gives us 19 extension courses to offer Bible students. We have been asked to bring copies of our Basic course to American Samoa as some there want to start taking the courses.

Kathy has been busy cleaning and packing things she does not want to leave out while we are gone.

With us coming back to report, re-evaluate and recharge we need your help. This trip has drained our finances. We also need for everyone who receives this newsletter to think of ways you can help us make contact with people and congregations (even companies) who might be able to help us raise needed personal support (an additional $500 per month) and especially support to be able to come back to Fiji and buy land and build a facility that "The Christian Institute of Biblical Studies" can use to get on with the task of Biblical training so we can equip more workers for the Lord's work here in the South Pacific.

Please consider the following:

It was after much prayer, thought and discussion with the local island brethren it was decided in 2001 to try and establish a located "Basic English Bible School" which would cater to the needs in the Melanesian portion of Oceania (Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and the Solomon Islands). The current CIBS Board is made up of Christian men from PNG, American Samoa,Vanuatu and Fiji.

"Basic English" because in most of the island nations in the South Pacific English is an official language and spoken by the majority the inhabitants. "Bible" because Biblical teaching is what they need to establish and build strong congregations of the Lord's body which will remain even after the presence of the missionary is gone. "Located" because so much more time can be dedicated to a concentrated course of Bible study rather than - a couple of hours - for a couple of weeks - a couple of times a year. A more grounding and lasting foundation of Biblical truth can be accomplished with a concentrated setting of Biblical training. This has been proven by the hundreds of graduates from current full-time "located" Bible schools throughout the world.

Fiji has been chosen (at this time) because:
(1) There are over 12 National Fijian men who have already received training from the South Pacific Bible College in New Zealand and are back in Fiji working with the churches;

(2) these national Fiji men would make up the nucleus of administration and the teaching staff of the Bible school;

(3) because of Fiji's central location in the South Pacific, teaching brethren from America, Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand would be able to teach in Fiji as a stop-over point;

(4) the Fijian government regulations are better suited for students to be able to come from other island nations to attend the school;

(5) the pool of possible students is largest in Fiji;

(6) the church in Fiji had been established since 1961 and the local churches have National leadership ;

(7) the cost of living is more affordable in Fiji than in other island nations (i.e. Vanuatu, Samoa, the Solomon Islands).

NEEDS:
(1) A congregation who will accept the challenge of sponsoring the Bible School. This would include majority (but not necessarily total) support of the school, help in planning, raising of funds, oversight of and the implementation of qualified personnel to operate and run the school.
(2) Finances - (for a five year period, at the end of which we hope to have established crops which will provide for the future operating expenses); this in itself is a unique objective of the school as compared to others who have to continue to solicit support from outside sources.
a. $125-250,000 (for lease payment on property, structural building and furnishings)
b. $3,500 per month (staff salaries, student and operating expenses)
(3) Prayers -

If any of you can help with one time help it would be appreciated. You can contact my son or myself.

Jason Huff
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2834 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
email: j13huff@yahoo.com
PH: (417) 396-9122

We have been offered two vehicles for our use in our travels and are in the process of seeing if they will service our needs. Thank you so much!

The many areas of service that we have open to us here keeps us busy and we continue to solicit your prayers that we will have the strength necessary to enter all the doors that the Lord is opening. The interest is still high here and from the islands (even Vietnam) for a Located Bible School. Please continue to keep this need in your prayers as well. 

Thank you especially to those who continue to faithfully provide the support that we receive to allow us to remain here to assist in the work. We know you could contribute your funds to any number of works and you have chosen us, thank you!

Your seed-sowing brother and sister.

Tobey & Kathy