May 31, 2015
Dearest Friends and family
BACK HOME (Vanuatu)
The last two weeks before we left to come back were VERYYYYYY busy. We were
told by several of the people in the village that they now considered us "Real
Village people" because we had stayed the storm with them and were not
leaving but rebuilding to stay.
SUPPLIES ARRIVE
On April 24th the roofing company delivered the load of galvanized roofing I
had ordered 6 weeks before.
We were able to get Eddie's house fixed. The winds had knocked out one wall as well as several roofing sheets.
On April 25th we had a congregation work day and replaced
roofing and windows and repaired the damage to the church building.
And then I got busy rebuilding our property:
White men might not be able to jump but sometimes we have to use ladders to
get things done.
After I got the support wood up I was able to get the roof back up over the
work area and the container/generator room.
work area above - generator
area (between containers) below
I was also able to get the chicken coop re-roofed and now maybe the chickens
will quit complaining every time I go out there. Of course 13 chickens do not
know that they will be part of the "eaten" food chain before we get
back in August.
I was also able to finish getting the wood up for the verandah, finish roofing
and screening it, putting shade cloth on it, trimming it out and put the screen
door back on. Cleaned up the yard of loose roofing iron and broken wood and
other items so it could be mowed after we left.
I found a good use of the cyclone ravaged roofing - fencing.
Fence
BIBLE SCHOOL
I went up to the school and fixed the door on the student housing that has blown
out as well as screw down more of the roofing pieces that were still loose.
I also tried to clear as much downed vegetation from around the building as
I could. We will fix it properly when I get back. We still have to put in the
windows, masonite on the interior walls and paint the interior of the student
housing as well as repaint and refinish the interior of the classroom/library.
Classroom library rebuilt
GOMAN & URE MESA
Goman Mesa and his wife Ure are officially the care-takers of the Bible School
property now and he is finishing up his house prior to starting a major cleanup
of the downed vegetation on the school property. It is good to have a helper-worker
helping me with the school as well as teaching and preaching. He is also looking
after BuBu the dog and the goats. We were saddened that right after we got back
to Joplin Goman wrote that the male goat had suddenly died. I suspect from parasites.
Both the female's are pregnant and I anticipate new kids soon.
WATER WOES
Rebecca and Sul's family were running out of water across the road because we
have not been having any rain and the guttering is still off the butchery. Stephen
did got the roofing fixed on the butchery. However the large collection tank
had been filled with salt rain water during the cyclone and we had to drain
it and clean the tank. After that was finished we ran a polypipe from our well
and filled the 1600 gal tank in 3 hours. The pipe is still in position and they
top off the tank as they need more water. When we run it across the road we
put 2x6 pieces of wood on both sides of the pipe to keep cars and trucks from
crushing the pipe. It also slowed the traffic down which does not pay attention
to the 15 mph speed limit through the village.
Stephen and crew are also rebuilding Rebecca's main house while we are gone
and Rebecca is living in and looking after our house. She has been living in
the butchery with others.
COMBINED WORSHIP
The Sunday before we left (May 3rd) we had combined worship in Port Vila. We
had a good crowd and it was good to be with each other. The combined worship
was supposed to have been at Epu in April but their building was de roofed and
so April we did not have combined.
NEW ROOF FOR EPAU CONGREGATION
Goman and I talked with Arthur in Port Vila and he said they had received the
new galvanized roofing for the Epau building from Eric. We agreed that he would
get a truck to come to Eton and take whatever wood they needed from the wood
we had stockpiled and that Goman would take a team up and all the tools and
rebuild the roof for them with better support rafters.
Goman emailed pics and said the roof was up and Stephen
had helped haul supplies up as well. Thank you guys! It is nice to see what
I have been teaching and training in regard to building is being practiced.
New rafters
Finished new roof
UP AND AWAY
We left Port Vila May 4th on the long way back to Joplin. Since our plane did
not leave until late afternoon I was able to get the flashing on our house and
the church classroom renailed.
We had less than 2 hours between planes in Fiji and we did not trust them to get the bags transferred if we checked them so we both carried a small carry-on with minimum clothing. That was okay because we have some clothes we leave in Joplin as well as I needed other pants because I am down to 165 lbs and a 32 inch waist and all my other pants were falling off of me.
We did catch the planes and 24 hours after we started we landed in Tulsa and Mel met us and took us back to Joplin.
THIS AND THAT
The week I got back I received word from the the VA they would be cutting my
disability back to 40% as of August. The week after getting back I had my first
VA appointment- in Houston. This was a follow up on my Dec 2013 prostate surgery.
Other than side affects of the surgery they have given me a green light - no
cancer! I stressed that I did not want any more PRODECURES. When I went to file
for the travel payment I was told they would not pay me except to the nearest
VA facility as they had new policies. I told them I was not the one who just
showed up but came as requested. I talked with them and then to the supervisor
who informed me the VA was trying to stop the practice of veterans bypassing
the local VA's to come for further (larger) travel payments. She then looked
in my file and found that I had an exemption but it was a one time thing. I
said that was fine with me because I was not a fan of driving all the way to
Houston for a 45 minute appointment and all the expenses incurred thereby, so
she authorized the payment and we left.
When, week later, I looked in my file and read the doctor's assessment of the appointment she had written "the patient refuses any further TREATMENTS". I had to contact her. Her wording would be a reason for the review board to cease any further disability payments to me. She agreed to change the wording to "PROCEDURE" and not "TREATMENT" and apologized for the mix-up of words saying she understood the on-going side-effects of the prostate surgery.
I have also been for my yearly exam at the Mount Vernon VA and we are trying to find out why I have weakness in the joints and nerve pain and weight loss. My blood tests came back normal, except for my on-going kidney disease and auto-immune problems. My thyroid medication is good so they sent me for a Vitamin B12 test and x-rays of my right hand to Fayetteville. I have that nicked tendon and my right pinky finger is acting up as well. The B12 test came back as normal and I will not know what they will do on my hand until the Doctor in Mt Vernon comes back from vacation next week.
CHIKAGUNYA VIRUS
Before we left Vanuatu there was a break-out of mosquito borne diseases. A friend
in Vanuatu had Chikagunya virus and when Kathy saw the doctor when I was seeing
him about my hand he said it sounded like Kathy had it as well. http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/
Your neck hurts, joints are incredibly painful, it can come out in a full body
rash and it takes a few weeks to recover. Some people have high heat in their
feet. Apparently it takes about 10 days to get a positive to the blood test
for Dengue - if you take it a couple days after symptoms it doesn't show up
in the blood. There are apparently 5 different types/strains of Dengue. I had
a rash before I left, my neck hurts, my feet burn and have nerve pains and my
joints have been aching for weeks which I though was only due to overwork with
rebuilding. There is no treatment for it, just lots of rest and liquids. I am
maintaining pain control with ibuprofen and expect this too will pass in 3-6
months.
After seeing my thyroid meds were okay I sent a note to my VA doctor for consideration of Chikagunya virus. I then get a note back from her secretary "what do you want me to do? (the doctor is in vacation)" I wrote back and said "give the note to the doctor for HER consideration, which he did, dah. When coming back from the Fayetteville VA visit we received a call from Mount Vernon for more information on what I thought I had because it is a reportable disease for CDC. Kathy talked to them, as I was driving, so we are still waiting to see what more tests they will want to do. The good thing is once a person has had Chikagunya virus they are immune after that for re infection.
What doesn't kills you makes you stronger!!!!!!!
GRADUATION
We were happy to be able to go down to Coker Alabama and be present when our
eldest grand daughter graduated May 22nd.
Ragan Davis
Terasa and Ragan Davis
Father
time and Kathy with Ragan
The story with the beard: I made a vow to the Lord that I would grow it until the Bible School got started. Well, we thought we saw the possible start of the school (and possible beard trim time) only to have the cyclone which put us back until later this year or early next year. So is the Lord saying. "I like the beard keep growing it" or "maybe next time you will think clearer about making a vow." Whatever it is still growing! But Kathy still likes it!
FOUR GENERATIONS: Kathy, Terasa, Bonnie (Kathy's mom),
Ragan
RELIEF FUNDS FOR REBUILDING
AFTER CYCLONE PAM
Kathy and I are humbled and at loss for words of the outpouring of funds to
help in the rebuilding after Cyclone Pam. The relief funds will be administered
by a group of Christians there while we are gone but I do not think much will
be needed until August/September when the government will get tired of feeding
everyone and cut back even more. That is when our help will be needed more.
We have a lot of food set aside in one of our containers. As for rebuilding
houses most of the people build with bush wood with grass/coconut leaf mat roofs
so they are waiting for vegetation to regrow.
Before we left we went to the bank to get another account set up that we could transfer funds to the brethren, through Goman, for relief expenses. We went to the bank 10 days before we left and were told "no problem a couple of days it will be ready". (This was after we had to produce our passports and work permits for verification even though we already have an account with them. WHAT????) Long story short it was not ready and it was not ready even though we got the cards and password code the day we left. They were not active until I CALLED them the next banking day. We finally got them to call us and activated the accounts only to find out I could not access the online banking two days after that. SO another email to them and a call from them and we finally got it working, 4 weeks after they said "no problem".
Our plans are still to return home August 19th. In the
meantime we are available (between VA appointments and medical appointments
for Kathy) to come a share with you. We are here in Joplin MO staying with Jason
and his family.
Thanking you all so much for your prayers and extra support for recovery. May
God bless you richly as He has us.
Onward and upward!
Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for us, supporting us and have contributed to our needs. God bless you! Thank you for your prayers!
Thank you Lord for healing and providing what we need!
Grace & Peace
Tobey & Kathy
Huff
Ph: 417 629 7261 (Joplin)
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PS A cyclone relief fund has been set up at our sponsor and Jason can give instructions if anyone wants to wire TT money straight to our bank account there.
Contributions for the Huffs, the
Bible school and the Scholorship fund can be sent to:
Huffs/Bible School
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2830 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
or
Jason Huff
2730 E 24th St
Joplin MO 64804