September 2011
Dear Friends, Brethren and Family
Mi hop se yufala i stap gud long pis blong Hae God. (We hope you are safe in the peace of God.)
Getting settled
It is hard to believe that we have been in the house for a month now. We are
slowly getting things organized which is hard when we are moving into a area
half the size we moved out of. We have to empty one of the containers because
someday they will come pick it up. I had to build cabinets in the kitchen because
all there was was two small lower cabinets. I build free standing cabinets over
the sink and a storage/pantry unit on the other wall behind the door.
I was also able to build a storage unit for Morris and Rebecca.
Here is how the house looks now and the pawpaw trees growing next to
the house. I take several pawpaw a day to the Felix compound (Steve's family
and Morris and Rebecca).
Handing over of the donated boxes
of linens
Before we left Fiji the 10 boxes of donated linen from CARE in Fort Smith AR
arrived. We had a handing over ceremony which was attended by the hospital staff
and the members of the Lautoka Cancer Society.
(above) Kathy showing what the boxes held.
(down) Kathy taking with the ladies.
Fun and games continue
You would have thought everything I wrote about last month would have been enough
for a lifetime - not so - there was more. Due to immigration requirements we
had to leave Vanuatu and re-enter to get our Resident permits. Knowing how things
work I decided to go down to immigration a day before we left to get a letter
from them stating that we were being granted Resident status in Vanuatu and
thus would not need an ongoing ticket when we left Fiji to return to Vanuatu
(otherwise we would not have been let on the flight to come back to Vanuatu
without a return or on-going ticket). No problem - I should come back the next
morning and the letter would be ready. (Keep in mind our flight was to leave
at 4:00 pm and we had to check in around 2:00 pm!) So I went in the morning
but it was not ready but I was told to come back at 11:30. I did - the door
was closed for lunch (until 1:30 pm). I went back and loaded the bags in the
truck and we had lunch in town. I arrived back at 1:30, the secretary showed
up at 1:45, the letter had not been signed so we went to the Principal Immigration
Officer's office, he showed up at 1:55. He signed the Resident permits (no letter
needed) and gave them to me. They were post dated to June 21 when our first
application was lodged. We went to the airport and checked in for our flight
to Fiji.
The flight was uneventful. We had a week in Fiji. We were able to sell the car but only realized US$1500.
Last Golf in Fiji
In July 2011 while still living in Fiji I was the first person to correctly
answer a golf question in a weekly newspaper column written by David Roche of
the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course. My prize was two free rounds of golf.
However we were too busy moving to use these free rounds of golf. So I took
my clubs back to Fiji with us and arranged to play my two rounds of golf while
there. We thought we might as well try and unwind this week after all the stuff
we had been through moving, packing, shipping, unpacking, dealing with customs
etc, etc.
It is an 18 hole - 6556 meters par 72 - Championship golf course carved out of the sand dunes and bush midway between Nadi and Sigatoka, Fiji. It has lava and coral lined cart paths with panoramic views of the Pacific ocean.
The course can be very deceptive. The first two holes are indexed 1 & 2 and I was able to par both of them. In fact the first five holes are straight forward and I came away with a three over par. I have a 15 handicap currently playing to a 21 which allows me at least one shot a hole.
Hole
#4
Then you cross the road and follow the cart path to #6 tee (below).
You are looking down a par 5/ 495 meter leap into an abyss. I swear it is at
least 100 meters (300+ feet) elevation difference down to the fairway. My best
drive I was able to barely get to the fairway off the tee box. Water on the
left and bush on the right are not options for a par on the hole (as I found
in my second round).
(Below) The par 4/#9 has a hidden green on a dogleg
right which is guarded tenaciously by a small water course running the full
length of the fairway in front of the green.
The knee trembling par 4/#12 tee looks at the water hole right in the middle
right of the fairway. You know should lay up on the knoll and know you will
not. (below)
I can honestly say that I did not lose one golf ball in the water (7 balls donated
in the bushes/rough but none in the water). The only reason I did not lose a
ball in the water on #12 in both rounds is that I chose not to play hole #12.
After all I have to pay for my golf balls. Pretty to look at - but my mother
did not raise a fool!
Many of the cart paths through the bush are "s" curves to make sure the carts can climb and go down in a safe manner on the ear popping elevation decents & accents.
When they give the length from tee to green as 140 meters they forgot to say it could be a 100 meter elevation drop as well.
A testament that this course demands accurate shots is shown by the three places alongside the course where local golf ball vendors have and are selling literally hundreds of golf balls of every brand and colour that they have found in the rough, water and bushes surrounding the course. Going price was 3 for Fj$5.00. The last vendor should have a sign saying "Last chance for golf balls before entering the nether lands".
Golf ball vendors
The Natadola Bay championship Golf Course is the St Andrews of the South Pacific when the Southeasterly is blowing in the winter months like it was my two rounds. (Summer conditions (Oct - Feb) are much calmer and warmer I was told.) Winds were 15-20 knots in the morning and by afternoon there could be gusts of up to 50 knots. Make sure your belt is snugged up good and tight or your might get your pants blown off. Men should not wear kilts and women should not wear skirts. You definitely know if you have knickers on. Winter months are much more challenging.
I found myself almost using a three wood to get the ball 120 meters into the wind onto the green in some places. The greens are second to none. They are firm and very fast. There were times, when after I finally got the ball on some of the exposed greens, that the wind would take the ball off the green. The sand traps are in excellent shape, are plentiful and easily found.
Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course is the type of course that after one has played a round, if they are amateurs they know why they are not professional and if they are professional they wonder why they are professional. This course can eat you for lunch and spit you out. Everyone should play this course at least once! (which might be all you can afford in lost golf balls, hats blown off and grit in your eye.) Greg Norman type wide brim hats do not wear well in these windy conditions, I found out.
It was an enjoyable experience, one I could not afforded it I had had to pay to play there. (Thank you Lord! above what you can ask or think..... This is not why we are missionaries but it was a nice diversion! They are few and far between!) We stayed at a local resort for two nights at "local rates" and enjoyed the time together. I played, Kathy was my driver.
Fiji immigration woes
Before we drove to the golf course we stopped by immigration at the Nadi Airport
to make sure they were processing the refund of our immigration bond we had
to pay in 2006 (F$3200 - 20% devaluation = maybe US$2400). Why of course everything
was processing along - NOT! It seems they could not process the refund without
the original receipt which we had lost in the 2009 flooding of the house. (If
we had not returned to Fiji we would not have know this!) So we had to go get
a justice of the peace (none within 10 kms of the airport) to certify a letter
from us that the original receipt was lost in the flood. I had to write the
letter on my computer, find someone who could print it off for me, then find
a JP. We also had to go get a Form B from a bank that was an application to
the Reserve Bank of Fiji for the transfer of funds to an overseas bank. That
too had to be witnessed by a JP. Two hours later (a trip to Nadi, a trip back
to Vuda Point and then back to Nadi airport) we were told the letter would be
sent to Suva for processing and that there should be no problem. The funds would
be wired to our Port Vila account in due time. I wonder when due time is as
we still have not seen the funds.
Back Home
After a week in Fiji it was good to get back to Vanuatu. We scooted through
Immigration and customs with no problems. We were overweight as we were bringing
some items back that we had bought in Fiji; food (pancake mix, cans of potato
stiks, licorice), some shirts for Morris and Steve, a new drum unit for our
laser printer as well as an electric hot water "on demand" system
but no extra charges. Bottled propane gas is twice the price in Vanuatu (as
compared to Fiji) so we are going to use the electric "on demand"
water system for the shower. Electricity is expensive also but we hope to save
a bit of money this way.
We took a bus from the airport to Stephen's house. He was in New Caledonia with the Vanuatu soccer team for the South Pacific games. Rebecca gave me the key to the truck. Morris said I need to go home as the house was broken into while we were gone.
Moses (Goman's son) was at the house, the front door had been bashed in and a locked door in the house had been bashed in. Moses and Akisha (Goman's eldest daughter) had been staying in the house. Monday evening (night before we got back) Akisha had gone out from 4:30-7:00 pm before Moses came over to spend the night as watchman. When she came back at 7:00 pm she noticed a young man talking on his phone as she got off the bus and as she came around the corner to the house he took off. Normally she would not have come back because she works evenings. She then noticed the rear door bashed and the front door bashed and broken in. She called the police and they came for a statement and a look around. The rear door is a solid core door (took the bashing and did not break) but the front door was a hollow core door best used as a interior door (totally destroyed). Whoever it was used a cement block which was laying at the back of the house.
They stole the new 30# bottle of propane (replacement $130 - gas $40 + $90 deposit on the bottle); drank all the cans of pop out of the refrigerator; took several packs of cookies; two DVD's we had by the TV. They had my new combat boots in a plastic bag to take but did not get them. The young lad on the phone was probably the lookout and Akisha scared they off.
They came in through the hedge on the road side as there is no fence with the hedge. They obviously had been watching the house for a few days and so took the opportunity when Akisha went to work (so they thought).
The next day Moses and I strung up a new section of fence and it took
the landlord a full day to replace the front door and repair the screening on
the front window. I still want to run some barbed wire through the hedge (or
claymore mines like we used in Vietnam). We have steel bars on the windows so
they could not come through the windows. I have chained the new bottle of propane
and anything else outside to the house.
We were fortunate that we had not gotten much out of the containers nor stocked
up the groceries before we left. The bedroom door they bashed open had some
of my tools, computers, office stuff and a suitcase with some of Kathy's clothes.
All of which they looked through but didn't take anything. We figure it was
some young boys as there has been a rash of"opportunity" burglaries
in the area the past month. Adults would have cleaned us out. (Stephen said
he had heard several cases in his court.)
Welcome home! We have also had at least 8 more earthquakes over 5.0. No damage - just rockin' and rollin'.
We have found why the house was vacant: the road traffic noise goes from 4 am to 11 pm every day (for some reason people like to stand up in the back of trucks and scream and holler as they go down the hill past our place), we get a wind load of dust from the unpaved roads on two sides of the house when the prevailing wind is blowing from the East (which right now is everyday). (Not to re-mention the known fact that this area is a hive of criminal activity. Where else to shine The Light!)
Transport
I have gotten the 3 wheeled motorcycle (150 cc) out of the container and registered
it.
Since it is the only one in Vanuatu I get all kinds of looks when I
drive it. It is cheap transport for me when I need to pop into town, go see
someone or carry stuff. I usually go every morning to get the paper, check mail
and drop a copy of the paper off to Morris on my way back home.
The only problem is Kathy can not ride on it with me. We have seen a small truck
which will suit our needs but don't have the 800,000 vatu ($9300 US). At the
moment Stephen doesn't mind us using his Toyota truck. If we don't have Stephen's
truck (which is often) then Kathy is stuck at home or we can take a bus into
town ($12.00 round trip). Since the buses are public transport one never knows
what they can catch off the bus seats. On Sundays I have use of the truck as
we (Kathy & I) take Morris, Rebecca and all the extended family to services.
Stephen usually brings Rose-Hanna and the baby with him in the government car.
School ground
Morris and Stephen are still working on getting the ground for the school surveyed
(it takes lots of time here). Morris has already set aside some additional personal
acreage for us to plant crops on and in the coming months we will be spending
more time doing that. We will also be siting the buildings for the school as
well as a house for us on the donated land. We are looking forward to getting
and raising some chickens since chicken is very expensive here as well.
In between getting settled we have been travelling out to Eton and further visiting brethren and around the Port Vila area talking with Christians who have not been attending services.
We are also in further discussion with government officials in regard to our providing counseling services for the many family problems that come before the court system here. I am working on getting my Doctorate in Family Counseling in the coming months to bring my qualifications up to standards to assist in this opportunity.
I am having to update my webpage as well as personal stationary and all the signs and stationary for the Bible School.
The common phrase around here is "I know I have it I just don't remember what box it was in!" Usually I find it the last place I look!
Computer connection
It took a couple of weeks and a personal visit from a technician but we finally
got a DSL computer connection here at the house. I tried for a number of days
to get our computers to hook up to the connection (they said was ready) and
finally in frustration went down to their town office and said, "I give
up!" They want people to book a $50 service call.
So the deal was a service call is $50 - if it was my problem I would pay, if it was their fault it was free. The visit was free! I could have hooked it up myself but the equipment they provided (I paid for) was faulty.
Again the monthly charge is four times what it cost us in Fiji ($20 vs $89) but there are few options here.
Birthday Month
September was birthday month for both Kathy and myself. She turned 62 and me
63. Most days I don't feel 63 but there are other days I would swear I am 93.
Things just don't work like they used to. To many of you we are young pups to
others old poops, but we are still here! Thank you to many of you who sent birthday
condolences!
Needs
As you have read moving here has been expensive and
living here will be expensive. We really need to increase our monthly support
$500-1,000. If you can or know of someone who can help this need please pray
about it and let us know.
A more urgent need is a vehicle that we can both ride in as well as provide transport for Morris when Stephen's truck is not available. As mentioned there is one (club cab with a bed) for $9300 of which we have $2500 so we still need $6800. The banks here are not much into car loans for new customers, like us!
Thank you so much for all of you who are supporting us and have contributed to our needs. God bless you!
Your seed sowing workers in the Kingdom.
Tobey & Kathy
Contributions for Huffs and building the Bible school and house can be sent to:
Huffs/Bible School
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2830 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
Mailing Address:
PO Box 3239
Port Vila, Vanuatu
South Pacific
Residence:
Tassiriki Park
Lot 168
Port Vila
Ph:
(678) 710-1617
(678) 594-7248