Former Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides. It is a sprinkling of 83 tropical islands from volcanic beginnigs, that lie peacefully in the South Pacific Ocean. 16º South & 168º East. It is North-East of New Caldonia, 2500 km South-East of Papua New Guinea, 2500 km North-East of Sydney Australia, 2000 km North of Auckland New Zealand and 800 km West of Fiji.
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The John Hall family was the first
missionary family to live here in 1979-80 but had to leave after
a year due to schooling problems. (2 men and 1 woman were baptized)
John was supported and sponsored by the church in Ashdown Ark.
He was replaced by Edwin Crookshank who lived here for a short
time and then moved to American Samoa and then to Hawaii. He travelled
back to Vanuatu a couple of times a year meeting with the Christians
(less then 5) and following up students of Correspondence Courses.
When Edwin left Hawaii to move back to the mainland USA in 1995
he left the follow-up work to Randy English who lives in American
Samoa and traveled to Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
The missionary workers living in American
Somoa and sponsored by a Forest Park Georgia congregation, live
in American Samoa so as not to have to worry about visa restrictions
and requirements in the various island states where work is currently
going on. Most of the work in the Islands is as a result of baptisms
from various Bible Correspondence Course programs conducted thru
USA churches. Their main man, Robert Martin has been active throughout
the entire region since 1975, the same year the Tobey Huff started
their work in Papua New Guinea. This group is currently conducting
a yearly Bible Training Program in the Pacific islands which is
to produce a Diploma in Bible Studies for the attendors. All courses
are in English and many are taught by American Christians. They
make use of the KJ and NKJ versions of the Bible and do not consider
use of other versions acceptable.
Tobey & Kathy Huff, who were living
in Tauranga New Zealand, first went to Vanuatu in October 1990
at the request of a group who were taking the WorldWide Bible
School Correspondence Course thru New Zealand. This group were
headed by a man called Pastor Amos Waki who lived in Port Vila
at Pongo village. The group was aligned with the churches of Christ
Associated out of Australia. We found out later they are a charismatic
group and that he was just trying to use us to get financial support
for himself. At that time we were not aware that the Lord's church
(as we know it) met or even existed.
The Huffs helped the Jab Mesa family
from Papua New Guinea move to Vanuatu and work for three months
in early 1991. It was in this time period we found out that the
church met 40km out of town at Eton village (since 1980). (We
had tried several times to get Edwin Crookshank and others to
tell us if there were Christians in Vanuatu. The Christians had
been warned that the Huffs an anyone associated with them were
false teachers.) Jab had been working with the Pongo group but
spent his last month with the Eton group and was eventually expelled
from the country by the Presbyterian elders at Eton (who have
since invited him back). Jab was able to get the struggling group
(13 Christians) in a less struggling situation. He was also instrumental
in the adding of over 15 more souls into the Kingdom. Up to this
point in time missionaries would visit for a few days baptize
people and leave for 4-5 months, and then repeat the process.
The men of the Eton church said that
they had been in neutral for ten years but with Jab coming they
were excited. Their giving increased, they were gearing up to
be more evangelistic and they had their first ever men's meeting
to discuss the work of the church and future plans.
Tobey Huff with his son Jason, while
living in New Zealand, made a trip back to Vanuatu in March 1991.
(The Mesas left in April.) Tobey & Kathy along with Jab Mesa
returned in November 1991. Jab stayed for a month and worked with
a student from Fiji, Temo, and the local brethren. At that time
the brethren decided to send one of their young men, Stephen Felix,
to the South Pacific Bible College in Tauranga New Zealand. He
graduated in 1993 and returned to Vanuatu. He is currently a Magistrate
with the government judicial system. Until the Huffs moved there
in June 1998 they had tried to visit the brethren, to encourage
them, at least yearly. The Vanuatu brethren were still being visited
several times a year by missionaries and teachers from the USA
who would come for a few days teach, baptize and leave.
In 1996 the brethren in Vanuatu asked
if Tobey could send a worker from PNG. They asked for Jab Mesa
but he is the principal of the Bible College and so they send
the Sombo Dowara family who agreed to come and work for two years.
The Dowara's renewed their visas and worked there in Vanuatu until
Dec 2001.
On June 26th 1998, Tobey and Kathy
Huff finished their work with the Melanesian Bible College in
Lae, Papua New Guinea and moved to Port Vila, Vanuatu to help
the brethren on Efate in their Spiritual Growth by providing Bible
classes and training. Tobey was also instrumental in translating
and printing in a book form many songs in Bislama which is used
throughout the church. On November 15, 1998 the Lord's church
in Eton village, Vanuatu moved into a new worship facility built
on land deeded to the church. After 18 years this is the first
time where the church has its own facilities on land which has
been given for the sole use of the Lord's church. The new building
is located in the village of Eton on Efate Island where the capitol
of Port Vila is located. Picture
In 1997 a group of American workers
visited the island of Santo and baptized 12 persons before leaving.
In February 1999 missionaries Sombo Dowara, Tobey Huff and local
Eton leader Morris Felix were asked to go visit some of the brethren
in Santo to try and encourage them. Plans were made to try and
visit and teach on a regular basis to help them in their spiritual
growth.
An additional Papua New Guinea family
was brought into Vanuatu in May 2000. The Yusi Miopa family were
scheduled to move to help the work in Santo but land disputes
have meant that they have stayed and worked in the Port Vila area.
A local Ni-vanuatu and his family,
Shem Gabriel, attended the Melanesian Bible College in Lae, Papua
New Guinea and returned in September 2000 after graduation. They
are currently looking at going back to his home island of Ambyum
where he has established the Lord's church there.
Currently (accurate count) we have
three groups meeting on the main island of Efate- consisting of
approximately 80 members of the Lord's church. They meet at: Eton
village, Ebau village and Port Vila. The brethren in Port Vila
meet and worship in homes. There is a group of Christians meeting
on the island of Ambae. We do know of several Christians on other
outer islands (Santo, Tanna and Ambyum) but cannot say for sure
they are meeting on a regular basis.
Because it was agreed that local brethren
were the logical people to continue to evangelize the populace
of Vanuatu and that they had been given the tools to do so, Kathy
and I bid farewell and God speed and headed back to the USA for
needed medical treatments knowing that the work of the Lord was
in good hands.
Dr Tobey Huff/ September 2001