Happy New Year and then, Merry Christmas!

A very blessed New Year to you all!  Christmas has come and gone and now it's New Year's Day!  The year 2013 was packed as full as we could make it, so full that posting blogs had to be put on the back burner once again.  But, we want you to know a little of what has been happening in these last months, so we're going to post a few stories to let you in on this full life that God has blessed us with!

We'll start with Christmas and work our way backwards. Here in Vanuatu, you know "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" when the beautiful Flamboyant trees begin to show their color.  In Bislama they are called "krismastri" (pronounced 'Christmas tree').  Their flowers are a vibrant red and the trees are located everywhere in Vanuatu.

A few days before Christmas, Black Sand Nazarene Church had its first baptism service with four women who were desiring to be baptized.  It was also Pastor Sylvia and Pastor John's first opportunity to baptize  anyone.  After the morning service at the church, we all walked the short distance to the beach where the baptism would take place.

Makfin had been baptized as a baby but asked to be baptized
as an adult to testify to her desire to follow Jesus.

The tide was out making the water a bit shallow, but not too shallow.  After Pastor Sylvia led the women in the confession of their salvation by faith in Christ Jesus, each of them overcame their shyness and fear and individually shared their testimonies.

Rini was baptized by pouring since her prosthetic leg cannot
be submerged.

That evening we went caroling in the area around the church.  Black Sand is a squatter's area with many "yards".  A yard is the central area around which family groups have built their homes.  We caroled in five different yards where our church members come from.  We had received some lighted balloons in a Christmas box from one of our LINKS churches and thought the balloons would be a fun way to include the children.  Each child was given a balloon to carry that became more beautiful as the evening became darker.  The kids knew that they would each have an opportunity to give their balloon away.  It was a sweet expression of God's precious gift to us when the children one by one eagerly gave their balloon to another child.

Wisemen following the star

Christmas Day found us again at Black Sand Nazarene Church.  It was a delight to watch student pastor John lead the children in performing a drama showing the birth of Jesus and then to preach the message of Christ the Light, our Hope.

Everyone enjoyed the fellowship and food following the service which included sharing gifts with a "secret friend" and games for the kids.

We had a special blessing this Christmas as missionary friends from Australia, Bible translators with SIL, invited us to their home for more food and fellowship in the evening.  They introduced us to their favorite Christmas food - curry puffs!

The celebration continued for us on the 26th (Family Day in Vanuatu and Boxing Day in some other south Pacific nations) when we joined Joel and Bekah, Dora and Sylvie in Anchorage, Alaska, via Skype to open gifts together.  We also got to visit with Jeffrey and Kristen for their first Christmas together and with Wesley who are all living in Michigan.  We are very grateful for God's greatest gift to us in Jesus and blessed to be able to share Him with so many of the people that we love!

November 2012 Update

Click here to read our November newsletter

This is a cheater's way of getting caught up on our blog!  We are hoping to get some pictures posted soon of the newly completed Eluklom Church of the Nazarene where our District Assembly was held the first part of November.


We were blessed to share the first Sunday of Advent with two of our Nazarene congregations.  Then in the evening, we attended an international Christian gathering to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.  We were reminded of the darkness of those days just before Christ was born on earth.  These verses from Colossians 1 captured our attention and led us to glorify the LORD for his wonderful gift to us:  “…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them (you and us) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (26-27).”  What a marvelous message we have been given to carry to those in the darkness – a message filled with hope, light, and life!

May the Lord reveal the beauty and reality of his coming in fresh, new insights as we celebrate Jesus!

Have a blessed Christmas!

...Not a Creature Was Stirring

Tannenbaum bread baked in the big W&W pot on top of the stove!

By December 26th we were pretty tuckered out.  We planned for it to be a quiet day at home.  We each opened our one Christmas gift from each other and set to work at making the traditional Christmas Tannenbaum bread. Sylvia has been having trouble with the stove since we got back from the States, and she could not get it to light for anything!!  So, we set up the big Work and Witness pot on top of the stove and baked the Tannenbaum bread inside.  We think it was the best one we've ever had! 





This year all our kids were in different places - Joel and Bekah and the twins are in Papua New Guinea, Jeffrey spent a few days with his girl friend's family near Detroit, and Wesley was with Sylvia's parents and her little brother Phillip and family in Kalamazoo.  We are thankful for things like Skype and Facebook that make it possible for us to be connected with the ones we love even though we are all over the world.  

"...and they will call him Immanuel - God with us."

~ Matthew 1:23

...and All Through the House

We had planned to have a party for the pastors on Wednesday, but it rained cats and dogs all day and made it too difficult for people to come.  A tropical storm was brewing off to the west of Vanuatu which was looking like it would become a cyclone.  All the Nazarene churches in Port Vila were planning to join together on December 23, 24, and 25th, and rain would not make gathering very easy.

Pastor Morrison enjoying the swing with Abraham.

But, Thursday was a bright and beautiful day!  The storm to the west fizzled out and we had our pastors Christmas party with Pastor Morrison and Rehab with little Abraham from Tanna, Pastor Gideon and Aline with John from Prima, Pastor William with Peter and Nathan from Vila North, Pastor Meriam and David with Rona and Sam from Eluklom and a few other friends added in.  The house was full!  The PK's (pastor's kids) made some Christmas pictures with the Christmas cards that we had saved which became gifts for their parents.  We ate together, shared from God's Word, and then checked under the Christmas tree for presents!

The house was full of friends.  Sylvia shared a Christmas thought with everyone before we had our meal.

MK's and PK's are just the best!

Friday night we all met at Prima Church where Pastor William shared with us that wisemen still seek Jesus.  Saturday night we met at Black Sand Church for carols by candlelight and drama.  It was much too hot to have the candles burning the entire evening, so we lit them for the last few songs.  Sunday morning we met with the Black Sand congregation for Christmas worship, a meal together, and gift exchange.  Eight of us, then traveled on to Eluklom Church where David preached again and Pastor Peter led us in communion. 

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

~ 1 John 4:9

Twas the Week Before Christmas...

Christmas week was very busy for us, as it probably was for everyone!  

We had a Christmas party with Peter and Jenny Isaac and their boys on Tuesday. 

We started with decorating Christmas cookies. ALL of them got eaten after dinner.

Jenny helped Sylvia get the meal on the table.  Even though we live in the same town, we don't always get much time to talk together.  It was nice to have a few minutes to catch up on what has been happening in our lives.

Peter played his guitar...

and Sylvia dusted off her violin and we all sang our favorite Christmas songs together.

 David helped the boys tell the story of Christmas just before we opened presents!

We love our missionary family and are so thankful for them!