Wedding Bells X 3

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and they will become one flesh" (Genesis 2 :24).

We were thrilled that of the four couples that attended the marriage retreat, three decided to go ahead with plans to get married on December 19th. Oftentimes the financial burden of a wedding keeps couples from going through with wedding plans. The "bride price" in Vanuatu has been limited to the equivalent of $800, not a small sum of money even for people in the US. Not all the islands of Vanuatu require the groom to pay a bride price, but the expense for the wedding reception is also a daunting amount for most people here. Everyone that comes to a wedding in Vanuatu expects that afterward a large meal will be served, including the meat from at least one cow, several pigs and chickens, lots of "laplap" and rice, drink and cake. We had never organized a wedding in Vanuatu before, not to mention a multiple wedding!

We found out that pre-planning for an event like this is not as much a part of the melanesian culture as it is in western cultures. We had lots to learn, and we were so thankful for wonderful ni-Vanuatu Nazarenes and family members that took the lead in getting things organized. The wedding reception was to take place at our yard which has lots of grass and trees. The young people helped by making a large shelter where the food would be served. The Black Sands Church of the Nazarene financed and arranged the purchase of the cow and also prepared the traditional "laplap" - a food made from cassava and coconut milk. Several men from William's family came to prepare the soups and stews. A large tent was secured from Air Vanuatu. A temporary kitchen was put together in one corner of the yard. It was a little funny to find 4 cow feet nicely arranged over the fire pit after the reception. (If you look closely, you'll see them.)

Meanwhile the brides and grooms were getting ready at the sanctuary where we had met the month before for our annual assembly. Try to imagine three brides with their "flower girls" getting dressed in a tiny 2-stall church restroom in the tropics! At the wedding practice the previous night, only one bride had prepared to have flower girls. Somehow, by the next morning the other two brides had found flowergirls and dresses for them! Rona had asked a lady to make her wedding dress; Janet was wearing her mother's dress; and Aline was to wear a borrowed dress. We're not sure when or why it got started, but it is "traditional" for the grooms to wear black suits and ties. Suits and ties are not common items in stores here in Port Vila. Peter and Gideon were able to borrow suits. William was dressed nicely in a long sleeve white shirt, but alas, he had outgrown his suit coat.

The brides and grooms marched in as the congregation sang in Bislama, "To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done!" The brides were escorted in by men from their families. Pastor Peter led the service and David preached the sermon. One of the most meaningful times of the service was when the "flowergirls" placed a large ring of flowers around each bride and groom signifying the sanctity of the marriage relationship. This is not a usual tradition in Vanuatu, but Pastor Peter introduced it at a wedding several years ago and the ni-Vanuatu liked it. Each couple exchanged vows and rings and shook hands to seal the deal. Then we all piled into trucks and vans to drive through town, honking and hooting as we cruised along.


The wedding reception was perfect - plenty of food for everyone! One of Rona's family members was able to get a huge tub of crushed ice for the cold drink - a cool blessing for the tropical heat. The brides and grooms sat together and shared their first meal as husband and wife. The couples all cut their cakes together. There were lots of digital cameras flashing as hand in hand the couples made their first slice through the cake. And then, they sat down. We discovered it is not traditional to feed each other the cake like we do in the US.
William took a few minutes to present Rona's family with part of the "bride price." It is customary for the bride's family to respond with gifts for the groom's family as well. Not only are the bride and groom united, but the families are joined in friendship. This is the traditional way of making the marriage public and also for establishing the marriage commitment.

It was the end of a perfect day and the beginning of a new life together for these newlyweds who have invited the blessing of the Lord into their lives and marriages!

We're Gonna Get Married!

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together! God is the author and initiator of the marriage relationship, and he loves it when people do marriage HIS way and follow his plan! In Vanuatu, cultural taboos prevent parents from discussing marriage and "friending" (dating) relationships with their children. We never hear about a marriage enrichment retreat or any marriage type workshop being offered at the churches in Vanuatu. This has been a burden on our hearts for most of the six years that we've served as missionaries in this country. There are a number of couples in our churches who have never married, either in a traditional way or in a church wedding. They have come to know Christ as their Savior, but for a variety of reasons, have never gotten married. With this in mind, we proposed that the local Nazarene Churches come together to help provide a wedding for those couples in our churches that wanted to step forward to publicly unite their relationship in a Christian marriage ceremony.

We decided that any couple who wanted to participate in the wedding would need to attend a marriage retreat that we would offer the weekend prior to the wedding. We found some great Christian Melanesian marriage resources that we could give to the participants, and Pastors Peter and Jenny joined us in teaching God's plan for marriage. It was interesting to watch the couples when they first arrived and took their places in the church to listen to the first lesson. Not one couple was seated together! So, before we got started we had everyone shift around so that they were seated next to their partner. Although they giggled and seemed embarrassed, it was delightful to see them begin to talk and consult with each other. This retreat was a small step in helping these four couples begin to see marriage as a gift from God with truths from his Word that will bring blessing and joy to a relationship that was previously characterized by conflict. We look forward to offering more classes on Christian marriage and family relationships in the coming months.

In the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul

Imagine trying to teach the thirteen letters of Paul in a 30 hour block course! And then, add to that the fact that you've never taught it before. It goes without saying that it was challenging, but absolutely rewarding! I (Sylvia) was so impressed with the six students that faced the challenge with me. We met for three hours every evening for two weeks and five hours on the Saturday between the two weeks. WE learned SO much! We learned about Paul's conversion, his missionary travels, when and where he was when he wrote each letter, and what he was trying to communicate to those who received the letter. I personally was challenged by Paul's fervor and unquenchable desire to share God's love and the message of Christ while facing persecution at almost every turn. One of my (and I think everyone's) favorite parts of each class was singing the song that helped the students to learn the names and order of the thirteen letters, as well as the other books of the New Testatment. I was driving with Pastor Kidhly a few weeks later and overheard him singing the song! I thank the Lord for his help in preparing this course and for the strength and wisdom for teaching each day. What a privilege and joy! (In the photo L to R: William, Austin, Daniel, Mary, and Esther. Pastor Kidhly missed getting in this shot.)

Third Vanuatu Assembly with Conventions - for the FIRST time!

Our third annual assembly was a rich time of worship and fellowship! We met in the beautiful sanctuary of the Apostolic College of Theological Studies for three evenings and a full day on Saturday. Representatives from all six congregations participated each evening.



For the past two years we have gathered on Saturday for a time of worship and reporting, but this year we decided to gather for three evenings and give the various ministries an opportunity to lead the worship time. Wednesday evening was led by Women's Ministry. Sunday School and Children's Ministry led the worship on Thursday night and NYI led on Friday night.



There were lots of wonderful special items shared from each church and from the various ministries. The children from Malapoa did an action song on Thursday evening.



Pastor Kidhly and Natcha arrived from Aniwa in time for the Thursday service. The Aniwa youth presented special songs in their own language.



The youth introduced the Evange-Ball in a wonderful skit. We thank Rev. Larry Webb, semi-retired missionary from South America for this wonderful evangelism tool! The young people learned the plan of salvation and are looking forward to using sports evangelism this summer on a mission trip to another island.



Each evening a different speaker shared God's Word to the eager congregation.



On Saturday, we welcomed our Field Strategy Coordinator, Rev. Harmon Schmelzenbach, his wife Cindy and son Quinton.



Pastor Harmon shared an inspiring message with us about God's priorities while Pastor Peter translated.



We heard lots of reports from pastors and ministry leaders. At noon we shared a potluck meal together. In the afternoon, Pastor Graziella led the children from the Erakor Church in singing a wonderful song! We praise the Lord for all he has done!

God heals a little boy

Sarah, the children’s Sunday School teacher at Black Sand Church, asked us to pray for a little 7 year old boy named John Morrison who was admitted to Vila Central Hospital for some kind of problem with his leg.  We were quite surprised to find a seriously ill child breathing with much difficulty when we first went to visit him.  We spoke with John’s mother, Sofie, and two of his “aunties” who shared the confusing story of John’s illness.  We prayed with them for John’s healing and committed to return to visit in a day or so. 

 

We found him with a chest tube in his right side connected to drainage bottles when we arrived the next time.  He seemed even sicker than before.  Memories of Susan’s sickness and quick death were fresh in our minds as we called out to God to spare this little guy’s life.  We were able to give the first copy of a new shipment of the Gospel of John in Bislama to John’s father, Morrison, and encouraged him to read it as he waited at his little boy’s bedside. 

 

We continued to visit several times a week, each time finding John a little stronger and little more aware of his surroundings.  After a couple more weeks, he was allowed to return to his home in Black Sand for a few hours each day.  About 2 weeks ago, John was discharged from the hospital on the road to complete recovery. 

 

Last Sunday, Sofie stood for the first time in Black Sand Nazarene Church to give her testimony of praise for God’s healing of her dear son.  John and his siblings are now coming to the Sunday School class and Sofie is becoming a part of the fellowship at Black Sand Church.  We praise the Lord for his healing in this precious child’s life and for the opportunity to minister his love to this family.

 

Earthquakes in Vanuatu

Just to let everyone know, there have been a number of earthquakes this morning located off the coast of the northern most islands of the Vanuatu chain. The largest earthquake measured 7.8. A tsunami warning was issued, but we just heard that they’ve cancelled it now. We have not heard of any damage from the earthquake nor that any tsunami actually occurred in Vanuatu or Solomon Islands to the north. If anyone is interested, here is a website that will give you the latest information about earthquakes around the world. I’ve got it set for the South Pacific: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/S_Pacific_eqs.php



We went to town (right along the seafront) this morning to begin the process of renewing our residence visas only to find that the Immigration Office was closed along with quite a few other stores. We didn’t think it was a public holiday. We soon found out that there was a tsunami warning. There was a cruise ship in port and lots of tourists milling about town but not looking alarmed in any way. One of the members of the Black Sand Nazarene Church stopped us as we were getting into our truck to leave and asked if we knew anything about the tidal wave. We pooled our bits of knowledge and determined that most likely the danger time was past.



Here in Port Vila we haven’t felt any of the earthquakes. We will keep you posted as we hear news from the north. Please keep the Asia Pacific Region in your prayers. There have been many natural disasters recently – typhoons and flooding in the Philippines, devastating earthquakes in Indonesia, and tsunami in Samoa – all resulting in the loss of life and destruction of homes and livelihood.

Praising God for people who PRAY

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you [and in us] would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” ~ Philippians 1:3-6, The Message.

The Apostle Paul does a great job of expressing what is in our hearts for you. We are so thankful for your partnership with us! We have been back “home” for about 7 weeks now and what full weeks they have been! It has been well over a month since our last prayer letter went out, so we wanted to let you know how God has been working in response to your prayers.

Our YWAM friends, Ben and Anna Story, are still in Australia with their precious little Simon. He is 7 weeks old now and weighs in at 1.8 kg (a little shy of 4 pounds) – almost twice what he weighed at birth. Recently, he has graduated from the NICU to a special care nursery where he is free from oxygen tubes and is sleeping in a little crib instead of the isolette. His parents have sent us a note thanking everyone for their prayers! Such a wonderful miracle of life!

Our friends the Rudds are together again in the United States. You may recall from our e-mail in August that Kay had a heart attack in June while living here in Vanuatu. She spent some time in New Zealand while Jack and Jay packed up all their belongings here. They said in a recent e-mail to us, “We believe that God has more for us to do and we would ask you to be in prayer with us as HE shows you and us the next steps in this adventure for HIM.” Thank you for your prayers for them! In the picture to the right: Jack and Jay and Roger and Cindy and little Leilani Sutter came to our house for dinner before the Rudds left for the States. By the way, Cindy is doing much better and is visiting Roger’s home in Switzerland for the first time.

We became a bit more acquainted with the traditions and customs surrounding the grieving process as we mourned with Susan’s family and all of our churches after she passed away on August 7th. The particular custom for the people of the island of Paama (an island north of us where Susan’s husband is from) is that the family remains at home for a month following a death. They do not go to work, school, or to other activities that are outside their home. It is a time to be together and remember the one who has died. One week after Susan’s death, we gathered with the family as they presented a cow and other food to Susan’s brothers. After a month, Susan’s family will eat the “last kakae (meal)” together and the women of the family present razors to the men who have refrained from shaving during the month indicating that the time of mourning is over.

This last Sunday we picked up Susan’s kids and her husband’s parents and took them to Black Sand Church with us. The fellowship we shared together was like a healing balm. Please pray for Susan’s husband, Arthy, and some other young men that live at their house that they will begin to desire new life with Christ.

What a delight that little Anna worshiped with us that day too! You may remember us asking you last year to pray for a little 1 year old who was badly burned in a house fire and flown to Australia for skin grafting. This was her first time to come to church, and we didn’t have our camera with us.  She is really shy especially when she sees our white faces looking at her. After several minutes of singing she began to feel more comfortable and was smiling and interacting with the other children around her. Her skin grafts look good. It doesn’t look like she is crawling or beginning to walk. Please pray for her continued development physically and for her and all her family to experience a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

David packed up the easel, white board, CD player, computer, a box full of books and supplies and headed off to teach class this evening at the rented classroom of Joy Bible Institute. He will be teaching Biblical Theology II every evening for the next 3 weeks. He would appreciate your prayers for him that he would have the understanding and creativity he needs to teach this very important material. Pray also that the students will be able to grasp and process all the information.

As he daily packs the truck with all his teaching supplies, we look forward to the day when we will have a classroom and library for our pastoral training program. We have made a down payment on a piece of land that we are prayerfully considering might be the future location for the Vanuatu District Center for the Church of the Nazarene. The facility would include a large sanctuary for district wide gatherings as well as for a local congregation. We would also plan to include a classroom and library, offices and other meeting rooms. Please continue to pray with us as we make decisions in the next few weeks regarding the purchase of this property.

Sylvia is scrambling to be ready to begin a series of Bible studies on the Sermon on the Mount with the Black Sand Church this Wednesday, as well as with an international women’s Bible study that she has been attending for the last couple of years. She is also preparing to teach a 3 week course for SPNTC on the Letters of Paul in November. Thanks for your support in prayer!

We feel so blessed to be able to serve the Lord in this beautiful country! Several of the young men from our churches helped us break ground for a new garden in our big 2.5 acre yard. In the States we probably would have rented a roto-tiller, but these young guys used a 6 foot long crowbar and shovels to break up the ground. We love to see the land producing lots of food. David makes a daily check of our close to 30 pawpaw trees, using a long stick to harvest from the trees that are now close to 10-15 feet tall. Sylvia has established a friendship with our neighbor as they share different flowers to be planted in each other’s gardens. Madalyn often brings over a stick or little part of a plant for Sylvia to add to her flowerbed. It doesn’t take long before a little shriveled piece of a plant begins to put on new leaves and eventually flowers! The tropics are incredible! This lovely amaryllis was one of Madalyn's many gifts to Sylvia. It was just a bulb when Madalyn gave it to her. They were both surprised and overjoyed that it produced 10 flowers!