Equipping Leaders for Service

David and Sylvia have been busy with lots of teaching!  SPNTC Vanuatu has been trying some different schedules to try to hit on something that is a good fit for both the students and the teachers.  In the past we have always taught the classes in a 2 week intensive block course with classes meeting Monday through Friday evenings for 3 1/2 hours.  This is a pretty tough pace for the teacher as well as for our students, many of whom have attended school only through the 6th grade.  This year we've tried a mix of the block course intensives with three terms of nine Saturdays where two classes are offered - one in the morning and a different one in the afternoon.  This makes it possible for us to offer a few more classes than the previous year, as well as, a little more time for the teacher to prepare and for the students to reflect on what they are learning.

David and Sylvia taught the first term of Saturday classes with Sylvia teaching Old Testament Survey and David taking Biblical Theology III.  That term finished on March 20th, just in time for Sylvia to join the CBHC team in Aniwa. 

David began the first 2 week intensive course for this year, offering New Testament Survey.  Pastor Kidhly from Aniwa flew into Port Vila to attend the course.  Wanting to make the most of his time, Sylvia is teaching him the Old Testament Survey class that he missed. 

Pastors Peter and Jenny will begin teaching at the end of April and will finish up their term in mid-June.  Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare pastors and lay leaders for ministry. 

Substitute Parenting and Empty Tomb Cookies

When Sylvia returned from Aniwa, she and David were delighted to care for Peter and Jenny's three wonderful sons - Bennett (12), Ennrich (Endy) (8), and Junior (4)!  We were much younger when we had our three little guys to watch after.  Each day Ben and Endy went to school at Jehovah Jireh School on the other side of town, and then needed to be picked up in the afternoon.  Sylvia had fun buying things like Twisties to pack in the boys' lunches.  We had a good supply of Aniwa oranges that came back with us from our time there for lots of healthy snacks. 

Once Ben and Endy had left for school, Junior got to color pictures and play with toys.  Boy are we glad that we didn't get rid of our boys' wooden train set!  All the time that Junior was coloring and playing, he was singing choruses.  They just seemed to bubble out of him, and David and Sylvia started singing along!

Uncle David had a great time helping Bennett learn his times tables.  We made flash cards which were reviewed at almost every meal!  Then, he got the white board out and drew a big times tables chart.  Endy started getting interested and would offer his answers to the flash cards.  Junior decided he would try, and that's when things started getting a bit confusing!

David and Sylvia hadn't colored Easter eggs for many years.  We weren't sure if the Isaac boys had ever had that experience, so Sylvia started planning to share that activity with them.  After much searching, she discovered that chickens only lay brown eggs in Vanuatu!  Not knowing if you could color brown eggs, she went ahead and bought a couple dozen.  They search for Paas Easter Egg coloring kits was completely unfruitful!  But, she had the great idea of using natural things to make the dye - like red and yellow onion skins.  She had some red hibiscus and red ginger flowers to add to the pot as well, but in the end found that food coloring and vinegar works the best!  The boys had a great time coloring their eggs and so did Aunt Sylvia!

Another thing she had heard of but never tried was Empty Tomb Cookies.  She found the recipe on the internet and Saturday morning before the boys' parents returned to Port Vila, she helped the boys to make these "meaning-full" cookies.  The boys beat the pecans remembering that Jesus was beaten and bruised in our place.  They tasted vinegar like the wine vinegar that was given to Jesus while he was on the cross.  They tasted the salt that represented the tears of the disciples who grieved for Jesus.  The sugar that we added reminded us of how sweet the name of Jesus is.  We talked about the eggs and how they represented Christ's purity as we whipped them into fluffy white mounds.  The next day when we took the Empty Tomb Cookies over to the boys, they were able to remember all the ingredients and how they related to the Easter story.

Beginning Sunday (April 18th), we get to be substitute parents for the Isaac boys again as their parents fly to Singapore for the Mission Strategy Training at our Asia Pacific Regional Office.  Please pray that we will be good parents for these precious boys with God's love and patience overflowing.

Great Things Happening in Aniwa!

"We thank you, God, we thank you -- your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about" (Psalm 75:1, The Message).  That's how we feel too!  God has done great things and we want to tell you all about it!

Because you were praying Priscilla Radcliffe received her passport from the US Embassy in PNG just in time for her to join the group who was flying to Vanuatu to offer the Community Based Health Care workshop from March 23-April 3. God worked a mighty miracle as a result of prayer as Jessica Myers was given approval in Brisbane Airport to check-in and board the plane headed to Vanuatu.  To read more about her exciting story, click here.

The international team of Nazarene missionaries boarded the twin otter early in the morning on March 23.  Dr. Becky Morsch, Dr. Stephanie Doenges, Dr. Susan Myers and Jessica, and Priscilla Radcliffe (daughter of Jim and Kathy) all haled from the Nazarene Hospital in Kudjip, PNG.  Rev. Aseri and La Quraivalu are Fijians serving on the island of Kadavu in Fiji.  Our own Rev. Peter Isaac (missionary from PNG to Vanuatu) and Sylvia accompanied the team.

Steph and Susan taught classes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  The classes were very well attended, and some folks from the north of the island even came.  Children and women's health issues including instruction in how to do a breach delivery were the topics of discussion for the first two days.  Friday was dedicated to general health teaching that included hypertension and diabetes (common illnesses on the island) as well as teaching about HIV/AIDS. 

Some of the teaching sessions were translated from English to Bislama and then to the local language.  Since PNG Tok Pisin is quite similar to Vanuatu's trade language called Bislama, the PNG missionaries were able to communicate fairly well without translation.  God really blessed in the area of communication, making it possible for the message of Christ to be shared by every member of the team. 

On Friday afternoon, Jessica and Cilla organized a Kid's Klub and Sylvia was thrilled to be asked to join them.  We had a great time playing games with the 25 children, then Cilla shared the message of the Gospel using the 5 colors on the Evange-Ball.  The children participated in a drama about the Good Samaritan which was followed by an opportunity for the kids to make "salvation bracelets" that they proudly wore home to show their families. 

Jessica and Cilla had some great times with the girls in the villages.  Here's what Cilla shared about it: "...we went with some of the girls from the village to the island's "Sports Day" where we watched the boys play soccer and taught the girls how to make friendship bracelets.  They were all very shy, but that was a perfect opportunity to learn their names and get to know them a little bit.  Over the next few days, God kept providing opportunities for us to get to know them better.  Pretty soon they were teaching us how to make Vanuatu's staple food, lap-lap (not to be confused with wrap-around skirts), braiding our hair, and showing us their favorite place to swim in the ocean."

The Lord intervened in so many ways to bring this team together so that they could come.  Then, he intervened again and again to bring us close to people in the village.  Each of us on the team had many opportunities to share Christ's love and the Gospel.

Sylvia was delighted that she was able to pray for a lady who became her friend during the health teaching sessions, Magia.  She was raised in the John Frum Movement and married the son of the man who brought the cult to Aniwa.  Her husband disappeared many years ago leaving her with the responsibility of raising her children and providing for their needs.  She continues to hold to her belief in John Frum, but allowed Sylvia to share about Christ's love for her and then to pray for her and her family.  Please join us in continuing to pray for Magia, her family and the others who remain in the John Frum cult.

Susan, Steph, Jessica, Cilla and Sylvia left Aniwa on Saturday afternoon after a torrential rain storm that delayed the arrival of the plane by several hours.  Rev. Jenny Isaac met us in the Tanna Airport as she boarded the plane for Aniwa.  She would join Dr. Becky and the rest of the team to assist with translating for the final Community Based Health Care workshop.  Becky shared about an unexpected blessing that happened on Thursday of that week, "The chief of the northern village of Imale invited us to do health training in his community on Thursday. While I presented a sample lesson, more importantly I introduced the Ikaukau Health Volunteers who were trained and ready to do the training themselves in Imale and throughout the island. The chief invited them to return and arrangements were begun for the health volunteers to extend their knowledge and influence beyond their own village."  That evening "a graduation ceremony was conducted and certificates given to the nine individuals from Ikaukau, one from Port Vila, and two from Fiji who completed the health volunteer training."

In addition to the marvelous health training that occurred during those two weeks, Pastor Peter offered membership classes and eight people joined the Nazarene Church on Friday night.  We praise the Lord for all that He has done to extend his kingdom in the hearts of people here in Aniwa!


To view more pictures of this story, click here

Mission Trip to Aniwa

There are some very exciting things happening these next two weeks that we wanted to let you know about so that you can be praying with us.  On Tuesday morning, March 23rd, an international team of Nazarenes will be traveling to Aniwa, the island to the south of us where we have a Nazarene Church established.  Rev. Aseri and his wife, La, from the island of Kadavu in Fiji arrived yesterday.  Another five team members from the Nazarene Hospital mission station in Papua New Guinea will be arriving tomorrow afternoon.  Dr. Becky Morsch is coming to complete the Community Based Health Care teaching that she began about 16 months ago.  This time she is bringing Nazarene missionaries Dr. Susan Myers and Dr. Stephanie Doenges to do some additional health teaching.  Susan’s daughter, Jessica, and Priscilla Radcliffe, MK teens, will be coming to assist with Good News club for the children and friendship evangelism.  Rev. Peter Isaac and Sylvia will be flying with the team on Tuesday.  Rev. Aseri and Peter will be preaching in evangelistic services each evening and La is planning to minister to the children.  Sylvia will be assisting with translation when needed.  She will return with Dr. Susan, Dr. Stephanie, Jessica, and Priscilla on Saturday as Pastor Jenny flies to join the remainder of the team for a full week of ministry.  There will be lots going on and we would appreciate your prayers for these days.  David and Sylvia will be taking care of the Isaac boys during the second week while their parents are on Aniwa.

If you visit our Nazarene missionary website, www.OceaniaNazarene.org, you can get better acquainted with the PNG team members that are arriving tomorrow.

We are so thankful for this opportunity to join together in ministry with our colleagues from across our two fields!  We are praying that God will use each of the team members as we reach out with the love and good news of Christ Jesus!

In case you haven’t heard, our twin granddaughters, Dora and Sylvia, are both at home now keeping their parents and Grandmama Kathy very busy with feedings and diaper changes.  Kathy will be returning to PNG in about a week, so please pray for safety during her flight.

Dora Is Home!

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning. 

Great is your faithfulness, O Lord!”

Dora (left)                      Sylvia (right)

We praise our faithful, loving, heavenly Father that today (just 2 ½ weeks after the twins were born), Dora Katherine Potter was discharged from the hospital to go live with her parents!  Dora’s sister, Sylvia Irena, is still in the NICU in Buffalo, recuperating from the necrotizing enterocolitis that set her back when she was about one week old.  We praise the Lord that he is healing her and restoring her tiny body!  Sylvia is just a bit bigger than Dora is, but both girls are well over 4 pounds now!  We are praying that she will be able to join her sister at home soon.  We are thankful that Kathy Radcliffe, Bekah’s mother, was able to fly to Buffalo to offer support and encouragement for them during these days.  Thank you for your prayers lifted to God on our behalf and for these precious twins!  God is so very good to us and is answering our prayers so faithfully and lovingly.

Skype has been such a blessing to help us feel connected with Joel, Bekah, and the twins when we feel so far away.  We marveled as we looked at our son, now a papa!  It did not seem possible that the little guy we held in our arms could be old enough to be holding his own precious daughter!  We could see through the webcam, Dora’s tiny fingers wrapped around his thumb.  Her wrist is smaller around than his thumb!  The “virtual visits” are great, but we are really looking forward to the real thing in May when we actually get to visit them in person!  We love being grandparents!  Regarding the picture of Dora (above left), mothers in Papua New Guinea carry their babies in a string bag called a bilum (bee-loom).  It is a warm, snuggy place for a baby to spend their first 12 months (or more).

David and Sylvia are both currently teaching a class for SPNTC.  We have re-structured our teaching schedule for some of our classes from intensive 2-week block courses to classes on nine successive Saturday’s.  Sylvia teaches Old Testament Survey for 4 hours in the morning, and then David instructs the students in Biblical Theology in the afternoon.  This gives the teachers a little more time to prepare, and the students more time to reflect on what they are learning.

In less than three weeks, a great team of missionaries will be arriving in Port Vila from Papua New Guinea and Fiji.  They will continue their travels the next day to Aniwa (island to the south) for two weeks of health teaching, kids club, discipleship, and revival services.  Please be in prayer for Dr. Rebecca Morsch, Dr. Stephanie Doenges, Dr. Susan Myers and Jessica, and Priscilla Radcliffe from PNG, and for Rev. Eseri and La Quraivalu from Kadavu Island in Fiji.  Pastors Peter and Jenny Isaac and Sylvia will join them on the trip.  Dr. Becky clearly voiced our desire for this trip when she said, “We're praying for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in all that is done resulting in transformed lives and the building up of God's kingdom,” and that the Nazarene pastor on Aniwa, Pastor Kidhly, will be encouraged and strengthened in his faith.  You may remember that the Chief Rena Memorial Church on Aniwa is located immediately adjacent to the John Frum cult headquarters.  Please pray that the truth and light of Christ will shine brightly for those who are lost in the darkness of the John Frum cult.

We are eagerly anticipating and preparing for another team’s arrival in late May or early June.  Three university students in the States have committed six weeks of their summer break to come on a Youth in Mission team to assist us in our work in the islands of Vanuatu!  Please be in prayer for Andrea, Lisa, and Jacob as they complete this semester of their studies and prepare for this life-changing opportunity.

Update on Dora and Sylvia

We wanted to share this e-mail update from Joel and Bekah about our little granddaughters.  Thank you so much for praying for them.  God is so faithful and loving to us!  We praise him!

Joel and Bekah said:
Things that happened today that we are grateful to God about:

• Bekah came home this afternoon

• Dora and Sylvia continue to have their bottle-feeding amount increased

• The nurses said that Dora may be able to go without an IV in the next day or so

• We were able to get a hospital grade electric breast pump today (on loan for as long as we need it) through WIC (Women Infant's and Children)

• Lindsey (Noonen) McFadden (Bekah's friend from Mount Vernon) arrived this evening to help Bekah until her mom arrives Friday 

• Bekah's mom was able to change her ticket and is arriving this Friday

• We met with a friend from Bekah's previous place of employment (EPIC) at the hospital who educates new parents. She offered for Bekah to use her office space as a place to rest in the hospital between visits to Dora and Sylvia. She offered that we use the extra space in the office to set up a cot or blow-up twin mattress.  

Thank you for your prayers!

News update: We don't know when the babies will be able to come home or when Bekah will be able nurse. Right now we just have to take each day at a time. But the babies continue to progress: they are eating, pooping, and causing trouble (Dora took her IV off and lathered her hair in sugar water (She's fine, grandmas.)). Bekah will be going to the hospital each day to be with the babies. There are rooms in the NICU where Bekah can pump and the NICU is open to parents at all times.

Requests:

• Sylvia is under bilirubin lights for high bilirubin levels (jaundice) and Dora may have to soon.

• Bekah is still recovering from her C-section.

• Joel and Bekah are sad to be far away from the babies.

• Joel is trying to keep up with teaching and classes.

Our Granddaughters are Born!

Our little twin granddaughters have safely arrived into the world, Saturday morning, Feb. 13, 7:50 AM, New York time.  They were delivered by C-section under general anesthesia because Bekah's labor was so fast and one of the babies was transverse.  We were very thankful for Skype and email so that we could get the messages quickly.  We were thankful for our PNG friends and missionary family who joined with us to pray for Bekah, Joel and the babies.  We were very grateful that the doctor decided to perform a C-section since he found upon delivery that Sylvia's cord was around her neck.

Joel didn’t get to be with Bekah, but was able to see the twins right after they were born.  They both weighed exactly the same – 3 pounds 14 oz.  They were about 6 weeks premature.  Both babies were breathing okay on their own, but little Sylvia Irena had some fluid in her lungs so they hooked her up to C-PAP to assist her.  It was taken off later in the day and she is breathing fine without assistance now.  We praise God for his goodness to us and them!  They will be in the hospital for a while.  They are anticipating that Bekah will be able to go home from the hospital on Wednesday, Feb. 17th.

Joel and Bekah named the babies, Dora Katherine and Sylvia Irena.  Both babies are named for their two grandmothers and also have a name that comes from the Greek – a language that Joel has studied lots in his Master’s and doctoral programs.  Dora means “gift” and Irena means “peace.”  The scripture that was their inspiration is James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…”

Kathy, Bekah's mom and our dear friend in PNG, will most likely be going to be with Bekah and Joel on the 18th, a week earlier than planned.  David and Sylvia will be going in May.  We are singing with the Psalmist…God is good!  His love endures forever!  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!  For his unfailing love and wonderful deeds, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! (Psalm 118:1, 15-16, 29)

These little girls are surrounded by a loving Christian family.  We feel so blessed!  Dora and Sylvia have 4 living, godly Great Grandmothers and 3 living, godly Great Grandfathers! Psalm 127:3 says, “Our children are a present from God, a good thing that he has given to lift us up.”  Our hearts are lifted and soaring high!



This morning, Valentine's Day in the US, Joel and Bekah took us on a trip down to the nursery to "visit" our two little babies.  We were able to hear Sylvia Irena cry for the first time and watched as the babies waved their arms.  Technology is so amazing these days! 

We would appreciate your continued prayers for Joel and Bekah and the babies – that they would not have to stay long in the hospital, that Bekah will recover fully and quickly, that the babies will continue to gain weight and be strong. Please pray also for the details of Kathy's travels and for Jim and the children staying at Kudjip.