SPNTC: 'Signing' of the Constitution and other important stories

Taku’s story – Light for the Word

Taku didn’t get home from class until close to 10PM, but she wanted to do some studying before she went to sleep.  She lit a candle and placed it close enough on the woven mat so it would shine on the Bible and her class notes making it possible for her to read.  When she woke the next morning, she realized she had fallen asleep and as the candle burned, it had fallen over very near some clothes on the floor which should have burst into flames.  She shook as she realized God had protected her and her family from being burned to death in their home!

We praise the Lord for his protection of Taku, her husband Austin, and their little boy Samuel!  Many of our students do not have electricity in their homes, and use candles or kerosene lanterns instead.  Candles are the cause of many house fires and burn injuries.  You may remember the story of Anna, the baby that was burned when her mosquito net was blown into the flame of the candle that was burning on the floor of her house.

Taku reading her Bible using her new solar light

Solar lights are becoming a popular way for people to have light in their homes in Vanuatu.  The only problem is the good ones can be pretty expensive for people on meager incomes.  Just about the time that Taku shared her story with us, we found that one of the stores in town was getting a shipment of affordable solar lights in stock.  We had tried them out at Black Sand Church and discovered they worked well, had a pretty good battery life, and were easy to carry and hang in the house.  With a contribution given to our ministry we were able to purchase a solar light for each of our SPNTC students.  We no longer have to fear them studying at night since they now have a safe, reliable light source!

SPNTC students each holding their new solar light

Landmark Meetings for SPNTC

Rev. Peter Isaac and Antona, two members of the Vanuatu
SPNTC team

It took the entire day, but our South Pacific Nazarene Theological College (SPNTC) leadership team arrived in Nadi, Fiji, just 500 miles to the east of Vanuatu, to meet with the other SPNTC campus teams that were gathering from Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Fiji.  The chancellor and his family, Rev. Dave and Dr. Rosie Kerr and their two daughters, met us at the airport with eager anticipation of what the week would hold. 

Three representatives from the Church of the Nazarene International Board of Education, Rev. Dr. Dan Copp (IBOE Commissioner), Dr. Melvin Rigsby (AP Regional Education Coordinator), and Dr. Mike Vail (IBOE Team Chairperson), would be arriving in a few days to conduct an evaluation of our institution and give recommendations to help us as the school develops.   Much hard work and countless hours of self-evaluation by each campus had been accomplished in the months leading up to this week of meetings, as well as, all joining together in prayer for God's direction and help to establish SPNTC with a good foundation and proper vision and mission.

SPNTC Board of Trustees at work

Many aspects of our multi-nation training institution were discussed and hammered out during the week. One of the big accomplishments of these meetings was that the constitution for SPNTC was finally and unanimously approved.  This opened the door for many other decisions.  

Rev. Francis, principal of SPNTC-Samoa,
with Rev. Dan Copp

Something that impressed us was the sense of unity and enthusiasm that was felt among this diverse group of people as they worked together for not just their own individual campus, but for the establishment of the whole SPNTC.  Equally impressive was the humility and helpfulness expressed by the IBOE team.  Who would have thought that God could make a Board of Trustees meeting and IBOE review such a rich opportunity for relationship building and growth!

SPNTC's international team

Teaching for Transformation - Looking Forward to Graduation

Our primary ministry responsibility is to equip and train leaders for the Church of the Nazarene in Vanuatu. We began teaching back in 2006 just a couple classes a year; today we schedule at least eight 45-hour courses each year with the goal of completing the 24-course certificate program every three years.  Some of the students have worked hard to continue in the program and are close enough to finishing that we are anticipating our first graduation! 

 

Pastor Jon Paschke, missionary in Vanuatu with Scripture Union,
guest lectured for one of our recent classes (with Gideon and Antona).

In the last few months, the two of us have taught 3 courses, Gospel and Culture, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Johannine Literature.  We are anticipating a full year of teaching in 2014 beginning at the end of January. After some conversations in Fiji, David is reconsidering our plan to begin extension courses on two other islands, thinking it may be best to wait for a year or so until we have graduates who can teach in the local languages.  

Please pray for our teaching staff (Peter, Jenny, David and Sylvia) for physical health and strength, knowledge of the course material, and wisdom to know how to teach it best.  Pray also for our students that they will be healthy and strong, for resources to pay for their school fees and transportation, and for spiritual transformation as they grow in knowledge and understanding.  Also, pray that God will continue to give us new students.

2014 Course Schedule

January - February - Pentateuch with Peter Isaac; Old Testament Survey with Sylvia

March - Theology 3 with David

April - Pastoral Care with Sylvia

May - June - Church History 2 with Rev. Dave Kerr

June - July - Spiritual Leadership with Jenny

August - Tribes to Kingdoms with Sylvia; New Testament Survey with David

Sept - Oct - History and Polity of the Church of the Nazarene with Peter

Nov - Homiletics with David

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!

Sharing the Bread and the Cup

Today was “World-Wide Communion Sunday” and it was a joy to celebrate communion with our Black Sand Church family.  There were at least 22 children in church today with about 15 or so adults.  Pastor John taught a chart lesson on communion for the sermon, and David led the communion service itself.  Pastor John did a good job of helping us in the congregation to understand the significance of Christ’s sacrifice and the memorial meal that reminds us of that sacrifice.  As David led the taking of the communion, Pastor John distributed the elements.  It was his first time to do that.  It was a bit exciting to watch him take another step toward becoming the pastor of this congregation. 

September 2008 - Anna in hospital in Sydney, Australia, with her mom and
Nazarene friends who cared for her and her mom during their month stay.

There is a little girl in our congregation who we’ve known for about 5 years.  We first met Anna at Vila Central Hospital watching as she writhed in pain from burns that covered most of her body, the consequence of a candle left burning in the house where she slept. 
Her life was spared, but she lost her toes and because of a lack of care, her legs became contracted as the burns healed.  She is unable to walk, but has a little wheelchair that helps her get around.  Her disabilities have made life for her very difficult, and the trauma has left emotional scars.  She has been coming to Sunday School and church consistently for several months along with her sisters and other cousins.  We haven’t really seen her participate in any activity, until today.

Anna with her auntie Janet

Makfin, one of the teachers for our children’s Sunday School, was sitting behind Anna on the mat.  As Pastor John distributed the bread, he served Makfin and some of the other children around Anna, but missed her, accidently.  Makfin took a bit of her bread and gave it to Anna who held it in her hand.  She didn’t eat the bread when we were led to do so, but just continued her quiet way of looking around.  When the cups of juice were being distributed, Makfin took one for Anna and gave it to her.  Again, it seemed she missed her cue to drink the juice, but she was obviously observing what others were doing.  Makfin leaned forward and spoke quietly to Anna about the cup and the bread.  Slowly, Anna placed the bread in her mouth and then sipped the cup of juice.  I almost broke into applause (and tears) as I watched Anna take part for the first time in corporate worship.  It was a blessing to witness Makfin’s care and concern for little Anna, and also to know that Anna participated in this important and beautiful means of grace.

Grieving Cross-culturally

It was Monday, our usual day off – our Sabbath rest – and we had decided that it would be fun to head to the resort to spend an hour kayaking around the beautiful, aqua blue lagoon.  As we arrived at the resort, a taxi driver called out to me to tell me that a little baby had died, one that we had prayed for in the hospital just a week before.  She was the one-year-old daughter of Pastor Morrison on the island of Tanna, and his wife Rahab.  She had improved enough after we saw her that she was discharged from the hospital.  She had an enlarged heart and congestive heart failure that they were trying to control with medication.  Surgery is not an option in Vanuatu and only a slim possibility in New Zealand or Australia because of the incredible expense involved.  We didn't hear anything from Pastor Morrison and assumed Baby Louise was doing well.  So, we were so surprised to hear that she had died. 

Prima Nazarene Church

We went and spent several hours with the family that afternoon - crying and crying.  When we arrived at Prima Nazarene Church everyone had gathered and various women were holding Louise's dead body.  I was feeling so sad that I couldn't even really think of anything encouraging to say.  The sun had gone down and the church was dimly lit with a solar lantern and a kerosene hurricane lamp. I sat on the mat with the ladies, one of them the baby's grandmother (my friend Rahab, and Baby Louise’s mother's namesake).  They carefully unfolded a woven mat and spread a piece of cloth over it.  Then they folded a blanket and put it in the middle.  They indicated to the baby's auntie that she had to put the baby on the mat, and carefully placed her head and limp little body on the folded blanket.  They began to carefully wrap the baby in lots of cloth and finished by folding the mat over her, then placing another cloth over the folded mat. 

Baby Louise’s mother had been crying a little distance away, and she came over at that point and wailed and wept, caressing the bundle that held her baby.  David described her as “weeping violently” - a good description.  At one point, a woman came with some special clothes, and the bundle was completely unwrapped, in order to dress little Louise's body with the special dress and socks.  So much grief, it was hard to take it all in!

The parents' wishes were that they be able to fly back to Tanna the next day to bury their baby near their home, but the expense was prohibitive.  We helped them with the cost a bit, and then told them that we would be praying for God's provision.  We were asked to return to the village the next morning to preach for the memorial service. 

We arrived there the next morning with lots of vehicles parked along the road, and many people crying at the church.  Women were cooking near Pastor Gideon's house since the family is expected to provide food for all the guests (a very burdensome custom).  Pastor Gideon told us that some of the men had left to get a different coffin for the baby.  A small coffin had been built out of some wood and the baby's body was placed in it, but a few of the family members found it not adequate.  A lovely little white coffin with silver handles on the side and soft padding inside was purchased instead.  When it arrived, the baby was taken out of the first coffin and resettled in the nice one.  That was David's cue to begin the funeral.

God really helped him preach a beautiful message of encouragement and truth about the gospel of Jesus Christ and of God's love.    An amazing thing happened a short time after he finished preaching.  Peter and Jenny's landlord is from Morrison's family and was in the church when we arrived.  She stood up and began to speak to the ladies at the funeral in their language in a very soothing, calming way and finished with singing a little chorus about heaven.  Afterward she came over to us and explained that she had translated what David had said so the ladies could understand!  What a blessing!  Some women here don't understand Bislama (the trade language in Vanuatu), so God provided someone to interpret for the mother and the women who had been grieving all night and desperately needed words of encouragement in their heart language!

Some of the family had called their Member of Parliament (something like our senator), and asked for his help to get Pastor Morrison, his wife and Baby Louise back to Tanna since Morrison had helped to vote him into office.  He agreed to pay their way!  He wasn't even supposed to be available to receive a phone call that morning, but God detained him long enough for the family to share their need with him.  We stayed with the family until it was time to take the baby and the family to the airport. 

While we waited we saw some things that were very different from our own ways of grieving.  A woman came into the church yard carrying a large stick which someone quickly took away from her.  She began to call out for Morrison and when she located him, she began to beat him viciously!  Morrison’s brother, Pastor Gideon, stood between the woman and Morrison, both of them weeping.  It was the woman’s way of showing her grief, something that is culturally accepted and expected.  How very sad and strange to our understanding of grief!

With many children all around the church playing quietly with each other, we watched as a woman and her little girl who was about five years old came near the coffin and began crying.  I recognized the woman as one of the relatives.  It surprised me that the little girl was also sobbing and crying.  She kept wiping the tears from her eyes, and even after her mother stopped crying, the little girl continued.  I wondered if she just had a tender heart and cried when she heard others crying or had she known Baby Louise and helped to care for her in the village?  One thing was clear, she was very sad. 

Not long before it was time to leave for the airport, some of the men got their screwdrivers out and began to take the cover off the coffin.  One of the family members who owned a camera wanted to take a picture!  The family carefully unwrapped the mat and multiple layers of cloth until Baby Louise was visible.  Many people stood around, cameras flashing, to get their last recorded memory of this precious little one.  A few weeks previously, a young mother who had lost her baby at birth pulled out her cell phone and showed me a picture of her dead baby’s body. 

Our truck became the hearse and carried Morrison, Rahab, and the baby's coffin, with David driving.  I jumped in another bus to make room in our truck for family members; my bus led the long, slow procession to the airport.  We waited another hour or so until the coffin went inside the plane along with the family, and then another long wait before it actually took off heading to Tanna.  Once the family landed on Tanna they had a long drive to their village, but Morrison's brother Ken arranged a truck to get them there.  Baby Louise was buried the following day and the family continued to cry together for five days.  On the fifth day, they have one more big meal together, and the crying is finished – at least the family’s obligation is finished.  I’m quite sure that Morrison and Rahab are still grieving the loss of their precious little Louise.

The Lord reminded me about the story in Ann Vos Kamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, about the parents who had two little boys die of a rare lung disease.  I looked up that part of the story to read it and was reminded about "hard eucharisteo" (difficult thanksgiving).  The father had talked to the author and said he and his wife felt blessed because they had been able to spend some time with their boys before they died.  And, the father said that he had remembered the story of King Hezekiah who begged God for healing and God gave it, but it was not for the best.  This father had learned to trust God's plan, and found comfort in praising God.  So, throughout the days that followed, I looked for ways to thank God in the midst of the grief and sorrow and loss.  Here are some of the things that I found to be thankful for:

• ·        Little Louise's illness was severe enough that the doctors on Tanna suggested she come to Port Vila.  Had she not come, she would have died on Tanna, and her grandmother Rahab would never have met her, nor would many of her family who are living in Port Vila.  They got to see what a happy child she was and got to spend some time with her before she died.
• ·        God provided for her to be buried on Tanna at her village rather than in Port Vila, which would have multiplied her parents’ grief.
• ·        God used David to speak words of comfort and encouragement, and then provided for the translation so that the women (and men) could hear the Good News again.
• ·        Because of this little baby's death, many people came together who would never come to church, and they got to hear the gospel.  We are praying that someone will trust Jesus for salvation and receive life forever because of this little baby's funeral.
• ·        Both Morrison and Rahab are believers and know the hope of heaven.  They do not grieve as those who have no hope!  They know that little Louise is in God's hands and totally healed forever!

Most of us never realize how differently the people of other nations respond to life events.  Even after living among Melanesian people for the last 20 years and having attended many “cry-cry’s” with them, the experience never feels exactly right.  I wanted so badly to help comfort others as they cried so violently, but all my attempts seemed to only intensify their grief!  The truth is that everyone is expected to cry, especially the women, and a lack of tears might indicate that you are to blame for the death.  One thing that we’ve come to realize is the same in both my home culture and my host culture - grieving people really appreciate having others come and be with them as they mourn.  As I sat quietly crying with Morrison and Rahab, I prayed knowing that the God of all comfort hears our cry and answers us.  One day, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will no longer be any death or crying.  Until then, I will cry with those who cry.

You may be wondering how the land purchase is going...

The 1/2 acre of land - from our truck on the right
down the road to where you see the other truck on the left.

At the beginning of this year, we started the process of purchasing land intending to build a district center for the Church of the Nazarene.  The one-half acre of land is located directly on a paved road and centrally located in an area of Port Vila that does not have a Nazarene Church yet.  There are Nazarene church members living in the area who travel by bus to their church each Sunday who would be very happy to help plant a church here.

David seated with the landowner, also named David, and other chiefs
who witnessed the payment of deposit for the land.

The process is nearly complete, but the final steps seem to be taking a very long time.  The landowner and us are both very eager for the process to be completed!  Please pray that God will thwart any attempts from the evil one to block God’s plan and that in all the dealings, whether with the landowner or the government, God will be glorified.

What Does Prayer Have to Do with Planting Seeds?

Papaya (We call it "paw-paw")

Guava

In 2006, the Church of the Nazarene purchased land on which to build a missionary home.  Almost as soon as we had the lease in hand, we began to plant seeds all over the 2.5 acres of land. 

If we ate a fruit that had a seed, we planted the seed - passion fruit, papayas, pineapples, soursop, mangoes, coconuts, avocadoes, and lots of citrus trees.  Before we left on home assignment in April, we ate avocadoes for the first time from one of the seeds that we planted.  We’re still hopeful that one day the mangoes, coconuts, and citrus will begin producing fruit too.

Coconut

Grapefruit or Pamplimus

Over the ten years that we have been living in Vanuatu, we have planted many kinds seeds of all different shapes and sizes.  But, the seeds that are bearing fruit that will last are the seeds of the gospel that have been planted in the hearts of people.  The Lord has brought many people across our path during these ten years. Try as we may, we cannot MAKE seeds grow.  We can plant and water, but “only God makes things grow” (1 Corinth. 3:7).  It is such a joy to watch as God transforms individuals and bears fruit in their lives, as they begin to take part in the work of sharing God’s word. 

David with Pastor Gideon and Kami ready to plant
seeds of the gospel on Tanna.

Missionary J. O. Fraser labored about 100 years ago to share God’s Good News with the Lisu tribal people in China.  He planted many seeds and carefully watered, but saw little to no results year after year.  He understood the necessity of prayer when preaching the Gospel to people who were lost in the fog of tribal religions. 

Raela planting seeds through women's ministry

 “In 1922, Fraser wrote his prayer partners, ‘I used to think that prayer should have the first place and teaching the second. I now feel that it would be truer to give prayer the first, second and third place, and teaching the fourth’” (www.OMF.org).  

We pass along to you the challenge that brother Fraser shared with his prayer partners, 

“I am not asking you just to give ‘help’ in prayer as a sort of sideline, but I am trying to roll the main responsibility of this prayer-warfare on you. I want you to take the BURDEN of these people upon your shoulders. I want you to wrestle with God for them” (Ibid.).

As we wrestle in prayer for those who need freedom in Christ,

God through his grace prepares the hearts of those who will hear, 

so the seed of the Gospel can take root and grow.

Planting seeds in the lives of SPNTC students who in turn go out to share Christ.

Catching Up and Dreaming Forward - SPNTC Update

Life has continued to move along so fast that the newsletter and blog posts that we expected to publish in early August have been pushed to the “back burner” to make room for the other irons already in the fire!  After arriving in Port Vila on July 23^rd, Sylvia began preparing to preach for the first night of the district revival on August 16^th , and David prepared to teach Gospel and Culture at the end of August. During the in-between days, we grieved with Pastor Morrison and his wife Rahab whose little 1 year old daughter died as a result of a heart problem.  Our field leaders, Harmon and Cindy Schmelzenbach, came through for a few days of evaluation, encouragement, and leadership development for our mission team.  And, we had meetings with pastors, district leaders, disciples…!  There was lots to catch-up on after being away from Vanuatu for four months and from our missionary partners, Peter and Jenny Isaac, for eight months.

Dave and Dr. Rosie Kerr and Grace and Anna, serving in Fiji

One meeting was called to help our school (principal, faculty, and students) answer some really tough questions to help us evaluate the development of the Vanuatu campus of SPNTC.  David continues to work on this evaluation as he and the other campuses get ready to meet with the International Board of Education in November (17^th – 23^rd).  Dave Kerr (Chancellor) and his wife Dr. Rosie along with their two sweet girls, Grace and Anna, spent several days with us in September helping to guide us in planning for the future. 

Our two dogs, Ginger and Jodi, insisted on
attending the meeting too. :)

Dave leading key representatives from SPNTC-VU
to dream about the future

During the three weeks of Gospel and Culture class, David taught biblical principles for evaluating the culture through the lens of the gospel.  The students gathered in groups to discuss some of the challenging issues in Vanuatu like the use of kava, sorcery, and how the cultural attitude of respect fits with the gospel.  They also learned about the cultural challenges involved in mission and then developed and presented their plan for church planting in new areas of Vanuatu.

Sylvia will be teaching two classes during the next few months – Biblical Interpretation in October and Johannine Literature in November.  She is praying that her students will become “lovers of Scripture, seekers after God, and joyfully committed to adopting the message into their own lives and to their contemporary contexts” (Syllabus: Interpreting Scripture from Modular Course of Study).

We will be team teaching the first ever extension class for SPNTC on the island of Tanna.  Pray for God’s direction in the preparations and for his anointing on the students and teachers during the class time in December.