Packing Up, and Heading Out... Temporarily

Today is Christmas day. Merry Christmas everyone! Just now we are watching 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Today's relaxation is sandwiched in between days filled with packing, cleaning, and saying to good-bye to new friends. Day after tomorrow we will fly out to Australia. I don't know how soon, or how much access we will have to the internet. We just wanted to let you know in case it is a couple weeks before you hear from us.

We are ready and excited to be heading into this next phase - school. Fellow BMW missionary family, the Gibbs, are from Australia. So they hosted all of us, the bush team, at their house this week for an 'Introduction to Australia' night. They shared with us some of Australia's songs, food, and vocabulary. In the picture to the right the kids are coloring pictures after talking about Australia's flag. As we learn about Australia we have come to realize that although Australians speak English it is not nearly as close to 'American English' as we thought. It is another language. And I am sure that we are bound to be the brunt of many jokes as we familiarize ourselves with this new language.

We have updated our contact information on this blog with our address in Australia. For now the school will be receiving mail for us. We will find out when we get there if we will be getting a personal address, but for now the school's is the one to use.

Even though our time in Vanuatu is up, for now, there is still a lot we haven't shared with you yet. So, over the next few months, as we get time in between our studies, we will continue to post stories, pictures, and videos for you to see. We have learned so much during our time here. We certainly have more insight than we came here with, however, we are far from understanding. There is so much to learn and we are just getting started!

Please continue to pray with us for the salvation of the people to Lord is sending us to, and that this ministry will bear much fruit for His glory, in the years to come. Thank you for praying with us.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,
From all of us, to all of you


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A Vanuatu Christmas Tradition

*There is a link to a video clip at the bottom of the page*

I wonder what thought would cross your mind if on Christmas Eve, or any day for that matter, you looked out your bedroom window and saw two club wielding men burst through your hedge and begin to run wildly through your yard. If you are anything like me, you might be a tad startled. What it was turned out to be a great opportunity to learn a little more about the culture of Vanuatu. Read on...

Yes, Christmas here in Vanuatu has taken a bit of adjusting for our family. We are having fun with it... we are starting new family traditions, like beach towels instead of stockings. And we are holding on to some traditions, like brunch on Christmas morning. We don't bake Christmas cookies. None of us could bring ourselves to do it in the heat.

Christmas is celebrated by the locals here in Port Vila.There are similarities and differences. It is a time for family to come together and for giving of gifts. The big store in town has been having a special event for the last week. Part of the parking lot has been set aside for selling and wrapping 'Christmas Floaties' (inflatable inner tubes, whales, and other toys for playing in the water). And, of course, there is a feast. As it turned out, we got to witness a little of what takes place before the feast... the running of the pig.

At the sight of the men in the back yard, I ran to get Jim. These guys were chasing something. I thought at first it was a dog... maybe someone's rubbish can got raided and they weren't too happy and were seeking to teach the culprit a lesson. Who knew? I got a better glimpse of the 'dog' and it turned out not to be a dog at all. It was a pig. By this time the pig, with the men in hot pursuit, had made a few laps around the house desperately looking for some escape. There were probably 12 or 15 guys in the chase, all shouting in their mother tongue (no Bislama this time), and trying to get the pig cornered.

I wasn't expecting what we saw next. I dont know, up to this point I thought maybe the pig had just got away and they were trying to catch it. But then, what were the clubs for? Let's just say they put the clubs to use. After the excitement was over and they were hauling off their kill, they told us the pig was for a feast. We wished them a Merry Christmas and they went on their way.

Later we asked a friend about it. He told Jim that in the Bush, the young men run pig through the forest for the hunt. But here in Vila they cant do that. They have to purchase a pig and then intentionally let it go so they can hunt it. And since there is no forest for it to run through, it runs through people's yards and they chase it. It is a tradition.

We dont have still pictures, but we did get a short video. I am not going to post it here because it is a tad graphic. But here is the link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJzfC2y4TPY


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Pictures of the Port Vila and the Vila Market...

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Ministry and Ministry Opportunity on Tanna

Spending time in Port Vila acquiring the Bislama language and Melanesian culture thus far has been well worth it. During this time, we have also been blessed to make acquaintances with other missionaries working on various projects both here in Vila and on the other islands. One thing we have come to realize is the amount of work there is to be done here. One of the relationships we have come to cherish is that of two Wycliffe translators doing work on the island of Tanna. One of the families stationed there has served here in Vanuatu for a full term of four years and only recently returned from a one-year furlough in the States. Upon returning, with much needed supplies and funding from his supporters for a sorely needed new truck, he and his family were unfortunately met with one major problem. The ONLY ship capable of transporting his supplies to the island was broke! Ultimately, they wound up stuck in Port Vila for over six months waiting for repairs on the ship to be completed. We wound up using this time to become better acquainted.

After months of being told the ship would be fixed “tomorrow”, by the men working on the ship, the day finally came for them to ship out. (Melanesian cultural insight: When asked a direct question, a Melanesian will often answer with what he/she feels you WANT to hear – rather than “disappoint” you with the truth. This is sometimes hard to gauge and deal with, sometimes resulting in what we would consider a “bold faced lie”, but is simply an aspect of their culture that we are continuing to familiarize ourselves with. In an attempt to circumvent this we have learned how to better ask questions they can easily answer on their terms without having to disappoint us or bring shame on them.) We, Houghton, Brad, and myself, assisted this family by traveling to their island station on Tanna to help prepare the house for the wife and children, who would arrive a few days after us. Imagine how much work had to be done after 18 months away.

Upon arrival, we began a quick clean up of floors, counters, chairs, and bedding. The village women had already come through and done a general cleaning of the cobwebs, windows, and floors, so our work was made much easier by this kindness. That night we all sat on his front porch in the darkness of the island (no lights or electricity here) and reveled at the stars in the Southern sky and the persistent rumbling of the Mt. Yasur volcano in the distance. Occasionally the mountain would send up a shower of molten lava visible in the clear night sky followed six seconds later by a deep rumbling as the sound waves from the eruption made their way to their expectant audience.

The following day we spent our time digging holes, mixing cement, and various other chores necessary to bring the house into better repair. During the family’s time away, there had been a relatively large earthquake (4.0-6.0 earthquakes are a weekly occurrence here) that collapsed the septic tank and broke panes of window glass. Once our work for the day was completed, Ken took us to see the volcano up close. This is an experience I will never forget - the smell of sulfur, the constant spewing of molten lava from one of the four vents in the crater, the charred and decimated landscape with scattered steam vents hissing out poisonous gases from deep within the earth. It was absolutely amazing. At one point, the volcano erupted sending chunks of molten hot lava careening over our heads landing behind us. That was when we decided to head home for the evening…quickly. (It takes a long time to load video, however, sometime over the next week or so I hope to load a video clip so you can see what I am talking about.)

Our time with Ken and Eric, the two translators for Wycliffe (SIL) on Tanna, was mutually beneficial. We assisted them with chores that would be too much for just them, and they assisted us by allowing us to document their homes, living conditions, habits, and interaction with the locals. What an opportunity to peer into our future lives. We were able to document first-hand the roads, the way they set up water recovery systems, toilets, electrical systems, and what materials were used to build their houses. Among the many valuable insights we gained was the need for woven mats to cover any concrete walls. These are not just decorative, but essential to protect the concrete from being destroyed by flying coconuts during the oft experienced hurricanes!

Also during our time there, we were also able to spend time with local men just hanging out in their Nakamal’s. On Tanna, kastom runs very deep and is very much a part of their religious makeup as it affects Christianity through both outright rejection and, at best, syncretism. The colorful stories they share give excellent insight into their worldview. I must work diligently not to make assumptions or rash decisions regarding their culture and the way they see the world, because the more I learn, the more I am able to understand them and the deeper the connections become, laying the groundwork for the future and earning the right to be heard. How exciting it is to be learning! Our trip to Tanna solidified my observation that each island is a culture unto itself, and even within an island, the tribes and villages can exhibit this same tendency.

The opportunities we explored during the short time we spent on Tanna were twofold, 1) assess the viability of a new work in the “Middle Bush” area of central Tanna and 2) assess the viability of continuing the ministry using the translations now being done by the resident translators. We are not disregarding north Ambrym, on the contrary, the opportunity for work there is very promising. Our intention, again, is to spend this three months in information gathering mode – recon, if you will. Our families and supporters are making a huge investment in this work in terms of lives, labor, finances, and prayer. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord’s clear leading to where we are most needed, and can be the most effective.


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Making Simboro, the poll, and other stuff...

Hello there,
I was going to write a post about the day we spent with friends playing cards and making 'simboro', however, Laura beat me to it and she did a great job at it so, here is the link...
http://psalm96three.blogspot.com/2008/11/simboro.html

More news...
Jim and the guys arrived home from Tanna today. I just wanted to let you know that he is back, safe and sound. You will have to wait for his news about the trip until he writes it up for you.

And... it had been a while wince we updated some of the other pages on this blog so I spent some time the other day getting them freshened up. So, if you are one that likes to look at the other stuff but haven't checked it in a while because there was nothing new, feel free to explore. There is nothing ground shaking, but there is the new address for us in Australia, and prayer updates, etc.

Take a minute to vote on the poll to the right. It takes a good chunk of time to keep this blog updated, and we love keeping you guys 'posted', so we want to figure out the ideal posting frequency. How often is often enough? And how often is too often? Also if there is other stuff you would like to see here, or if you have anything you are wondering about, leave a comment or drop us an email. Everyone loves to get mail!

We will catch you later,
Tania


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mifala i mekem laplap

Grace, Gretchen and I went to our friend Winnie's home to learn how to make Vanuatu's staple food - laplap. Laplap is made from taro, manioc, yam, wild yam, or banana which is ground to a mush and wrapped in island cabbage, add some coconut milk, and some kind of meat if you have it. Then wrap it all up in some laplap leaves and cook it on a special fire and voila, you have laplap. On this particular day we were making laplap after the fashion of the island of Tangoa. Here are a few pictures for you to get a better idea...

Here I am 'graonum' the wild yam the guys brought back with them from Ambrym. Our friend, Winnie, had specially requested them to bring some for her so this is what we used to make the laplap...

this is what the yam looks like when I am done with it... yum =)


Here Winnie, Grace, and I are building the laplap fire. You lay a bed of stones, build the fire evenly across the top of them and then add another layer of stones. After the fire burns down, the stones are heated.
They sure got a kick out of my attemp to split wood for the fire (sorry, no picture). Now, I am a country girl... I've split firewood before. They just do it a little different here. Lets just say I wasn't graceful, but niether did I chop off my leg - which is a good thing because we were a good half mile or so from any road. Winnie kept cautioning me to be carefull. I told her I would be fine... if I chopped my leg she could just carry be to the road... and she thought that was hilarious.


the wood is arranged in just the right way...


Grace and Beverly prepare the island cabbage...


The laplap is prepared on a bed of giant laplap leaves (like banana leaves). First goes a layer of island cabbage. Then the ground yam is spread out until it is about an inch thick, then more island cabbage and some sliced onions and salt went on top. After that the edges of the whole thing are folded over to make something like a big square pie. In this case, chicken wings were then arranged on top of that, and then Winnie squeezed a bunch of coconut milk over everything...


(the cheapest form of chicken at about $2 per pound)


When the laplap was assembled and the fire stones were hot Winnie's sisters, Jen and Margaret, carried the laplap bundle to the fire area and placed it on top of the hot stones. It was then covered with the second layer of hot stones. After that, we covered the entire thing with these huge laplap leaves (like banana leaves), and then covered the heap with a canvas tarp.


Two hours later...
It is finished cooking. We removed the tarp and leaves covering our lunch and we use the tongs made from wood to remove the still hot stones from on top of the bundle of food...


Come and get it!
It is now time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
"With our fingers?!" Gracie says!
"Yes dear, with your fingers."

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Ambrym - Part 2

Continued from "Ambrym - Part 1"

(scroll down to read Part 1 first if you haven't already)

"...he thanked God for delivering us to them,
as we were an answer to their prayers."

Wednessday

We all slept in quite a bit the next morning, considering our usual up with the sun routine, so we went to breakfast around 7am. Breakfast consisted of bread, baked in earth ovens the night before, and tea. After breakfast, we went on a tour of the village with Benjamin, who would later prove to be our tour guide on many of the excursions we were to go on. After showing us around the village of Ranbwe, we departed for a short hike to the two other neighboring villages of Fanrero and Fanla. The hike took us back down the hill through Ranon to a small two-track road that runs roughly North along the cost to the rest of the villages in the language group of North Ambrym. We followed this road a short distance to a small trail that began a steep climb up a hill and wound its way to the interior.

Along the way, we stopped to admire a woodcarver working on Tam-Tams – large totem-like carvings from the trunks of palm trees or large tree ferns. They are usually set up near Nakamal’s or Nasara’s and, from what we were able to gather, are used primarily as a means of communication. A sort of Stone Age telegraph if you will. The woodcarvings can have anywhere from one to twelve faces on them and are passed on through a complex process of both family lineage and payment. A man from the family with the rights to a certain process/design can purchase the rights to it, but no one outside the family is allowed to purchase it. There are many things like this as the tribal life revolves around familial and interfamilial relationships. We look forward to further developing our understanding of these intricate relationships as we continue to learn the language and culture.

We also managed to (just as a major downpour began) spend some time checking out the local aid station. It is a small concrete building built on undisputed land and is re-supplied every two months. Very basic in its supply, the dispensary is manned only by a local woman who has had some training as a nurse. Continuing up the hill, we finally reached Fanrero after about 20 minutes of hiking. It is a beautiful village situated on a hilltop with scattered views of the Pacific Ocean intermittently observable through small openings in the thick jungle canopy. We sat on a makeshift bench to “storian” with a couple of grey-bearded old men under the shade of a banyan tree. After a bit of a rest we continued up the hill to Fanla, a quick 5 or so minute trip.

Fanla is a kastom village with roughly 100 or so inhabitants. They have an active Nasara and a traditional Nakamal. They embrace tradition above western ways and live very simply. According to the people we spoke to, they are one of the few truly kastom villages left in the area. We are as anxious to learn more about the village, as we are their kastom beliefs. Kastom is a rough and complex mixture of animistic religion, magic, language, arts, law, and economics. After a brief tour of the village, we returned to Ranbwe for the evening.

Not having had much chance to talk to our families, or have any quiet time to ourselves, we wandered down to the black-sand beach for some quiet time and the opportunity to make phone calls. Almost to the beach, we noticed children playing with their teacher during a break. They are so curious when we take their pictures to see what we have captured.

Thursday

Today we talked with a variety of people from the village. After having some small conversation with everyone over breakfast, we moved into the bush kitchen and continued our conversations while helping them peel Kumala and Taro. We were soon informed that the leadership had set aside time for us to speak before the council the following afternoon in order to more specifically address the reasons for our visit. What an awesome opportunity. We set aside time to discuss before the meeting how we were going to address them so there would be as little miscommunication as possible. After discussing the details of the presentation amongst ourselves, we returned to visiting with the men in the village.

As we sat chatting, some of the questions we were asked blew me away. They asked about our upcoming presidential election, about the war in Iraq, the monetary crisis, and a few other – more seemingly benign – questions. They had heard of these things over the radio and their knowledge was basic at best, but their interest in these topics surprised me.

The people here tend to be curious about who we are and where we come from and they love pictures. As it turned out, the only picture I had (tucked away in my personal journal) was of a Mule Deer buck I got during one of my last hunting seasons out in Montana, and they loved it. We talked about deer and elk and many of the other animals found in North America. The conversation naturally turned to guns, and bows and arrows. A great afternoon of “storian” increased my Bislama language capabilities immensely. I must admit however, after speaking so much Bislama, my head hurt and I actually felt physically ill – a feeling we all experienced during extended time immersed in Bislama and the local vernaculars.

After lunch, we made our way down to the meeting to formally present our vision for ministry. When we began, there were only a handful of people in the room. At first, it seemed that no one was interested in what we had to say. Within minutes of beginning the meeting, not only had all the leadership and many of the village men packed in for the talk, but many more were gathered around outside, peering into the windows eager to hear.

Houghton, having the best grasp of the trade language thus far, was chosen to give the talk. This presentation was recorded and will be transcribed into Team Minutes for future reference. After the talk, a question and answer period indicated a high level of understanding as to our motives and reasons for being there. After all questions were done, a pastor for the Presbyterian Church in the village offered a prayer. In it, he thanked God for delivering us to them, as we were an answer to their prayers. It is one thing to pray and ask God to prepare people's hearts and minds and to prepare the way for us so that His will would be clearly seen, it is another thing altogether to see it manifest itself right before you and in such a clear and astounding way.

The presentation resulted in the creation of a committee, which is to include leadership from all villages, and churches present on the island within the language group, regardless of denomination. The committee is to prepare for us by finding undisputed land for housing and gardens.

Friday

We had prepared to visit some of the villages further north on the island. These were to include the larger villages of Megham, Olal, Wilit, and the smaller ones in between. We loaded up on a small boat with a few others and began the short boat ride north. We stopped only once to drop off two women at a small beachside village before arriving at our stop in Megham. We helped unload some cargo for one of the men and helped him carry it up a small winding path to his home. He helped us by soliciting for a truck transport that would carry us further north on the small two-track road to the villages we wished to survey.

While we were waiting for the truck to come, we took the opportunity to browse and take mental inventory of the shop that was there in Megham. Very basic items were available for purchase here. We ourselves bought a couple of pens and a package of crackers. It was noteworthy that, here, as in many other places, rice prices were extremely high, and as a result, not much was being stocked. They did inform us however, that we could order whatever we wanted through them and they could have it shipped with their normal store order and we could pick it up there. That is probably very similar to how mail will work in the future as well.

When the truck finally showed up, we agreed with the driver on a price for the day and hopped the tailgate into the back. Riding in the back of a truck on the outer islands can be fun, but also very dangerous. You must keep a vigil watch for low-hanging branches, as they are a very real danger. Whenever you want to stop, for whatever reason, you simply slap the side of the truck loudly and the driver will pull over. We were his only fare for the day so he was more than happy to oblige.

I was impressed simply by the fact that they even had a road. We were informed that they have two trucks that use this road and they are mainly used to haul copra to the beaches for ships such as the MV Brisk to pick up. Having only two trucks on the road has kept it in fairly good condition. A few rough spots required us to put the truck in 4WD, in addition to one part of the road far to the north that had essentially washed out. This washout virtually cut the small, remote village of Wilit off from anything other than foot traffic.

We meandered our way through coconut plantations, along stretches of beach, and small villages dotting the coastline. Under the South Pacific sun, we drove north as far as the well-used Toyota could take us. We then walked the rest of the way to Wilit. A very quiet village of maybe 200 people with only a rudimentary water system (one or two community rain catchments), Wilit is located on a hill with views of the water far below, broken as it is, through the trees. Beyond this destitute settlement, there is one last village further on, accessible only by a small footpath in excessively tough terrain, named Konkon.

Having stopped and spent a small amount of time in the small village of Olal, we found that it has a decidedly catholic flavor with a large cathedral, built overlooking the island of Pentecost some time ago, that looks completely out of place – this having nothing to do with its run-down state of appearance. They currently run a small school that teaches in French, and are petitioning for funds to help maintain the buildings.

We made our way back to Megham where we met with the son of a man who published a hymnal in some of the native dialects. We were hoping to get some information on how he had collected these works and possibly procure any notes he may have had. However, it is unfortunate that his father, the man who wrote the book, had just died only a few weeks prior. We passed his freshly adorned gravesite on our way down to the shore to catch the boat for our return trip to Ranon.

Saturday

(We are going to leave Saturday's adventure for a separate post, coming soon!)

Sunday

God has intended this day for rest, and on this occasion especially – we were in no condition to argue the point. We had exhausted ourselves with trips, survey work, and – not the least of which – language acquisition. It has astounded me the amount of physical fatigue sets in when one simply sits and listens to an unfamiliar language. The time on Ambrym had improved my Bislama immensely to be sure, but listening to Bislama and their native language at times made me feel ill to my stomach because of the intellectual strain.

We attended a village church, the experience only solidifying in our minds their need for teaching and understanding of God's word.

Monday

The time for our departure had arrived. We needed to make our way from the Northern parts of Ambrym to the South where the airstrip is located. We would be flying back to Efate (home). We chartered a boat to take us south along the west coast of Ambrym to Craig Cove in anticipation for our flight out the following morning. Phillip accompanied us on this leg of our journey as well. What a friend. It was pouring down rain as we left Ranon behind us. Great grey clouds threatened to drench us as we made our way down the coast, but to me, the rain was a Godsend. Being wet is an unpleasant fact in the tropics, so if I were to choose, I would choose to be drenched by a rainy, cloud-filled sky, than by sweat under a relentless sun any day.

On our trip down the coast we stopped only twice before our final destination. The first was at a hot spring near where we had all our fun the previous Saturday. The hot spring was just that – HOT! We could barely put our feet into the water without flinching. This hot spring was more than just a hot spring- it was a river. It was a refreshing stop on a cloudy rain-soaked day. The locals will actually use this simmering river to cook bananas and other snacks to go. The second place we stopped was a place called Lake Lonwolwol. This is a freshwater lake that used to be a large village with a hospital. All were lost however in 1913 when the volcano erupted and molten lava changed the landscape and created a large lake where men had once lived.

Shortly after this stop, we arrived in Craig Cove and found lodging at Sam’s Bungalow’s for a mere 1500 vat for the nights rest and food. It is a very nice place with simple amenities. When we arrived, it was just prior to the lunch hour so we dropped our bags in our room, and sat and visited for a bit. We ate lunch and were introduced to the other guests staying there. A couple from Germany had just returned from a trek to the volcano. We were all extremely tired, and a couple of us were not feeling well, so we turned in for the afternoon and slept. I awoke just prior to dinner; in time to experience, what I would later find out was a 5.3 earthquake.

Tuesday

Finally, the day of our departure had dawned. We were excited to get back home to our wives and children. Though we had only been gone a week, time on the islands seems to slow down quite a bit so it seemed much longer. Throwing our packs over our backs and hiking down the road to the terminal was refreshing. We checked our bags, paid our departure tax, and waited for our plane to arrive.

The runway had once been paved, probably in WWII. Now it was little more than a grass airstrip. Hanging around the terminal were people from a nearby village. They weren’t waiting on anything in particular, that just seemed to be the place to hang out. We found out that we were the topic of the latest rumors of goings on for this little island ...and so the 'kava-vine' goes.


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Since returning from this trip, we have been in contact with Phillip. The committee has been set up and is discussing and working towards what it will take for us to establish ministry in North Ambrym, that is if that is the Lord's will. Thank you for praying with us, and please continue to pray. Another survey trip is coming up. The plan from the beginning was to visit several areas of Vanuatu in search for where we would be most effective in the Lord's work, seeking out the place that He has prepared for us to serve. So off on another survey it is. We (the guys) leave tomorrow. So very soon we will have more to share with you. In the mean time, keep checking in. We have a ton more stuff to share with you here on the blog we just want to make sure you are getting a chance to see it all before we add more, we dont want to overload you. Let us know you've been here. We love to hear from you guys!

God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Jim, Tania, Grace, and Josh

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Egg blong Scrab Dak (Scrub Duck Eggs)

Imagine diving down into a hole in the ground, digging so deep that by the time you get to what you are going for, only your feet (knees down) are sticking out of the hole. Now imagine that this is how you collect one of your few sources of protein. During Jim's time on Ambrym, while on a hunting trip, that is just what the guys did. No, Jim was not the one that was headfirst into the hole ;) The nest is found by looking for a big mound and then feeling the temperature of it. If it is warm, there are bound to be eggs inside. They tell us you find anywhere from just a few eggs inside to more than a dozen.

The guys brought some back with them for the rest of us to try. Here are some pictures we took... (Then, if you scroll down, article I found about them from 'Answers In Genesis')

Can you believe the size of this thing? Just wait until you see the yolk!

This is how they are 'packaged'. Each egg is carefully wrapped in a leaf and then tied up with a piece of 'twine' which is a long length of another leaf. Leaves are used for so many things here... mats, baskets, twine, fans, for cooking things in, for eating, covering food with, serving food on, hmm... I am sure there are more uses that I am not thinking of right now.

Ok, there is the yolk - along with my hand for perspective!
(There are two yolks in this picture, one of the yolks is broken)

We made scrambled egg sandwiches. We would have done it island style, however we dont have a cooking fire to 'rosum'. They wrap them in, you guessed it, leaves. Then they put them in the fire to cook, turning occasionally until done. Sometimes they eat them 'soft-cooked' using the yolk as a dipping sauce for a banana.

I did a quick search on the 'net to see what I could find about this strange bird. I came across an article on the AnswersInGenesis website. Here are a few more pictures(not very clear, but they will give you an idea of what the bird and its mound look like) and the article...

The Incubator Bird—Evidence for Creation in Australia

Published June 16th, 2005 in My Journeys

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While in Australia, each morning I go for a 3-mile walk through a National Park right on the Coast. I meet many turkeys on this beautiful walk. These turkeys are fascinating—they are called “incubator birds.” This morning I took a photograph of part of the trail I walk through and a photo of one of the birds and a nest (taken at 6:30 am Thursday morning). What a reminder of creation—how could such a bird just evolve by natural processes? I downloaded some material from the internet (from www.straight-talk.net) that will explain more about the birds and the large nests they build:

The three to four pound Megapode or “incubator bird” (brush turkey) of Australia is unique among birds. All birds use body heat to incubate their eggs except the incubator bird.

Instead, they pile up great heaps of debris which serve as incubators; the warmth of the fermenting compost provides the heat …

After testing the nest to be sure it is adequate for incubating her eggs, the female lays 20 to 35 eggs at the rate of one egg every three days for up to seven months. As many as 16 eggs can exist in a normal mound at any one time. Each egg weighs about a half a pound and is as large as an ostrich egg—a tremendous amount of work for a three to four pound hen. Upon completion of her laying task, she leaves the nest, never to return and takes no part in the incubation and raising of her chicks.

At this point the male begins to perform his job of managing the incubation of the deeply buried eggs. For incubator bird chicks to survive they require a precise temperature of exactly 91°F. It is the male’s responsibility to ensure that the temperature of the mound will not vary more then one degree on either side of 91°F!

Some scientists think the bird’s thermometer is in its beak. Others believe its tongue can distinguish 91°F and a few tenths of a percent above and below 91°F.

To maintain the temperature, the male digs down into the nest and checks the temperature. On hot days, he may pile extra sand on top of the nest to shield it from the sun. He may even rearrange the entire pile of rotting leaves and grasses several times a day.

On cooler days, the male megapodes will push material off the top of the nest to permit more sunlight to penetrate the decaying organic material. Or, to keep the humidity at 99.5% around the eggs, he may dig conical holes toward the eggs to get more moisture deeper into the nest. Keeping Seymour writes: “This process is very precise: one centimeter of fresh material
added to the mound can increase core temperature about 1½°C.”

Ambrym - Part 1

Ambrym is a relatively small island roughly 25 miles North to South and 35 miles East to West. It is shaped somewhat like a triangle with pockets of villages at each of the three points. There are relatively few roads – none of which is improved in any sense of the word. It is home to the twin volcanoes Mt Benbow and Mt Marum. The largest portion of the islands center is contained within a Caldera, directly east of which lays the Ash Plain, a barren wasteland void of vegetation and prone to bouts of acid rain from constant spewing of gases from the mouth of the volcano. The Lonely Planet traveler’s guidebook opens the section on Ambrym thusly, “While Vanuatu’s southern islands are paradise, you could easily think Ambrym was the devil’s playground…Magic is strongest on the islands with active volcanoes, and Ambrym is considered Vanuatu’s sorcery centre.” This fits nicely with the name the island has held for the local population “Mother of Darkness.” Cyclones often devastate the island, and its volcanoes have wiped out whole villages – including the only hospital ever built on Ambrym, which is now a freshwater lake.

Our adventure to this island began at 8am on the morning of Monday October 20, 2008 in front of Air Vanuatu. The plan was for the three of us; Houghton, Brad, and me, to buy plane tickets and begin the first of several survey trips to the outer islands. We were soon to find out however, that not only was the flight we intended to go on sold out, but so were many subsequent flights for the next few weeks. From here, we embarked on trying to find alternative means of travel to Ambrym – with limited success. After speaking to several different offices in search of alternate travel means, we decided to take a stroll out to Star Wharf. We had learned of this option through Louie a Man Epi, a Ni-Van friend of Houghton’s in the employ of SIL (Wycliffe). He was to be traveling home via cargo ship to his island for a week or two that very evening. We felt we should at least research the cost and destination ports, if nothing else.

Five hours later, just before dark, we boarded a small cargo ship named the “MV Brisk” and our ministry had officially entered a new stage. For a mere 5000 Vatu ($50) we purchased passage on what was to be a 23-hour trek through seasonal rains and the rough open waters of the South Pacific, to our desired destination of North Ambrym. Unsheltered and exposed to the elements; we made our beds on miscellaneous packages in the cargo-laden vessel. I laid a thin Styrofoam mat on top of a toolbox and climbed into my sleeping bag. Houghton borrowed a sleeping bag from Louie, who ultimately slept near the engine to keep warm. Brad curled up on a bench full of life preservers and we all fell asleep. Through the night, the ship listing to and fro, my companions and I would slide several inches back and forth as we slept, occasionally waking to water breaking over the bow and getting us wet.

The ship, after stopping at several ports of call to unload cargo and passengers only to pick up more of both, was more heavily burdened than when we had begun. Throughout the day, we were twice allotted rations of biscuits and tea, (one biscuit being the equivalent of a saltine cracker) and were treated to a meal of island cabbage and rice with an ever so small sampling of what would prove to be our last vestige of protein for the week in the form of tinned meat. After finishing either the tea or the small bowl of ailan kaekae, the dishes were quickly collected and reused, as often as not, without first being properly cleaned - usually, but not always, wiped off on a towel or shirt. Once the Brisk finally arrived at our intended destination, the village of Ranon, tired and exhausted from lack of sleep and exposure to the elements, we donned our packs and prepared to disembark.

Both Houghton and Brad are prone to seasickness, Houghton having had a bad bout of it on a prior trip to the island of Malekula only a few weeks prior. Due in no small part, I am sure, to the prayers of many, neither of them experienced the slightest bit of sickness on the entire tempest-tossed journey.

We were greeted in our arrival to Ambrym with a beautiful rainbow, as you can see in the picture. We were further impressed as we pulled in closer to port, the bow ramp of the vessel was lowered, and the shore where

we were to disembark was literally illuminated by the end of the rainbow. It was surreal. We could not help but be impressed by the sequence of events that was to follow, beginning now and carrying on through the coming week. What we saw to be the “end of the rainbow,” truly turned out to be just the beginning...

We made our way with our packs on our backs over the small mountain of hundred-plus pound sacks of copra (a product of coconut) strewn across the deck of the Brisk, as one would over a field of boulders, onto the beach – knee-high waves washing sand into our shoes. We trudged our way up the beach stopping where the vegetation began and turned to watch them continue to unload and load cargo, preparing for the next leg of their voyage.

During his trip to Malekula, Houghton had met a Man Ambrym by the name of Phillip. Phillip had done some translation work on the Bislama Bible, and is preparing to marry a woman from Malekula who is currently working on a commentary for the same. During their time together, Phillip, after finding that there was a team of Bible translators doing field research on various islands to begin a new work which would include translating Scripture into a local vernacular, extended an informal invitation to come to his island and at least look into the possibility of beginning a work there.

Having received word that Phillip was to be found back in his home village of Ranbwe, and in spite of not being able to get in touch with him, we decided to travel there in hopes (and prayers) of finding him. At the very least, we would have the opportunity to do some much-needed assessment of the island, its language, its infrastructure, its people and their spiritual condition. Ni-Vanuatu people being as curious as they are, and the island ‘grapevine’ working as it does, by the time we reached Ranon everyone on board knew who we were, what we were doing, where we were from, and more details about us, I am sure, than we ourselves knew, whether made up or out of conjecture. Therefore, it was no surprise to us when Phillip, waiting on the beach as the craft landed, was pointed out to us by an older man who had made the trip here with us. We had been praying, along with our prayer team back home, for the Lord to go before us in the venture. This was not the first encouragement that He gave us, nor would it be the last. How amazing it is to just sit back and watch the Master orchestrate. Phillip was happy to see us and soon had us set up in his village with ample, if not extravagant – considering that of the average villager – accommodations.

Exhausted from our trip we graciously accepted a meal of aelan kaekae consisting of Tarot, Kumula, Island Cabbage, Lap-Lap, and tea made from the leaf of one of the many orange trees in the village and a generous scoop of sugar. After only the briefest amount of conversation with our host, he alerted us to the fact that we had arrived just in time for the beginning of a weeklong meeting of North Ambrym church leadership. They had gathered in that very village to begin work on establishing a 5-year plan. Our God is Awesome, and His timing is perfect! We had come to Ambrym to gather information. On the top of the list was the need to survey the spiritual state of the surrounding villages, and what better way to get started than with this council. We took in what little we could and turned in for the night, prepared to begin our survey work the following day.

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That is it for now.

Praise God with us for His grace, mercy, and protection. We serve an awesome God. The way that we feel He has prepared us for the work He has for us (Eph 2:10), and the way we have seen him work in our lives, excites us. We cant wait to see how He may be preparing the people whom He is sending us to. It may be Ambrym, and it may not. We are making no decisions at this point, only gathering information. May He work in us what is pleasing in His sight, and may we be used for His glory, to declare His greatness among the nation of Vanuatu.

Until next time...

Thank you for your prayers. We will try to get 'Part 2' up soon.

...and, we would love to hear your comments!

Servants of Christ,
Jim & Tania

The Love of Christ in a Quilt for My Dad

About a year before we left the States I started on a quilt for my Dad. Nothing fancy, kind of a country scrappy sort of thing (just the way i like it) made out of the family's worn out blue jeans. When we hit the road with a full schedule of travel and preparations for leaving, I was unable to make the time to finish it. The top was done but the rest of it still needed to be put together. Then by the grace of God, through my Dad's church, I met a wonderful group of ladies. They are known as the New Community Church of Union Quilters. I hesitated to share with them my need to get the quilt finished, but I figured 'what could it hurt?' I let them know of my predicament and they rushed to the rescue! What a blessing these industrious ladies are! My intention from the beginning was to intercede in prayer for my Dad as this quilt was being tied and my hope was that it would be a comfort to him so that he would constantly be reminded that he is loved no matter how many miles are between us.

Following are the pictures that were sent to me from last Sunday as the quilt was presented to my Dad.

To all of the quilters who came to the rescue, and with the love of Christ finished this quilt and interceded before the throne of God for my Dad, to Pastor Terry Oliver, and to all of you at NCCU - I thank you. Thank you, thank you, I thank God for you.

God bless all of you for your selflessness and generosity!

John's loving daughter,
Tania


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Josh at Vila East Primary

Joshua's first day of school - ever - was a local Ni-Van school, Vila East Primary, just down the street from our house. For the last two weeks he has left our house at 7:15 in the morning to go to class. He walks, or runs rather, and is usually accompanied by friends that live in the neighborhood. He started two weeks ago today and he is loving it! The picture to the left here is of him on his first day all spiffed up in his uniform. They wear light blue collared shirts and dark green shorts. Doesn't he look sharp?

Last Friday the school had a fundraiser. There was a variety of food for sale that was donated by the parents and each class performed a skit or a song for family and friends that came to watch.

Joshua's class did a skit called 'Rebeka's Pig' in which Joshua played the 'bush man' that came to buy Rebeka's pig for a feast. After selling the pig, Rebeka's family was able to afford her school fees. It was rather cute as Joshua lead around the stage the 'largest pig in the village' which consisted of two kids under a sheet and a pig mask. Everyone was just cracking up!

Below are a few pictures of our evening... I think if you click on the pictures they will enlarge.

Here we are eating our supper... a bowl of rice, a chicken wing cooked over the fire, a couple of crisp lettuce leaves and a dollop of ketchup to top it all off. -Yum!

The venue for the evening's activities. Before long the area in from of the stage will be filled with family and friends of the performers.


Meet mama Elion, her granddaughter Madeleine, and grandson Donal.
The umbrella is for the sun this time rather than the rain.

Josh and his classmates wait backstage for their number.


It was a full house on the lawn that night, with onlookers sitting on their kastom mats and enjoying such treats as banana ice cream cones, and banana coconut tart.

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Return from N. Ambrym

Hello Praying Friends,

This is just going to be a brief post to let all who are concerned know that the guys returned from Ambrym safe, sound, and just pumped about the way the Lord's work was evident. Jim is preparing a 'report' which, when it is finished, we will include with our monthly update in part, and post here in full, along with pictures, pictures, pictures. For now, here is a little sample...



This is a picture of the guys cooking some fish over the fire after a long and arduous day of hunting and fishing. More about this in Jim's report I am sure. That is all for now. You are going to have to keep checking back for the full story. =)

To all of you that prayed for us, the guys and the wives and kids at home, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. What a bunch of prayer warriors you are. We are so grateful to have you on our team. It was especially comforting to hear from so many of you letting us know that you would be praying, and sharing this prayer need with your churches and Bible study groups.

We love you all.

In Christ,
Tania, for the Kenners


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Video of Our Arrival to Vanuatu

The completion of Team Vanuatu. This is something that all of us had been praying for and looking forward to for a long time. Praise the Lord! We are all here.

The video below of our arrival on September 23rd, just a little over one month ago, is embedded from Laura's blog. We thought you guys might like to see it if you haven't already.




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Rain

It is raining right now, again. The plan was to go to the market to replenish our fruit supply this afternoon, however, that is not going to happen today. Instead, we just got done rescuing the laundry from the clothesline. That is how it goes here, sometimes we hang the same load three times before it gets completely dry! I don't think it matters where you are though. When we lived in Eastern Montana, where it rains a whopping eleven inches a year, hanging the laundry out on the line was a guarantee that the garden would get watered. It was the funniest thing. It seemed like that was the only time it would rain and then we would get an inch easy.

Not complaining, just facts =). Being from Washington State and then having lived in Eastern Montana, we appreciate the rain. That is how things get to be so green and beautiful! It can make a person a little blue when it rains for days on end and everything gets all damp from all the humidity, and you have to sleep in damp sheets. But then the sun comes out again and you hang things out on the line and they dry out and freshen up and all is well once again. Really, not complaining, just sharing =).

The rain is not all bad... we thought you guys might like to see this picture of Grace and Josh playing out in the rain last week. I thought we were a little weird for letting them do this, but then yesterday I was visiting with a lady and she said her kids 'swim' in the rain all the time.

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Just for fun we have a recipe to share with you...
We tried this one just this morning from the Wycliffe Cookbook. I think it will be a new favorite!

South Seas Banana
1 or 2 bananas chopped up into a bowl
1 T. shredded coconut (especially yummy if it is fresh, but the stuff in the bag would be good too)
1-2 T. milk (coconut or cow's) drizzled over the top
Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Enjoy!

Let us know if you try it, and how you like it.


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Check Your Inbox...

...for our October prayer letter. We are no longer posting it all on the blog. That way we can share things with our prayer partners that we don't necessarily want to post on the web.

However, read on... we just posted a bit on where we are, Port Vila. And beyond that are some pictures from our trip and when we first got here.

If you don't get our personal emails and you would like to, just email us at tkenner@biblicalministries.org

Love in Christ,
The Kenners

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Port Vila

Hello Friends! We told you a few days ago that we would write a bit about Port Vila, the place that for the time being we are calling our home.

First of all, let me start by making sure everyone understands that Port Vila is NOT our ultimate destination. We will not be carrying out the ministry that we have shared with you here in Port Vila. You can think of Vila as our 'home base' while we gather information, learn some language, and survey the specific island and language group the Lord is ultimately calling our team to serve.
For example, now that the wives and kids are settled in homes here in Vila and working on learning language and culture, the guys will be leaving next week for a survey trip to an outer island (more on that later). This trip will be the first of many.
(The above picture is of Vila Harbor near sunset.)

So that being said, let us share a little with you about where we are based for the time being...

Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, is one of the two cities in Vanutau. The other city being Luganville on the island of Santo. Vila has a population of about 30,000 people and is very much a growing third world city. It is the center of business for all of Vanuatu, and honestly nothing like what I was expecting. Jim visited here last year, but even he said it has changed a lot since he was here.

There were a few suprises, but Vila still basically the same. There is a post office, bank, police department, schools, the Univeristy of the South Pacific, and other things you might expect to find in a city. There are a lot of Chinese shops that carry a variety of goods. They are a good place to find things like flip-flops, skirts, dish soap, etc. There are super markets, kind of like foreign 'Albertsons', but not. Sometimes they have what you are looking for, and sometimes they don't. At any of these places, when they are out of something, they are out... no garauntee that they will be getting it again.

The streets are busy and full of garbage. Right now it is mostly disarded mango skins and pits. The Mangoes are in season and are mostly used as an island 'juice box'. You nip a hole in the end, squeeze it, and suck all the juice out. Then you just toss it wherever you happen to be at the moment. You definitely want to watch where you are stepping. Especially when stepping off a curb. I learned that lesson tha hard way one day when I stepped straight into a gapping hole in the street. Thankfully I wasn't physically hurt, only a little embarrassed.

This first picture here is of the busiest intersection in downtown Vila. Not the place to be waiting in the rain to cross the street. Oh, there are no crosswalks ...and you cross at your own risk. Seriously. For the most part, they do not yield for pedestrians. Crossing the street here is very different than in the States. But then again, everything is different here than it is in the States. (By the way, this picture is deceptive in that it makes the city look a lot bigger than it really is. You could walk from one side to the other in well under an hour.)

We live just up the hill from downtown Vila. It is a nice location just because we can walk just about anywhere. So, looking at this last picture... if you turn right and walk up the hill, there is a set of steps that takes you up to the top (kind of a short cut), cross the street and then cut through Independence Park (all uphill), then take this 'road' that is kind of like an alley full of potholes with a rubbish/burn pile on the left (also uphill). When you get to the top of this road, cross the street (this one is not quite so busy as downtown), cut to the right and then head up our sreet (you guessed it... also uphill), and then you are in our neck of the woods. Needless to say, we are getting into shape, it is good for us. We usually walk, unless we have a real heavy load from the market, then we catch a 'buss'. More on the busses at another time. They are a very intriguing part of Vila.

One of the major changes is the recent addition of cell phones. ...yes you read that right, cell phones, or 'mobiles' as they call them here. It is not Verizon, that is for sure, it is Digicel and it is definitely a blessing. Everything is pre-paid, no contract. It is 2000 vat (or tweny bucks) to buy the phone, then you just buy credits and use them up when you call someone. It costs us the equivalent of about twenty-three cents a minute to call a number anywhere here in Vanuatu. Or eight cents for a text, so we do a lot of texting =). Jim checked the coverage and they will even have access when they make trips to other islands, supposedly. So anyhow, we have a phone... doesn't cost us a dime (or a vat, rather) if you call us, so if you would like the number just email us and we will pass it on!

Let me tell you a little about the market. It is my favorite place to go. It is pictured here on the left from the outside. On this particluar day there were a ton of these beautiful tropical flowers for sale. That is the only day that I have seen it like this. Isn't it beautiful?
The market is where we get a majority of our food. On the subject of food... you really can get just about anything at the stores here in Vila, that is if you want to pay for it. Eggs are about $4.50 a dozen, milk is about $8 a gallon, a box of Cheerios is about $18, and a box of oatmeal is about $12. Then on the other hand, daily fresh french bread is only about sixty cents a loaf, and hambburger is the equivalent of $4 per kilo (or two pounds). There is a large ex-patriate population here in Vila and most of them appreciate having food that they recognize, and they pay for it. Our family on the other hand, have gone the much more affordable route... island style. Which means we eat a lot of island food like... kumala (sweet potato), popo (papaya), mango, bananas (of all kinds), taro (a root veggie), susut (choco in English, but I've never seen it before), oh and dont forget the coconut, and rice (imported). It all tastes especially nice with a little Tobasco or chilli sauce =). That is about all the island foods that we have learned how to use.
There is a lot left that I need to learn about... what they are and how to use them. It was just the other day that we learned how to use taro. A nice woman from a small island north of Efate who was in town to sell mangos came to our home with her mother to teach me how to prepare taro. They taught me how to cook it and serve it with coconut milk. And I shared with them some banana bread. It was a great afternoon. We made some new friends and got to 'storian' in Bislama. The woman was suprised to hear that the forks we used to eat were bought right here in Vila!

Back to the market... Also in the market we find things like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, herbs, squash, lettuce, cabbage, and green beans... familiar things that I know how to cook with, so not everything is completely foreign. The market is set up with several stalls of produce, much like a farmers market in the states... the big difference it that is where the women that are selling the goods live for the week. They work, eat, and sleep there, along with their infants. The women there are very friendly. They are helpful in answering our questions about what different things are and how to use them. We can also buy prepared foods in the market like 'tuluk' and 'bunia' to go, or we can sit down at one of many booths and the people there will prepare us a meal for the equivalent of $3.50 ...but we will tell you more about these another time.

Port Vila is also the tourist center of Vanuatu. Cruise ships are in and out of the harbor on a weekly basis. We try to avoid town when the cruise ships are in as the prices sky rocket during that time. Vila has what you would expect at any major Port in the South Pacific. Touristy shops, cafes, restorts, gift shops, etc (try not to think of these things in terms of what you would find in the States, remember third-world... thatched roofs, pot-holes, and trash in the street). We pretty much steer clear of the touristy stuff.

There is definitely a line drawn between the ex-pat population and the Ni-Vanuatu. Life is very different for the two, especially here in Vila. It is as different as night and day. Life is hard in Vila for the Ni-Van. They have no room for gardens, and everything is very expensive. Most of them come here to work just long enough to make some money and then they go back home to their village on whatever island they are from.

That is all I am going to write for now. This has turned into a pretty long post. I am glad it was interesting enough to read it all the way to the end =). I hope it has given you an idea of where we are right now, what life is like for us, and maybe even a glimpse of what life is like for the Ni-Vanuatu in Vila. Maybe next time I will show you some pictures of the house we live in.

Ale, ta ta!


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