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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