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Dear Team,
What a busy month! Aside from all the little things that come with settling in to a new place – yard work (to keep the malaria-carrying mosquitoes away), hanging shelves & hooks, and mending window screens to keep the mosquitoes and poisonous giant centipedes out, running around to various offices for visa paperwork, Bislama learning, and starting the kids on homeschool – we also found time to help with a youth camp over the new year. Tania and I both led small group studies and helped with sporting events and lifeguarding. What an absolute blessing it was to spend that few days with teens who are truly motivated by what Christ has done for them. My group were all young Ni-Van men. A couple spoke decent English, one spoke French and all spoke Bislama. Talk about getting thrown into the deep end! My Bislama was ‘…rusty lil’ bit…’ but I got some help from one of the students with translation when the content got deep. The study focused on Jonah and the young men in my group were able to present a skit applying the lessons they learned. They drew actual events/situations from their own lives and showed how to react in a Christ-like manner when faced with adverse situations. They are phenomenal thespians and truly enjoy acting out skits.
New Years eve was spent near a roaring bonfire built by the youth. It was stacked 20 feet high with logs and Palm fronds and turned out to be a fireworks show in its own right. With around 30 teens at camp, it was a great way to spend New Years away from the noise and trouble that is often to be found in Port Vila. God also blessed us with a rare opportunity – it was an exceptionally low tide at midnight and the moon was full. I took many of them down to walk around on the reef (don’t worry, it’s the dead part that gets exposed) and poke around in the tide pools and walk out where the water is usually over your head.
I was also given the opportunity to attend a workshop with SIL regarding translation work. It gave me an opportunity to learn more practical application of all the theory we have acquired as well as to spend time with many (most) of the translators currently working in Vanuatu. It made me realize how important my upcoming studies on the Greek /Hebrew languages will aid in our work of translating the Bible.
We have just received word that our work permits have also come through. Now we are only waiting for the paperwork for the Richards’ to be done. Visas and work permits have been taking up much of our time over the last several weeks. It has proven to be an awesome time of waiting on the Lord to provide through his clear and perfect will, building our faith, patience, and perseverance. I can only imagine how all that growth will be used in the coming months. It is humbling to know that you all pray for us and the work He has called us to. Please know that your prayers are felt and have carried us through many a trial over the last couple of years. We look forward to many more to come (trials and years).
Now we are anxiously waiting for our teammates to arrive from Australia. They are a couple of months behind us due to housing arrangements and are really excited to be back in Vanuatu. We truly feel as if a part of our family are coming home. Having just received another letter from our Ni-Van friends on North Ambrym, we look forward to finally getting back to the island and meeting with the committee that has been formed by the locals while we were at school and discussing our future work with them. Much work lays ahead in preparing the foundation for the possible work in North Ambrym. All of our prayers have thus far been answered in preparing both the hearts and minds of the Ni-Vans there, as well as our team. We look forward to sharing with you all that God is doing in us, and through us in the coming months.
Serving together,
The Kenners
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