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 c
loser 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
