The Rest of the Team Arrive in Vanuatu

 

Wednesday's flight from Australia brought Laura and the Richards to join us here in Vanuatu! For those of you that get our updates, you heard that there was a delay in their visa paperwork. Many were praying with us as we committed the situation to the Lord. Thankfully, the paperwork was ready and their travel from Melbourne to Port Vila was uneventful. 

 

< Jim, Tania, Josh, Grace, Jesiah, Gwenny, Houghton, Gretchen, Addy, and Laura >

After all the hugs and long awaited greetings (our family was there to meet them at the airport and so were fellow BMW missionaries - the Gibb family), bags were loaded in the truck and delivered to their new homes.  
 

< Grace and Gwenny >

It was a fun day, we had everyone over for a BBQ using the grill the Lord so generously provided for us (friends asked if we wanted to 'look after it' for them while they are away from Vila). The kids had a great time playing and just getting to be together.

< Jesiah in the grass, and Grace and Gwenny in the foreground >

< Addy and Josh >

 

We are really excited to have the whole team together again and, as soon as the Richards and Laura get settled, to being moving forward on getting on with the Work. 

Thanks again to all you out there that are praying. You are such an important part of the team!

Until next time,

The Kenners

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Headlines From Today's Paper...and a Reminder Why We Are Here...

Sorcerers’ tales haunt Port Vila

DailyPost Administrator posted on February 08, 2010 11:06

A man is dead, three men are held in custody and Police and community leaders in one of Port Vila’s suburbs are on the look out for sorcerers who have allegedly preyed on people until a recent confession made by a 19-year-old young man that the claims are true.

As rain continued to pour ceaselessly the scheduled meeting over the contentious reports of a “blood drinking” cult entwined with sorcery in Manples was postponed yesterday.

.....visit: www.dailypost.vu to read this and many other stories about the place we live.....

Nakaemas, Sorcery, Black Magic, Posen or whatever name you may call it is unwanted but the reality is it plays a fundamental role in the Melanesian society.

In the days of great grandfathers and grandfathers of the present Vanuatu generations, chiefs use it as a measure of social control to maintain peace and order.

Along the way this element which many people believed is embedded in the cultural heritage, was exchanged and fell into the hands of some people who use it for other means than for the purpose it was designed to serve.

- Jane Joshua

A Few Pics from January & February

Sharing fun and food with friends at the church picnic ...
(While we are living in Port Vila, we are alternating our time at the English speaking International church, and the local Bislama speaking churches.)

The kids are always finding fun things to play with...

Beside the shark pool...
(But, what if someone falls in? Well, someone actually did! The sharks left him alone, he climbed out of the pool with all limbs intact. Evidently they are pretty well fed, and not dangerous.)

We got to pet the sea turtles too...

We aren't really able to have a dog, so we got the next best pet...

nakato (a.k.a. hermit crabs)

For the first day they were a lot of fun. Now all they ever do is sleep so we are going to take them back to the beach the first chance we get.

Vanessa is a friend that comes once a week to help us with our Bislama learning. We ask lots of questions, play games, and just visit. Here Vanessa is helping Gracie on a long held goal of hers... to translate children's stories. Gracie, translated a story (this time it was "Where the Wild Things Are") and now she and Vanessa are going through the first draft.

Josh with a couple of his new friends...

We will try to take lots more pictures this month so you can look forward to more. =)

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Just in case you don't get our emails...

*** Let us know if you would like to get our ministry updates, most of the time we don't publish them on the web. ***

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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Brining in the New Year

Lately New Year's eve for us consists of a torturous Monopoly marathon and dad and mom struggling to stay up for the countdown. Well not this year. This year was awesome! We brought in the New Year surrounded by friends (both old and new), praising God, and learning great lessons from the life of Jonah. There was lots of other stuff going on too... games, games, and more games, swimming, late nights, snake bites (more on that in a moment), a massive bonfire... The whole event was planned and organized by the youth group, adults were just there for supervision and as helpers. We (Jim and Tania) were so blessed to get to be small group leaders, and even though Josh was technically too young he got to tag along too. We all learned lessons about selfishness, and trusting and obeying God.

As for the snake... it was Josh, and no he is not hurt. He was trying to pick up a Pacific boa (sort of like a gardener snake, totally harmless) but he didn't get it close enough behind the head so it was able to swing around and bite him on the knuckle. It left two tiny little holes. Now, don't waste any pity on him, he thought it was the coolest thing! He got bit by a snake!

Anyhow, here a just a couple pictures from our couple days at camp...

three-legged race

new year's eve bonfire

studying Jonah...

more games...

the little kids in their favorite hangout spot, the frangipani tree...

You can be praying for all the kids that were at the camp - that the lessons learned will not fade, but take root and grow and impact their lives.

Until next time...
the Kenners

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Merry Christmas!

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Christmas in Vila

Merry Christmas everyone!

Well, in case you haven't been getting our emails... we are here in Port Vila, Vanuatu. We are pretty well settled in. Our visa applications have been lodged (we should hear back after the first of the year), we have a mailing address, phone, and finally an internet connection (which explains why we are just now getting a post onto the blog). We have even put up a Christmas tree. It is a bit 'Charlie Brown' but we think it is just perfect decorated with seashell garland and paper snowflakes. It makes a great centerpiece for our coffee table as there really is no other place to put it =).

Yes, the traditions look a little different here. Instead of stockings, we do beach towels and instead of a roast feast and Christmas cookies, it is cold salads and no-bake cheesecake. But the celebration is not about the traditions. It is about the celebration of our Savior who loves us so much that He was willing to come to this earth to dwell with us in the flesh, to reveal the Father to us, and to die for us so that we could be reconciled to Him. What greater love is there? Let us not keep it to ourselves but share it with the people God brings into our lives.

Much like back home, Christmas in Vila is a very busy time of year. Town and the market are packed. School is out for the summer holiday. Just about everyone we talk to is planning to leave Port Vila to go back to their home island to spend time with family. This was the scene in the harbor yesterday...


The place was absolutely packed as this cargo ship was being loaded with people on their way. They were taking with them lots of rice, watermelons with delivery/owner information carved into the rind, and pigs. As we were walking by I noticed one pig lying on the ground (just like all the others his legs were tied so that he couldn't run off). He wasn't squealing or anything, he was just looking up at us and wagging his little piggy tail.

Right now is typically the hot season though this year, to our delight, the weather has been very cool. It is still humid, but not smothering hot. I take it as the Lord being gracious to us and allowing us to adjust slowly.

We are settling in and working on learning Bislama and culture. Lord willing, after the holidays we will be able to make arrangements for language helpers to meet with us on a regular basis for more in-depth language learning than what we have been able to do so far. In the meantime, over the next few days, we are going to relax, celebrate Jesus, enjoying being together as a family, eat some good food with some good friends, and generally just be thankful for the abundant blessings the Lord has been so gracious to lavish on us.

Check out the contact page for our new mailing address and phone numbers. We may not get it updated right away, but we will get to it very soon.

Merry Christmas!

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