We spent yesterday at Taberaliu Assembly of God church in a small village on the North West Coast of Efate. The church is called Taberaliu as this word in the village
language means “fire comes down” from the story in Numbers 10. The church was packed and people were sitting on mats outside. In all 60 people were at the service which is 1/5 of the village. There are plans to build a bigger church as they have outgrown this building.
Robyn ran an open Sunday School with the help of “Ginger” the puppet. Russell’s topic for the morning sermon was “How to be a Giant killer” (David and Goliath) After a beautiful lunch of island food, Russell then ran the Royal Ranger program. The young girls came along and joined in the afternoon’s activities.
While the Royal Rangers had their program some of the mumma’s learnt how to make the vest for the boys. These vests are very important for the boys as they love to show off their achievements.
A highlight in the morning service was a personal testimony by the village chief. He is a stately man and walked with dignity. He stood out amongst the villagers. With his “eyes full up with water” (tears were running down his cheeks) he shared that he had been very ill in hospital with heart problems and they thought he would die. He rang for the pastor, who then took a week off work to sleep on a mat by his chief’s bed. He cared for the chief day and night. The result of this care was more impacting than a 100 sermons. The chief gave his life to God, and believes he has been healed because God has a purpose for him in this life.
