Shefa AoG Closing

The AOG churches on Efate Island gathered together for the Closing Combined at Saama Village  on the North of the island. The ladies from Bethany Family Worship Centre put on a beautiful meal for all. The church year ends with an official closing and all the departments close until February so people can return to their home islands over the Christmas break.

There was a steady drizzle but that did not dampen the peoples enthusiasm. This was the last combined for the year, the theme for 2009 was “Pentecostal Explosion”.  There were choir items, testimonies, and the main speaker talked about unity amongst our brothers and sisters in Christ. At the end of the evening, men, women and children came together in unity, praising and worshiping God.

Good News Party

45 boys and girls came to the party at Ekoftau Family Worship Centre. These children had been faithful in their attendance over the past year, may coming for the past two years since the Good News Outreach started. During this time they have grown in their love for Jesus and their understanding of His love for them.

The children formed small groups and recited memory verses, sang songs, and shared what learning about Jesus meant to them.

These children live in a squatters settlement, so the party was a big event for them. Mumma’s from the church cooked a nourishing meal for them. Each child received either a Children’s bible or a bible story book that was generously donated by a sponsor in Brisbane. It is the generosity of people that allows us to bless so many people.

JBI Graduation

 

Sunday afternoon seven students graduated from Joy Bible Institute. This was the culmination of 3 years of study.

Hundreds of people gathered at Pango Family Worship Centre to help them celebrate this important occasion.

These students have worked very hard and are looking forward to their future ministry opportunities.

Clovis will be pioneering a new AOG church on South Santo, Ps Jack will be returning to his Church on Malekula, well equipped to teach his people, Alick will be moving to Lamen Bay on Epi to start a new AOG church. Jill and Ronneth will be returning to Pentecost to work in the Church of Christ, Rinnett is travelling around the  various Islands as an Evangelist, Florah will be joining her Evangelist father on his mission trips.

The students represented many islands in Vanuatu, they were from Pentecost, Ifira, Efate, Epi, Melakula and Banks islands.

For us, it has been a joy to be part of the lives of these students for the past two years.

 

   

Honouring the Chief

This morning a special service was held at Pango Family Worship Center  to honour the new chief of Pango Village. The previous chief had held his position for 49  years but stepped down due to ill health. The new chief was installed two weeks ago at a special ceremony in the village. He  had been one of the founding members of the church many years ago.

The Chief and some of his counsel sang a hymn “a cappella”  in their village language. After the church service, there was a feast to honour the chief and many gifts were given to him and his wife.

The Chief plays a very important role in Vanuatu   Village life.  He is very respected.

A Tale of 3 Villages

We have just returned from a research trip out to Malekula  Island approximately 200km north of our island..

We thought we’d share some of our photos with our supporters.

Palu  Village – a village high up in the mountains in the  North West of the island.  The truck went in as far as it could, then a one hour walk up the mountain range to the village. In some places the track was very steep and along the top of the mountain ridge, very narrow.

We were the first white people to ever visit this village which is perched on the side of a steep slope. The positioning of this village is because of the natural spring that forms the head water of the river that flows down to the sea. People drink, wash clothes  and bathe in this river.  The houses are of bamboo construction with Natangora leaf thatch on the roof. The  smaller children of this village (grade 1- 2) walk down to the Breha  village  a distance of 4 kilometers for school and live there during the week. The older children also board in the village below, but walk another 4km each way to a bigger village to school.  The village does have a small kindergarten with 6 students.

When ill or in need of urgent medical aid, people from this village are carried down the mountain on someone’s back to the aid post in the next village. If they need more treatment than the aid worker here can provide, it is another 4km walk to the bush clinic at Leviamp village on the coast. Further treatment would mean a 1 hr ride in a truck to  the nearest hospital where there is one doctor.

If a villager wants to go to the main centre on this island they must leave at 3.30am and walk  to reach the main road to catch a public transport at 6am. Villagers are subsistence farmers who grow their own food and produce copra which is carried down the mountain bag by bag.

The few AOG families here walk an hour each way up and down the mountain range to the AOG outstation Breha village.

Breha Village  – this village is accessed by a dry weather track. The   majority of the people  walk the 4 km downhill   to Leviamp village. Four wheel drive vehicles can only use the road in the dry season as it is impassible when wet.

This village has a basic aid post, a piped water supply from the river, and a Kindy to grade 2 school. Grade 3-6 is at Leviamp village a 1 hr walk each way. Houses bamboo construction with Natangora leaf  thatch roof. The people grow their own food, harvest cocoa beans to sell, and produce copra which is taken down to Leviamp to ship to Luganville.

There is an AOG outstation in this village.

Leviamp 1 & 2

A large village in two sections,  with 2 good primary school’s  that go to grade 6. Beyond this children have to board at another village for secondary. Children must past a entrance test at year 8 level if they want to go further in their education and they must leave the island and board for years 9 -13.

This village is at the mouth of the Leviamp river. The piped water supply  was damaged in a cyclone 20 years ago, because of this  the people walk to the river to bathe, wash their clothes and collect water for their homes. This village has a small but basic clinic run by two nurses.

There is a large AOG church in this community.