Photos three

At the markets in Lenakel, Tanna

Waiting for the coffee shop in Lenakel, Tanna

Teaching music in the class

About to leave Vanuatu for Auckland

Leaving Port Vila for Tanna Island

The team at Tanna Island

Robyn sitting with the girls

Teaching English

Day four at Tanna

Worship on the beach - day four

Teaching the students new songs

Carlton hard at work

Natalie Clark showing Calrton up!

Trevor joining in the fun

Trevor at the local primary school

Carlton in front of the first Presbyterian church on Tanna Island

Eating peanuts straight from the vine

The team in front of Mt Yasur (the active volcano)

Mt Yasur erupting 

Outdoor activities with the children 

Outdoor activities with the children

Outdoor activities with the children

Outdoor activities with the children

Day Eight

Today really is a blur and I'm writing this no longer from Vanuatu but from Auckland, New Zealand.

It was a 4.30am start to get to the airport for our 7am flight and by this time we were all feeling the effects of the week and were getting quite tired. Soon we were on the plane heading for New Zealand. Everything happened so quickly and I'm still processing things, looking at photos and thinking about all that has happened in the last week and what it will mean for me in the future!

When I first laid eyes on NZ outside of the plane window I couldn't help but feel a joyous feeling that accompanies the saying "there is no place like home" but I also couldn't help but feel a certain ache for my family back in Vanuatu - I have really fallen in love with this country and the beautiful people that reside there.

It was great to run up to my Mum and give her a great big hug but at the same time I knew that I would soon hug goodbye to a team that has really become my family over the last week! I probably rushed the goodbyes a bit because I knew if I thought bout it too much I would probably start crying (and crying wouldn't look good for my 'manly' side). Soon I was walking towards the car with my Mum and I couldn't help but wonder why the team wasn't walking with me; it felt weird to not have them around me anymore - I know I will miss them heaps!

In a weeks time I will do an official "post-Vanuatu blog" because that will allow me time to process and think about all that has happened and what this trip will mean now that I'm back in New Zealand!

For now I just want to thank God for the amazing opportunity I was blessed with in the last week!

Thank you Carlton and PYM for running 'Going Global'!

Thank you Robyn for assisting Calrton as team leader!

Thank you to my family in Vanuatu and in particularly in Lenakel College for showing me God in such an amazing way!

Thank you to my family Carlton, Robyn, Tervor, Natalie one, Natalie two, Rebekah, Laura, Hannah and Sami for being such a great family in the last week - you were each a huge blessing and I will never forget our time together in Vanuatu.

And thank you to everyone who has prayed and supported this trip in some way; shape and form - I know without a doubt that this trip was well prayed for and God's presence was experienced in amazing ways throughout the week by everyone!  

Day Seven

This morning we began our day by walking down to the local market before going to the coffee shop to have some Tanna coffee and buy a supply of Tanna coffee to bring back to NZ. It seems like we are adjusting really well to Island life; we don’t feel the need to rush anywhere and we are learning to go with the flow and take things as they come! It was great to be able to start the day in a small café with the team and we actually made a new friend because the guy working in the café was also a Christian and spent the whole time asking us questions and talking with us about some of the work his church does on Tanna.

When we arrived back in the school we took a few more music classes. Although it was getting hard for some of us in the team because by this stage in the week we were singing the same songs over and over again, it was great to hear the students learn new songs and we were able to let the students sing some of the new songs on their own and they did very well and have such loud voices (which was good because I was loosing my voice). I have said this in earlier posts but I have to say it again; the students have absolutely beautiful voices and I honestly wish I could bring them back to NZ so you could all hear what we were able to hear. In one of the music classes the students didn’t want us to leave; they kept saying, “just one more song” and it was such a powerful moment to know that we really have become family in the school; the students are now comfortable and want us to stay with them in the class rooms teaching them.

The students were also starting to come up to us asking us to teach them a song or guitar or to play sport with them - I must say it is really humbling to see how much they have welcomed us into their lives in such a short time!

We were also able to have a conversation with the Principal of Lenakel College and hear about the history of the school and what their ‘needs’ are for the future; it was a touching moment and I know everyone in the team is thinking of ways we can continue to help our family at Lenakel College.

The Principal and teachers were also so adamant that we take their story back to NZ so that their brothers and sisters in Christ in NZ can be praying for them at Lenakel College. We assured them that we will definitely be taking their story back and that the relationship between us (PYM) and the school is just beginning and will continue into the future. In fact; after this blog I have to write an article for SPANZ and we promised them that we would send them a copy so that they can see their story go throughout the nation. 

   

Then it was time to pack; time to have a photo with the students of the school and before we could blink we were back on the back of Utes heading towards the airport. As the students stood on the field waving goodbye I couldn’t help but hope and pray that “this is not goodbye; this is just – see ya later!”

Jonathan (read earlier blogs if you don't know who Jonathan is) greeted us again at Port Vila Airport and took us to Hideaway Island where we were spending our final night. As we walked onto this resort we were overcome by different feelings and emotions. Someone on the team (I cannot remember who) summed it up the best saying: “On Sunday when we came here to Hideaway Island we just wanted to stay on this resort in paradise but now that we ARE here at the end of the week I can’t help but to want to go back to our family at Lenakel College!” I think we all felt the same; a week ago we just wanted to stay and relax at Hideaway but now that we were there we really just wanted to go back to Tanna!

We decided to go to this restaurant on the mainland for dinner and as we walked into this restaurant we walked into western civilization. The people; the music; the food; the atmosphere all reflected the western world and I think we all felt very uncomfortable. I think we had all adjusted to Island life and coming into this environment so quickly shocked us a little bit. We decided to go back to hideaway (which was much more quiet) and have a dinner as a team and reflect on the past week.

As we sat as a team and shared our experiences of the last week we could all tell that we had all experienced something special in the last week! We all felt changed by our experiences and although we are still in some way working out what that ‘changed experience’ means we know that God has done and is doing great things in each of our lives. We shared our fears of going back home and we shared 'what' we learnt at Tanna and would like to take back home with us.

It was a sharing time when people were open and honest; tears rolled down some of the faces and we realised without a doubt that a special 'community' had been established between the Going Further team. Although tomorrow we will all head back to our different parts of the country I truly believe we will stay in touch and always be friends; we have been a part of something huge that will stay with us forever!

Carlton thanked us and shouted us all dessert and we in turn thanked Carlton and Robyn for their leadership over the last 7 days!

   

After dinner it was party time because Natalie Watkin-Ward celebrated her 21^st birthday the very next day so we wanted to celebrate this milestone in style in Vanuatu which truly is a paradise that we have all fell in love with!  

Day Six

Today was a bit different to our other days because a lot of the senior students were preparing for the dinner the school had planned for tonight. The dinner had two main purposes; first, to thank some of the parents of students of the school for building a new fence around the school property. Second, to farewell our team as we are heading back to NZ tomorrow.

It was a bit of a sad feeling to know that we leave tomorrow; the time has gone so fast and we are loving every moment we are spending with the students! The students are truly amazing and are so joyful to be around – they laugh at absolutely everything!

Because a lot of the senior students and teachers were planning and preparing for the dinner a lot of the junior classes were unsupervised so we decided to play sports with them outside and teach them new games. We gathered them together and played games with them such as: duck duck goose; Indian death ball; dodge ball; captains coming; cat and mouse and a lot more! It was so much fun to run around with the children and laugh with them as we tried desperately to keep up with them in the hot temperature that we are not used too!

After lunch we were able to take a tour around some of the coffee plantations on Tanna Island. Tanna is known for its coffee as it is the only island in Vanuatu that grows coffee beans because of the rich volcanic soil. As we were driving through the coffee plantations we were also able to go for a drive along the beach which was so very beautiful! What made the drive so amazing was again the people on Tanna Island. At times you felt like celebrities because everyone would stand up and wave to you and shout out “hello” and you spend a lot of your time waving to the people. This would normally not be a problem except you are on the back of a Ute trying to keep balance so many times I almost fell off because I was trying to wave and hold on at the same time (I’m a boy; I struggle to multi-task!)

We had a bit of free time in the afternoon so we used this to get up to date with our team training! It was good to sit as a team and read about ‘community’ and realise that in our short week we have actually done really well at building a community among the members in our team.

The highlight of today would have had to be the farewell dinner that the school put on for us. We went into the school hall and the children had covered the walls and ceilings with plants and flowers – it was stunning. They had made beautiful lathes for us and presented them to each member of our team. They did a tribal dance and got the team to join in with them – a fun experience that had the students erupting in laughter as the uncoordinated Carlton and Jeremy tried to keep up and keep in time in the dance!

When the principal of the school addressed us with a speech it was so beautiful and really did bring tears to the eyes or some of our team! He opened by mentioning that when we walked into our welcome ceremony at Lenakel College each member of our team had a look of ‘concern’ in our eyes! However, now as he looked at each of us he could now see that we each had a ‘sparkle of joy’ in our eyes and commented; “what happened in the week for our ‘concern’ to be transformed into ‘joy’?

I myself have reflected so much on that very question because his comment was so true; our looks of concern and worry have been transformed into complete joy! So what happened? I have only one answer and that is ‘God happened!’ I have no other way of explaining everything that has happened in the last week – living with the students and doing life with them has been one of the most transforming experiences of my life and it was great to hear how the school enjoyed having us just as much as we loved being there!

Listening to the principal speak helped us realise it has been a two way street; we have not only grown and experienced God but the students and teachers were able to do the same through our visit as well and the invitation was left open by the school for future teams to visit if we would like to bring future teams there in the future.

We as a team were able to present the school with gifts that we had brought them from NZ including a new guitar for the students to continue to do their music. The school then presented each of the team member’s with a gift – we prayed and then the feast begun! It was a humbling experience to have a community who doesn’t have much go to such a huge effort to thank us and bless us for coming and being with them for the week!

After dinner the students put on a concert for us doing different dances from their home Islands – Natalie Clark and Robyn also surprised us by joining in with the students in a couple of the dances. It was a night of laughs; a night of joy; a night of celebration in the presence of God; a night of being blessed by each other and a night of what I can only describe as ‘community.’ It didn’t feel like we were strangers any more, we didn’t feel out of place – it felt like we were all ‘one big happy family’ (which is actually a song the students taught us). I don’t want to leave tomorrow – however, I’m encouraged by the invitation that we are always welcome back! 

Going Global Photos

Hey everyone,
So, for some reason to put photos on the blogger takes AGES to even get a single photo loaded but for some reason facebook is much quicker, so for now I have put a few selceted photos up on my facebook 'Jeremy Selfe' (I have made the album public) and we are trying to contact Gordon to get him to somehow link those photos from my facebook with the PYM facebook page so hopefully that will all happen today.
Once I'm back in NZ I will easily be able to get photos up onto the blog :-)

Day Five

I’m finding more and more of what I want to share in my blogs is not the structured ‘programmatic’ stuff that we do with the children each day but rather it is the random un-planned times where the ‘unexpected’ happens.

This morning started like most of our mornings beginning with 5.30am devotions with the students of the school; then breakfast and then into classes where we have been teaching English and then today we also did a class on NZ geography. Teaching the students has been amazing and there have been great moments within the classes – especially when we have been breaking into smaller groups and talking to 3-5 children getting them to have conversations in English; asking them about their favourite food and their favourite things to do in Tanna and things like that.

After a morning of classes we had an unexpected surprise, our Volcano trip was rescheduled for this afternoon so that we could see that Volcano at night because that is when it looks the best. It was a two hour drive on rough, steep roads, standing on the back of 4 wheel drive Utes and it was one of best car rides ever! The views as we drove up and down (and over) mountains was just spectacular.   

The Volcano itself was simply humbling! We stood at the foot of it to have a team photo and as the photo was taken we heard this loud thunderous rumble! The team all looked at each other – what are we getting ourselves into? When we got to the edge of the creator you cannot even explain what we saw; smoke and ash billowing up into the sky. Then, without warning you will hear a loud crash like thunder which usually makes everyone jump and then a fountain of lava will shoot into the sky. It was spectacular and at times rather frightening as lava got within 200 meters of us at one stage (we then moved locations after that explosion). I must say, as it got dark and night set in, words cannot then explain what you witness because the lava is so bright and red as it floods into the dark night sky! Truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and it really gave me a new understanding for the power and might of God.  

Then it was back to the school for a quick dinner and then we gathered into the hall for an hour of singing with the children and then we did night time devotions with them. It was a great night! The children taught us some of their songs in their native language of Bislama, we taught them some of our songs in English (like, ‘Move a little bit closer” and “Every move I make’), we all sung together ‘Lord I lift your name on high’ which they already knew. Then after devotions (we did a creative drama of the good Samaritan) they taught us a couple of new action songs, one in Bislama and one in English. It was a great night and we laughed with the children so much – they are really starting to open up to us and feel comfortable with us.

Again, it was this random (almost unplanned) hour singing with the children that I found really impacting. Just standing with the children, being able to teach them and have them teach us – it was just an amazing experience. As I watched the team dance and sing with the children I realised this trip is going better than I planned – I have often pictured how a ‘dream’ mission trip might look and this trip is going beyond what I ever imagined. Could I be falling in love with off-shore mission? (If you read my first blog you might understand my surprise because it is never something I thought would escite me).

It is time for bed because these 5.30am starts are really starting to get to me! I’ll try and get some photos up but no promises as this internet is very slow. I can’t wait to see what unexpected surprise God has in stall for us tomorrow.

Day Four

I’m in a bit of a predicament because I’m wondering if I can find the English words to describe what we experienced today – it was probably more than I ever expected form this trip and I feel that if I do try to describe it I probably won’t be able to do justice to everything that has happened!

The simplest way to describe it would really be that today our team ‘dwelt among’ – in fact; as we reflected on today Carlton had us reflect on how ‘dwelling among’ in the school impacted us today.

In the afternoon our team had ‘unscheduled time’ and we all ended up breaking up into different groups and doing different things with the students. Everyone in the team has different stories and amazing experiences to share and I wish I could tap into their brains and share them all with you (because I got to hear them at our team debrief), but I can only share with you from my experiences.

After trying to connect to the internet to put on yesterday’s blog and realising my computer and the internet at Tanna don’t seem to be compatible I went outside to try and track down the team. I heard some of the team had gone to the school gardens so I went to find them and soon saw Robyn and Natalie Clark with a group of the students. As I moved closer the students called out to me; “Jeremy, Jeremy, come and see our gardens with us.” I had a deep sense that something amazing was going to happen and I realised I didn’t have my camera so I quickly ran back to the school to grab my camera before walking back to the gardens.

As I started climbing up the steep hill to the gardens I could hear my voice again; however this time the children were hiding in the trees so I couldn’t see them; “Jeremy, Jeremy, can you see us?” Then the children would erupt in laughter knowing that I had no idea where they were hiding!

Robyn, Natalie and myself began by watching the children work in the garden; planting different plants; chopping up bigger plants to become wind shelters for the smaller seedlings; different things like that. Before long we were joining in and learning how to do it; we were excited to be learning new and different skills and the children were excited to be able to show us the world that they live in and what they do on a day-to-day bases. It was truly unbelievable.

Watching the boys use these big machete type knives was amazing and being a ‘boy’ myself I had to join in and very soon the boys were teaching me how to cut different plants out with this big knife. I soon learnt however that to chop something down (like a weed) was the easier of the jobs I would be doing with a big knife. I told the boys that I would love to try cutting a coconut open and before long the boys were climbing up a coconut tree to get some coconuts and soon they were teaching me how to open them using the big knife. They made it look easy and I really struggled but after some agonizing minutes and a few close swings that almost took off a few fingers I was drinking fresh coconut milk and eating fresh coconut flesh. Then it was time for me to try and climb a coconut tree and the boys couldn’t stop laughing as my tall lanky frame tried to get up a coconut tree. After getting a couple of metres of the ground I decided to give up mainly because I didn’t think my knee (after surgery) would hold but to be honest, even if I never had a knee injury I still don’t think I would have got much further!

Then three of the boys started showing Carlton, Trevor and myself around different places and telling us about life in Tanna. They took us to a local primary school which had the most amazing views of the ocean ever!  We then moved to the very first Presbyterian Church that was built on Tanna Island by the missionaries a hundred years ago. As I looked at the grave sight of three of the missionaries and looked at this church that was slowly falling to pieces I couldn’t help but thank God for the lives of these missionaries. We are following in their footsteps; their work has not been forgotten and because of their work we are able to come in and continue to share the love of Jesus with the people of Tanna as they in return share the love of Jesus with us – it really is a true partnership!

The boys then took us to the local soccer stadium showing us many different things on the way; then it was down to the beach for this amazing walk along the rocks! Once we were back at the local markets we decided these boys deserved a drink so we bought them a drink before heading back to the school for a much anticipated soccer game (they are very very good).

Today our lives were impacted in such a huge way; we learnt so much about the students and their lives here, we were able to experience it with them and help them along the way; I know my life has been forever changed because of the experiences I encountered today! But as I reflect, I couldn’t help but realise that it is not one sided – we have been able to share our lives with the students and I know they have enjoyed showing us their Island as well as learning about our lives back in NZ (they all loved one of the pictures that one of my friends took of Auckland city at night which I have on my phone – they couldn’t believe the bright lights of the city). I know when I leave Vanuatu I will have thousands of stories to share with the people at home but I also believe as we leave, the children will also have stories of their experiences here with us – it is a two way street and I believe the team will all be going to bed tonight praising God for all that we experienced today. I think I am safe to say that our team is buzzing after our experiences today and are eagerly awaiting our 5.30am start tomorrow morning (never thought I would say that about a 5.30am start)!

Day Three

This morning we left for Tanna Island. As the plane took off from Port Vila I looked out at amazement at this paradise that we had experienced for our first two days – I couldn’t help but wonder about what Tanna was going to be like?

I honestly didn’t know what to expect! People kept talking to us about Tanna; warning us; giving us advice and to be honest, I was a little nervous. I thought I was going to the end of the earth!

My first impression of Tanna Island as we drove in 4 wheel drive Utes along a bumpy dirt road was that we were now in Island Paradise! There is such a contrast between Port Vila and Tanna. Port Vila is a tourist Paradise whereas Tanna is a different kind of Paradise – not only is it beautiful in nature but the people are so friendly and amazing – it is a natural Paradise with people living more in tune with nature and not as dependent on the technology that we have become so saturated in in New Zealand.

Coming from a world that is always on the go; where people are rushing from one job to the next; it is such a sharp contrast to be in a place where people are so relaxed; they are going with the flow and to them relationships with each other are so very important! As they drive down the road they will even slow down to talk to people walking on the side. As I observed this I couldn’t help but wonder if the Island people understand something of God’s intent for life in a way that we might have lost back home with all our distractions.  

We arrived at the school and were quickly taken into a hall where the entire school was singing and we were taken to the very front to the seats of honour. Although we hadn’t really had time to settle or think about ‘what next’ it didn’t really matter because the children’s singing was so beautiful and perfect that we really couldn’t ask for a better welcome! The school Chaplin gave a short devotion from Genesis where the three men visit Abraham and he brought it into the way that God visits us and how God will be visiting the school through our visit in the upcoming week.

Then it was time to introduce ourselves however because everything had happened so fast the team was not prepared. We had spent a lot of time the day before coming up with our introductions in the native Bislama however our introductions were in our bags. Thankfully Carlton had his with him so we could read his introduction and change the details to fit each of us (i.e. change Carlton’s name for our own name and so forth).

After a warm welcome from the Principal we had lunch before heading straight for the class rooms to teach English. This again, took us by surprise as we were planning on doing sports, games and music with the students and all of a sudden we are teaching English. Fortunately, the team things very well on the spot and we were able to take two different hour long English classes.

The students were very giggly and shy of us at first but after breaking them into smaller groups they were interacting with us and having conversations with us in English – it was so much fun and we are learning so much about the students and their culture here on Tanna Island.

After class we went down to the beach (literally a minute walk down the drive from the school) for a much needed swim. Some of the students came down with us and it was great to have them show us their local beach and the best places to swim.

Soon it was getting dark so we decided to get out of the water and prepare some kids worship songs on the beach for our English classes tomorrow. I was teaching our team ‘move a little bit closer’ and we had some of the local girls from the school singing along with us (and learning the actions). It ended up being a real time of community and worship and it was one of my favourite parts of the trip so far – it really was an un-expected God moment. We continued and sung; ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’ and ‘I believe in Jesus’ and once we had stopped singing I looked up and a whole heap of the local community had gathered and were sitting on the top of the beach listening to us sing and watching us dance. I realised at this moment that we really were ‘dwelling among’. We were a group of people that looked out of place because we were not at the normal tourist spot – just a local beach – and we were living among the people and being noticed by the local people. I honestly can’t thank God enough for this experience on our very first day at Tanna.

We then headed back to school for some amazing dinner and then we did our night time training and reflected on the day. The team is unified in our thought that Tanna is an amazing place and we are excited about what God is going to do this week. We have no doubts that both the school and our team will be blessed this week! After the training we headed to the school hall where they do night time devotions and we were met by the children’s singing again! It is so powerful when the children sing – like a chorus of angels voices flooding the heavens – you just get lost in the moment and time seems to stand still.

Again, I couldn’t help but look at the lives these children live and be challenged! At 8.30pm most nights I’m lying on a couch in Auckland watching TV but here in Vanuatu the children are in a brick building that is falling apart and they are singing to their Lord and God and they do this every night! I also must note that the singing was initiated by the children as the teachers hadn’t arrived yet. My life back in Auckland has so many distractions (a lot to do with technology) but with the more simplified life in Vanuatu you can’t help but see God’s hand in everything around you!

Then, once devotions have finished it is time for bed because the school day starts here at 5.30am. On that note, I better go to bed because my day starts then as well! Day three; over and out!

Day Two

I forgot that my Sunday alarm was set for 6.30am and because my phone hadn’t adjusted to Vanuatu time the alarm went off at 5.30am local time! Of course; Carlton and Trevor (my roommates) are determined to remind me of this 5.30am mistake for the rest of the trip. Apparently I’m now on dishes for the rest of the week and Carlton and Trevor like to end every conversations saying; “well, we did have a lack of sleep because Jeremy’s alarm went off at 5.30am!”

Finally at a reasonable hour we surfaced and I tried to upload some photos and after an hour of photos downloading the internet crashed and I lost everything. I am realising the internet in Vanuatu is not quite as good as in NZ (and we complain about the internet speeds in NZ).

Our host’s at ‘the traveller’s budget motel’, Jack and Janelle prepared us an amazing breakfast and I must say they are really quite amusing to be around. The best way to describe Jack is he talks and sounds exactly like the Dad in the Australian movie ‘the Castle’ – everything is “beautiful mate.”

After breakfast we walked to the Presbyterian Church in Port Vila and attended their Sunday morning worship service.  Before the service begun there was a couple of men singing familiar worship songs like ‘be still and know that I am God’ and ‘This is my desire’ and as we sat in an unfamiliar place with nerves about the upcoming week it was great to sit and reflect on the presence of God to some familiar songs.  

The church service is conducted in English so we were able to follow quite comfortably and the few hymns that were sung in the native Bislama we were able to read and sing along as best as we could. It was a great service and it was such a great way to start a mission trip – to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Vanuatu.  We were amazed at how familiar the structure of the service was to church services we experienced back home. However, there were some slight differences, one being that all visitors have to stand up and introduce themselves during the service and then at the end of the service the visitors had to go outside and everyone in the church comes and shakes your hand. It was a truly amazing experience and the entire team enjoyed worshiping in Port Vila.

In the afternoon we headed to the resort known as ‘Hideaway Island’ – home to the underwater post office. However, it wasn’t all fun and games! We began our time at Hideaway Island by doing some training with Jonathon and Katrina as they helped prepare us for our time on Tanner Island.  

Katrina introduced us more to understanding Bislama (which will be the language of the children we will be working with in Tanna) and we learnt how to introduce ourselves in Bislama for when we go to the school tomorrow. It was great having the local wisdom of Jonathon and Katrina to help prepare us more for our cross-cultural experience and I think Jonathon and Katrina enjoyed being with us at Hideaway Island as they had never been there before.

After the team had each introduced ourselves to each other in Bislama we had some free time so it was off to the ‘hire shop’ to get some snorkel gear and very quickly heading for the warm water. Words cannot express what we witnessed under the water! Beautiful coral; thousands of beautiful fish; it was just an underwater paradise and I couldn’t help but stare in amazement at this creation of God’s that is hidden under the water.   

As we were having a beautiful dinner at Hideaway Island with laughter erupting from the tables I realised that the last couple of days have served their purpose – we have grown together as a team and for an ‘unknown team’ at the beginning of this trip we have become quite close and are ready to now face the upcoming week together! This, along with the training we do each evening is helping us to understand the cultural differences we will face in Tanna so that we will be able to adapt to the culture we will be living in and not offend so that we can really ‘dwell among’ and have the greatest impact for our week.  

It is time to get some sleep; we go to Tanna Island first thing tomorrow morning. Internet will be limited in Tanna so I’m not sure when the next report will be. Keep praying because we really head into the unknown tomorrow! 

Some photos - day one

Auckland International Airport

Port Vila

Our first dinner as a team

Day One:

I’m walking around the proposed meeting place at Auckland International Airport wondering how on earth I’m going to recognise anyone from the team I’m meant to be going to Vanuatu with; I have never met them before – how on earth will I be able to find them? Fortunately; I had my Mum with me who thinks ‘out loud’ and she has quite a loud voice meaning the team actually found us because they could hear everything my Mum was saying and knew that I was going to Vanuatu and that I was looking for my team!

I must say the trip started less than smoothly! Carlton (the team leader) was late because they had lost one of his bags (it turns out for some reason the bag never left Wellington); the check-in team seemed flustered with our slightly larger group; I picked the wrong time to joke with the flight staff about big “bangs” on airplanes (it was to do with the sports balls we were taking expanding at high altitude and causing a “bang” so we had to deflate the balls and then realise the ball pump is in Carlton’s bag that NEVER left Wellington); then my stomach decided it would be a great time to be unsettled!

We finally arrived at the gate in a slightly unsettled way and we thought this would be a great time to do official introductions so we introduced ourselves to each other; committed our trip into God’s hands and finally we were on the plane heading to Vanuatu! Even though it probably wasn't the smooth start we were probably hoping for we did have to trust God more than if everything did go smoothly and it did bring the team together a lot quicker!

With a three hour flight ahead of me I was hoping my stomach would give me a nice flight – I was wrong! For a good hour and a half of the flight I was in my own little world as I struggled with a paralysing sick feeling!

I was desperate; stuck in an airplane feeling sick and knowing that if I was sick there was absolutely no-where for me to go. I did the only thing I could think of; I prayed! I prayed and I prayed and I prayed! It was in this prayer that I realised something; “My grace is sufficient; for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I was weak, but my weakness led me to pray and depend on God in a way I have never done before! It was a miserable flight but I spent most of the flight praying and as I thought about that I realised there really could be no better way to begin a mission trip than dedicating everything in pray to the Lord realising it is by His strength that I will get through!

Thankfully my stomach settled enough for me to enjoy the last 30 minutes of the flight and our first day at Port Vila, Vanuatu (it is still not quite right so prayers would be appreciated).

We were picked up from the airport by Jonathon and Katrina (workers for the Presbyterian church and education in Vanuatu) and were taken to the ‘traveller’s budget motel’ where we will spend our first 2 nights which is owned and operated by a very nice couple and it is actually (unlike the name would suggest) a really nice place to stay. Then, after getting changed into some shorts, t-shirts and jandles we started to explore Port Vila.   

It is a beautiful place with beautiful people. I’m reminded once again of the ‘friendliness’ of the Islands. As you walk down the streets people will smile and say “hello”, something that is becoming less and less common in Auckland. There is a warmth and genuiness about the local people and even a simple walk down the street can be fun and exciting! I’m realising very quickly that it will be the people that are going to help make this trip AMAZING - because already, after an afternoon in Port Vila the team just loves being here with the people!

After some exploring in Port Vila, Trevor (the only other male on the team apart from Carlton and myself) cooked us an amazing feed and it was a great meal where the team was able to continue to get to know each other and really begin to laugh and enjoy each other’s company! After clean-up we had our first team debrief and were able to share about how we were going at the end of day one. Although there are still uncertainties and nerves about the upcoming week we are all extremely excited to be here and Carlton once again reminded us that a lot of our work will be “showing up” and “dwelling among” the people!

   

Day one is over and it definitely wasn't as expected; however, since when has God been a God of the expected – bring on day two I say and I can't wait to see what else God has planned for us! 

Changing my mind-set!

I currently have a group of 7 students and a team leader from Capernwray Bible School serving alongside our church for the week helping us with ministry.

When I’m asked to give these students advice about serving in a church in NZ, I find that I don’t start with the “do’s” and “don’ts.” Instead, I tell them to make every effort to simply “be” in the church community. I challenge them to not get distracted by the many jobs and tasks that they have to do over the week and miss opportunities to establish genuine relationships with the people at the church. The greatest impact you can have on a life will not be in what you “do” rather, it will be in the “relationships” you form.

This is ultimately the model of God himself; he took on flesh and came and dwelt among those he came to save to build a relationship with them and through the way he lived he then showed them another way (John 1:14).

It is no surprise then that much of the online training for Vanuatu has focussed on this point; on the importance of showing up on a mission trip and being with the local community sharing life with them! In fact, in one of the training sessions it was mentioned that often on a mission trip you are so focused on what you will be “doing” that you can easily forget how important it is to dwell among the local community – share the good times, share the bad times and experience life together working for the common goal of the community! This model becomes known as establishing a partnership.

 I look up to my office wall and see a quote stuck there: “Real ministry is not what you do, but who you are” (Mike Yaconelli). I am then reminded of what my minister once said to me on my very first day: “90% of ministry is just showing up.” However, it is easier said than done isn’t it?

As I find myself mentally preparing for the trip that is almost only a week a way I find myself thinking of all the jobs and tasks that I might have to do during my week in Vanuatu! I’ve gone over job after job but I have given very little thought to the people of Vanuatu that I will be living with and dwelling among for that week!  Why is it easier to “do” a job rather than simply “be” with people?

I think it is because as we form relationships we become vulnerable. We have to open areas of who we are to others and in a society where we find ourselves staring at computer screens and televisions more and more, being open and showing people who we are can be extremely scary. What if the other person doesn’t like me? What if the other person laughs at me? What if the other person doesn’t accept me? It is a lot easier to do a job than face potential rejection!

At this point I couldn’t help but think about Jesus Christ; the God of all creation becoming a baby; becoming a servant; exposing himself to all forms of rejection and ultimately a painful death. Why did he do this? Because he wanted a relationship with us! At the end of the day a TRUE genuine relationship is worth all the possible dangers that could potentially come!

Thanks to the training and personal reflection my mental preparation for Vanuatu has taken a new turn. I’m now trying to move from thinking about what I will be doing and instead thinking about the people I will be living with! Yes, they may laugh at me; yes, they may think I’m a little weird; yes, there is potential for rejection BUT if I want to make a lasting impact on the community that will go way beyond the week I am there then I know it starts with the vulnerability of opening myself up and simply “dwelling among.”

I'm going to Vanuatu - really?

God has an interesting way of making me ‘eat my words!’ As I reflect back on some of the things I have said it is interesting how sometimes the complete opposite has happened.

I once said: “I could never be a youth pastor!” and I have now been a full time youth pastor for over 5 years!

I once said: “I could never live in Papakura” (after living most of my life on the North Shore) And a couple of months later I was living in Papakura.

I once said: “I will never be interested in off-shore missions” and I now find myself signed up for an off-shore mission trip to Vanuatu with the hope of taking my own youth group/young adults group there within the next couple of years.

I sometimes wonder if God hears our words, smiles to himself and says; “Yea right!”

My disinterest in off-shore missions was not because I didn’t see its value or importance; it was simply because my own heart was being led towards pastoral ministry and mission within the local community! Knowing that we have all been created with different gifts, which combined form the body of Christ, I was not worried that I was not interested in off-shore missions because I knew it was an area that excited other people – just not me!

Many of my youth and young adults often floated the idea of an off-shore mission trip past me but my disinterest, combined with a paralysing fear at the thought of taking a group under my care into an unknown country, prevented me from pursuing the idea any further. 

In a recent job review, Geoff (minister of Papakura East Presbyterian Church) challenged me in this area and reaffirmed a point he had already tried to make with me over the years; “You should seriously consider an off-shore missions trip with our youth and young adults!”

In a similar way to a child kicking and screaming when they don’t get their own way I decided there was nothing left for me but to pursue an off-shore mission trip – little did I realise  this was all part of God preparing me for what the future was going to hold!

Once I conceded I was left with the problem of where do I start? I knew nothing about off-shore missions.

After meeting with an Elder, who is our ‘mission’s guy’, I contacted ‘Global Missions’ with the hope that they would be able to provide me with the tools, materials and contacts to transform our idea of an off-short mission trip into reality.

The Very Rev. Pamela Tankersley (Global Missions coordinator) emailed me shortly after with some information about ‘Going Global’, a short term mission trip to Tanna Island, Vanuatu for young adults. She suggested it may be beneficial for me to experience a mission’s trip before leading one.

Geoff and I decided that because it was only 8 weeks away time was not on our side. There was also the added complication that I was scheduled for preaching and worship leading during the dates of the Vanuatu trip which compounded our decision that this trip would not be possible.

However, I think God had different ideas.

A few days later Dr. Carlton Johnstone (co leader of the Vanuatu trip and National Youth Ministry Development Leader) phoned me asking me to reconsider attending Vanuatu and all I can say is that he was very persistent and wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. All the reasons I gave for not attending Vanuatu, Carlton, seemed to come up with a solution – including that if needed, he would find someone to preach in my absence.

Finally we agreed to take it to the church Eldership but I warned Carlton that we hadn’t given the Elders much time to think about this venture that he wanted me to embark on.

I don’t think I have ever seen the Elders make a decision so quickly – I almost thought they were going to pack my bags for me!

So, in a typical Tui billboard fashion Jeremy said; “I will never be interested in off-shore missions” and God replied “Yea Right”!

I guess all I can say now is; “Vanuatu, here I come!”

Training has commenced and we are now beginning week three. It is extremely interesting because I am still yet to meet anyone from the group (except for Carlton who I already knew). Training is fully on-line which works well as our group is scattered around New Zealand.

Week one consisted of introductions and developing an understanding of what we personally understood missions to be – it was great being able to start to interact with each other and see who else we will be serving alongside with in Vanuatu.

Week two began with the introduction of our team leaders and a summary of the training weeks ahead via video. We were given a couple of articles which introduced us to the concept of “Misso Dei” (mission originates from God) and how mission fits into the overall theme of the Bible. These were discussed alongside some of the history of Presbyterian mission and we were challenged with the concept of partnering with the people in Vanuatu and realising that through the relationships we establish we are all going to be helping each other.

Although it is interesting training on-line with people that we have never met before (the first week definitely felt a little weird) as the weeks progress the group is starting to open up and interact more with each other and I have no doubts that it is going to be an amazing trip.

I am excited at how everything is working together and although so much has already happened I know so much more is about to take place!   

I can't help but thank God that he keeps challenging me to step out of the boat.