Vanuatu!
Before we went to Vanuatu, I really wasn't sure what I was expecting. Now that we are back, I'm sitting quietly in the Bora thinking and reflecting on our week on mission together. There were so many unreal experiences! I thank God for the way he was at work. A few thoughts on our Vanuatu times:
The Vibe:
I loved Vanuatu! From the moment we landed, I felt so comfortable! The sky was grey, just like in Melbourne, there was a bit of a chill in the air (not cold, just cooler than Fiji!). The people were friendly and fun - lots of hugs and easy to chat with. We dressed in long skirts and dresses, and it was surprisingly fun and easy!! The culture was relaxed and casual and people just seemed easy to talk to and friendly and approachable.
Christianity:
In Vanuatu, many many people go to Church. The Presbyterian Church is very big and when you meet people on the street, it's very easy to get into a conversation about Church. It's not a strange question to say 'Do you go to Church?' and the answer is usually 'Yes!' A lot of people lack assurance in their salvation because they haven't properly understood the gospel and the work of grace that Christ has done on our behalf. It's an interesting culture to be part of, and it's quite refreshing coming from Australia where the culture is fairly atheist and antagonistic towards Christianity.
One 'Quick' Story:
As we were being trained in sharing our faith, we would go out on On the Job Training (OJT). One night we had a big rally where over a hundred people came. We sang and did a dance and skit and things like that. Afterwards, for our OJT, we followed up the people who came along. I had been sitting at the front at one point, but then we were asked to spread out more amongst the group. I moved to the back and sat next to a girl, Nicole. So when it came time for follow up, I turned to Nicole and we started chatting. (Then it poured with rain so we ran inside!!) We kept chatting and I had a chance to share the gospel with her. She believed the truth of the gospel, but she said she hadn't confessed her sin before God yet. We talked about what that looked like and read 1 John 1:9 together. We talked some more and eventually, it was time for me to leave. We made plans to meet up again in Port Vila the next day after she finished school.
The next day, it was pouring with rain. Instead of going into Port Vila for OJT, a lot of our team stayed behind to wait out the downpour. I know that if I hadn't made plans to meet with Nicole, it would be very likely I would have made excuses not to go out that day. Instead, I took Emily (15yo) and Tom (16yo), from the Australian mission team, to go and find Nicole. In my mind, my plan was that we would find her, meet her and go to a cafe and sit and chat for maybe half an hour and then come back. It was pouring (like bucketing down with rain), and it's about a ten minute walk to town. When it was time to leave, a random bus pulled into our hotel (it didn't even let anyone out, it just came in randomly). We quickly grabbed it and jumped in and it drove us into town. We jumped out of the bus, stood under the verandah and spent some time praying for our time ahead. Then we ran round to this park where we'd planned to meet. We found a shelter to stand under and we waited. We had planned to meet at 3pm. When it got to 3, we started to get excited that she might come at any minute. We weren't in a hurry, because we knew how island time works!! Ten past three, and Tom zipped up his raincoat and ventured out to see if he could find a girl waiting for us. Twenty past three........Twenty-five past three. I knew we weren't standing under a shelter for no reason, I knew God wanted us there, I was just bummed that we couldn't find Nicole. So we prayed again, this time praying that for whatever reason God had us there, that he might bring someone for us to talk to. I remember saying that when it got to 3:30, I would call Nicole's sister, Vicky to try and find out what had happened. At 3:29, this guy, also in the shelter, came up to check on us. We obviously looked lost and had been hanging out there for almost an hour now. I asked him if we could use his phone to call our friend. He said Yes, but he needed to get some credit, so he sent his friend off to buy credit. While she was gone, I started chatting and found out that he was a Neevan who lived in Fiji and studied at uni there. His name was Bryan. I told him a little bit about us, and he said 'Oh, I think I know you'! In my mind, I was like, 'Noooo you must have met an Australian somewhere......' Then he said, 'At the airport on Saturday in Nadi, I met Nathan from Australia and he shared some stories and religious things with me!' I was gobsmacked! WHAT?!?! He'd already met and heard the gospel shared from someone in our team! Amazing!
The lady came back and said she hadn't been able to get the credit to work. Bryan, went off to work it out, and while he was gone, Tom and Emily and I decided that we had an amazing chance to follow this guy up. When he came back, I spoke to Vicky (it turns out that Nicole had come to the park but left because she couldn't find us. I'm still not sure what went wrong there....) and while I was on the phone, Tom asked the guy about his chat with Nathan. He said he'd listened to the stories and prayed a prayer. After I got off the phone, I said to Bryan, 'Thanks so much for helping us out and caring for us. We're going to the cafe, can I buy you a drink?' He ummed and ahhed for a little bit and then agreed. I told him to bring a friend, so he brought Raymond. We went over the street and ordered cokes and lemonades and chips! We chatted for a while about ourselves and talked about why we were here in Vanuatu. They shared a little bit about themselves and their response to the gospel so far. I shared a lot of my own story of trying to earn God's love and favour through good works, and it seemed to connect well with where these guys were coming from. They both belonged to SDA Churches, so we talked about that a bit as well. As we were talking, they told us they were still unsure of their eternal life with God, so we shared some more about how your goodness cannot save you, only trusting in the goodness of Christ and his death on our behalf. I shared how impacting Romans 5:8 had been for me, that Jesus died, not because people deserved it, but precisely because they didn't. That is God's big love for us! God is a Father who adopts a son - not a beautiful, innocent son, but an enemy and a hater - and brings him into his family and loves and cares for him.
Tom and Emily shared and engaged with these guys, who were both in their mid-twenties. They shared the way Jesus took our sin upon himself and died for it, and that's what makes us righteous before God. They engaged so relationally and lovingly with these guys, I was so proud and encouraged to be on mission with them!
After chatting for over an hour, we challenged them to take their sin seriously before God. Stop trying to earn your salvation, but accept that you need Jesus to live, die and rise for you! Neither of them had a Bible, and I had two in my backpack! We gave them Bibles and exchanged details. We took a photo together and then it was time to go. As we left, we were rejoicing in the way God had worked out his perfect plan despite what we had expected would happen that day. We spent some time praying together for the people we had met, trusting God to continue His work of salvation unto completion in them, and rejoicing for the way He is so sovereign!
One Encouragement:
I have been really challenged and encouraged in seeing the way my God is at work in such an intimate way. While I was in Vanuatu, my prayers were very specific, and maybe at home, they are far more general. It has been amazing seeing God answer specific prayers, and has just been an encouragement to me to continue praying specifically and seeking God specifically.
Something to pray for:
Please pray for the people I was able to meet in Vanuatu:
- Gideon and Joyce who are Christians but discouraged about the state of the church in Vanuatu and really hungry to grow in their love and knowledge of God
- Nicole who understood the truth of the gospel, but hadn't yet confessed her sin before God
- Bryan and Raymond that they might know the fullness of the grace of God in giving up Christ to the pay the full penalty for our sin
Please pray specifically that God might save those who are lost, that he might provide other Christians to support, challenged and witness, and that he might reform and build the Church in Vanuatu.
-Joy
Before we went to Vanuatu, I really wasn't sure what I was expecting. Now that we are back, I'm sitting quietly in the Bora thinking and reflecting on our week on mission together. There were so many unreal experiences! I thank God for the way he was at work. A few thoughts on our Vanuatu times:
The Vibe:
I loved Vanuatu! From the moment we landed, I felt so comfortable! The sky was grey, just like in Melbourne, there was a bit of a chill in the air (not cold, just cooler than Fiji!). The people were friendly and fun - lots of hugs and easy to chat with. We dressed in long skirts and dresses, and it was surprisingly fun and easy!! The culture was relaxed and casual and people just seemed easy to talk to and friendly and approachable.
Christianity:
In Vanuatu, many many people go to Church. The Presbyterian Church is very big and when you meet people on the street, it's very easy to get into a conversation about Church. It's not a strange question to say 'Do you go to Church?' and the answer is usually 'Yes!' A lot of people lack assurance in their salvation because they haven't properly understood the gospel and the work of grace that Christ has done on our behalf. It's an interesting culture to be part of, and it's quite refreshing coming from Australia where the culture is fairly atheist and antagonistic towards Christianity.
One 'Quick' Story:
As we were being trained in sharing our faith, we would go out on On the Job Training (OJT). One night we had a big rally where over a hundred people came. We sang and did a dance and skit and things like that. Afterwards, for our OJT, we followed up the people who came along. I had been sitting at the front at one point, but then we were asked to spread out more amongst the group. I moved to the back and sat next to a girl, Nicole. So when it came time for follow up, I turned to Nicole and we started chatting. (Then it poured with rain so we ran inside!!) We kept chatting and I had a chance to share the gospel with her. She believed the truth of the gospel, but she said she hadn't confessed her sin before God yet. We talked about what that looked like and read 1 John 1:9 together. We talked some more and eventually, it was time for me to leave. We made plans to meet up again in Port Vila the next day after she finished school.
The next day, it was pouring with rain. Instead of going into Port Vila for OJT, a lot of our team stayed behind to wait out the downpour. I know that if I hadn't made plans to meet with Nicole, it would be very likely I would have made excuses not to go out that day. Instead, I took Emily (15yo) and Tom (16yo), from the Australian mission team, to go and find Nicole. In my mind, my plan was that we would find her, meet her and go to a cafe and sit and chat for maybe half an hour and then come back. It was pouring (like bucketing down with rain), and it's about a ten minute walk to town. When it was time to leave, a random bus pulled into our hotel (it didn't even let anyone out, it just came in randomly). We quickly grabbed it and jumped in and it drove us into town. We jumped out of the bus, stood under the verandah and spent some time praying for our time ahead. Then we ran round to this park where we'd planned to meet. We found a shelter to stand under and we waited. We had planned to meet at 3pm. When it got to 3, we started to get excited that she might come at any minute. We weren't in a hurry, because we knew how island time works!! Ten past three, and Tom zipped up his raincoat and ventured out to see if he could find a girl waiting for us. Twenty past three........Twenty-five past three. I knew we weren't standing under a shelter for no reason, I knew God wanted us there, I was just bummed that we couldn't find Nicole. So we prayed again, this time praying that for whatever reason God had us there, that he might bring someone for us to talk to. I remember saying that when it got to 3:30, I would call Nicole's sister, Vicky to try and find out what had happened. At 3:29, this guy, also in the shelter, came up to check on us. We obviously looked lost and had been hanging out there for almost an hour now. I asked him if we could use his phone to call our friend. He said Yes, but he needed to get some credit, so he sent his friend off to buy credit. While she was gone, I started chatting and found out that he was a Neevan who lived in Fiji and studied at uni there. His name was Bryan. I told him a little bit about us, and he said 'Oh, I think I know you'! In my mind, I was like, 'Noooo you must have met an Australian somewhere......' Then he said, 'At the airport on Saturday in Nadi, I met Nathan from Australia and he shared some stories and religious things with me!' I was gobsmacked! WHAT?!?! He'd already met and heard the gospel shared from someone in our team! Amazing!
The lady came back and said she hadn't been able to get the credit to work. Bryan, went off to work it out, and while he was gone, Tom and Emily and I decided that we had an amazing chance to follow this guy up. When he came back, I spoke to Vicky (it turns out that Nicole had come to the park but left because she couldn't find us. I'm still not sure what went wrong there....) and while I was on the phone, Tom asked the guy about his chat with Nathan. He said he'd listened to the stories and prayed a prayer. After I got off the phone, I said to Bryan, 'Thanks so much for helping us out and caring for us. We're going to the cafe, can I buy you a drink?' He ummed and ahhed for a little bit and then agreed. I told him to bring a friend, so he brought Raymond. We went over the street and ordered cokes and lemonades and chips! We chatted for a while about ourselves and talked about why we were here in Vanuatu. They shared a little bit about themselves and their response to the gospel so far. I shared a lot of my own story of trying to earn God's love and favour through good works, and it seemed to connect well with where these guys were coming from. They both belonged to SDA Churches, so we talked about that a bit as well. As we were talking, they told us they were still unsure of their eternal life with God, so we shared some more about how your goodness cannot save you, only trusting in the goodness of Christ and his death on our behalf. I shared how impacting Romans 5:8 had been for me, that Jesus died, not because people deserved it, but precisely because they didn't. That is God's big love for us! God is a Father who adopts a son - not a beautiful, innocent son, but an enemy and a hater - and brings him into his family and loves and cares for him.
Tom and Emily shared and engaged with these guys, who were both in their mid-twenties. They shared the way Jesus took our sin upon himself and died for it, and that's what makes us righteous before God. They engaged so relationally and lovingly with these guys, I was so proud and encouraged to be on mission with them!
After chatting for over an hour, we challenged them to take their sin seriously before God. Stop trying to earn your salvation, but accept that you need Jesus to live, die and rise for you! Neither of them had a Bible, and I had two in my backpack! We gave them Bibles and exchanged details. We took a photo together and then it was time to go. As we left, we were rejoicing in the way God had worked out his perfect plan despite what we had expected would happen that day. We spent some time praying together for the people we had met, trusting God to continue His work of salvation unto completion in them, and rejoicing for the way He is so sovereign!
One Encouragement:
I have been really challenged and encouraged in seeing the way my God is at work in such an intimate way. While I was in Vanuatu, my prayers were very specific, and maybe at home, they are far more general. It has been amazing seeing God answer specific prayers, and has just been an encouragement to me to continue praying specifically and seeking God specifically.
Something to pray for:
Please pray for the people I was able to meet in Vanuatu:
- Gideon and Joyce who are Christians but discouraged about the state of the church in Vanuatu and really hungry to grow in their love and knowledge of God
- Nicole who understood the truth of the gospel, but hadn't yet confessed her sin before God
- Bryan and Raymond that they might know the fullness of the grace of God in giving up Christ to the pay the full penalty for our sin
Please pray specifically that God might save those who are lost, that he might provide other Christians to support, challenged and witness, and that he might reform and build the Church in Vanuatu.
-Joy
 |
| After our conversation with Bryan and Raymond |
 |
| Vanuatu! |
.JPG) |
| Our OJT team in Vanuatu |
 |
| My Aussie brothers Mitch and Matt on their last day with us! |
 |
| After many delayed and cancelled flights, we finally made it onto the plane and back home to Fiji! |
No comments:
Post a Comment