P.O. Box 1345
Port Vila
Republic of Vanuatu
The Huff family consists of Tobey (51), Kathy (50), Terasa
(28) and Jason (26). Both Terasa and Jason are married and live in the United
States. Terasa (Davis) and her husband Chris have three children, Regan
(3 yrs), Harrison (2 yrs) and Jackson (5 mo.) live in Vernon Alabama. She
has her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is the Director of a State
Facility there in Vernon. Jason and his wife Melinda both graduated from
Harding University and now live in Superior Wisconsin. They have secular
jobs are but helping establish a new congregation in Superior, just across
the lake from Duluth Minnesota.
Tobey dropped out of college in 1966 to join the Air Force
and saw action in Vietnam and duty in Okinawa. While on Okinawa Tobey obeyed
the gospel (May 1970). After his discharge from the USAF Tobey attended
Sunset School of Preaching and both he and Kathy attended Sunset School
of Missions graduating in 1974. Kathy obeyed the gospel in her youth in
Joplin Mo. where her father later served as an elder until his death in
1992. Both Terasa and Jason obeyed the gospel while they were living in
Papua New Guinea.
The Huffs arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1975 and worked
there until July 1985 except for brief furloughs. During the early years
in PNG the Huffs were heavily involved with the establishment of new congregations
in hitherto unevangelized areas of PNG. In 1979 Tobey began to involve himself
more in the printed page. This included the writing of commentaries, a Topical
Index and the translating of tracts and booklets in Pidgin English (the
trade language of 90% of PNG). When John Wallace left Papua New Guinea in
1982 Tobey accepted the responsibility of the printing presses. By July
1985 over 5 million pieces of literature had been printed for the PNG work.
This was represented by: 42 different books, 6 BCC courses, 45 tracts and
400 different Bible lessons.
After ten and a half
years in Papua New Guinea the Huffs made the decision to leave due to various
factors. After much prayer an open door was seen in New Zealand. This move
allowed the continuance of the printing work for PNG as well as an expansion
of the printed page throughout the South Pacific.
Due to the fall off of personal support when the Huffs
moved to New Zealand Tobey established a commercial printshop which helped
supply personal support.
While in New Zealand Tobey printed a lot of the materials
used by the WBS and the WWBS correspondence programs in Fiji, New Zealand,
PNG, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga and Australia. Over 6 million pieces of
literature were printed. The Huffs are not only involved with the World
Bible School Program but helped with follow-up of WBS in the islands and
help coordinate and conduct Leadership Training Schools throughout the Oceania
region.
After Terasa and Jason left New Zealand and returned to
the States, Tobey and Kathy sought for some time to return to a more active
role in the Oceania work. After many months of prayer, in 1994 the Huffs
were able to sell the commercial printshop they owned in New Zealand. The
personal support that the business was providing was given up, but they
knew that GOD IS ABLE and He would provide.
In January 1995 Tobey and Kathy loaded all that was
left and moved back to Papua New Guinea. The Huffs were able to keep some
of the printing equipment and are using it as the need arises. The move
back to PNG was as a result of discussions with the Highland St church of
Christ (Memphis, Tennessee) missions ministry who support the Melanesian Bible College
in Lae. There was a need that Tobey and Kathy felt they could help meet
of upgarding the curriculum. Before settling into the PNG work Tobey and
Kathy spent 6 weeks in Vanuatu working with the brethren there. The Huffs
first started working in Vanuatu in 1990 and have made trips periodically
to assist the brethren in their spiritual growth. They were also instrumental
in finding personnel in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea who have trained in
New Zealand at the South Pacific Bible College.
More leadership training is critical at this time because
of the diminishing number of full-time missionary families as well as less
of a need for full-time missionary families living within cultures of the
South Pacific. It is good to see the receptivity of the Island people and
the development and maturity of leadership in some of the island churches.
The Huffs plan to be instrumental in the scheduling of
schools in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and other Oceania Islands as requested.
The Huffs are also planning ways whereby PNG, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
and Fiji can coordinate their various works for better coordination of training
and grounding. This will include sending Melanesian Bible College (PNG)
students for their practical year as well as graduates to assist needing
congregations.
From 1995-1998 Tobey was involved in helping MBC (PNG)
establish a more extensive Pidgin English side of Bible training as well
as teach some night courses in English..
In 1997 Tobey completed the requirements and was awarded
School of Ministry - Masters in Missions and his Doctorate of Religious
Education from The Theological University of America. Hopefully this will
open doors to be able to teach in the University of Papua New Guinea and/or
the University of South Pacific in Vanuatu and Fiji.
In June 1998 Tobey and Kathy moved to Vanuatu. They have settled in the capital city of Port Vila.
"We came to Vanuatu on the invitation of the local brethren with
the following job description":
- To conduct Leadership Training Courses in Port Vila and several
of the other islands where small bands of Christians exist.
- To conduct Specialty Bible Courses throughout Vanuatu and the
South Pacific region as required and requested.
- To continue writing Bible teaching materials in the local language
(Bislama) for the training of Bible school teachers in the local congregations.
- The continuation of the compilation of hymn books with notes in
Pidgin/English, Bislama/English and Fijian/English.
- The writing and printing of addiional tracts and Bible material
for Vanuatu, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
- To continue to write and print materials in Basic English in order
to start a Bible Training Program by correspondence (Melanesian Bible School
- Vanuatu) for those Christians in isolated areas who wish to further their
Bible knowledge but have no means or opportunity to do so in a formal Bible
School setting.
- To be available to the Fiji brethren as they begin planning to
establish their own local Bible Training School in the near future. To help
in the teaching of such a school as requested.
About mission work Tobey writes: "The more time I spend in mission work the more I realize it is a maintenance type work which takes 24 hours a day and not a bi-yearly birthing process. I feel sorry for people who do not live with the people they are baptising. They do not share the problems and stuggles and see what these brethren go through in their daily lives to just sometimes survive. It is easy to come teach and immerse - far harder to convert! Kathy and I continue to see this work in the South Pacific as a long term maintenance work which has been hurt to a big degree by the baptising of scores of people who were never intergreted into the fellowship of the body of believers here. Evangelism needs to be tempered with 24 hour fellowship."
From August 1999-May 2000 Tobey served as "Visiting Professor of Missions" at Harding University.
