VANUATU
STATUS: Republic (Independent 1980) AREA: 14,765 sq km Capital: Port Vila (40,000) POPULATION: 147,000 Density: 10 people per sq km Life expectancy: 70 years Infant Mortality: 55 per 1,000 (comparied to 8/1,000 in USA) LANGUAGES: English, French, BislamaFormer Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides. It is a sprinkling of 83 tropical islands from volcanic beginnigs, that lie peacefully in the South Pacific Ocean. 16º South and 168º East. It is North-East of New Caldonia, 2500 km South-East of Papua New Guinea, 2500 km North-East of Sydney Australia, 2000 km North of Auckland New Zealand and 800 km West of Fiji.
The John Hall family was the first missionary family to live here in 1979-80 but had to leave after a year due to schooling problems. (Two men and one woman were baptised.) John was supported and sponsored by the church in Ashdown, Arkansas. He was replaced by Edwin Crookshank who lived here for a short time and then moved to American Samoa and then to Hawaii. He travelled back to Vanuatu a couple of times a year meeting with the Christians (less then five) and following up students of Correnspondance Courses. When Edwin left Hawaii to move back to the USA in 1995 he left the follow-up work to Randy English who lives in American Samoa and travels to Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
All the missionary workers living in American Somoa are supported by a Forest Park Georgia congregation and live in American Samoa so as not to have to worry about visa restrictions and requirements in the various island states where work is currently going on. Most of the work in the Islands is as a result of baptisms from various Bible Correspondance Course programs conducted thru US churches. Their worker, Robert Martin, has been active throughout the entire region since 1975, the same year we started our work in Papua New Guinea. This group is currently conducting a yearly Bible Training Program in the Pacific islands which issues a diploma in Bible Studies for the attendors. All courses are in English and many are taught by American Christians. They make use of the KJ and NKJ versions of the Bible and do not consider use of other versions acceptable.
We (Kathy and I) first came to Vanuatu in October 1990 at the request of a group who were taking the World Bible School Correspondence Course. They were led by a man called Pastor Amos Waki who lived in Port Vila at Pongo village. The group was aligned with the 'Churches of Christ Associated' out of Australia. We found out later they are a charasmatic group and that he was just just trying to use us to get financial support for himself. At that time we were not aware that the Lord's church (as we know it) met or even existed.
We helped the Jab Mesa family move to Vanuatu and worked for three months in early 1991. At that atime we learned that a congregation had met 40km out of town at Eton village since 1980. (We had tried several times to get Edwin and others to tell us if there were Christians in Vanuatu.) Jab had been working with the Pongo group but spent his last month with the Eton group and was eventually expelled from the country by the Presbyterian elders at Eton (who have since invited him back). Jab was able to get the struggling group (13 Christians) in a less struggling situation. He was also instrumental in the adding of over 15 more souls into the Kingdom. Up to this point in time missionaries would visit for a few days baptize people and leave for 4-5 months, and then repeat the process.
The men of the Eton church said that they had been in neutral for ten years but with Jab coming they were excited. Their giving increased, they were gearing up to be more evangelistic and they had their first-ever men's meeting to discuss the work of the church and future plans.
My son Jason and I made a trip back in March 1991. (The Mesas left in April.) Kathy and I along with Jab Mesa returned in November 1991. Jab stayed for a month and worked with a student from Fiji and the local brethren. At that time the brethren decided to send one of their young men Steven Felix to the South Pacific Bible College in Tauranga New Zealand. He graduated in 1993 and returned to Vanuatu. He is currently a Magistrate with the government judicial system. Until we moved here last June we tried to visit the brethren here, to encourage them, at least yearly. They were still being visited several times a year by missionaries and teachers from the USA who would come for a few days teach, baptize and leave.
In 1996 the brethren in Vanuatu asked if we could send a worker from PNG. They asked for Jab Mesa but he is the principal of the Bible College and so we sent the Sombo Dowara family who agreed to come and work for two years. The Dowara's have renewsed their visas and will be working here in Vanuatu until December 2000.
In 1997 a group of American workers visited the island of Santo and baptized 12 persons. In February 1999, missonaries Sombo Dowara, Tobey Huff and Morris Felix visited some of the brethren in Santo to try and encourage them. Plans were made to try and visit and teach on a regular basis to help them in their spiritual growth.
On November 15, 1998 the Lord's church in Eton village, Vanuatu moved into a new worship facility built on land deeded to the church. After 18 years this is the first time the church has had its own facilities on land which has been given for the sole use of the Lord's church. The new building is located in the village of Eton on Efate Island where the capitol of Port Vila is located.
We have three groups meeting on the main island of Efate- consisting of approximately 80 members of the Lord's church. They meet at: Eton village (two groups), Ebau village and Port Vila. There is a group of 5 Christians meeting with the Paul Vuhu family on the island of Ambae. We do know of several Christians on other outer islands (Santo, Tanna and Ambyum) but cannot say for sure they are meeting on a regular basis.
