Our Time in Vanuatu

                    At the hotel where we are staying in Luganville, Santo. It is called El Espiritu. Alo evriwan! What’s new?  A few things.  I attended a district council meeting for the first time Tuesday with our young office missionaries.  It was inspiring, uplifting, good discussions, good teachings.  Now if they apply what was discussed, it will also be a productive council.  I felt priviledged to be there among choice sons of our Heavenly father. The senior couple working in the office returned home yesterday.  Sister Gibbs just found out her sister has stage 4 cancer and wants to spend some time with her.  They said they will come back.  In the mean time we have to organize and bring back the elders who used to perform their responsibilities. 🙁. One started training another missionary Wednesday on visas and front office and we still have to figure out what to do for our finance secretary.  Interestingly enough, Tuesday morning, Benoit received an e-mail asking who in

                                                                              We had a beautiful week of learning and good times with missionaries from 3 zones.  This means 88 missionary interviews and 2 temple interviews with pre-field missionaries for Benoit. For the beginning of the week we stayed in Port Vila.  We tried to leave for New Caledonia on Thursday but our flight was changed to one hour earlier and we did not receive any notifications.  Note to self:  Always verify flight status  night before.  This is how it works with Air Vanuatu.  An international flight check-in begins two hours before departure time and ends one hour before departure.  We got to the airport two hours before a flight leaving at 10:50 originally.  The airport is empty, no one is at the counter.  When we ask the information desk, the lady tells us we are too late.  The flight was changed to 9:50 am.  It is about 9:10 by this time and we know the plane is on the tarmac.  But we cannot check our bags b

I am writing today lying down on a bed in a bungalow (hut) on the island of Malekula.   It is Saturday night and we are relaxing at the sound of waves right next to the bungalow.  A French speaking lady rents these bungalows ( about 4 of them). for 5000 vatu a night ( $50 USD) breakfast included.   This rock in the water next to our bungalow looked like a crocodile I was really glad it was only a rock →😀 She also serves dinner for 1000 vatu per person ($10 USD).  We just came back from eating a wonderful meal.   She is a good cook.  We had a meat stir fry with white rice, manioc fries, a cucumber salad and laplap (mashed banana, pumpkin and coconut milk). She asked us if we would like “ des crevettes de rivière ( river shrimp) for tomorrow.  🙂  Fried Yam Salad So we are here in Malekula for a district conference.  Because the members have to travel a long distance, conference is held on Sunday with two sessions.  First the general session fr

Alo evriwan, another exciting and busy week has zoomed by.  Transfer week, I have come to find out, is a very EMOTIONAL week for us.  Saying goodbye to wonderful missionaries we love so much, even after a very little time with them, is bitter sweet.  We are sad to see them go and yet so excited for the rest of their lives in front of them and what they will accomplish.  And then we have the new, a little overwhelmed and enthusiastic missionaries that we greet at the airport.  We are also so excited for their mission in front of them and what they will accomplish.  And mother hen (me) has a twinge of worry,  for some more than others, hoping  they will acclimate themselves well in their new environment.  😁 Sisters Ucunibaravi (Fiji) and Talataina (Samoa)  just arrived this week.  They are serving their third mission together.  You may think it is because they do not have anything else to do... Sister Ucunibaravi became a widow after 15 years of marriage.  She had 6 c