2020 Semaine 22 (25-31 mai)

Looking outside to find my inspiration on how to start the blog this week.

I am going to start with family news today.

Our sweet grandkids are growing so fast!!!

This sweet one is now 6 months old, crawling and working on standing up.

This handsome fellow started playing baseball and thanks to technology we saw him hit that ball pretty hard!

And this young man started working part-time at Vicone High Performance Rubber Products...

cutting a lot of rubber tubes.  It will be encouraging when he gets his first pay check.  Lâche pas mon beau Jaredou!

                                            Another busy week in Vanuatu

It was a week of goodbyes. Wednesday, 27 May 2020 the following missionaries left our mission.  They were either done with their mission or repatriated to finish their mission in their home country.

We first had an video call with the Sitakes who were serving in the Solomon Islands.  They agreed to stay an extra 50 days after their release date.  We appreciated their service so very much.

 There are no more full-time missionaries in New Caledonia.


We spoke with the Hunters who also served above and beyond the call.  These two couples have been so amazing and words cannot adequately express our deepest gratitude for their valiant service. They will be sorely missed.  They hold a special place in our hearts.

We also spoke individually with each of the missionaries leaving New Caledonia and returning with the Hunters to Tahiti.  The two sisters standing at each end of this picture have been released having completed their mission.  The other seven missionaries have started serving in Tahiti until they are finished with their mission 

 The Sitakes did not have tickets to fly home.  The week before, sister Sitake found out that there would be a flight to Brisbane on the 27 May.  Arrangements were made, and voila, the Sitakes are going home. At the end of last week, we found out the flight for the Hunters and the 9 missionaries in New Caledonia planned for 6 June was cancelled. There was a flight on May 27 but it was all booked.  Now this was the second time Air Calin was doing this to the Hunters.  They had a flight booked at the beginning of May that was cancelled and rescheduled for June 6.  Now they were told it was going to be in July.  😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
We asked Tony Nizetich, the miracle worker from the Area travel office (it is amazing what can be accomplished with Heavenly Father's help) to look into this and try to persuade them to take all our missionaries on the 27th.
We did not want to see the Hunters leave and the other missionaries stay, hope and wait until sometime this year...

On Monday, full of faith, they all went to the hospital to get the COVID-19 test, that needed to be administered 72 hours before departure to enter French Polynesia.  We received confirmation on Tuesday My 26th that they could all go on Wednesday May 27th.

It is not over yet.  Still more miracles ahead.  I wrote the following story on my phone as it was happening and below is a copy of what transpired next for 3 missionaries returning home to Fiji and one returning here in Vanuatu from Solomon Islands, his release date was 7 April and he is now in quarantine having arrived Port Vila on May 27th.  The flight was leaving Honiara, Solomon Islands on May 27th stopping in Port Vila and continuing on to Fiji.  It should be easy to have one missionary in Solomon leaving to come to Port Vila and having 3 missionaries serving in Port Vila and finishing their mission going home to Fiji where the plane was heading, right?  Well, in normal times it would be, but with closed borders it is not.  We need the hand of the Lord to unlock the doors.  

Elder Prasad

Faith in Action: Spiritual connection and human connection, this is what, finally got the three missionnaires from Fiji to go home today.

Working with Tony Nizetich, the one in charge of looking for flights in the Pacific and a good friend of Elder Prasad’s father, the attorney general in Fiji. He helped out with the permission for them to travel with Solomon Airlines and land in Fiji and be admitted back in their country. We also needed permission from government in Vanuatu to let them leave Vanuatu. Since Monday we have been waiting to hear what was going to happen. From “there is a good possibility “ to yesterday afternoon, “no they cannot leave”. Elder Prasad showed us an e-mail with a document stating that they could enter Fiji. We sent it to Tony immediately. Then last night Elder Prasad sent us the document that made a difference. We sent it to Tony thinking that would be the hand of the Lord that could help make this come to pass.  After all, the flight is the next day at 11:45 am.

This morning at 6:45 am , Tony tells us he will pursue this with the document and it might work. I called the missionaries to let them know and to be ready. An hour later, Tony sends us another e-mail saying they were waiting for the approval from the Vanuatu government and the missionaries should go to the airport. I call the missionaries to let them know to go to the airport that the flight is scheduled to leave at 11:45 am from Vila to Fiji. At 9:00 am Tony sends us another e-mail to go to a certain travel agency to get the tickets. Luckily it was not far from the mission office where we had just arrived. 

At 9:15 am, we are buying the tickets. We arrived at the airport at 9:40 am. Check-in is starting at 9:45 am. The elders were at the airport at 9:15 am.

Elder Prasad was telling me yesterday all the blessings he has received lately. I testified to him and his two missionary companions that the Lord watches over his own. He stands ready to bless us. We are often the only ones stopping Him from blessing us. I had such a good feeling that they would leave because the Lord would open doors... and He did.

Elder Prasad                                                                           Elder Veidovi             Elder Baca

Mosiah 29:20 "...thus doth the Lord work with power in all cases among the children of men extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him."

We waited for Elder Hilliman arriving from Solomon but it was decided that since the plane was coming from Australia before Solomon and part of the crew were from Australia that the passengers would be quarantined.  So they pick them up on the tarmac and all we saw of Elder Hilliman is the bus driving away.



Some army soldiers came out of a bigger bus, police officers were there to make sure no one would get close to these passengers.

Now in the case of Elder Hilliman, it was the stake president who works for the government who helped get permission for him to come back home on that flight.

Our heart is filled with thankfulness for the many blessings of the Lord.  He is watching over us.  It is amazing to see His hand every step of the way.  What is also wonderful is the feeling of absolute peace as all this is going on, knowing through the Spirit that all will work out His way.
"Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD"      We know He is.

Mifala lavem yufala tumas.  Lukum yufala nekis wik.   We love you so much.  See you next week.