A Rough Road to Mission Fields

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On Tanna vehicles are things that are pushed as well as driven

On Tanna vehicles are things that are pushed as well as driven

As well at teaching at a Bible college on Tanna, I have also been asked by Southern Islands Presbytery to support a group of local mission workers who are working to evangelise members of the John Frum cult and the ‘Unity in Christ’ Movement.

I am not sure exactly what my role will be, but I will be involved in training, encouraging, and providing resources.  To do this effectively I need to be able to get to their villages.  That is where the vehicle comes in. Continue reading →

From the Prayer Letter… Proclaiming the Kingdom

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In Vanuatu’s national language Bislama, talemaot means to reveal, confess, or declare.

It is often used in the Bible in the context of proclaiming the gospel.  Isaiah declares beautiful the feet of the one who comes to talemaot good news (Isa 52:7).  When Jesus gathers his disciples before sending them out, he instructs them to talemaot that the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mat 10:7). Continue reading →

Was Jon Frum ‘John from America’?

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As I have said in a previous post on the Jon Frum cult found on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, there is great disagreement on both the origins of the cult and the identity of Jon Frum.  One particularly tantalising version has it that the name ‘Jon Frum’ came from a misunderstanding when a US serviceman who introduced himself as ‘John from America’ was misunderstood to be named ‘Jon Frum’.  When I was on Tanna in April I stumbled on a diary extract that shed a little light on the matter. Continue reading →

“Two Hats”: A Review

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Two Hats

A film by Andrew Garcia

 “Lord, Lord I want to make a difference.  But how?  How can I make a difference?  And do they need change?  Do they want change?  If they do, where do I start?  What right do I have to burst in on their culture and expect them to change?  What are they thinking?  Why do they do what they do?  I guess I need to make some changes too.  Lord, help me to understand so that I may be understood and make your message clear.” Continue reading →

A Thought for Food

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Lunch at SIBC

When Tom and I got married cooking was not my forte and in fact I think Tom cooked most of the meals in that first year. But with practice (and lots of watching Tom) I have come to enjoy cooking and being in charge of meals for our growing family. So on our recent trip to Vanuatu I was keen to get an idea of what food and cooking will be like for our family next year. Here are some of my observations and thoughts… Continue reading →

The Venus Transit: A Monumental Missions Anniversary

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Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Today marks a significant second occurrence of the second transit in the pairing of Venus’s transits of the Sun since 1769.  You ask why this is significant to missions, well let me explain. Continue reading →

A Mission Fund for Students

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Thomas, student at SIBC

Pastor Yarwell, principle of South Island Bible College (Tanna Island, Vanuatu), has started a mission fund for each of his students so that they will have some funds available to them for mission work when they graduate. Continue reading →

Kind of Green: First Impressions of Tanna

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Tom worked in Vanuatu in 2002 and 2003 and had told me many stories about it.  But I went last month for the first time on a trip to further investigate mission work there and I will share with you some of my first impressions of what the country is like and then a couple of reflections. Continue reading →