Children at the Etas Cumorah Kindy School

      The Cumorah kindy opened for second term  - May 19th.  The families are thrilled.  The class is 22-24 students.  The students are four, five, six, seven, or eight.  It is the first year of school for all of them.  One of the students is actually 21.  She is very happy to be in school.  She is capable of learning.  The teacher is fine with this older young woman.  They all know her in the village.

Missionary Housing

      The young missionaries here live in a variety of housing.  Some are apartments.  Some are houses of varying quality.  I have already shown you some examples in Paonangisu.  Now they are building some missionary quarters on the sites of the branch buildings as well. 
      A new area just opened up.  It is part of the Paonangisu Branch but about 30 kilometers away.

       This is the water collection tank.  It just collects rain water for cooking, etc.  They need to bath in the stream nearby.  This is the outside of the neighbors house.  Most living is done outside.  Most people only sleep in their house.

       This is the missionary kitchen - yes, on a table outside.  The hotplate is run on propane.  You will recognize the missionary laundry hanging in the yard.

    This is the toilet.  That is all they call them here.  There is no other purpose.  There is no running water,  All water comes from the water tank.  They wash clothes and dishes with the water tank water.  Again - bathing is done in the stream!!!!

      This is the front of the house.  This is a very nice house.  All the actual living is done in the back and outside.  These missionaries are very happy here.  Many of our missionaries are from other islands around here  -  as well as right from Vanuatu!
      In Paonangisu they are now building new housing for the missionaries.  Notice the cement mixer on site.  They build and cure their own block/bricks for the construction.  Having 'cement' houses is considered a real step up for the native people of Vanuatu.

 

       This is Loloma.  She is one of our students from Malakula.  We were going to Paonangisu, and she wanted to ride along.  She was delightful company.  She told us that she had helped her father make the cement blocks back home in Malakula. 

     Isn't this a beautiful site?  The branch building is on the same property.

Missionary Zone and District Conferences

      There have been three districts in Vanuatu  -  Port Vila, Santo, and Malakula.  Now we are experiencing growth and a real need for change.  The Port Vila District, the original district, is no longer.  The Efate District now includes all of Efate Island, but not Tanna Island any more.  Tanna is a separate district.  This latest district conference was only the missionaries serving here on Efate. This group is plenty large enough.

      Every district conference includes training sessions and instruction from President and Sister Brewer.  They are both wonderful speakers.  The missionaries present as well.  There is one big luncheon together.  And  -  the missionaries all have their individual interviews with the president. We love the missionaries that we serve with.  Some are from the USA and Canada.  Some are from Australia and New Zealand.  Some are from the other island nations around here - Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, etc.  Some are from right here in Vanuatu.  One young elder is from Malaysia, but since he left home, his family has moved to Tennessee.  They are all wonderful.

Furniture for the Cumorah Kindy School in Etas!

     Clyde has been very busy with the Etas school project.  After hunting all over Port Vila, they discovered that there simply is not any school furniture here.  So - Clyde drew up some plans (designs), and they took them to a lumber company.  Oh my!  The cost was completely out of consideration.  The only choice was to build all of the furniture from scratch.  Clyde and Donald Hilliman (from the Cumorah School Committee) went allover town again.  They needed to get cost estimates for the project.  One thing was here and another there.  Last week the building began!

They started with building all of the benches for the classroom. Each bench will hold two pikininis.  Yes, I was very concerned with using the word pikinini when we arrived in Vanuatu.  I was taught that it was a derogatory term as I was growing up.  However, in Vanuatu children are pikininis!!!!!

      Next they built the tables for the students.  Clyde made sure that everything was built with sturdiness and stability.  They really look great!

      They also built easels and the blackboards and four large storage cabinets.  The cabinets will  lock.  They will hold all of the supply bins for the school.  Everything that has been constructed is being delivered to the school- by Clyde and Donald.  Donald is the motivating force that has kept things moving along in the Etas community for this project.

      Next all of the school supplies from many, many stores need to be gathered and delivered.  All of this takes a while with only one pickup truck.

 



Working with our Coordinator from Auckland - Arama

      Arama is a native Mauri.  His family have been members for five generations.  His family was converted in the large group that joined the church in the 1840's.  The missionaries arrived and entire villages were converted.  He is a wonderful, dedicated member and an excellent manager. 
Arama visited us here in Port Vila for three days. We were able to accomplish so much while he was here.  He learned more about our situation here  -  what our difficulties and constraints are.  We learned a great deal from him.  Arama has just recently started working for the church.  He is well educated and has been successful in other endeavors.  He has a positive approach to problem solving!

       This evening we held a meeting for all of the parents of the students that are currently attending the church school in Samoa.  We were very excited that he stated that the opportunity would be expanded this next year.  We will be able to open the opportunity to the member students on other islands.  Frazier is the young man front and center here.  He has been a member for six months.  He is the only member of his family that is a member.  He is very dedicated to his callings in the branch.  He really wants to try and go to Samoa next year.

       Arama attended our monthly Vanuatu Education Committee Meeting.  He presented the new church Self Reliance Program to everyone.  This will be a great step forward throughout the world.

       We took Arama to some of the schools that we have developed a good working relationship with.  The schools were very complimentary of our efforts to build partnerships with the schools.  The director at the Hospitality School said that we are the first church group that has ever made that effort to work together for the people of Vanuatu.



   We also met with President Brewer to discuss some of the big issues that face the returned missionaries here in Vanuatu.  The missionaries want to improve their situation.  Many of them have no financial support from home.  The families are mainly subsistence living and simply can't  help there young people.  This is especially true of those that are from other islands.  We need to find a way for them to live here and go to school and stay active in the church and survive!!!!

Self Reliance!

My birthday!

     This time it is my turn to celebrate a birthday.  Our group at Numbatu (Building Number Two) planned a potluck lunch.  It was actually my birthday and Tony Mahit's birthday.

      Kula Bennion is heading up the table.  I needed to cut the cake.  Raylene from the Family History Center joined us, too.