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How did you all become a team?
How do you pronounce "Vanuatu"?
How did you all become a team?
Aaron and Cindy met Eric and Shawnda at 29th and Yale church of Christ in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both families decided to attend the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, CO beginning in September 2002. While there, these two couples met Mike Olson, originally from Denver. The five of them became close friends as they had opportunities to work together on class projects, campaigns, and survey trips. Kaela joined the team on July 12, 2004.
How do you pronounce "Vanuatu"?
Like any other word, "Vanuatu" has a number of acceptable pronunciations. The most common is van-oo-wah-too.
Why did the team choose to work in Vanuatu?
Having previously agreed to form a mission team together, the team now needed to decide where to go. Wayne Burger, an instructor at the Bear Valley Bible Institute, began making trips to Vanuatu in the '80s. He turned the team on to mission work in the Pacific and agreed to lead them on their first survey trip in July and August 2003 to Fiji and Vanuatu. The question "where can we be most effective" came up often, and the team unanimously agreed that "Vanuatu" was the answer. While the Lord's church was originally introduced to Vanuatu in 1979, it has struggled somewhat and appeared to be open to the gospel.
What type of house do you live in?
Most of the buildings in town are made of cement block to withstand hurricanes. You can take a tour of Mike's house, the Baker's house and the Brandell's house.
What kind of work are you doing?
Unfortunately, many today associate mission work with constructing buildings and humanitarian work. While both of those play a part in effective mission work, the core of mission work is teaching the Bible.
During our first year, we focused on getting a good grasp on the local language and Vanuatu's rich culture. We believe this enabled us to be far more effective teachers. In addition to gaining this familiarity, we wanted to focus on getting know the Christians.
We live in the capital city of Port Vila, and therefore spend a majority of our time working with the church there. We also make monthly mission trips to the three other congregations on the main island of Efate. In subsequent years we will begin making more trips to the outer islands.
Bible Correspondence Course work has proven very effective throughout the Pacific. We have mailed introductory courses to every PO Box in Vanuatu, and run an ad in the newspaper offering the free courses. As students complete the courses, we will follow up with them in person. Currently we are developing courses in the native language.
In Vila, we conduct "Preaching in the Park" on a monthly basis. We rent an open-air stage near the market house and preach to the 200-300 locals who gather there each day for lunch.
As time allows, we conduct various meetings and seminars at congregations throughout the country.
How long do you plan to stay in Vanuatu?
We were counseled by former South Pacific missionaries who suggested that we initially commit to living and working in Vanuatu for a period of five years. Their experience showed that staying less time was often detrimental to the work. Thus, our team and the elders of the Columbine church of Christ in Denver, CO have committed to work together in Vanuatu for a minimum of five years. At the conclusion of three years, we will begin analyzing the possibility and effectiveness of staying longer.
How is the team's work financed?
The church we read of in the New Testament supported missions by personal and congregational means. Therefore, the team functions financially by the assistance of dedicated monthly supporters. The elders of the Columbine church of Christ in Denver, CO oversee the team's work.
Each month, the team exchanges their salary and work fund from US dollars to Vatu, Vanuatu's national currency. You can click here to see an up-to-date exchange rate.
What language is spoken by the locals?
Vanuatu was settled by both the French and the British in the 18th century and therefore both French and English are spoken by some natives, and both are recognized as national languages. There are actually more than 100 languages spoken by the locals, with each individual village having its own language and/or dialect (said by some to be the highest language density in the world). Bislama, a third national language, serves as the lingua franca and is thus the major means of communication between the ni-Vanuatu. In 1996, the Bible Society of the South Pacific partnered with the Christian Council of Vanuatu to complete the Bislama Bible (Old and New Testaments), which (unfortunately) is basically a translation from the English Good News for Modern Man.
Essentially, everyone knows their village language and Bislama, and most have a decent grasp on English and/or French. Bislama is known as a pidgin English because it is derived from English. To hear an example, you can listen to the introduction of our radio program.
What kind of work are you doing?
How long do you plan to stay in Vanuatu?
