Month: February 2008

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Moving In!

We spent the afternoon cleaning and putting library books on the shelves in the new library! We are exhausted after a very demanding school week but very excited to see another renovation project coming to an end! The best part is, there will be students in this room studying next week! Thank you to all our partners for enabling us to make these important changes on the JBI campus!

Alick unpacking the books Moving in the table

Thank you to the following churches for special offerings for this project: 

Faith Assembly, Orlando, FL – Library renovation

Christian Celebration Center, Midland, Michigan – Library furniture

Northview Christian Life Center, Carmel, IN – Library furniture

Study carrels

 

 

 

Q. What is missing in this picture?

A. Chairs!

We are moving in but still need money for chairs . . .

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Spiritual Emphasis at JBI

We just finished our Spiritual Emphasis week at JBI but it will not be soon forgotten. Rev. Jerry Jacob, from Fiji, was the Tuesday morning chapel speaker. He shared so many practical truths about the types of hands needed to serve the Lord and His church. 

Then Tuesday through Friday night, Rev. Bryan Webb from Santo, spoke. He took us through Ephesians 6:10-20 each night bringing out a different aspect of the spiritual equipment needed for service; the sword of God’s Word, the shield of Faith, the breastplate of Righteousness, and the Power of the Holy Spirit. It was a wonderful week!

Jerry Jacob Bryan Webb

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New Freshmen Class

School is in full swing at JBI and it is hard to believe that we are already in our second week of classes. Gary is teaching Corinthians and Lori is teaching Biblical Archaeology and Geography. Here is a photo of the new freshmen class. first year class

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Shefa Province AG Meeting

This afternoon we gathered with believers from around the island of Efate for the first Shefa Province combined service of the year. Hundreds gathered at Pango Assembly of God and braved the blistering hot sunshine. Choirs from several different Assemblies offered special music and Rev. Edgell Iolopua, the AG General Supt. of Vanuatu was the main speaker.

Shade from a small tree Welcome ceremony

Epao AG choir Deacons under a parasol

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Speed the Light

We were just recently asked how important our STL “Speed the Light” vehicle was to our work. The answer is, “It is ESSENTIAL!”

When we moved to Vanuatu, we were over a month without a car. The day to day trips to the Post Office, the bank, the grocery store, and the many other errands were time-consuming and tiring without a car but they were possible. We walked many miles during those weeks, rode the bus and once in a while took a taxi. The whole time we were dreaming of the day we would have our own car again!

What was harder during those weeks, was riding the bus to church and ministry to places out of town was impossible! We got rides in the back of a pickup truck to some of our first out of town services but you can imagine how limited we were as to where we could go and what we could do!

P2170111

The roads around the island of Efate are very rough and even in town, turning off the main road in the rainy season can often require using 4 wheel drive! The photo above was taken this morning as we drove to Fresh Wota, a church right in town! We are very grateful to the young people in Indiana who have raised the money to provide us with a car these many years! Thank you for giving us the wheels to go wherever needed!

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Visiting Fresh Wota AG

Fresh Wota (Water) is a heavily populated suburb of Port Vila. A couple of years ago, Rev. and Mrs. Raymond Clay, started a new outreach in Fresh Wota. We visited them for the first time today and how wonderful to see a wonderful group of believers and a partially completed building!

Fresh Wota AGRev. and Mrs. Raymond Clay

Jerry Jacob

Baby dedication Karen speakingJBI students

We were very happy to take Jerry and Karen Jacob to visit this church. Jerry preached and was interpreted into Bislama by Rev. Edgell Iolopua, JBI principal. Three JBI students (pictured above), Roy, Jack and Job are helping at Fresh Wota Assembly of God.

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JBI Picnic

Classes have started again at JBI and it has been a busy week for everyone! Today was the annual school picnic and we all went to the beach! Here are just a couple of photos of the fun and good food!

Happy Principalcooking

LunchtimeTania 

Fixing lunch

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We ended the day with a short testimony time, hearing how the Lord brought to JBI each of the ten young men of the freshmen class. We are expecting a great school year!

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A Picture . . .

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Before

After new sinks

New tiled showers

 Before shower stall 

Here are some before and after photos of the men’s bathroom.

Today we cleaned the new pretty blue tiled men’s bathroom and hung up the shower curtains. The students arrive on Monday for the new school year. Thank you to everyone who gave funds to make this renovation possible!

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Jerry and Karen Jacob

Our Area Directors, Jerry and Karen Jacob, arrived today from Fiji. We were so excited to see them and show them around Joy Bible Institute. They flew on the new Air Vanuatu plane which has a great paint job, an erupting volcano and ocean waves.

Jacob arrival Air Van new plane

This afternoon, Jerry and Karen flew to the northern island of Santo to be with our missionary colleagues, Bryan and Renee Webb and Gary and Priscilla Ross. They will be back next week for a longer stay with us! Welcome to Vanuatu, Jerry and Karen!

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Busy Days

In a week, classes will start again at Joy Bible Institute! We are excited to see the upperclassmen return and welcome the new young men and women who will be coming to start their studies. Until then, we are extremely busy getting Gary puts up the bannereverything ready for a new school year! Gary hung up the 2008 theme banner “Equipped to Serve” in the chapel today and stocked the new tract racks.

Pastor Philip, the kids and I unpacked the donated library books which have been in storage and we just had no idea HOW MANY books were in those boxes! I am afraid we are going to have to make more bookshelves before they all can be displayed in the new library! But that is a good problem! We are grateful to friends at Salt Lake Theological Seminary who sent us these used books!

Library books in storage

Books everywhere Tomorrow, we will be back sorting through the books, stamping them and getting them ready to be moved up the hill to the library. The library room is not quite finished but we hope to move in on Friday! Nabang and Marcel spent the day putting the grout on the new tile floor. Tomorrow, Pastor Nixon is coming to build the bookshelves. So many hands have contributed to getting this library finished within a month!

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Severe Hurricane Damage on Futuna

Hurricane Gene did not come far enough north to cause damage here on Efate but it has caused great destruction on the small southern island of Futuna. We talked with Pastor Robert’s wife today and she told us that they had been in contact with family on Futuna yesterday. They are rejoicing that no one was killed but trees were uprooted and the crops devastated by high winds and torrential rains. The local houses did not withstand the winds either and only in a few areas were the houses spared. The Assemblies of God church is one of the buildings still standing.

We have heard that a ship may be headed to Futuna in a few days and we have asked for AG relief funds to buy rice and canned foods to send with it. Please pray for the people of Futuna as they begin to clean up after the terrible hurricane. Pray that our pastor and his congregation even during their own loss will be an example of compassion and encouragement to those around them.

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Hurricane Gene Moving Southwest

Hurricane Gene is taking its time moving through the southern islands of Vanuatu. We live on the island of Efate, which is on the southern edge of the central islands and just off the hurricane’s path. We have gotten periodic downpours of rain and gusting winds but nothing severe. Small inter-island ships are to remain at port and the sea is very rough. We are getting reports that the southern Vanuatu islands of Futuna and Aneityum have been directly hit. Houses have been destroyed by high winds and there is much flooding. The storm has not completely left our area so we are not sure what the final damage report will be. Hurricane Gene is a category 3 storm and seven people died when it passed through the Fiji islands several days ago. Please pray for the people living in the path of this storm. We have Assemblies of God works on Futuna and Aneityum.