Make A Path And Open The Door!

Many of you may not know that Lori has served on the AG Vanuatu National Disaster Committee since its founding in 2015 after Cyclone Pam. She is the committee treasurer and has spearheaded much of the fundraising to help each of the 60 Assemblies of God churches affected by that natural disaster. Here is the story of her recent trip to the island of Paama for a church dedication.

Lulep village, Lopevi volcano

MAKE A PATH AND OPEN THE DOOR!

A week ago Sunday, we were at the Port Vila airport waiting to board a small charter plane to Paama Island. A dozen of us were going there to celebrate the opening of two newly rebuilt churches destroyed by Cyclone Pam in 2015. The weather conditions were not good with strong gusty winds and rain. The grass airstrip on Paama has a short one way landing and take-off over an ocean cliff. Crosswinds are often challenging on small islands but the current conditions were especially unsafe and our flight was cancelled. We went to the airport the next three mornings in a row but the national airline was not intending to fly to Paama anytime soon.

On Monday, the Tavie village church had their dedication service without us. We were very disappointed not to have been there. Gary was to be the guest speaker and Lori had been asked to unveil the new church sign. We heard that a small plane from a charter company had landed at Tavie on Monday without mishap so why could we not go too?

The second church at Lulep village was to be dedicated on Tuesday but they had postponed the service in hopes that the group could get there. Lori had promised the people at Lulep two years ago, that when they rebuilt their church she would be there. So even though no one else could go with her, she booked a seat with a one-plane charter company.

Finally, on Wednesday morning, bright and early, Lori flew out on an 8 passenger plane to Paama. An excited welcoming party was waiting for her at the Tavie airport. The only vehicle on the island, a four wheel drive truck, was coming to take her up over the mountain to Lulep on the east side of the island. The Lulep church had already butchered a cow and were cooking a feast. The church dedication would start as soon as she got there.

Before the truck arrived, a text message came stating that Pastor Jimmy Obas was in the air and on his way to Paama. Miraculously, he had convinced the pilot of an even smaller plane flying north to drop him off on Paama Island. Rev. Jimmy Obas and Lori, are colleagues on the AG Vanuatu Disaster Committee which spearheaded the fundraising and assistance to the 60 AG churches affected by Cyclone Pam.

Within the hour, the truck was loaded with supplies, a keyboard, pastors, and Christian friends ready to accompany us to Lulep. With only one truck driving along the bush track, you can imagine that there really wasn’t much of a visible road in many places. We twisted and turned through gullies, drove straight up the sides of hills and slowly climbed to a mountain top before glimpsing a large volcano and then nosediving back down through the rainforest. Before noon, we were safely in Lulep, shaking hands and meeting Pastor Avock and the congregation. That is when Lori found out she would be cutting the ribbon and preaching the dedication message.

School children, church members and villagers gathered on the village green and marched to the new church building singing “We’re Marching to Zion.” The church sign and gate were obstructed by all kinds of branches and foliage. Brother Aison came forward with a machete and began to cut at the foliage and make a path for us all to enter the property. This was a symbolic gesture of making a path to God’s house.

The church sign was unveiled by the grandmother who had donated the land and we all marched to the church entrance. Again the church door was completely obstructed by banana trees and branches and again Aison came and cut a path. Lori was then able to approach the church door and cut away the ribbon and fabric. A quartet of ladies sang “Open the Door” and Lori handed the keys to Pastor Avock and he stepped inside first and everyone followed. The church interior was completely finished, the cement walls nicely plastered and painted. Pastor Jimmy Obas led the congregation in singing and then Lori preached from Colossians 2:2-7, on The Marks of a Faithful Church.

Following the service, we went to an open area and sat on the grass and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Lori spent the night in the home of one of the church ladies before crossing back over the mountain and staying two more days in Tavie village.

Thank you for your support which allows us to be in Vanuatu training young men and women for ministry at Joy Bible Institute. Pray that we will continue to be instrumental in making a path and stepping through open doors for the sharing of the Gospel on small islands and remote villages all across Vanuatu.

· Two other AG churches on Paama, in the villages of Tahi and Luli, need help to rebuild their churches. $5000 would greatly help their rebuilding.

· Our own monthly support also needs strengthening. Would you consider partnering with us?

November 9, 2016November 9, 2016

2016-2017 Special Projects

Just wanted to update the information on our current projects. All financial gifts may be sent to our Assemblies of God World Mission account, and please be sure to designate with the project name and number.

Married Student Housing at Joy Bible Institute – Project #5764 – $15,000 each house

We have completed the first student house on the new property and a student and his family have moved in! We plan to build 7 more small houses on this property. Our students are often from distant islands and they need to bring their families to Bible school with them. Will you help us?

About $15,000 will build a small one bedroom house for a student family.

CYCLONE PAM REBUILD – Green Hill Elementary School – Project #5778 – $45,000 School Building

One hundred forty-three children were left without classrooms to study in when Cyclone Pam completely blew away their school in March 2015. Green Hill Primary School was started by Joy Bible Institute graduate, Pastor Charley Job, and is the only school in that remote farming community. We have been partnering with them to rebuild their school and need your help to complete the job.

We are currently raising $45,000 to build a simple three room classroom building for grades 4 to 6.

CYCLONE PAM – Small Village Church Rebuilding Assistance – $5000 each

Pastor John Yalsi and his wife stand in front of the ruins of their small Assembly of God church. They pastor in a small farming community in the hills of Teouma. Pastor Yalsi and his wife grow vegetables and sell them in the market in Port Vila to support themselves.

Cyclone Pam completely destroyed their church, village and gardens. The cost of replacing this partial concrete building is beyond their means. Would you join with us to help rebuild this church and several others?

60 AG churches were either totally destroyed or damaged from Cyclone Pam on March 13, 2015.

Joy Bible Institute AGWM Acct # 541772 – Cyclone Repairs

The Joy Bible Institute had many buildings damaged and roofs blown off from Cyclone Pam. Much of the campus has been repaired but not everything. Funds have run out and we still need to repair the school chapel and the pile of rubble in the foreground of the photo above was a storage building and carport. We need funds in order to repair and replace the facilities we have lost.

Any offering to the Joy Bible Account AGWM #541772 would help us to continue repairing the cyclone damaged buildings on the Bible school campus.

March 11, 2016June 19, 2016

Green Hill School Dedication

On March 11, 2016, just a few days before the one year anniversary of Cyclone Pam which totally destroyed the Green Hill Primary School and much of the community, we gathered to officially open two new school buildings and start the new school year.

It was a rainy day and the road was a bit more treacherous than normal, but the four-wheel drive pickup was packed with church leaders and missionary friends eager to celebrate the event with the Green Hill community.

Pictured above: Back row – Jasmine Ellison, Rev. Dave Wood, Julie Wood. Front row: Green Hill AG Pastor Charley Job, Shefa Province AG Presbyter Rev. Berry Kalotrip, Shefa Province AG Treasurer Rev. Joshua Malakai and Lori Ellison.

The Green Hill school children waiting to greet the visitors and accompany us into the school property.

The school children led the way in song.

Flag raising and singing the Vanuatu national anthem.

Clockwise from left: Listening to speeches, singing, praying, and a kid’s sermon.

The traditional giving and receiving of gifts.

Rev. Berry Kalotrip cutting the ribbon on the door of the first classroom. The main school building consists of three classrooms. The main donor was ACCI Relief of Australia. They gave AU$41,800 to rebuild this building. Mrs. Lori Ellison was the project manager, receiving the funds, purchasing all the building materials, and overseeing the actual construction. To fully complete the building, US$10,000 was also given by AGWM-USA.

We are so grateful to all who gave to rebuild this school. A special thank you to Katie Blok of ACCI for reading my first email and then her amazing support for the project.

Above: Accepting gifts of garden produce from the Green Hill community.

Above on the left: Pastor Charley Job, (JBI grad) is the man who carved this mission work and school literally out of the bush, high on a plateau above the Teouma River Valley. He built a church and a school over the years and Cyclone Pam took it all away in one night, March 15, 2015. At the reopening of the school, 146 children, grades K-6 were enrolled.

Until more funds are available for more classrooms, six grades will be squeezing into three classrooms.

Above on the right: Green Hill school headmaster, Joseph Kalo. He kept the school functioning after the disaster and loss of buildings and books. For months, teachers and students, huddled under tarps and sat on the grass for class.

We are also very grateful to PAOC partners, Dave and Julie Wood, who before they had even moved to Vanuatu, were raising funds and awareness in Canada to rebuild a kindergarten building for Green Hill Primary School. A special thank you to Rev Murray Cornelius who responded favorably to my email to asking for help from the PAOC. Very grateful that ERDO Canada agreed to sponsor the new kindergarten and many friends and family who donated money to ERDO. Thirty-six little ones are now attending kindergarten under the care of head teacher Ruth and her helper.

Above: The new kindergarten built by PAOC and ERDO partners in CANADA.

The rebuilding of this school was a logistic challenge from day one, so many amazing things happened to bring us to this day of dedicating the new school buildings. I am so thrilled that church friends in Australia, Canada and the United States came together and showed such compassion to the families in a little-known farming community of Green Hill which had been almost blown off the map by Cyclone Pam! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!