The mission work of J. Gary and Lori Ellison
The guys got off to a great start! When I got over to school today, they had already demolished the old bread oven and surprise, there was no concrete floor under it! They will tear out the whole area and begin to rebuild. We appreciate your support with this project!
Almost all of our JBI students are at school by faith. The school has a policy that students must pay their school bills before they are allowed to take final exams at the end of each term. Recently, three students have been on my heart and I would like to present them to you.
Classes are out for two weeks and it is time to tackle the school kitchen problem. We really need a whole new cafeteria and kitchen building but we do not have the funds at this time. So we will begin with a new outdoor cooking area, a more modern version of what is locally known as a “bush kitchen” and eventually we hope to attach a whole new cafeteria to it!
The photos above show the roofed in area where students were preparing and cooking meals. The concrete “oven” at one time was used to bake bread but the interior is rusted out and has not been used for many years. Students have been cooking meals on an open fire on the ground. This situation has led to several problems, too much smoke in nearby residences and classrooms, a continuous search for firewood and a growing rodent problem.
The photo above is of the kitchen woodpile which is directly across (right photo) from the storage cupboards for the root vegetables that are often donated to the school cafeteria. As you can see only a small part of the area has a concrete floor and it becomes very muddy when it rains.
At this point, we are planning to build a new concrete side wall, a larger concrete floor, a built-in concrete barbecue and cooking area, and an outdoor sink. We have designed a small roof and chimney above the cooking area to capture the smoke and hopefully direct it away from the nearby houses. Job and two other students, Jimmy and Clovis, are going to spend their vacation tearing down this area and building the new structures.
In the future we would like to renovate the inside kitchen which has the remains of the original cupboards from 1980! The whole building is in disrepair but a closed in ceiling, fresh paint, new kitchen cupboards and a gas stove would really help!
We are so grateful to Faith Assembly, Orlando, for purchasing the new chest freezer for the kitchen. Thank you so much! All gifts, great and small, are so appreciated! The project number is still 5619!
The JBI students held a fun day fundraiser on Saturday. Youth groups from around town came to the JBI campus for a day of soccer, volleyball and ping pong competitions. Lunch and baked goods were for sale. The day was a great success and everyone had a lot of fun. The JBI students were very grateful to everyone who came and participated. The proceeds of this fundraiser will help finance a group of JBI students on a missions trip to the Banks islands, the most northern Vanuatu islands in November. The school has never sent a ministry group to the Banks islands, as it is an expensive trip, requiring both plane and boat trips. The students have been doing odd jobs and hosting events to raise enough money for their trip.
It has been a busy week at Joy Bible Institute. The students have finished their mid-term exams and the teachers are busy grading them and organizing the last remaining weeks of the school term. Several students are needing financial assistance to enable them to pay off their school bills and this is a prayer concern for them. This afternoon though the students were out of class and back working on the foundation of the new campus guest house. This means a lot of hard physical labor and some fun along the way.
Last Friday, we finished up the girl’s dorm back porch and laundry tub project. Second year student, Ronette, was busy washing her clothes today in the new wash tub sink. Traditionally, clothes are washed by hand and this is where the girl’s will wash their clothes.
Thank you so much to all who have given these last few months and helped us make these campus improvements.
The renovation work is not yet finished, a leak in chapel roof needs our immediate attention and then the school’s old kitchen will require some major remodeling. After that, we hope to be at the end of the urgent list!
Joy Memorial Chapel has been getting a much needed facelift these last 10 days. Thanks to Australian colleagues Russell and Robyn and their visiting friends Colin and Val, who have put many hours into giving the chapel some new sparkle! The interior has been repainted and today they were working on priming and repainting the old pews. Their next step will be to shampoo the carpet and possibly make a new simple communion table and pulpit. (We would still love to have a used communion set.) We are so grateful for their volunteer help which has enabled us to give the chapel some immediate attention.
We thought it was time to update you again on the girl’s dorm renovations. We have finished what we planned to do inside and the girls are thoroughly enjoying their house. Job and Toto have been working hard to finish the remaining outside jobs. The new back porch is finished and provides the girl’s with a second exit in case of an emergency. We were able to salvage some wooden steps and use them for the porch too. Under the porch, the guys are breaking ground for a small cement slab and an outdoor laundry tub. Breaking the solid coral rock manually has been a particularly difficult job. JBI students, Cedrick and Hilton gave it a good effort on Friday. Thank you to Living Hope Church, Merrillville, IN for their very generous offering which will enable us to complete this dorm renovation!
The second school term at JBI started with an intensive course on Bible Translation taught by SIL Vanuatu directors, Ross and Lyndal Webb. We were very happy that the JBI students were able to take this very interesting and practical course. This morning the students seemed very pleased with their course certificates. Vanuatu is a country of many languages and there is much to be done in recording and printing God’s Word in each one. Tomorrow regular term classes begin.
Pastor Edgell, JBI principal, had already started the foundation for a small campus guesthouse when we arrived last year. This project is advancing as funds come in mainly through local donations. Some of the teachers and students are working on it every Saturday. Thought you might enjoy seeing them at work yesterday!
It was a very busy week as we all pitched in and finished the renovations and cleaned up the new girl’s dorm. The weather did not cooperate as torrential rains kept us inside and we were unable to finish the outside back porch. But the inside of the house is looking great with only a few more pieces of furniture needed to make it complete. The four new bunk beds and mattresses arrived and now we are just waiting for the girls!
The guys are wishing they had new foam mattresses, too!
Thank you to Faith Assembly Orlando and Castlewood Canyon Church, Colorado, who have sent offerings for this project and several others who have promised funds to help with the remaining expenses. We are sometimes at a loss of words over your faithful partnership! Thank you so very much for the difference you are making at Joy Bible Institute!
One more week and the work on the girl’s dorm should be finished! Job and Toto have made great progress this week on the bathroom renovations. A ceramic tiled shower stall has replaced the old bathtub, two water damaged walls were torn out, and the rusty sink and old vanity were replaced. It is just really exciting to be this close to finishing the repairs on the upper floor of the old mission house. The four bunk beds are made and this week we need funds to buy the mattresses. Thank you for your support of these ongoing campus renovations. A few thousand dollars can make such a big difference! We are on the countdown as the next school term starts on May 12th and the girls are ready to move in! We still need some furniture and to rebuild the back door porch.
Just wanted to say “THANK YOU” to the young people, especially of Indiana, for their giving to the “Speed the Light” fund. We recently received funds for an overhead projector, a video projector and a photocopier. This is Lori’s Biblical Archaeology and Geography class posing with some of the equipment which enabled them to see photos and artifacts from faraway Biblical lands.
The recent weeks have been a crazy combination of daily thunderstorms, torrential rains and steamy humid weather. The other day an especially strong gust of wind blew through our carport and shook the house. The backyard was scattered with our shoes and items normally stored inside the garage. This same unexpected gust of wind ripped through the JBI campus and uprooted one of the African Tulip trees. Here Gary and Jeremy are posing with the tree which fell on the roof of the new girl’s dorm and library building. Please pray that there is no serious damage to the roof.
UPDATE: The tree only slightly bent the roof gutter, no other damage found!
It’s official! The JBI Library was officially dedicated this afternoon. The school’s faculty, students and a few guests gathered to recognize the workers and pray God’s blessings on the churches, individuals and those of you who made it possible. The school choir sang “How Great Thou Art” right before the triple ribbon was cut by (right to left) JBI Principal Edgell Iolopua, Academic Dean J. Gary Ellison and Grounds Manager, Robert Laumai.
Everyone took a grand tour of the room and tried out the new chairs and study carrels and browsed the bookshelves. The far side of the room has two computer desks and 3 study tables. We are now anxious for a librarian to come and re-catalogue the 2000 books for us!
Thank you so much to the churches and friends who responded so promptly and enabled us to finish the Joy Bible library and study room. Thank you to AGWM who also assisted us financially and approved the mission house change of use. This building not only provides the school with a new library but the Dean of Students with a nice apartment, and in a few weeks the upstairs will be the new girls’ dorm!
Vision for Vanuatu 
