By Ken Williams
Most weekends here in Vanuatu have little variation from one to the next. However one weekend in June was very different to anything I have ever experienced. A first year Diploma student – Giroy Atevari has been involved in mission work with several villages in the hills not too far from Talua for several years. While they are not not far away distance wise, their daily life continues much the same as it has for hundreds of years.
Giroy visits the villages for ministry and encouragement once every few months. He asked me if I would like to go with him. He said you will need to be fit. I felt reasonably comfortable about this as I have been running to the point and back (6kms) about three times a week. I was still a little affronted at his comment - “I'm not sure if you will be able to do this because you are old”. I'm only 45!
We prepared to leave Talua at 2pm on Friday when the truck was due to pick us up and take us to the end of the road. The truck arrived at 3:30 and then got a flat tyre on the way. Due to these delays we didn't start walking on Friday, but stayed at the village at the end of the road. We stayed at Giroy's cousins house which had a concrete floor and we slept on mats. The good thing about the mats is you can here the coakroaches coming as they scratch across the top.
We set off at 5:45 the next morning without breakfast, but I did have some nuts, water and several nakafeka (a local fruit somewhat like an apple) in my pack. We had been walking for a short way and Giroy asks me, “Do you have mud in New Zealand?” I thought this was a pretty strange question, but I politely replied, “Yes, we have mud.” Shortly after he cuts me a walking staff with his knife (like a machete that Ni-Vans carry everywhere). His comment, “You'll need this because in places it gets a bit difficult.” I was to learn Giroy is a master of understatement. By this stage we were meandering down a hill through bush and Giroy comments - “We go down the hill, cross the river and then up the other side”. This happened to be exactly what he meant. We arrived at the river, crossed it – about waist deep – and proceeded to go up the other side. Striaght up. My estimate was, it was about 70-80 feet being very, very steep walking along a very narrow path that eventually leveled out at the top. If I fell, I fell a long way, and I don't like heights. I didn't have any choice but to do it. All this talk about, it is good to be out of your comfort zone is fine, until you actually have to do it.
As we went on I realised why Giroy had asked me about mud. Perhaps 50% of the time we were walking along tracks in which you sunk to your ankles with every step. Giroy seemed quite content to keep walking without any breaks – however as he had reminded me, I am old and I suggested maybe we might take a break sometime soon. He politely obliged. Most Ni-Vans have quite a slow deliberate walking place – not Giroy, his walking pace and his spiritual life both move ahead with great determination.
By about 9:00 o'clock with tempreature about 27deg., numerous hills and copious mud – my fitness was being shown up. I was feeling quite exhausted and wondering why I had embarked on this trip.
Come 10 o'clock, we mercifully reach the top of a hill and the first village and came to stop at the chief's house. The village is right on top of a ridge and has about 80 people. All the children and men wore just a loincloth or nothing at all. The women were more modestly dressed, with island dresses.
Last year, one of the field workers, working with Giroy, spoke with the chief of the village about what the needs of the village were. He said they wanted education for their children. At this stage, their were no Christians in the village. So two young Christian Ni-Van women aged 20, have moved into the village and begun teaching the children. Through their teaching, witness and example – the entire village has come to faith. As we had lunch at the chief's house he discovered I was a Pastor and with real enthusiasim he informed he that he to was a follower of Jesus. Yes, all this is just at the beginning stage and a full understanding of the implications of the gospel will be yet to sink in. But that has been the case with all of us – we continue to grow in our fiath. A real work of God has been seen in this small village. We worship a God who is interested in transformation.
Later that afternoon, we left for another village – down another steep hill, lots of mud, and up another very steep hill. I don't know if it is possible, but by this stage, my legs felt like a combination of lead and rubber. So after another hour and a half, I was very grateful to arrive at our destination for for the evening. I was filthy dirty – despite having taken a little pride that I had only fallen over three times.
After a rest my host, asked me if I would like to take a bath in the river. So together we headed down to the river 100m away, stripped off and put soap to good use. Just after I was dressed, it begin to rain with real fury. By the time I got back to the house, my towel, clothes, and I were wetter that when I got out of the river – still I was clean.
After our evening meal we all gathered for evening prayers, as they do every evening. And I was asked to lead devotions, with Giroy interpreting. We had a good discussion about what it means to be light on a hill (Matthew 5:14-16).
At this village a Presbyterian Church was built and opened in 2008 by the Moderator of the PCV. This is a village of about 40 people and the church is also used as a classroom. People from two neighbouring s also come to worship and school. This is the first ever formal schooling offered in the village, so all the kids (aged 5-14) are in 1 class and taught the same material by the field workers wife. After a very sound nights sleep, I preached the next morning from Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
We headed back after home after lunch by a longer but easier route and eventually arrived home just before dark. This had been anything but a normal weekend. Giroy has asked me to go with him again – I still haven't made up my mind.