Fancy a change of scene? Talua needs an English teacher to replace us. We came here at the start of 2009 for a two-year appointment, with five of our six children. It’s now our job to convince you that this job is for you! So here’s all the reasons that we are thankful that we came.
Talua is the major ministry training centre for Vanuatu. It has a key role in the country as church leaders are prominent in all of society. This means that the formation of church leaders is crucial for the formation of a healthy culture. It is a privilege to be part of the process. Most of the students have had a limited academic background and few books are written in the local language Bislama. It has been a real buzz to see their English improve to the required standard for theological study.
Family adventure – well, we have certainly had plenty of that. We’ll skip those stories at this point as we are trying to convince you to come! However, the kids have listed the following advantages of being a kid in Vanuatu: machetes, huts, jungle, spear guns, riding on the back of trucks, snorkelling, fires, friends, the river, and most important, freedom.
Homeschooling has been a real blessing. We didn’t expect this. It has been the best thing we could have done for our youngest, who struggles with school. Even our teenagers have benefited from the opportunity to deviate from the standard methods of learning and explore new territory. Best of all, God has been included daily in their learning, opening a whole new understanding of who he is and his plan in history. There are truly some great homeschooling materials out there.
Living in community is always something we’ve appreciated. It’s probably the way we are meant to live. And the time here is a chance to critic our own culture. We are lucky enough to have the best house on the campus: two bedrooms and lots
of sunlight.
A few other odd things we appreciate are having hardly any evening meetings, losing weight, and funny stories to tell. When you think of going on mission, you think of all the things you have to give up. We want to thank God for all that we have been given.
By Jenny Williams