Thursday 19th April:
Thanks to some frequent flyers points I was able to save on my trip, unfortunately it meant leaving a day earlier than the rest of team. However, given that most of them were leaving very early Friday morning, I was happy to be leaving at 11 am. Thanks to my parents, John and David for seeing me off. I surprised myself by not balling my eyes out at leaving John and David behind. God has a sense of humour and placed me next to a woman who got bad travel sickness, so between her and myself (pregnant, sick and fearful of flights), we made an interesting travel pair.
The Kaiviti Hotel was a good adjustment prior to heading to Tanna. Not flash, but with a working toilet, kitchenette and fan it was a step down in comfort, but not to the extreme we were about to experience in Tanna. The pool was fantastic! Oh...and the cockroaches were something that I haven't missed since living in Hong Kong, but at least here in Port Vila they weren't coming up out of the toilet you were about to sit on.
Friday 20th April:
The majority of the team arrived today in the late afternoon. I spent the day getting to know the general area, trying to find some shopping bargains. Most of the shops were a short walk down hill from the hotel and sell the usual tourist things, coconut soap, colourful bags, sarongs and loud shirts. After a hot and humid two hours trekking around it was good to have a swim back at the hotel and a siesta before the others arrived.
That night we headed next door to the Melanesian Hotel for tea and were treated to some traditional dancing. Three more team members arrived at about 11:30 that night leaving just our Pastor to arrive on Sunday night after conducting a wedding on the Saturday.
Saturday 21st April:
The team was free in the morning to change money and have a look around, then we all got in a bus and headed to the Cascade waterfalls. It was a little daunting walking through rushing water and slippery mud but thankfully no one got hurt and the waterfall at the end was just stunning. Some of us were adventurous enough to have a swim and enjoy a pounding massage from the waterfall.
Sunday 22nd April:
After a "short" (thanks Val :-) half hour walk the team enjoyed worshipping at the Sarabetu Church in the morning. The worship was uplifting and we enjoyed a great message from our team member Brian "Brain" Hill. And just when you think the 3 hour service is finished.....there's 15 minutes of announcements at the end! Wish I had that inflatable cushion to help with the backless wooden benches.
After another swim in the arvo it was up Hollywood Boulevard (just kidding) to the Beverley Hills Church (not kidding). It took awhile for the kids to warm to us, but after a very funny drama by five of our team members, they were quite happy to interact with us despite the language barrier. The Beverley Hills Church is a daughter Church of Sarabetu and are currently in a temporary open aired structure. They hope to build later.
After a very bumpy ride we made our way to the Sarabulu Church for the evening service. We were escorted past the plastic rounded chairs and lead to the wooden benches at the front. Another 3 hour?? service with an enjoyable time of worship followed by a message from our elder Mark and then another message from a local lady in the Church. And to think some people in Australia complain when a sermon goes for more than 30 minutes! The Ni Vanuatu Churches have a really great way of greeting new people at the end of the service and so we all lined up at the door to shake every ones hand as they left. A long day (especially for our backs and bums!) but always a delight to worship with believers and amazed at the unity despite cultural and language barriers.
Off to Tanna
Monday 23rd April:
At last the day we had all been waiting for for months! We flew into Tanna in the morning to be greeted at the airport by Pastor Solomon. He had been the Pastor at the Church in Leneai up until recently and was now living on Pentecost. He graciously came down to help us and was a huge blessing.
We jumped into the back of two trucks and enjoyed the bumpy trip to our new sleeping quarters for the week. Most locals were welcoming and waved as we went pass. Being a Monday it was market day so we tried our hand at buying some local fruit and vegetables. Mainly green vegetables available. Pastor Solomon came to the rescue and did most of the pointing and talking. So once we had our bags of oranges, mangoes, bananas, papaw and the like we were set to head on.
Andrew our building team leader was a little?? horrified to see our wooden crates being unloaded as we arrived at the market. Having been told they had arrived at least a week prior, it was quite a surprise to see them there! But, better there then back in Port Vila somewhere. God was good and He made sure we had what was needed the day it was needed, literally.
At last the day we had all been waiting for for months! We flew into Tanna in the morning to be greeted at the airport by Pastor Solomon. He had been the Pastor at the Church in Leneai up until recently and was now living on Pentecost. He graciously came down to help us and was a huge blessing.
We jumped into the back of two trucks and enjoyed the bumpy trip to our new sleeping quarters for the week. Most locals were welcoming and waved as we went pass. Being a Monday it was market day so we tried our hand at buying some local fruit and vegetables. Mainly green vegetables available. Pastor Solomon came to the rescue and did most of the pointing and talking. So once we had our bags of oranges, mangoes, bananas, papaw and the like we were set to head on.
Andrew our building team leader was a little?? horrified to see our wooden crates being unloaded as we arrived at the market. Having been told they had arrived at least a week prior, it was quite a surprise to see them there! But, better there then back in Port Vila somewhere. God was good and He made sure we had what was needed the day it was needed, literally.
Leneai
We arrived at the Church in Leneai shortly after lunch time and were warmly greeted by Elder William and his wife Sarah. A bell outside the church was rung to let everyone know we had arrived and soon the Church was filled and we were welcomed by many of the nearby families. Each team member received a floral necklace and again shook every one's hand as they left the church. 
Leneai Church
The food was quite a feast considering what is available on Tanna and each day there was a choice of rice, green vegetables, bananas, fruit salad, a meat stew and lots of yam! They would often use a coconut sauce to flavour food and most of the team enjoyed this. Given my stomach and the fact that I was still recovering from morning sickness I stuck with rice and broth. Grateful though to be able to eat after many food less weeks. Plus it meant not having to worry about the occasional chicken's claw that some team members conveniently had to throw over their shoulder to the family dogs.
Tea time
Most of the team were able to pitch tents after lunch and it was then that I realised just how small mine looked! Oh well, it's just for a week! The grass was reasonably soft which was good because my air mattress sprung a leak the first night. Thankfully there was some foam used to pack tools and Jan brought some back for me to use as bedding for the rest of the week. Praise God for small blessings! It was still a challenge sleeping on a slope and I am very grateful for ear plugs to block out some of the cows, roosters and insects that tried to disrupt our sleep each night. My back is very happy to be in a real bed again. I was happy to be in a tent though and not one of the buildings with the rats!
Setting up the tents
I experienced my first earthquake that night. It lasted for about 30 seconds and though not large, was quite a weird feeling. I woke up thinking a herd of cattle were racing past my tent and making the whole thing shuffle along the ground. It was good to find out in the morning I wasn't the only crazy person who had felt it.
Isla Primary School - Monday afternoon
First ImpressionsIsla Primary School:
It took us half an hour to trek to the primary school. Besides a relatively short uphill climb at the start, the majority of the 2.5 km walk was on flat ground. I started at the front of the group and very quickly progressed to the back. I stayed at the back for the rest of the week!
The school has a grassy paddock in front of it and then a wooden fence marking the start of the school grounds. The banana leaf walls that had been damaged in the cyclone had been removed so that work could begin asap. Given that we were waiting for the truck to arrive with the rest of the crates, some of the team started to mark out the area for the extension. There were a few locals around, but most of them came out starting Tuesday morning. For many it was the first time seeing a white person. One little girl called Enid cried every time we even looked at her, but by the end of the week we were able to get a few smiles - from a distance that is! She enjoyed meeting David the last Monday and was quite happy to get up close to him.
It took us half an hour to trek to the primary school. Besides a relatively short uphill climb at the start, the majority of the 2.5 km walk was on flat ground. I started at the front of the group and very quickly progressed to the back. I stayed at the back for the rest of the week!
The school has a grassy paddock in front of it and then a wooden fence marking the start of the school grounds. The banana leaf walls that had been damaged in the cyclone had been removed so that work could begin asap. Given that we were waiting for the truck to arrive with the rest of the crates, some of the team started to mark out the area for the extension. There were a few locals around, but most of them came out starting Tuesday morning. For many it was the first time seeing a white person. One little girl called Enid cried every time we even looked at her, but by the end of the week we were able to get a few smiles - from a distance that is! She enjoyed meeting David the last Monday and was quite happy to get up close to him.
David with Enid and her mum
We hired a local builder and five carpenters who were a tremendous help. We really wouldn't have finished the project without them. Another provision by God. They continued with the digging and primarily worked on the extension.
Digging the area for the extension foundation
It was amazing to trek back to camp and realise later that week how many well hidden villages we were actually passing. Most of the villages were well screened using vines and trees. Margaret and I were very fortunate to meet the kindy teacher at Isla who later that week invited us to her village. It was very well kept, with lots of grass and tidy looking thatch houses. She lived in a tin house, but said it got very hot! It was interesting to learn that they lived in family groups and this particularly village had the grandfather, his 7 sons and 4 daughters and then all the grandchildren.
This was the village that celebrated a wedding on the Wednesday, but we can talk more about that later!
Tuesday 24th April
Work, work, work!
It was noses down and bums up starting first thing Tuesday. The crates had arrived Monday arvo so the tools were out and the saw was busily being put together. The local builders were already hard at work on the foundation and the rest of us got to work on the desks.
There were about 30 wooden desks that needed painting and some needed repairs. A group of about 5 girls came and were very eager to help with the painting and did so all week. Chris was the main painting supervisor and had a natural affinity with paint - attracting it even when trying desperately to avoid it.
It was a good day and it felt like we had accomplished a lot already, despite the wood not yet arriving to start cladding the building walls. Prayer was answered and it wasn't raining and this was important in getting the new foundation down.
I was especially thrilled to be given a hot drink after the training sessions, nice for settling the tummy and brain.
It was noses down and bums up starting first thing Tuesday. The crates had arrived Monday arvo so the tools were out and the saw was busily being put together. The local builders were already hard at work on the foundation and the rest of us got to work on the desks.
There were about 30 wooden desks that needed painting and some needed repairs. A group of about 5 girls came and were very eager to help with the painting and did so all week. Chris was the main painting supervisor and had a natural affinity with paint - attracting it even when trying desperately to avoid it.
Painting the desks and preparing the doors for a new surface
In terms of miraculous provision, we realised as were fixing up the desks that we needed a certain size nail that hadn't been brought. It "just so happened" that as Val and Chris were cleaning out the library they found a bag of exactly the type of nails we needed that had simply been left there...so all the desks were fixed and we didn't have to waste time and money trying to find the nails.
The local women and children came each day. Some sat close by and were happy for us to try and chat. The children are gorgeous and smile lots and enjoyed the sporting equipment Darryl brought to leave there for them.
One of our smiling friends
Lindsay, Margaret and I walked back a little early so that Lindsay could prepare for the evening teaching sessions. It was refreshing to have a cold shower (no hot water here folks! Except for those clever people who brought solar hot water bags). I sat next to a girl called Levena and shared the torch so that we could look up scriptures together. Everyone was happy to share torches and helped as there were only two lamps in the church. John Fazakerley came up with a clever stand to hold a light for Lindsay to help with the sessions the following few nights.
Lindsay using people to illustrate his teaching
It was a good day and it felt like we had accomplished a lot already, despite the wood not yet arriving to start cladding the building walls. Prayer was answered and it wasn't raining and this was important in getting the new foundation down.
I was especially thrilled to be given a hot drink after the training sessions, nice for settling the tummy and brain.
Wednesday 25th April
You will probably never hear me say this again but....it is actually refreshing to have a cold shower in the morning! After a broken night's sleep the cold water does wonders to your state of alertness and prepares you for the day ahead.
Being a Wednesday there was a small market so Val, Chris and I headed by truck to get some food. The rest of the team trekked up to the school to keep working on the desks and hoping the wood would arrive.
Val had to make some phone calls which turns out to be quite a challenge on Tanna. Basically you have to wait for the phone line to become free, which can take any amount of time. And then when it rings to show availability it's first in, best dressed! Dial that number quick and hope you beat everyone else who's trying. And then you can't guarantee how long the phone line will last. We were left needing to try again Friday.
Thankfully the truck took us up to the school so no morning walk for me, yeah! The desks had been finished and our super painting team were busy in the library. Unfortunately they hadn't removed the recently painted desks that had been stored in there overnight, so these were now green with large specks of white. Oh well, we decided to repaint them on the last day once everything else had been finished.
The framework for the extension was worked on and the foundation finished and still more waiting for the wood! I got to catch a truck back to camp (a really good day!) and enjoyed Lindsay's teaching on leadership in the evening.
Being a Wednesday there was a small market so Val, Chris and I headed by truck to get some food. The rest of the team trekked up to the school to keep working on the desks and hoping the wood would arrive.
Val had to make some phone calls which turns out to be quite a challenge on Tanna. Basically you have to wait for the phone line to become free, which can take any amount of time. And then when it rings to show availability it's first in, best dressed! Dial that number quick and hope you beat everyone else who's trying. And then you can't guarantee how long the phone line will last. We were left needing to try again Friday.
Thankfully the truck took us up to the school so no morning walk for me, yeah! The desks had been finished and our super painting team were busy in the library. Unfortunately they hadn't removed the recently painted desks that had been stored in there overnight, so these were now green with large specks of white. Oh well, we decided to repaint them on the last day once everything else had been finished.
The framework for the extension was worked on and the foundation finished and still more waiting for the wood! I got to catch a truck back to camp (a really good day!) and enjoyed Lindsay's teaching on leadership in the evening.
Thursday 26th April
What an interesting night! There was a wedding today and on Tanna the women stay up all night preparing the food to loud music. The service was at 8.30 am in the Church but the team were already up at the school by this time. We did however get to see people heading to the reception later with their gifts of yam etc.
Tried my hand at building today! The wood had arrived - Praise God! So I helped Andrew and George put up some boards on one of the end walls. I learnt to use a hammer properly after about 20 attempts to hit a nail! Every time Gavin came near me with the camera I stuffed up, which included smashing my thumb at one point. That really hurt so I decided to leave the building to others after this.
Played volleyball with the girls after lunch. Some of them are really good and apparently there are two teams on Tanna. The girls train on a Friday afternoon. They were enjoying the portable net that Darryl had brought over.
The school wanted a new sign, so they cut the wood and the girls painted it white. I was hoping to start on it today, but it didn't dry in time.
Got to have a cuddle from a little boy called John who fell asleep in my arms. This was a nice blessing as I was missing cuddling David. The children here get to play with large knives and it's quite amazing that more of them don't get hurt.
Tried my hand at building today! The wood had arrived - Praise God! So I helped Andrew and George put up some boards on one of the end walls. I learnt to use a hammer properly after about 20 attempts to hit a nail! Every time Gavin came near me with the camera I stuffed up, which included smashing my thumb at one point. That really hurt so I decided to leave the building to others after this.
Played volleyball with the girls after lunch. Some of them are really good and apparently there are two teams on Tanna. The girls train on a Friday afternoon. They were enjoying the portable net that Darryl had brought over.
The school wanted a new sign, so they cut the wood and the girls painted it white. I was hoping to start on it today, but it didn't dry in time.
Got to have a cuddle from a little boy called John who fell asleep in my arms. This was a nice blessing as I was missing cuddling David. The children here get to play with large knives and it's quite amazing that more of them don't get hurt.
Friday 27th April
Market Day! Twisted my ankle in the morning and then sat in dog poo when I crumpled to the ground. Not the nicest experience. I have decided to never volunteer as first aid officer again, because I think I was injured and sick the most out of everyone! But I did get out of another walk to the school, so there was some good. My ankle was fine by lunch and I definitely think the Lord helped because when I twisted it I was sure I would be off my foot for a few days (having twisted my ankle to varying degrees many times before).
Bought the whole team a soft drink each which I think went down well. Some of us are hanging out for a good ol coke when we get back to Pt Vila. I spent the arvo drawing up the sign and making sure the spacing was accurate for painting tomorrow. It was good to have an inside job that I could sit down and work on.
We had the last evening session and there was great worship as usual. Two young lads in the Church called George and Richard would go in early and play their guitars and it was a good mood setter. The children sing passionately and two girls in particular could really belt out the tunes!
Each night we were treated to hot drinks and I particularly looked forward to this! Margaret also did a fabulous job each day preparing the meals and hot drinks for us at the Primary School. She was a quiet achiever who blessed us and helped sustain us all week.
Each day the local women would bring us food (pity I couldn't eat it, but the team enjoyed the papau and enjoyed?? the mannoc and yam). They are very hospitable, but we just couldn't get them to eat with us. They would wait till we had finished and then it was men first, then the women and children.
Bought the whole team a soft drink each which I think went down well. Some of us are hanging out for a good ol coke when we get back to Pt Vila. I spent the arvo drawing up the sign and making sure the spacing was accurate for painting tomorrow. It was good to have an inside job that I could sit down and work on.
We had the last evening session and there was great worship as usual. Two young lads in the Church called George and Richard would go in early and play their guitars and it was a good mood setter. The children sing passionately and two girls in particular could really belt out the tunes!
Each night we were treated to hot drinks and I particularly looked forward to this! Margaret also did a fabulous job each day preparing the meals and hot drinks for us at the Primary School. She was a quiet achiever who blessed us and helped sustain us all week.
Each day the local women would bring us food (pity I couldn't eat it, but the team enjoyed the papau and enjoyed?? the mannoc and yam). They are very hospitable, but we just couldn't get them to eat with us. They would wait till we had finished and then it was men first, then the women and children.
Saturday 28th April
I actually slept well last night! Unfortunately (??) there was no cold water for a shower so Darryl kindly lent me some from his shower bag.
Up at the school I set to work finishing the sign. Margaret and some girls (Mary and Mary) helped with painting letters and cutting out lettering from yellow sign tape that John F had brought with him. I then used black permanent marker to outline everything. It took all day but I was quite happy with the finished result. Only disappointed that it probably won't last long it that climate. Hopefully we can raise some money to have one made and sent over as it is quite expensive to do over there.
Half the team left early to visit the Volcano today as they leave Monday arvo. They arrived back by around 8:30 to find most of us already in bed and asleep. Disappointed not to be able to tell us about their trip till the following morning.
Up at the school I set to work finishing the sign. Margaret and some girls (Mary and Mary) helped with painting letters and cutting out lettering from yellow sign tape that John F had brought with him. I then used black permanent marker to outline everything. It took all day but I was quite happy with the finished result. Only disappointed that it probably won't last long it that climate. Hopefully we can raise some money to have one made and sent over as it is quite expensive to do over there.
Half the team left early to visit the Volcano today as they leave Monday arvo. They arrived back by around 8:30 to find most of us already in bed and asleep. Disappointed not to be able to tell us about their trip till the following morning.
Sunday 29th April
A tough day for all! I woke up with a sore throat and feeling dizzy and then started to throw up. My morning sickness had actually been very good all week so it was disappointing to experience it again. Unfortunately I missed Church and slept most of the day, grateful for the team not making me feel guilty as they trudged up to the school in the arvo to hopefully finish off.
Monday 30th April
At last! John and David were arriving today and the project was finished.
We headed up to the school for 9 am but were then informed that the chief would not be arriving till 10 am. At least we had time to finish off the remaining doors and planking up the building corners care of Gavin's new handy skills at hammering!
The chief arrived slightly before 10, and we were treated to a song from the school children before praying for the school, unveiling the sign and then a speech from the chief and Mark. Unfortunately I missed Mark's speech as I headed to the airport to meet John and David. Sarah, Mary and Pastor Solomon were with me and eager to meet my little boy.
We arrived after the plane had landed and I greeted John by burying my face in his shoulder and bursting into tears. Probably not what he was hoping for! David was looking very hot and bothered and was quite inseparable from John having spent the last 11 days with just him.
Back at the school the local women and children crowded round David, who took it very much in his small little stride, not phased at all by all the attention. John had to rescue him at one point as they all wanted a hold and were starting to get a bit rough at passing him around. Otherwise, it was a good morning and it was amazing to see how God had blessed us and helped us accomplish all that we had set out to do.
We headed up to the school for 9 am but were then informed that the chief would not be arriving till 10 am. At least we had time to finish off the remaining doors and planking up the building corners care of Gavin's new handy skills at hammering!
The chief arrived slightly before 10, and we were treated to a song from the school children before praying for the school, unveiling the sign and then a speech from the chief and Mark. Unfortunately I missed Mark's speech as I headed to the airport to meet John and David. Sarah, Mary and Pastor Solomon were with me and eager to meet my little boy.
We arrived after the plane had landed and I greeted John by burying my face in his shoulder and bursting into tears. Probably not what he was hoping for! David was looking very hot and bothered and was quite inseparable from John having spent the last 11 days with just him.
Back at the school the local women and children crowded round David, who took it very much in his small little stride, not phased at all by all the attention. John had to rescue him at one point as they all wanted a hold and were starting to get a bit rough at passing him around. Otherwise, it was a good morning and it was amazing to see how God had blessed us and helped us accomplish all that we had set out to do.
The Volcano!
The famous Yasur Volcano, one of the only active volcanoes you can actually walk up to the edge of and be showered on by lava! Not the most calming of trips for someone like myself who hates heights and didn't want to die just yet.
David stayed back at camp and a special thanks to Chris and Richard for looking after him.
It took two and a half hours to drive to the volcano, thankfully we had a nice truck and four of us were in the cabin on comfy seats. Only Darryl, Gavin and Andrew had to ride in the back and use their legs as suspension. They refrained from telling me about the "sheer precipice" on the side of the road until well after the trip, for which I am very grateful.
There was a full moon when we arrived and we followed our guides firstly to the left of the volcano, only to be told to turn around and head right as the wind was blowing lava and poisonous gas our way, jolly good folks! So the walk to the right was a lot easier and Margaret found a good spot where I could sit back from the ledge but still enjoy the smaller explosions and brace myself when the big ones happened.
I found two lava rocks that I was happy with, so we gave one to the Fazakerley's and kept one. Amazingly it got through customs and now graces our piano. The custom's officer was quite amused that we had picked it off the top of a volcano.
There's even a post office at the volcano!
David stayed back at camp and a special thanks to Chris and Richard for looking after him.
It took two and a half hours to drive to the volcano, thankfully we had a nice truck and four of us were in the cabin on comfy seats. Only Darryl, Gavin and Andrew had to ride in the back and use their legs as suspension. They refrained from telling me about the "sheer precipice" on the side of the road until well after the trip, for which I am very grateful.
There was a full moon when we arrived and we followed our guides firstly to the left of the volcano, only to be told to turn around and head right as the wind was blowing lava and poisonous gas our way, jolly good folks! So the walk to the right was a lot easier and Margaret found a good spot where I could sit back from the ledge but still enjoy the smaller explosions and brace myself when the big ones happened.
I found two lava rocks that I was happy with, so we gave one to the Fazakerley's and kept one. Amazingly it got through customs and now graces our piano. The custom's officer was quite amused that we had picked it off the top of a volcano.
There's even a post office at the volcano!
Back in Port Vila
The majority of the team headed back to Port Vila on Tuesday morning. It was a hot flight as the air was only 50% working and the plane was full. Interestingly enough the cockpit door was wide open, so much for security!
The team had tea at the wharf and for the most part relaxed or did last minute shopping before five members headed back to Adelaide on the Wednesday. Unfortunately since returning to Adelaide I have now found out that most people got sick from this meal. Not sure if it was the chicken or just us being unuse to fatty foods.
Those of us staying for a little longer headed out on a sailing trip Wednesday and spent a lovely day snorkelling, playing in the sand and just enjoying the sun. It was weird to be relaxing after the week I had just experienced. Unfortunately they don't make pizza's like they do here, but you live and learn...
Thursday 3rd: Went to the markets in the morning then over to Iriki Island to snorkel in the arvo. Weather was overcast and we were misinformed on were to snorkel, so probably missed out but it was still nice to be in the water and cooling off.
Friday to Sunday: The rest of the group returned to Adelaide early in the morning. David woke up with a bad fever so we spent the day dosing him with panadol and letting him rest. The weekend was spent nursing both David and myself back to health, though we did get over to Erakor Island briefly Saturday and then Hideaway island Sunday, where John had a good snorkel.
The team had tea at the wharf and for the most part relaxed or did last minute shopping before five members headed back to Adelaide on the Wednesday. Unfortunately since returning to Adelaide I have now found out that most people got sick from this meal. Not sure if it was the chicken or just us being unuse to fatty foods.
Those of us staying for a little longer headed out on a sailing trip Wednesday and spent a lovely day snorkelling, playing in the sand and just enjoying the sun. It was weird to be relaxing after the week I had just experienced. Unfortunately they don't make pizza's like they do here, but you live and learn...
Thursday 3rd: Went to the markets in the morning then over to Iriki Island to snorkel in the arvo. Weather was overcast and we were misinformed on were to snorkel, so probably missed out but it was still nice to be in the water and cooling off.
Friday to Sunday: The rest of the group returned to Adelaide early in the morning. David woke up with a bad fever so we spent the day dosing him with panadol and letting him rest. The weekend was spent nursing both David and myself back to health, though we did get over to Erakor Island briefly Saturday and then Hideaway island Sunday, where John had a good snorkel.
Heading Home
Well it's been a long three weeks and I'm ready for home. We arrived at the airport at 5:30 am and were still waiting in line till about 6:45 am because the computers were down. The plane was scheduled to leave at 7am so that was interesting. We were raced through with a few other passengers and glad to be on the plane and able to sit down. David slept for the first half of the flight and then made friends with a boy in business class (we were in the very back row of economy), but at least he was happy and not screaming.
Having arrived in Sydney I had planned for us to go the zoo. Not realising how expensive the adventure would be! However, we enjoyed (I think) walking around before getting on a plane at 5 pm.
It was the flight from hell in terms of David screaming for most of the way. With 5 minutes to go he fell asleep, true to his nature! Mum was at the airport to drive us home and it was good to collapse into my very comfy bed. For the first time in a week all three of us had a good night's sleep.
Having arrived in Sydney I had planned for us to go the zoo. Not realising how expensive the adventure would be! However, we enjoyed (I think) walking around before getting on a plane at 5 pm.
It was the flight from hell in terms of David screaming for most of the way. With 5 minutes to go he fell asleep, true to his nature! Mum was at the airport to drive us home and it was good to collapse into my very comfy bed. For the first time in a week all three of us had a good night's sleep.
What have I learned
This is a challenging question! I expected to go and at some point be hit by the sudden realisation of why God had asked me to go to Tanna, but have to admit that time never arrived! I know that God lead me there so am just trusting that I was some use whether it be in looking after finances, doing the sign, or simply being the young person there to complain about cockroaches and the lack of a proper washing machine.
God was faithful every day and many prayers were answered. I hope that some of those have come through in this blogspot but there have been many more in the journey towards getting us to Tanna. I know that God carried me the whole way, right from getting me on a plane (the whole scared of flying thing), to helping me cope without John and David. Even to helping me not be sick whilst on Tanna (for the most part).
I have been incredibly encouraged hearing the testimony's of others in the group and look forward to seeing how this impacts our Church. We can now start praying about returning some time in the future and hopefully others will get to enjoy the joys and challenges of another culture and lifestyle.
Thanks for reading,
God Bless,
love Naomi
God was faithful every day and many prayers were answered. I hope that some of those have come through in this blogspot but there have been many more in the journey towards getting us to Tanna. I know that God carried me the whole way, right from getting me on a plane (the whole scared of flying thing), to helping me cope without John and David. Even to helping me not be sick whilst on Tanna (for the most part).
I have been incredibly encouraged hearing the testimony's of others in the group and look forward to seeing how this impacts our Church. We can now start praying about returning some time in the future and hopefully others will get to enjoy the joys and challenges of another culture and lifestyle.
Thanks for reading,
God Bless,
love Naomi
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