Vanuatu - Life in the Valley

A flurry of activity has happened since I posted last week!  We've said goodbye to our teams bound for Israel, Honk Kong, and India, packed, flown to the island of Efate (Vanuatu) with the remaining teams, re-established connections with friends here, and moved into the apartment we'll stay at for the duration of our outreach.

We are situated in a lush jungle valley called Teouma which is outside Port Vila, the capital and largest urban center in Vanuatu.  Just a couple of dirt roads away from us is our organization's "Family Care Centre" (the "FCC"), where we spend most of our days.  The FCC is a facility offers multiple clinics each week, giving free primary healthcare to anyone who walks in! 

I have been able to take charge of household projects, planting trees, painting furniture, and doing the odd carpentry/maintenance jobs, and Dani has been cooking up an incredible array of delicious and healthy meals!

All in all, it has been wonderful to take care of the practical household needs for Anna and Mel (the FCC's two nurses and only current long-term staff) so that they (and our outreach teams) can focus all their energy on their patients, giving love, connection, and practical medical care to whoever comes in.

Although it's very different from our last outreach (which was in the bush out in the outer islands) we both feel privileged to be here, and when we asked God to guide us to a verse in the Bible that can direct our purpose and focus our efforts here, the last verse that He used to speak to me was Matthew 20:28...

Here Jesus explained that He did not come to be served, but to serve others, and to pour out His life.  It is good and freeing to do simple tasks to serve other people and release them into effective work!

Thanks for your prayers, we appreciate our friends and family!