Houses come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are large and grand – many more are small and humble.
Our Home.
The Mission Home that we have been assigned to live in for the three years of our Mission is a lovely home with an amazing view of the small island of Errakor and the reef and lagoon that surround it.
A lot of effort was made before our arrival to make the home welcoming and functional and we are grateful to all those who contributed to this, from the ever busy and hardworking ‘Papa John’ to the team of cleaners who put in the final touches right before we arrived.
We felt right at home here and are lucky to have everything we need in the way of comfort and convenience.
We are always mindful, however, that this house is a resource to be shared and used by others as well. We host special meals for groups of Missionaries who are arriving in the Mission and we host programs and dinners for those missionaries who have completed their Missionary service and are returning home.
With cyclone season fast approaching we are mindful that we also should prepare this home in case we need to have a large group of Missionaries billeted here as happened during Cyclone Pam in March this year. This house was home to 40 Missionaries, both young and not so young, as they bunkered down for safety during the storm and stayed on after the storm until their own accommodation was considered safe and secure once again.
Preparation will ensure that we have adequate amounts of clean drinking water, food, lighting, bedding, first aid supplies plus basic health and hygiene products to support and sustain all those who might shelter here no matter what the emergency might be.
The Mission Home that we have been assigned to live in for the three years of our Mission is a lovely home with an amazing view of the small island of Errakor and the reef and lagoon that surround it.
A lot of effort was made before our arrival to make the home welcoming and functional and we are grateful to all those who contributed to this, from the ever busy and hardworking ‘Papa John’ to the team of cleaners who put in the final touches right before we arrived.
We felt right at home here and are lucky to have everything we need in the way of comfort and convenience.
We are always mindful, however, that this house is a resource to be shared and used by others as well. We host special meals for groups of Missionaries who are arriving in the Mission and we host programs and dinners for those missionaries who have completed their Missionary service and are returning home.
With cyclone season fast approaching we are mindful that we also should prepare this home in case we need to have a large group of Missionaries billeted here as happened during Cyclone Pam in March this year. This house was home to 40 Missionaries, both young and not so young, as they bunkered down for safety during the storm and stayed on after the storm until their own accommodation was considered safe and secure once again.
Preparation will ensure that we have adequate amounts of clean drinking water, food, lighting, bedding, first aid supplies plus basic health and hygiene products to support and sustain all those who might shelter here no matter what the emergency might be.
Missionary Homes.
The Vanuatu Port Vila Mission covers a diverse range of living situations and our Missionary housing reflects that.
We have modern urban apartments in Noumea, New Caledonia and there are not so modern dwellings in Port Vila, Vanuatu and Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Some Missionaries live in small, church owned houses built especially for Missionary use. These little houses are usually located alongside a small chapel. Because they are far from town services, such as electricity and water, they will usually have bottled gas for cooking and hot water, solar panels for lighting and a tank out the back to supply water collected from the rain off the roof.
To ensure the water supply is safe to drink each missionary house has a 3 stage water filter and a hand operated pump is used to force the water through the filter before drinking.
On some of the outer islands it can sometimes be a challenge to find accommodation for the Missionaries that is comfortable and functional.
For many of our Missionaries it can be quite different from how they are used to living but a sense of adventure and a willingness to sacrifice help them embrace their new home.
Each companionship is expected to take care of their living quarters and clean them regularly. This can be a real challenge at times with the rain and the mud but we appreciate them doing the best they can because we know that a clean and orderly house helps with a clean and orderly mind. It can be comforting and reassuring after a busy day filled with challenges to return back to a house that is neat and sorted.
A Missionary’s house needs to be somewhere private, clean and safe where they can relax, eat, study and prepare for tomorrow.
The Vanuatu Port Vila Mission covers a diverse range of living situations and our Missionary housing reflects that.
We have modern urban apartments in Noumea, New Caledonia and there are not so modern dwellings in Port Vila, Vanuatu and Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Some Missionaries live in small, church owned houses built especially for Missionary use. These little houses are usually located alongside a small chapel. Because they are far from town services, such as electricity and water, they will usually have bottled gas for cooking and hot water, solar panels for lighting and a tank out the back to supply water collected from the rain off the roof.
To ensure the water supply is safe to drink each missionary house has a 3 stage water filter and a hand operated pump is used to force the water through the filter before drinking.
On some of the outer islands it can sometimes be a challenge to find accommodation for the Missionaries that is comfortable and functional.
For many of our Missionaries it can be quite different from how they are used to living but a sense of adventure and a willingness to sacrifice help them embrace their new home.
Each companionship is expected to take care of their living quarters and clean them regularly. This can be a real challenge at times with the rain and the mud but we appreciate them doing the best they can because we know that a clean and orderly house helps with a clean and orderly mind. It can be comforting and reassuring after a busy day filled with challenges to return back to a house that is neat and sorted.
A Missionary’s house needs to be somewhere private, clean and safe where they can relax, eat, study and prepare for tomorrow.
Homes of the People.
Travelling extensively throughout the Mission and going on exchanges with the Missionaries has given us the opportunity to visit the people in their homes and come to know and understand the circumstances of their lives.
Some families live in western style urban dwellings and have some modern luxuries such as electricity and running water.
Many live on the edges of towns in shanty type dwellings that do not have modern conveniences and do not have any space for a garden to grow produce to help feed their family. These shanty shacks are constructed from a variety of bits and pieces scrounged from anywhere and everywhere in an attempt to make a roof over their heads and protection from the elements. The floor may be a simple concrete slab with woven mats to sit on or it may be a dirt floor.
A large number of families live in villages in conditions that have been familiar for centuries. Each village consists of a cluster of bush huts with gardens nearby so the people of the village can be reasonably self-sufficient. The huts are constructed of timber poles with woven or bamboo walls and thatched Natangora roofs.
It is humbling to see mothers and fathers in the most simple and basic circumstances trying to make the best home they can for their family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us faith and belief in an eternal existence that is greater than the limitations of our mortal circumstances. And with that faith comes hope …..hope that we can make changes that will matter.
We see parents gathering their families for Family Night, family prayer and scripture study. We see families making education a high priority in their homes because they see a better future for their children. We see families working and saving and sacrificing to go to the Temple to be sealed together and in the process being blessed by the Lord with both spiritual and physical blessings.
Travelling extensively throughout the Mission and going on exchanges with the Missionaries has given us the opportunity to visit the people in their homes and come to know and understand the circumstances of their lives.
Some families live in western style urban dwellings and have some modern luxuries such as electricity and running water.
Many live on the edges of towns in shanty type dwellings that do not have modern conveniences and do not have any space for a garden to grow produce to help feed their family. These shanty shacks are constructed from a variety of bits and pieces scrounged from anywhere and everywhere in an attempt to make a roof over their heads and protection from the elements. The floor may be a simple concrete slab with woven mats to sit on or it may be a dirt floor.
A large number of families live in villages in conditions that have been familiar for centuries. Each village consists of a cluster of bush huts with gardens nearby so the people of the village can be reasonably self-sufficient. The huts are constructed of timber poles with woven or bamboo walls and thatched Natangora roofs.
It is humbling to see mothers and fathers in the most simple and basic circumstances trying to make the best home they can for their family.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us faith and belief in an eternal existence that is greater than the limitations of our mortal circumstances. And with that faith comes hope …..hope that we can make changes that will matter.
We see parents gathering their families for Family Night, family prayer and scripture study. We see families making education a high priority in their homes because they see a better future for their children. We see families working and saving and sacrificing to go to the Temple to be sealed together and in the process being blessed by the Lord with both spiritual and physical blessings.