"Don't leave home without...

I am reading Lonely Planet's guide to Vanuatu. They have this handy-dandy list of "Don't Leave Home Without" items. I'll share and let you know where we are on this list for a little entertainment.

"Dont leave home without...

• Snorkel gear, although you can buy it duty-free in Vila.

It will have to be purchase in Vila! The only piece of equipment Karl could locate back in the storage shed was one of his fins, with the heal strap sadly deteriorated. When we started calculating, we realized we hadn't utilized our own equipment since living in Haiti in 1985…

• Earplugs, eye mask, and torch or anything heavy for whacking roosters at 4 am.

Check, check and check… but probably not for use due to roosters. Roosters in Zambia didn't bother with waiting until 4:00 am! and to the best of my recollection, our sleep was never unduly affected thereby.

• A sweater for boats, backs of 4WDs, volcano rims, and when the temperature drops.

Think a hoodie will do the job? Check

• A wrap, to use as a bed sheet, blanket, dressing gown, towel, skirt, sunshade, or scarf.

Sounds like a chitinge left over from our time in Zambia will work perfectly. Check

• Mosquito net if you think you'll be staying in resthouses.

Check.

• Water canteen and water purifier for long treks.

Check. Don't know if we will get in any long treks, but are prepared nonetheless.

• Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent. Duh.

Hey, that is their duh, not mine. And it is check, check, check and check.

• Stout walking shoes for razor-sharp coral tracks and cliffs, and reef shoes for beaches.

Found some great shoes at REI a couple weeks ago that are going along. Check and check.

• C-card and logbook.

Well, since we aren't certified scuba divers, this is a non-issue. The scuba diving around Vanuatu has a reputation for being spectacular but don’t believe it will be one of the things we will have time to work in. Hope we can manage to sneak in simple snorkeling a time or two.

• Alcohol. It's the best thing for cleaning coral cuts and crocodile bites.

Okay, is this serious? Whether it is or not, we carry isopropyl alcohol in our travel kit, so does that cover it?

• Can-opener. Only one thing worse than canned food: canned food that you can't open.

Mmmmm. Well, I usually pack my favorite one when we camp/live out of the country, but it is interesting that this made the list. Check

As far as that list goes, sound like we are ready to leave.  Too bad that isn't the only list we are working with.

Where will they put 37 churches?

We now have a list of all 37 construction sites. Well, not a GPS reading, but at least a general idea. The maps we have found, so far, are not overly detailed, but at least we can locate where each island is in the archipelago. Try saying a few of the place names...it will make you smile.

A few more steps in the process

Long email from our Vanuatu contact person yesterday. Lots of issues addressed; many questions answered.

The more we learn, the more things line up for realistic planning on this end. It is also shaping the schedule for when we finally arrive.

You have probably gathered that our contact person is one of the directors of the mission. By virtue of his job, he travels all over the islands and has many days away from office and home. He really doesn't need the extra task of liaison with a couple Americans that need information and assistance, some rather out of his personal expertise. In your prayers, please thank the Lord for this man and pray that he will be given extra strength and wisdom reaching the desired goal of 37 new structure up and in use for God.

Son's published article

Close family members probably remember Kit's interest in papermaking, beginning back in grade school. 

God's provision in little things...

Mail call yesterday also produced Karl's updated pilot's license. After March 31 the old paper licenses will no longer be valid, must have the new plastic with hologram. The FAA only gave the pilots a few weeks from regulation implementation to total compliance. It is a wonder we were even here to take care of it. The Lord must know Karl's not ready for the total demise of his flying dreams, even though he hasn't flown professionally in twenty-five years.

Which brings up:

Interest has been raised Re: the 2003 article written about Karl. The link to archives containing this piece is http://www.adventistreview.org/2003-1518/story1.html .

Passport: check

Mail call yesterday produced my renewed passport. One more item checked off the list!


The security paper is actually pretty in the new passports, a different scene of Americana on each page…. they start out with saguaro silhouettes in the sunset, it's got to be Arizona!

What time is it in Vanuatu right now?

Mountain Standard Time is GMT -7
Vanuatu Standard Time is GMT +11.
In other words, when it is noon in Arizona it is 6:00 tomorrow morning in Vanuatu.

Karl was a little bummed last night (Thursday) when he realized that the guy he sent an email to had already finished work on Friday and  left for the weekend.  Best case scenario, email won't even get read until Monday morning.

For the suitcase

Mail delivery today brought a book I ordered on Amazon , Birds of Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. It was four times the price I've ever paid for a field manual and I almost didn't get it. But then I remembered how much I had enjoyed identifying the unique birds in Africa. This was only possible because some kindly former tenent left a field manual behind in our house.  I love identifying birds new to me…I'm not very good at it, but love the thrill of discovery. Wish I could smuggle my friend, Laura, along with me. She's not only good company, but is rather talented at bird identification.

Update: 20-March-2010
I found a great website on Vanuatu birds http://www.positiveearth.org/vanbirds .  Now I'm anticipating Vanuatu bird watching even more!

When are we leaving?

When are we leaving? The short answer to this question is… I don't know.

•  At first the key (and we believed, only) issue was getting the container shipped and cleared through customs.
• Soon realized we needed to be sure they had enough galvanized roof sheeting for 37 building available on the islands; ordering a shipment from Australia after we arrive could make for a lot of sitting around and waiting once we got there. Of course, our contact person was out doing his job which made it a week or so to get a response, which presented even more questions.
• In the mean time, there are a few structural questions going. There are some new variables that haven't been issues with the previous erection of the One Day Church - typhoons and anchoring in sand.

• And there are several other little matters that have to be cleared before we leave. For example: power tools- bring (120V) or import from Australia (220V); battery or corded w/generator; enough for 2 teams or 3.
• Oh yes. Don't forget those two guys coming to train from Canada and Australia. Another coordination variable.
• And to add a little interest, my renewed passport has still not arrived.

Are you finding the humor? 
(okay, maybe a little frustration)

Why are we being sent way out there?

The South Pacific Division of SDA has a wish list:: a) 4 containers of One Day Churches, each containing components for 37 buildings and b) someone to come teach their laypeople how to erect them.

The first container has been sent, has cleared customs, and is on the mission office compound in Vanuatu.  The other three containers are to go to Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomons. 
The Plan: trainer slated for Fiji will be receiving his instruction at the manufacturing plant in Dodge Center, MN; the Canadian who is scheduled to teach in the Solomons and the Australian scheduled for Papua New Guinea come to Vanuatu for training with Karl and his group of local laymen before heading to their own venues.

Mmmm...more variables ...

Van-ah-what?

Yeah, yeah, I know. How do you pronounce Vanuatu? According to Wikipedia there are two acceptable pronunciations: (vah-noo-AH-too) or (van-WAH-too).  The nationality, noun and adjective is "ni-Vanuatu" (not Vanuatu-ese or Vanuatu-ite), occasionally shorten to "ni-Van".

Maybe you know more about Vanuatu than you realize.   

• WWII buffs, or those who lived during that era may remember it as New Hebrides (name change in 1980). It is on the Coral Sea, another place name from WWII.
• James A. Michener (a paper-shuffling sailor during World War II) chronicled the Solomons and the New Hebrides in "Tales of the South Pacific." Yes, there were French plantation owners on Vanuatu.
• Perhaps you have seen Dr. Mark Turnbull of Laymen Ministries Vanuatu Project on Hope Channel or 3ABN.
• Those of you who watched Survivor reality TV show in 2004 saw Vanuatu for a whole season.

 Wonder what I'll learn tomorrow to share. Check back to see.

Where in the world is Vanuatu?

Vanuatu is an island archipelago consisting of approximately 82 relatively small islands (65 of them inhabited), with about 800 miles north to south distance between the outermost islands. The archipelago is some 1,090 mi. east of northern Australia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea. Did you follow all that?

What's next?

Where is your next job?


Until two weeks ago, the only answer I had to this forever question was, "I don't know." But now that I have the answer to that question, there is a whole new batch of them. "Where in the world is Vanuatu?" "When are you going?" "Where will you live?" "What will you be doing?" "When will you be coming back?"


I'll share as I find out!