Which way do we go????

 Halo from Port Vila, Vanuatu! 

We made it! We were greeted by our CES Coordinator (Katimal Kaun) and his assistant and the Senior Sister Missionary over housing.  Mark and I report directly to Katimal.  Katimal is over the Seminary and Institute programs; in addition to other educational programs such as SIS which is Succeed in School, BYU Pathway, and English connect.  It was great to see Happy faces as we came through customs.

Getting on the plane from Sydney 
Vanuatu Port Vila
Leaving the airport in Australia was an adventure, or should I say WORKOUT?  As we prepared to leave the Hotel there was some confusion as to which taxi we should take.  We of course got in the van that would take us to Terminal 3, which was Domestic (and the one online which said we were leaving from).  After being dropped off we hustled inside with 3 suitcases and a backpack each to find that we were at the wrong terminal and that our terminal was across the street at Terminal 2.  So, there was a nice sidewalk that we could easily follow, and so we walked along with our suitcases and backpacks and made our way across to Terminal 2.  Once we got to Terminal 2 we were informed we needed to go to the international terminal (Terminal 1), which was miles away.  So again, with our 6 suitcases and 2 backpacks we hiked downstairs to catch a bus to the international terminal.  We finally made it to where we needed to be.  Once there we waited our turn to check our bags.  Once it was our turn, we found out that we were only allowed a total of 80Kg, which equals about 176 lbs.  Flying from US we were able to fly with 100 lbs each, plus our carry-on, which wasn’t weighed.  Well, we were WELL OVER, and for every Kg over it was 30 Australian dollars.  Now this 80K also includes the weight of our backpacks, and carry-on bag.   After all the calculating they did, we paid over 900 Australian dollars.  Because what are you going to leave behind????  We knew we would most likely have to pay something, we just didn’t expect that much.  The workers at the airline tried hard to help us and I think they fudge as much as they were able before delivering the sum we would have to pay with apologies.

This was the sign that was outside the 
customs area when we arrived in 
Vanuatu Port Villa airport

When we got to Vanuatu, we presented our visa papers to the custom officer and they ask us for our address.  Well, we did not have that and so Mark scrambled to find a contact we could call that would help us.   He was able to find a recent email with a contact of a sister in the seminary & institute office.  He contacted the sister, and she said, “let me talk to the Custom agent”.  She gave the magical information, and we were free to enter Port Vila, Vanuatu.

At the airport
We spent our 1st full day with Sister Jennifer Kwan; she and her husband are serving as the
Housing Coordinators for the mission.  She picked us up in our Truck and we headed to the Apartments to drop off our bags.  We spent the day getting familiar with the one road that goes around the island and the shops.  We have learned to dodge the many potholes in the road.  WE enjoyed a wonderful meal that night with the senior missionaries in our area at a restaurant right across the street from our apartments call Pad Thai.

We met our Mission President on Friday.  He and his wife have such a HUGE responsibility,

They are home usually 8 days out of the month as they travel from Island to Island.  Not only is President Ball the Mission President he is also the  Stake President over the three district presidents.

President Ball ask us to attend the ETAS ward and to support the members there.  We found out that their Leaders hold the Ward Council meeting on Saturdays at 6:30 am.  For those not of our Faith, A ward is a local congregation.  And a Council Meeting is where the leaders of different organizations; Such as the leaders over our Children’s programs, Our Youth Programs, Our Women’s Organization called the Relief Society, and the Men’s organization – the Elders, Missionaries, and Activity leaders come together to council and to receive instruction on understanding the needs of Gods’ children and plans on how to help meet those needs. They help individuals Come unto Christ; there may be some calendar planning and some administrative business. But the main purpose is to help individuals and families “Come unto Christ.” 

So, I know that was a long explanation, but important.  Any who, we showed up at 6:30 am and found out it had been canceled for the week due to a Seminary Activity for Youth 14-18.

So we decided we would just stay and support that.  I made cookies and needed to share them with someone. 😊So, we were informed that the activity was supposed to start at 6:30,  but only 2 Youth were there so they were going to go get others.  Ya’ll!  Island Time is a THING!!!!  2 plus hours later the activity started.  The wait was worth it!  As Mark and I will be supporting these Students and Teachers it was a thrill to see them in action. There were over 48 in attendance. The activity was Scripture mastery. The youth would be given a clue and they had to race to the front of the room and find the scripture verse that matched the clue.  I believe my favorite part was listening to them sing and pray. They begin their prayer, Papa God…  At the end they invited Mark and I to come up to say a few words and I said I wanted to race.  So, they gave us a clue… Mark WON!  We then introduced ourselves and I encouraged the youth to read 1 scripture everyday, and My Teen-age grandkids will appreciate this next part.  I had them raise their right arms and repeat after me; “ I promise to read 1 scripture everyday”.  I often have my grandkids make promises the same way.

We spent the rest of our Saturday at a resort.  We had lunch with the senior missionaries and enjoy some Sun time.  The view is just Heavenly.

Sunday, we attended a Single adult committee Meeting.  One of our roles is to support the Young Singles 18-35.  They have a Conferences coming up in Jan.  It’s a 4-day conference and the Singles will be coming from the isles of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands.  We found out that we are serving with 2 other adults, and we are over Accommodations and Logistics.  We have 134 coming from The Solomon Islands and only 49 have passports.  YIKES!!!  We are 13 weeks away and we have plane flights to purchase, and you need a passport first!  Needless to say, we will be busy,

Mark and I are settling in well to our new life on the Island.  We have everything we need.  We taught a group of 6 kids’ math yesterday (which is part of the SIS program - Succeed in School).  We had one student who wouldn’t even talk, she was so shy.  Most of the people here speak so softly, you can’t even hear them even when you lean in. I love being here with my very best friend.  We are learning so much together.

There is smoke in the air each evening and every morning due to fires they have to cook on, and it reminds us of what is taking place in the tin-covered homes around us.  Most of the people live in communities where the dirt is their floor, the fire is their stove and a pail of water is their bath.  They live mostly off the land and are happy people.  I am learning so much already from these people I call my brother and My sister.

I’m sorry this is so long but trust me… it’s the short version as I have left out so much.  Please feel free to ask us anything… If you have questions, send them to us.  We also can be reached texted on our US phones, if you need to contact us.  Just remember we are living your tomorrow (given we are 15 hours ahead of eastern time zone). We love and miss you all so very much and appreciate your love, and your prayers.

I will end by expressing my deepest gratitude for our dear Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson who passed away this week.  He was truly a Man of God.  He taught the World so many wonderful and important truths. I will miss him.  But I thank God that he lengthen his days to bless the world.  May Papa God bless you and your family and may you recognize Him daily in your life.

Ale lukim yu (Ok, see you) Mifala lavem you (We love you)

Elda & Sista Lovelace


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