A cyclone doesn't make for a great road experience
Hello to all our family and friends,
It has been several weeks since we last wrote. During that
time, we have been busy working to get the Seminary, Institute, and Succeed in
School programs ramped back up here on the island. A few weeks ago, however, we
were able to take a short break and travel to New Zealand. While there, we
attended the temple and spent time seeing the beautiful sights around both the
northern and southern parts of the country.
We could easily fill this entire letter describing the many places we visited in New Zealand, but we want to keep this message focused on our missionary experience. At the end of the letter, we will include a few pictures so you can see a small glimpse of how magnificent New Zealand truly is. For those who are interested, we will also share more pictures and information on our Facebook pages.
While we were in New Zealand, a Category 2 cyclone
named Urmil passed south of Port Vila near the island of Tanna. Even though it
did not hit our island directly, the effects were still felt here. Over a
period of seven days, different parts of the island received between 30 to 50
inches of rain reportedly. When that much rain comes through this island, the roads here
quickly deteriorate, turning into deep trenches and large potholes.
When we returned, that is exactly what we found across much
of the road system. Storms were still moving through the area when we landed
back from our New Zealand trip. In fact, as our pilot approached the runway, he
had already lowered the landing gear and was just about to touch down when a
heavy downpour suddenly swept across the airport. With visibility dropping
quickly, he pulled the plane back up and circled until the rain eased enough
for a safe landing. Mom, I thought of
you when this happened knowing how much you don’t love flying and tend to have
experiences like this.
Before and after our trip, we have stayed very busy working
to move the Seminary and Institute (S&I) programs forward in our assigned
areas. Since the beginning of the school year here, which starts in late
January, we have noticed that many of the programs we work with are taking
longer than expected to get fully underway. Seminary enrollment, in particular,
has been slow.
For example, across the Vanuatu Port Vila Stake we learned
on Saturday that just over 50 youth are officially registered for seminary,
even though nearly 600 are eligible to attend. We know the numbers are not
completely accurate because many more students are already attending classes,
but entering the registration information into the system has proven to be
difficult.
A good example of these challenges comes from the island of
Tanna. This past Wednesday, during our monthly ministering meeting for that
location, the S&I supervisor, Marie, explained some of the difficulties
they are facing, including training teachers and submitting student
registrations. Many of the wards and branches where seminary is taught do not
have reliable internet access, if they have access at all, and some teachers do
not even have phones. Because of this, they cannot easily submit records. In
addition, many do not have access to membership records, which makes completing
registrations even more difficult.
Another challenge is the high turnover among teachers.
Several have left only a few weeks after beginning their assignments. When we
asked why this was happening, she explained that many receive opportunities to
travel to New Zealand or Australia for seasonal fruit-picking jobs. When those
jobs become available, they often leave immediately, sometimes with little or
no notice.
We have encouraged her to work closely with priesthood
leaders in the various church units to help gather the needed information.
While that may sound simple for those in the United States, visiting these
locations and coordinating with leaders can be a logistical challenge here on
the islands. Tanna is not a small island, and traveling between areas requires
access to a car, taxi, or bus; and even then transportation can be
unpredictable. We are hoping to fly to Tanna in the near future to help with
training new teachers, but in the meantime we will continue working with her
from here and provide ideas that may make the process a little easier.
Recently we also reached the six-month mark of our
missionary service. It is hard to believe how quickly the time has passed.
During these months we have been tremendously blessed with opportunities to
grow together. One thing I have especially enjoyed is seeing even more clearly
the many talents my wife has. She is a wonderful and inspired teacher.
Darleen truly loves teaching. She spends time studying the
material carefully so she can determine the best way to present the message and
help others truly understand. I tend to approach teaching a little differently.
I often move quickly and focus on the main points rather than going deeply into
the discussion. Watching her teach has helped me see how much richer the
experience can be when we slow down and allow the Spirit to guide the
conversation.
As we continue serving here in the Vanuatu Port Vila Stake,
we are receiving weekly opportunities to teach youth and young single adults.
This past Saturday was a great example of how studying and relying on the
Spirit can bless our teaching.
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| In-Service S&I meeting attendees this Saturday |
Darleen and I led an in-service training for Seminary and Institute teachers across the stake. We had invited over 30 teachers to attend, but about half that number were able to come. Even so, it was better than the three who were present when the meeting first began! We were grateful for those who made the effort to attend.
Our focus for the training was helping students become more
diligent learners. I conducted the meeting, while Darleen invited several
teachers to participate by sharing spiritual thoughts, ministering experiences,
music, and prayers. She talked about ways teachers can involve students more
actively in lessons by asking thoughtful questions, encouraging discussion, and
allowing students to respond to each other instead of immediately providing the
answer themselves.
Asking thoughtful questions allows students to take part in
the learning process and share their knowledge, experiences, and testimonies of
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Darleen also suggested finding ways for students to take on
some of the responsibilities that teachers normally handle, giving them
opportunities to grow through participation. While these ideas may sound
simple, it can sometimes be difficult here to get students to speak up. And
when they do, they often speak very quietly, making it hard for others to hear
them. Darleen challenged the teachers to ask questions at least two or three
times during each lesson so students can begin developing the habit of responding
and participating.
I also demonstrated how this approach could work by walking
through one of the upcoming seminary lessons. I showed the teachers that many
of these teaching opportunities are already built into the curriculum—they
simply need to recognize them and take advantage of them as they teach.
Another special experience this week came when we were asked
to pick up Elder Damon Page, an Area Authority Seventy from Melbourne,
Australia. He flew in to attend a district conference on the island of Malakula
and had a one-day layover here in Port Vila.
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| Dinner with Elder Page and other Senior Missionaries |
That evening we had dinner with Elder Page and the other senior missionaries. During our time together he expressed gratitude for the service of senior missionaries and said he was witnessing the Law of Consecration in action. He shared how senior missionaries give up much in order to give their all in helping build the kingdom of God, including leaving behind family and many comforts of home.
It was a blessing to spend time with him and feel the Spirit
he brings. He also shared some insight into the behind-the-scenes work that
takes place in Church administration, especially regarding the responsibilities
of Area Authority Seventies. The next morning I had the opportunity to take him
to the airport for his early flight to Malakula, which gave us another chance
to visit and enjoy his testimony of the Savior.
Our conversations with Elder Page naturally turned our
thoughts toward family. We have also been made aware of a family member and two
dear friends who passed away this week. As we reflected on how special families
are, we used our traditional Sunday evening senior missionary gathering to
share a message about families.
Each Sunday at 6:00 p.m., the senior missionaries gather
together, rotating between our apartments to host the evening. This past Sunday
it was held at our apartment. Darleen began the gathering by sharing about our
opportunity to meet with Elder Page and the messages he shared about families.
She also spoke about some of the recent losses our family has experienced while
we have been on our mission, and others shared experiences of their own losses
as well.
We know that death is not the end of family associations. We
are grateful for the knowledge that families can be together eternally, and we
pray for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. After a short
discussion, Darleen shared an uplifting message from our prophet about the
importance of God’s eternal plan for families.
Afterward, we shifted gears and had some fun by playing a
game of Family Feud. We played ten rounds plus a speed round for the winners. I
had found a PowerPoint template for the game a few years ago that I used during
a family vacation, and I was able to reuse it by adding new survey questions
and answers from “100 LDS members who were surveyed.” It turned into a very
enjoyable evening, and we think everyone had a great time. Darleen was also
pleased that most of the cookies she had baked had disappeared!
A recent change for us is that we have officially handed
over the housing responsibilities on our island to a new senior missionary
couple. They will now oversee the fleet of mission vehicles and all the
missionary housing across Vanuatu.
We are a little sad to see that assignment go because it
gave us many opportunities to interact with the proselyting missionaries while
inspecting their apartments or fixing whatever had broken that week. We will
miss those interactions, but we are grateful to have the Becks here to take
over and focus on the work full-time rather than the part-time effort we were
able to give it. It is also wonderful to have more senior missionaries here to
serve alongside and get to know.
Even though the Becks are assuming the housing
responsibilities, I agreed to see one last situation through to completion. We
have two sets of missionaries serving in our ward area whose landlord recently
raised their rent by 31%. That increase caused me to start searching for
another option that would cost less.
I was excited to find a newly built duplex nearby that would actually cost 25–30% less than the original rent at the current apartment, and it would be brand new.
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| Unfinished apartment for the missionaries ... A bathroom area we just need the lights, hardware, toilet, and sink!!! |
The landlord originally told us the duplex would be finished
in February. Wanting to be cautious, we decided to build in a one-month buffer
before planning the move. Unfortunately, the “buffer” may not be enough. It now
looks like construction will take at least another month, and to add to the
adventure, the landlord has not answered my phone calls for the past two weeks.
When we drive by the property, we also notice that no one seems to be working
on it.
Meanwhile, we had already given notice for the missionaries
to vacate their current apartment by April 1st…which means we may soon have
missionaries with their bags packed but no new apartment ready. I am now trying
to see if we can extend their current lease for another month while we wait and
hope the duplex will actually be completed.
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| Darleen and the ocean views from one of our favorite places to eat lunch ... we went yesterday and didn't want to leave. |
While I am learning patience through this experience with
“island time,” I am also learning something else. God has placed some truly
beautiful spirits on these islands. I often think about the scriptures where
the Lord speaks of the blessings promised to those who live upon the isles of
the sea.
One example is in 2 Nephi 10:21: “But great are the promises
of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea….”
One of those promises is that they will be numbered among
His people. To me, that means they will never be forgotten. As we serve here,
it becomes easier to see those promises being fulfilled. Even without many
modern conveniences, the people here live surrounded by incredible beauty, and
they possess a warmth and faith that is inspiring to witness.
We love you all and think about you often from afar across
the oceans.
Darleen & Mark, Nana & Papa, and Mom & Dad
Additional Pictures memories from these past several weeks
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| Line of cows walking up the path close to Hobbiton |
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| Hobbiton - "the shire" |
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| Milford Sound on the South Island |
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| Milford Sound on the South Island |
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| In the trees in the Redwood forest in Rotorua |
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| Redwoods in Rotorua |
Beautiful pictures. You are both doing such a great work. While you were having your cyclone. We got a tornado in our area. F3. 150 mph winds. 3 1/2 mile wide. Many homes were damaged. Our son lost 1/2 of his house. Many people have been so kind and generous. I hope your cyclone experience allowed everyone to be safe. We are thankful for all that you are doing for the good people there.
ReplyDelete❤️🙏. The Horchems.